I wanted something spicy Chinese and gave this place a shot. Spoiler alert, it wasn't but I also have a pretty high tolerance, and we are in Minnesota (no shade). I ordered the Stir Fry Spicy Beef, Mapo Tofu, and the Pork Belly. Everything was tasty and have no complaints as far as the actual flavors. I do think that the Mapo Tofu should always be soft tofu rather than firm, but that's just a personal preference. The beef was plentiful and extra tender and the pork belly was perfectly melt-in-your-mouth, so good that I felt like I had to ration it throughout the next few meals. I do wish it came with more rice. I ordered three sides and only got one box of rice. I was hoping to have at least two so I can eat it for several days. However, to end on a positive note, when I walked in to pick up my order, the woman (owner possibly) was incredibly friendly and spoke Mandarin to me. She was welcoming, funny, and we briefly argued how spicy food should really be for it to be enjoyable. "The spicier the better," me thinks. Come show these guys some love! read more

Northern Kitchen - Mapo tofu, pork belly and spicy beef stir fry- good flavors - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

This is one of those low key hidden gem restaurants that serve authentic food without a doubt, because it's not only difficult to locate, but also relatively exclusive in terms of its clientele. I enjoyed everything I have had here so far and definitely appreciated the authentic aspect of the food they have. The only improvement I could suggest was the taste of a lot of their dishes, as flavors tended to be on the mild side. It doesn't mean their food is any less authentic, though, and I would recommend all that are looking for authentic Chinese food to visit here. Individually, I ordered dishes that I would normally order in Chinese restaurants, so while I am not sure if there's anything I can necessarily recommend yet, I will say that I thought every dish I have had were above average in comparison to the same dishes I have had elsewhere. My favorite so far is the fried pork in scoop (锅包肉) and I don't even regularly eat pork. There was a nice layer of sweetness and sourness witht the sauce outside the pork pieces. The vegetable dishes like eggplant in garlic sauce (鱼香茄子), green beans with garlic (干煸四季豆), and Chinese cabbage (手撕包菜) are all tasty enough. The Chinese cabbage contained a lot of vinegar, and I bet some people would enjoy that. I didn't taste enough cumin in the cumin lamb (孜然羊肉) dish, but there was an abundant amount of lamb and I appreciated it. The spicy pepper chicken (辣子鸡) was very delicious and had the right amount of spice in my opinion. There is a Relaxing Healthy Center that's connected to the restaurant and apparently that establishment has been very popular, especially in the evenings. I have not visited there yet but I heard that it was similar to saunas in China, and I would love to visit there soon. Regardless, this is a hidden gem, hole in the wall, type of spot and I would definitely recommend everyone. read more

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This is more of a traditional/authentic style Chinese restaurant tucked away into a shopping center. We had a little difficulty communicating with the wait staff, but ultimately got all our food out and were satisfied with most everything we ordered. The food is definitely not the American style Chinese food you might be used to so be careful what you order. My Chicken with Szechuan peppercorn was nothing like I expected. It was icy in the middle and hot on the edges and was basically a whole chicken (it also came out after everyone else had finished their meal). I didn't like it, but everything else at the table was absolutely scrumptious. I will be back. read more

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Love that Bloomington now has another great Chinese food option! I didn't even know this restaurant existed until a random Yelp rec showed up and I'm glad it did. I came with a group of 4 and ordered: peppercorn fish, green beans with garlic, Chairman Mao's pork, salt & pepper squid, and golden fried corn. The food reminded me of being at a friend's house and having wonderful homemade Chinese food! Service was also kind. I've been searching for peppercorn fish in restaurants near the city and finally found it here. It was my favorite dish, flavorful with a kick, not extremely spicy, highly recommend it! Golden fried corn was okay, I didn't know what to expect. It's not something I would get again. Same with Chairman Mao's pork and salt& pepper squid. While the flavors were there, I think it was a little underwhelming. Overall, I enjoyed all the food. I hope to try other dishes there as well because it seems like there are authentic dishes that I may not know about. read more

Northern Kitchen - Peppercorn fish, green beans, salt & pepper squid - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

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I gave good review at the beginning of Grand opening, but since then , the quality of the food not as good as then . The missing advertising and signage , in my opinion , hurt the operation , their business not as good as potentially should be , as lacking of customers will cut the quality of the food . read more

