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Amazing food with amazing staff. All delicious.... Portions are big... to go container for leftovers are readily available... AND staff is super helpful. The sitting is comfortable and the AC works very good. All in all.... I highly recommend
7.5/10 Got the spicy beef noodle soup. I've had northern cafe at another location and all the food I got was amazing. The spicy beef noodle soup is good, but a little toooo oily for my liking. Besides that it was great. I will say my stomach was hurtinn in the morning tho which I expected.
Pulled noodles have this nice texture with a good bite. Everything was flavorful. Worth the wait.
Service was slow initially to get seated. There were several empty tables but we waited for a few minutes before they were able to seat us. They're typically very busy when we go on a weekday night. But once we got seated, service was fine. I usually get the pork wontons with chili oil. It's flavorful and it's actually not really spicy. We got the braised Xinjiang Market Chicken with sliced noodle. Very big portion. It had potatoes and bell peppers too. Noodles itself was good texture, but the overall dish lacked some flavor. I ended up dipping my noodles in the chili oil sauce from the wontons just to get more flavor in it. Good place to come for simple dishes. Overall pricing is reasonable as well.
Was looking for a restaurant for a Lunar New Year lunch with my coworkers and came across Northern Cafe! Surprisingly busy on a weekday afternoon, probably had a lot of take out orders for the LNY as I saw a lot of customers picking up to-go bags. I've been to the location in MPK, and it seems like each establishments menu is different depending on owner. This one had hot pots on their menu! We went for the simple noodles (for longevity), xiao long baos (for prosperity), fish fillet (they didn't have whole fish/abundance), and vegetables (of course)! The vegetable was nice and not too soft, with a lot of garlic! Fish fillets were surprisingly well cooked, they had a nice crisp to the skin with a flakey inside still, and the black bean sauce was not overly salty. The sesame noodle was a bit lacking on sauce, and the noodle texture was a bit too sticky, maybe overcooked. Disappointed as I love these dry noodles, but I would want to try their Dan Dan noodles or another soup noodle next time to see if it would be better. The soup dumplings had a good amount of soup inside (if you could pick it up without breaking the skin), but the dough was a bit too thick for my liking. I'm not a HUGE fan of Din Tai Fung, but I do like the skin better there. There were not take many workers on the floor, so they seemed very rushed and we had to ask for some items multiple times before they would bring it. But they were very kind! I enjoyed the Chinese music being played for the LNY. Overall I would be back to try some other dishes if I'm in the area.
Our favorite noodle place in the South Bay. Beef noodle soup, cumin lamb stir fry and the spicy mala fish bowl are our favorites. Take out is a huge hit or miss. The wait times are super unpredictable. I have waited longer for an entree than it took for 2 parties to finish eating dinner. They served those tables despite my order going in first. When we got home, our order was wrong. :( That's frustrating but I learn. I will not order take out from them anymore.
This review will probably need to be updated after another visit. I come here from time to time and the food is always decent. Service is good too, but the waitstaff is typically seen running all over the place (probably short staffed). We recently went here for lunar new year and it looked like they only had one worker up front taking orders, cleaning tables, delivering food, packing food for delivery services, etc. He was very apologetic and it was very clear he was doing his best. There was a wait for lunch and the restaurant was basically full the entire time we were there. The only thing that REALLY irked us was a customer who casually brought in their dog (not a service animal). That's a code violation if I'm correct, but I assumed their one and only worker at the front was too busy running the entire show to notice. We waited about 30 minutes for our food. He actually handed us a blank piece of paper to write down our order because things were so busy. In fact, I literally walked over to him to hand him the paper lol The food was good. We got pork and chinese cabbage dumplings (boiled). Two of them had torn so the juices were on the plate. It was decent but we'll probably order something else next time. The tomato beef noodle soup with fried egg was surprisingly delicious. I'm not a tomato-base fan but this one was really tasty. Some of the noodles were clumped together (..like REALLY clumped...like golf ball-sized clump) but I wouldn't be surprised if they only had one chef back there frantically cooking everything. Their stir fried sliced noodles were average. We took it home and it tasted great the next day. Lastly their beef rolls were generously portioned. They stuffed it with tons of cilantro. If you don't like cilantro, then don't get it. Overall, we still had a decent time! They were busy as heck but I wish they said something about that dog (I'm most certain it is a code violation).
