Xi'an Cool Noodle Opens in Porter Square

The hand-pulled cold noodle restaurant has opened in a former food court space within the Lesley Building.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Red brick commercial facade with a plain glass storefront under a flat awning on a Cambridge street, a bicycle leaning against a rail in the foreground. — Xi'an Cool Noodle, which serves hand-pulled cold noodles from northwest China, has opened in the Lesley Building in Porter Square, Cambridge. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Xi'an Cool Noodle is now open in Porter Square, Cambridge, occupying a space in the Lesley Building. The restaurant moved into a space previously occupied by Yume Ga Arukara within the building.

Why it matters

The opening adds a Northwest China-style cold noodle option to the Porter Square dining area. It also marks a new tenant in a building that once housed the Porter Exchange Food Court.

The restaurant is located at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140, according to its website. No opening date, revenue, or other operational figures were reported.

The players

Xi'an Cool Noodle

A restaurant serving hand-pulled cold noodles typically found in northwest China, which opened in Porter Square's Lesley Building.

Yume Ga Arukara

A restaurant that previously occupied the space now used by Xi'an Cool Noodle before moving to another location within the Lesley Building.

The details

Xi'an Cool Noodle serves hand-pulled cold noodles typically found in northwest China and is listed as open on its website. The restaurant occupies space in the Lesley Building, where Yume Ga Arukara previously operated before relocating within the building. The area was formerly known as the Porter Exchange Food Court, which once included Chocho's, Ittyo, Tampopo and Sapporo; Sapporo now operates at CambridgeSide.

The article reporting the opening was published on November 11, 2026.

Market Landscape

The Lesley Building's former Porter Exchange Food Court once housed Chocho's, Ittyo, Tampopo and Sapporo, and its tenants have since dispersed, with Sapporo now at CambridgeSide. Xi'an Cool Noodle's arrival adds another independent counter-service option to a Porter Square dining scene that has seen several of its former food court vendors relocate.

Cambridge diners now have a hand-pulled cold noodle option at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue in Porter Square. The restaurant's arrival gives residents a new lunch and dinner choice without changing existing menu prices elsewhere in the area.

The takeaway

A new restaurant opening in an established building can signal changing tenant patterns in neighborhood dining. Diners looking for Northwest China-style cold noodles can now find one in Porter Square.