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Delicious authentic Chinese dishes. Generous options. Will be back! Spicy fish soup is addictive and the eggplant wonderful. read more

Northern Kitchen - Peppercorn Fish Spicy Pepper Chicken Eggplant in Garlic Sauce - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Skip the fast food and support your local Chinese spot! This little hole in the wall local Chinese restaurant has a name that will throw you off, Massive portions, and excellent service! We felt transported to the culture by delicious Tso's chicken, egg drop soup and shrimp and tofu soup. Be mindful when you get into the plaza that the entrance to the restaurant is a little hard to see, look for their sign in the window! The service was excellent and we will most definitely be back again! We had to box everything up because we were only able to get through half the platters. SUPER GOOD! read more

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First experience here. Ordered from the lunch menu and had hot & sour soup followed by Mongolian beef, both outstanding in every respect. White rice accompanied. My server, who I suspect is a member of the owning family, provided me and my son all of the appropriate containers to take home what was left of the generous portions. Although I'm not a slave to culinary authenticity in re to original recipes, it's nice to know one is getting the real deal. That said, I've no complaints about those "Chinese" restaurants that serve Cantonese-American fare in an effort to please the American palate. After all, we're not eating culture. We're eating food. read more

Unbelievably fresh, delicious and flavorful Chinese food. Had all vegetables and they were amazing and cooked perfectly read more

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First time here; if I hadn't known for sure that the restaurant was tucked into the "Relaxing Healthy Center" at the north end of the strip mall, I might have missed it. (I have not asked what services are offered at Relaxing Healthy Center.) The obscure location is part of what I consider the perfect ambiance for a great Chinese restaurant. They put their resources to the food, not a swanky address or fancy decor. Everything was delicious! Our party of five (three adults, two kids) started with potstickers--a.k.a. fried dumplings--at the request of my grandson. I didn't get one, but they looked good. Other dishes included House Spicy Beef (Shui jiu niu rou), Spicy Pepper Chicken, Triple Vegetables, and Cumin Lamb. Portions were generous and everything came to the table piping hot, fresh out of the wok. The Cumin Lamb was the best I've had in town--better than Grand Szechuan in my opinion--a generous amount of lamb combined with cilantro and shreds of red onion, definitely not "saucy" but not overly dry as it can sometimes be. I thought the House Spicy Beef was a little less of a hit, but still very good. Often this chicken dish (it also appears on menus as Chongqing Spicy Chicken) is light on chicken and heavy on the peppers, which you can't really eat...but Northern Kitchen's version was super-flavorful and had enough to keep us all happy. Triple vegetables is essentially the same as the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce that's on the menu, but uses eggplant, potatoes, and jalapeños. It was also good, but I give the edge to Grand Szechuan for the flavor of the sauce. Service was prompt and really friendly. Our waiter made sure we were comfortable and checked in with us a few times during the meal, and the proprietress came out and chatted with us for about five minutes when we were done. I will be back, eager to try some of the dishes I couldn't get to this time. read more

Staff was very nice, food was prepared quickly and it was delicious! Kids said it was the best Chinese they've ever had.

Some of the best chicken I've ever had. Fresh, tasty, and real chicken. Will be back to order again. read more

Northern Kitchen - General Tso chicken - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Every dish we had was killer! Whatever scallions tofu is supposed to be... some sour and spicy julienned potato... garlic achoy... cucumber salad. Even the rice. All killer. Some mild spiciness in there I don't recall ever having had before, super interesting. read more

This hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant is a hidden gem, which is difficult to find, but it's in the part of the strip mall next to where the lettering on the building says RELAXING HEALTHY CENTER. Be glad that you did go to the effort of finding it. It's a small restaurant owned by an elderly Chinese couple & if you're Chinese, this must be like what going to dinner at grandma and grandpa's house is like. The portions are amazingly large, even for what you think might be an appetizer. Because I'm trying to eat vegetarian, I had the fried corn, the eggplant in garlic sauce, and the ma po tofu. I specifically chose to order the ma po tofu, because I know it is difficult to do well & not every Chinese place can do it, but they totally nailed it. The couple who own this restaurant must not be getting a lot of traffic, because of the bad location, but they treated me exceedingly well. And I found that they also do takeout. Yelp doesn't have the link to their website (https://www.northernkitchenmn.com), but you can now order take out from them. read more