It took me so long to try this place and I'm so glad I did because everything here is amazing! This location does close for a lunch hour in the afternoon so we made it right in time. The menu is huge and family style so you could share and try different things. The inside is pretty small but there is plenty of seating. The beef noodle soup was super good and went great with some chili oil. The meat was very tender too. The green beans were very garlic-y and sooo good. The green onion pancakes and beef roll were both great appetizers too! It was a very comforting meal overall and I'll definitely be back to try more!
Everything here is very good, the parking lot is insanely busy ALL the time so be prepared to circle the lot for a bit. Orange chicken is juicy and crispy Shrimp fried rice is massive Spicy beef noodle soup was full of flavor Wontons weren't too spicy but very filling Not pictured was our garlic broccoli
Dropped by after landing because I was starving - got the golden soup personal hotpot was awesome (great flavor, love half the ingredients, the other half was pretty subpar, also wish there were slightly more ingredients). Service - pretty slow and inattentive (they seem busy) Ambiance - casual Yelp challenge, 100 challenge, #2025
Northern Cafe is one of my go to Chinese restaurants. Their menu is filled with delicious selections yet unlike some other restaurants that have so many items as to be intimidating. Lately I have been craving Northern Cafe's pork wonton seaweed soup. A bowl filled with extra large wontons in flavorful soup enhanced with seaweed and Chinese greens. Tonight I had there Fish filet in bean paste. The fish was lightly battered and stirred fried just perfectly tender. Onion and bell pepper took the task of bringing up the flavor. The service was friendly even though the servers were way over worked. Next time? The spicy fish filet they said was a large dish...well I have a large appetite.
Consistency is KEY and Northern Cafe always hit's the spot! Top fav is Beef roll pancake Cold Sliced Beef Wrap With Hoisin Sauce! Love how there noodles and dumplings are also fresh too! - Tomato beef noodle - Pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings
Pretty good!!! I love northern style Chinese food! I got the beef noodle soup and it was delicious! Flavor was on point. We also tried some dumplings which were okay. I've only been once but everytime i want to come here they are closed :( Definitely need to come back to try the rest of the menu. You order and pay at the register and then they bring you your food if you're dining in. Parking may be difficult during weekend as the plaza gets very busy.
The first time we came was a party of four and we liked it so much we came back with just two of us. XLB: taste wise was delicious, the second time we came, the dumplings were not piping hot, but more like warm. I ate them fast to not allow them to get any colder. House special beef & tendon noodle soup: we picked the normal noodles. There was a good amount of tendon, which I love. The broth is on the clearer side but it's somehow so flavorful! I loved the noodles and overall dish! Hot & spicy beef noodle soup: we picked the knife cut noodles. The noodles were a bit too thick for my liking, but the soup was very flavorful. There was so much meat in the bowl! Spicy pork & shrimp wontons: pretty straightforward but delicious. Green beans: loved them! I will definitely be back! read more
I went back to Northern Cafe for the first time in quite a while and was pleasantly surprised -- honestly made me wish I had been coming here more often. We ordered the xiao long bao, broccoli beef, beef rolls, and chicken chow mein. The xiao long bao was excellent with a good amount of soup in each dumpling, and the beef rolls were probably my favorite item, especially dipped in a mix of black vinegar and soy sauce. The broccoli beef had a nice flavor, though I wished it had a little more meat. The chicken chow mein was the weakest dish for me: the noodle texture was great, but the overall flavor didn't stand out as much as I expected. Ordering was easy and the menu was very approachable thanks to the pictures. The restaurant is on the smaller side, which actually made it easier to get a server's attention when needed. Food also came out pretty quickly. The ambiance is straightforward and comfortable -- nothing fancy, just a solid neighborhood restaurant. Because it's small, you may have to wait if it gets busy, but tables seemed to turn over quickly thanks to the fast service. One practical tip: the portion sizes are bigger than they look. We had a table for two and ended up with dishes crowding the table pretty quickly. Overall, I enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back. read more
Amazing food with amazing staff. All delicious.... Portions are big... to go container for leftovers are readily available... AND staff is super helpful. The sitting is comfortable and the AC works very good. All in all.... I highly recommend read more
20 days ago
7.5/10 Got the spicy beef noodle soup. I've had northern cafe at another location and all the food I got was amazing. The spicy beef noodle soup is good, but a little toooo oily for my liking. Besides that it was great. I will say my stomach was hurtinn in the morning tho which I expected. read more
2 months ago
Pulled noodles have this nice texture with a good bite. Everything was flavorful. Worth the wait. read more
Service was slow initially to get seated. There were several empty tables but we waited for a few minutes before they were able to seat us. They're typically very busy when we go on a weekday night. But once we got seated, service was fine. I usually get the pork wontons with chili oil. It's flavorful and it's actually not really spicy. We got the braised Xinjiang Market Chicken with sliced noodle. Very big portion. It had potatoes and bell peppers too. Noodles itself was good texture, but the overall dish lacked some flavor. I ended up dipping my noodles in the chili oil sauce from the wontons just to get more flavor in it. Good place to come for simple dishes. Overall pricing is reasonable as well. read more
7 months ago
Was looking for a restaurant for a Lunar New Year lunch with my coworkers and came across Northern Cafe! Surprisingly busy on a weekday afternoon, probably had a lot of take out orders for the LNY as I saw a lot of customers picking up to-go bags. I've been to the location in MPK, and it seems like each establishments menu is different depending on owner. This one had hot pots on their menu! We went for the simple noodles (for longevity), xiao long baos (for prosperity), fish fillet (they didn't have whole fish/abundance), and vegetables (of course)! The vegetable was nice and not too soft, with a lot of garlic! Fish fillets were surprisingly well cooked, they had a nice crisp to the skin with a flakey inside still, and the black bean sauce was not overly salty. The sesame noodle was a bit lacking on sauce, and the noodle texture was a bit too sticky, maybe overcooked. Disappointed as I love these dry noodles, but I would want to try their Dan Dan noodles or another soup noodle next time to see if it would be better. The soup dumplings had a good amount of soup inside (if you could pick it up without breaking the skin), but the dough was a bit too thick for my liking. I'm not a HUGE fan of Din Tai Fung, but I do like the skin better there. There were not take many workers on the floor, so they seemed very rushed and we had to ask for some items multiple times before they would bring it. But they were very kind! I enjoyed the Chinese music being played for the LNY. Overall I would be back to try some other dishes if I'm in the area. read more
Our favorite noodle place in the South Bay. Beef noodle soup, cumin lamb stir fry and the spicy mala fish bowl are our favorites. Take out is a huge hit or miss. The wait times are super unpredictable. I have waited longer for an entree than it took for 2 parties to finish eating dinner. They served those tables despite my order going in first. When we got home, our order was wrong. :( That's frustrating but I learn. I will not order take out from them anymore. read more
This review will probably need to be updated after another visit. I come here from time to time and the food is always decent. Service is good too, but the waitstaff is typically seen running all over the place (probably short staffed). We recently went here for lunar new year and it looked like they only had one worker up front taking orders, cleaning tables, delivering food, packing food for delivery services, etc. He was very apologetic and it was very clear he was doing his best. There was a wait for lunch and the restaurant was basically full the entire time we were there. The only thing that REALLY irked us was a customer who casually brought in their dog (not a service animal). That's a code violation if I'm correct, but I assumed their one and only worker at the front was too busy running the entire show to notice. We waited about 30 minutes for our food. He actually handed us a blank piece of paper to write down our order because things were so busy. In fact, I literally walked over to him to hand him the paper lol The food was good. We got pork and chinese cabbage dumplings (boiled). Two of them had torn so the juices were on the plate. It was decent but we'll probably order something else next time. The tomato beef noodle soup with fried egg was surprisingly delicious. I'm not a tomato-base fan but this one was really tasty. Some of the noodles were clumped together (..like REALLY clumped...like golf ball-sized clump) but I wouldn't be surprised if they only had one chef back there frantically cooking everything. Their stir fried sliced noodles were average. We took it home and it tasted great the next day. Lastly their beef rolls were generously portioned. They stuffed it with tons of cilantro. If you don't like cilantro, then don't get it. Overall, we still had a decent time! They were busy as heck but I wish they said something about that dog (I'm most certain it is a code violation). read more