Hands down my new favorite Chinese/cantonese restaurant. I ordered sesame chicken and fried veg rice and I couldn't decide which I liked more. You can always tell a good Chinese restaurant by its fried rice. If you beside ur self on which place to choose come here you won't be disappointed:) It's a very relaxing and open environment plenty of room to stretch your legs. And the service was excellent and food came quick. read more

great service, friendly family wonderful red pork belly clean, bright and comfortable read more

Surprisingly good food, well hidden, it's easy to miss this restaurant. Definitely worth finding. We ate there on a Friday night during heavy traffic time 630. There is virtually nobody there. There was one other couple. You're missing out if you don't try this place. read more

The food was very fresh and served hot. The egg drop soup was huge like a bowl for multiple people. The spring rolls were tasty and the fried rice was good as well. read more

Northern Kitchen - Chicken fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

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The food was delicious! Especially the eggplant. Nice blend of American and traditional style. We ended up with the meal they recommended because they had a bit of trouble understanding us. But don't let that discourage you. Our food was fresh, hot and delicious. Like a homemade meal. Don't skip out on this hidden gem. read more

Stellar food - best Chinese food I've ever had outside of San Francisco's Chinatown and Hong Kong. For example, many restaurants serve pan fried dumplings - but these have a fresh, delicious filling that elevates them to a far better tier. The green beans w/garlic were simply perfect. And the crispy, glazed shrimp is so fresh it melted in my mouth. (Btw, the golden fried corn is a unique & yummy side dish.) read more

Wife is from northern China and this is her go to spot. It's authentic and really good. It specializes in northern Chinese cuisine which is sadly too rare. It seems like every athletic restaurant is Szechuan cuisine now (which I do love) but there are so many more Chinese cuisines. Don't be fooled by the healthy relaxing center exterior. The best and most authentic Chinese food is inside. read more

I ordered delivery one afternoon when I was working from home, I had never heard of this place but my normal go-to no longer delivers. They popped up and had good reviews so I decided to give them a shot. The first odd thing was I ordered through their website and got a text from a random phone number asking if they could refund me and I could Zelle or Venmo them for my food because the app takes a large percentage. I worked in restaurants for 15 years so I get that 3rd party delivery takes a good chunk, but why offer it then? Or at least call me from the restaurant so it doesn't seem so sketchy. I told them I didn't feel comfortable sending a random Venmo when if I don't get my food or it's wrong or something I would have no purchase protection. I offered to pay cash upon delivery and then I was like or I can pay with a card over the phone. An incredibly nervous man called me asking for my info which I gave to him. Honestly the 2 stars have nothing to do with that and I thought it would be a sign the food would be great, like I mentioned I worked in restaurants mainly ones that were family run. Anyhoo, the food was not good. Idk if it is because my standard for Chinese food is Tea House on University as I helped open it in College and worked there for over 2 years and visit back for their amazing tastes a few times a year. I was hoping Northern Kitchen would satisfy those tastes without having to drive to Dinky Town, unfortunately not. I ordered General Tao's chicken lunch portion: it was sweet, and was more like a sweet and sour chicken, it was bright orange super bland and disappointing. I also ordered the Mongolian Beef and it was a little better, the beef was pretty tender but also fairly bland. The chicken wing appetizers: for $20 I was expecting maybe the full wing or something to write home about, they were decent but $20 for 8 tiny wings the size of my thumb size and some peppers. Never again. We got the spicy and sour potatoes that were very bland not spicy or sour. Like noodles, no flavor at all. Not even some salt and pepper. In all, 2 lunch specials, wings and some bland potatoes with 4 cartons of rice and 2 cans of sprite were over $70 without tip for the delivery person. If the food was good which I was hoping for I'd have no issue with it being on the expensive side. Maybe I didn't order the right things but with it being so overpriced in my opinion I likely wont give it another shot. I ended up doctoring the food up to try and make it better to not go to waste. read more

service was good but then again I was there minutes before 5pm on a Saturday. The portion for the main meal was fair and ok flavor wise. Just nothing that stands out to make it exceptional. The place is tiny and arranged for groups of 4-6. the spring rolls are super tiny and not much filling which means save the $4 or get egg rolls or spring rolls somewhere else. I will not be back and instead hunt for another place more distinguished. read more

Picked up their cumin lamb and garlic eggplant. Excellent Chinese food, generous portions. Ready when promised. Will go again Restaurant atmosphere seemed pleasant. read more