8 months ago
It took me so long to try this place and I'm so glad I did because everything here is amazing! This location does close for a lunch hour in the afternoon so we made it right in time. The menu is huge and family style so you could share and try different things. The inside is pretty small but there is plenty of seating. The beef noodle soup was super good and went great with some chili oil. The meat was very tender too. The green beans were very garlic-y and sooo good. The green onion pancakes and beef roll were both great appetizers too! It was a very comforting meal overall and I'll definitely be back to try more! read more
9 months ago
Everything here is very good, the parking lot is insanely busy ALL the time so be prepared to circle the lot for a bit. Orange chicken is juicy and crispy Shrimp fried rice is massive Spicy beef noodle soup was full of flavor Wontons weren't too spicy but very filling Not pictured was our garlic broccoli read more
Dropped by after landing because I was starving - got the golden soup personal hotpot was awesome (great flavor, love half the ingredients, the other half was pretty subpar, also wish there were slightly more ingredients). Service - pretty slow and inattentive (they seem busy) Ambiance - casual Yelp challenge, 100 challenge, #2025 read more
Northern Cafe is one of my go to Chinese restaurants. Their menu is filled with delicious selections yet unlike some other restaurants that have so many items as to be intimidating. Lately I have been craving Northern Cafe's pork wonton seaweed soup. A bowl filled with extra large wontons in flavorful soup enhanced with seaweed and Chinese greens. Tonight I had there Fish filet in bean paste. The fish was lightly battered and stirred fried just perfectly tender. Onion and bell pepper took the task of bringing up the flavor. The service was friendly even though the servers were way over worked. Next time? The spicy fish filet they said was a large dish...well I have a large appetite. read more
Consistency is KEY and Northern Cafe always hit's the spot! Top fav is Beef roll pancake Cold Sliced Beef Wrap With Hoisin Sauce! Love how there noodles and dumplings are also fresh too! - Tomato beef noodle - Pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings read more
Pretty good!!! I love northern style Chinese food! I got the beef noodle soup and it was delicious! Flavor was on point. We also tried some dumplings which were okay. I've only been once but everytime i want to come here they are closed :( Definitely need to come back to try the rest of the menu. You order and pay at the register and then they bring you your food if you're dining in. Parking may be difficult during weekend as the plaza gets very busy. read more
3 months ago
The Braised Pork Ribs with Kidney Beans, Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs, Braised Chicken Pot, House Special Beef Noodle Soup, and Sauteed Onion with Beef were all great. Chinese comfort food with big portions. read more
This is a chain located throughout Southern California. They have hand pulled noodles, fresh dumplings and even noodle soups and hot pot. Service is quick and efficient. Place is clean and well maintained. They have an A health inspection rating. Ample seating. This place offers catering too! The food is delicious but be careful, it is steaming hot! read more
1 month ago
One of my favorites places when we don't know what to eat. First time we ate here was probably because another restaurant had a long wait and we randomly tried it out. Parking can be difficult in this old plaza depending on the hours. Seating usually doesn't take too long. One of the best things about this places is the noodles. House made, can be adjusted to your liking. They're perfectly chewy and have a nice texture to them. When I first visited, one of my favorites places dishes here was the kung pao chicken. It used to be very unique, fried super crispy before mixed with the carrot, peanuts, peppers, and other bits. On our recent trip, it's seems like they completely changed the recipe, it's on the sweet side, no carrots or other veggies and peanuts were just added on top. I lost one of my favorite dish here, would never order the current kung pao chicken again. Not pictured or ordered since it was a hot day, but one of my favorites is their beef noodle sou. It's a great comfort dish with excellent flavor and good portions of meat and veggies All of their dry noodles or cold noodles are delicious as well. One of their house specialty entrees I really enjoyed and will order again is the spicy spare ribs. Super crispy, good spices. Might be a bit on the oily side, but it's delicious. XLB are good, not the best but perfectly fine. Juicy and good flavor. Cold cuts are good as an appetizer, you can choose however many you want and portions are good. Staff is very friendly and helpful. I would say they get swamped a bit during busy hours as they handle tables and also take out orders. read more
1 year ago
There are many Northern Cafes in Southern California but this one might rank as the best Chinese noodle restaurants I've been to! Love their store-made shaved noodle! Super firm and Al Dente! You can have it with any flavors of soups they offer. We love their beef broth and their tomato beef broth. While noodles are the thing most people came here for, I do like the nice selection of ready made, but quite fresh, Chinese cold dishes - a great variety of protein and vegetable dishes for $6-8 each. I'd highly recommend the sea weeds, lotus roots, and wood ears. Service is what earned them the 5th star from me! Our waitress was super nice and considerate! Rarely see someone so hardworking in a small place like this but her attitude and spirit were exemplary! Ambiance is very casual - it's the kind of place you can come in your slippers. Price is reasonable- noodles are about $15-20 and the portion size is great!! Parking tip: parking is NOT good but it's not the store's fault. They share the parking lot with many other restaurants so it's very difficult to find a spot most of the time. Street parking might be easier, also if you can pick up a few things from CVS, then there's a huge relatively empty CVS parking lot across the street from it. read more
My husband and I were driving around for a place to eat lunch on a Friday and decided to try Northern Cafe a try. Plenty of seating, the restaurant wasn't very busy. We've never really had northern Chinese food so we were ordering blind. The server was super helpful and recommended couple of things based on our preference. Gave us hot tea to start. We tried beef noodle soup with pickled vegetables and sauerkraut (not spicy) and hot spicy pork ribs (tiny ribs, fried and covered with red pepper flakes). They were surprising very yummy and we were very happy with our order! Parking is always tough here but not as bad as dinner time. Looked like they started hot pot menu as well, similar to Boiling Point! read more
We had a great dinner at Northern Cafe! Loved the hot pot--it was the perfect size and had lots of yummy goodies inside. The broth was tomato-y and delicious. Beef roll was great, pork wontons with chili oil were good, and the garlic broccoli was divine. Definitely want to come back and try the handmade noodle soup! Cute little restaurant; we'll be back! read more
Just say "yes" to everything that catches your attention! Met up with some friends to enjoy a nice lunch while we catch up. I really like how open the space is, well lit, and nice big booths for all the plates you're gonna get! I got here before my friends and the server let me sit immediately. I've been here for lunch several times and the service is always spot on. You won't ever feel pressured and if you need something, just let the server know. We ordered a good amount of food: scallion pancakes, sesame balls, soup dumplings, pork pan fried dumplings, dan dan noodles (say yes to the fried egg), garlic and broccoli, and the bbq spare ribs! Of course, we started eating before I remembered to take a picture so all I can post is a pic of the scallion pancake and my leftover bbq pork and broccoli! I am so thankful to have a laid back dumpling, noodle spot in Gardena that is consistently good. Go here now! read more
11 months ago
Food is so so tasty. The garlic green beans are a must try. I got the chicken chow mein, pork won tons and braised beef noodle soup as well. Service is good but they close in the middle of the day. Ambiance is nice with a good amount of seating. Will be back read more
1 month ago
1 year ago
I love dimsum and this place has basically everything I wanted. The dandan noodles are very good. Dumplings are also large and delicious. The flavor varies a bit location by location. This location is spacious and server was nice. It's quite close to LAX. read more
I was visiting my cousin and telling her about my latest food craving since it's been cold, beef rolls. She had no idea what I was talking about so I searched on Yelp for beef rolls in the area and Northern Cafe showed up. I ordered via their website and picked it up and paid cash. They are located in the same shopping center as Marie Callender's and a whole gang of other eateries so the parking lot can get full, but it's worth it. Northern Cafe is a small/medium cafe that's super clean and organized. My order was ready for pick-up and neatly packed up and the lady at the register already knew that I had a to-go order. We proceeded to walk out of the restaurant but decided to just go back in and eat it at one of the tables. The lady that handed me the food was so nice and brought waters to our table without question. My cousin and I thoroughly enjoyed their beef roll and the only reason we didn't get more food is because we had a little snack at Tokyo Central 10 minutes before we got there. I will be coming back to Northern for their Dan Dan noodles and the beef noodle soup after my one visit for a quick beef roll. If you haven't had one, it's such a great snack that will hold you over. I tend to order a beef noodle soup and a beef roll at my local Taiwanese spot back home and the beef roll will last me two days because it's so filling. Also, not every place has a good beef roll but thankfully Northern's is great! read more
5 months ago
We had a very pleasant experience- staff were friendly & quick.... Maybe it was the time of day but we did go on Mother's Day at lunch hour. -the parking is a little chaotic but there is plenty of parking We started with the green beans - never had them with onion but that definitely elevated the dish for me !!! Second we ordered the Dan Dan over all there was so much noodle compared to meat & sauce but the texture of the noodles was gummy & over cooked ... not ideal Third we got the dumplings in chili oil - Amazing- flavorful & filled VERY full! Sauce was nice & light, tangy with a little spice Fourth we got the pan fried pork & Chinese cabbage dumplings, came out crispy & again filling was generous & portion size was almost too much to finish.. no complaints! A few final notes worth sharing - the chili oil on the table is hands down the best we've ever had! It's got a chipotle mouth feel with a kick you don't anticipate so be ready! We normally order a jasmine green tea but that wasn't an option so we were surprised when the green tea in the bottle was flavored with jasmine & honey absolutely delightful. Black tea is also nothing to sleep on! Overall would try again if I'm the neighborhood because they have a great selection of items I'd love to try!! read more
1 year ago
1 month ago
6 months ago
I often crave a beef noodle soup and these beef scallion type rolls. Usually have to drive 20-30 mins to get it a few cities over , but we found northern cafe as a local choice and now will forever be coming back. The atmosphere and ambiance is so cute - truly like a cafe style. Service was quick and staff was kind. Loved the soup and my rolls (of course), and it was all so reasonably affordable !! read more
2 years ago
Absolutely delicious. We came in on a Sunday for lunch. There was no wait and we were seated immediately. We ordered a whole feast including: - Stir-Fried Green Beans: my absolute fave. Greasy but still somehow very fresh (it's gotta be the slight snap when you bite into the green beans), these are oily and salty and garlicky and peppery and amazing. - Xiao Long Bao: these were actually way more flavorful at this location compared to the ones we tried at the Cerritos location. Succulent, brothy, and slightly nutty. The fresh dumpling skins are so good! - Lamb Dumplings: These were a hit at the table. The lamb flavor is strong (but not gnarly), but balanced out with herbs. Dip it in the vinegar and you're golden. - Beef Roll: Thin sliced beef rolled with fresh herbs, wrapped in a crispy yet chewy roti blanket? The bomb. Service was friendly. There were only two people working the front so there was a little wait for attention, but you could see them hustling. Highly recommend giving this location a chance. read more
9 months ago
Northern Cafe delivers big flavor, big portions, and dishes that hit harder than you expect. Perfect when you want something satisfying and loud.friendly staff read more
2 years ago
The Service: Friendly and efficient The Food: Love their handmade noodles. The texture is chewy and flavorful. Big portion! The pork wonton with chili oil could be more spicy. The Parking: Plaza parking lot read more
Business owner information
Madison V.
Thanks for your feedback, It’s really an appreciation, we would love…
9 months ago
Went here for my birthday last September and I genuinely enjoyed everything we ordered. Would definitely come back for the Shrimp Wonton with Chili Oil! read more
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More info about Northern Cafe
15486 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90249
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(310) 217-1268
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https://northerncafegardena.com
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Ask the Community - Northern Cafe
Is there soup dumplings?
Yes they have them but they call theirs juicy pork dumplings.
Is rice included with the entrées?
Depends which one you order not all of them come with rice.
What vegan options do they have?
Not many. As a vegan I do not recommend Northern Café for vegan meals.
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