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Northern Pasta 北方面食

4.2 (169 reviews)
ModerateChinese
Closed • 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Northern Pasta 北方面食 Photos

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NORTHERN PASTA 北方面食 ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Northern Pasta 北方面食

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Oil splash noodle
Lily L.

Their advertisement pictures on the store front's glass got me drooling so I wanted to check it out with my boyfriend, also I'm a huge fan of northern chinese food because it's my mom's hometown. The got nice wall art too, depicting the popular dishes from the north so I had my expectation and hopes up. Service is ordinary, she speaks little English but can get by ordering, we order first at the counter the sit anywhere. Braised egg is 2 for $3.50, salty but expected since it's marinated. Came out steaming hot, and yolk was not overly cooked and dry, not bad. Starting with the Chinese hamburger I felt sad and know not to expect too much from the other dishes we ordered. First the meat look different than what others have posted before, and it was kinda dry and too salty to eat. There was no other spice, only the meat juice flavor. The bun they use was stale to eat. Traditional way of making this should be the flaky oily pancake, or at least make the buns softer to eat. The mutton stew was clear and very heartwarming to drink on a cold day. But the portion is super small for the price. The glass noodles were gone in literally two bites. I had none to share with my boyfriend. This dish come with the burger bun too that you can soak them in the soup so I guess this is the extra carb make up for the less noodles. Oil splash noodle is their specialty? It was good but didn't wowed me. Noodles are chewy and well cooked, came with lots of bean sprouts. The sauce is flavorful and actually not too oily which I enjoyed more. You can add the beef for an extra charge, it's the regular braised beef, was just ok. I find it funny that their all food arts on the wall look nothing like the actual way they serve it.

Dining area
Kim N.

We were told the dumplings and noodles are made fresh, so we had to try. Dropped in on Sunday around 6 PM and was directed to order at the counter. I noted that the servers are shy, speaks limited English so lots of pointing on the menu to order our food. We grabbed our own water and utensils, then sat down to wait for our food to be served. The pork and preserved egg congee came first, about 7 mins after ordering. It was a nice portion for $3.50. It was too watery for me, prefer my congee thicker but it was very flavorful! The stewed pig feet arrived next, not as tender as I would like but still good. Ate half and took the other half home to heat up in a soup to make it a little more tender. Beef noodle soup was yummy, traditional northern Chinese soup. Full of tender beef chunks, bok choy, and you can tastes the quality of the noodles. Soup was seasoned just right. $9.99 for this bowl was not a bad deal. The pork cabbage dumplings came last, about 20 mins after ordering, I'm sure due to the time it took to prepare them fresh. They were delicious, tasted almost like soup dumplings as the flavors burst in every bite. The dumpling wrap was the perfect consistency, not too thick or thin. This was my favorite dish ordered here. The restaurant is dated but very clean. I noted several take out orders while dining there. They have a nice selection of comfort food. I will be back to try some of the other menu items.

Deep fried dough and sweet soy milk (left), oil splash noodles (right)
Tina C.

Wow!!! The noodles here are some of the best I've ever had. They are hand pulled, thick, chewy. The oil splashed noodles are incredible--not only are the noodles excellent, the flavor is rich and addictive with umami and subtle spice. We also loved the pork and leek dumplings and Chinese breakfast items (sweet soy bean milk, deep fried dough). Don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu--homey, authentic Chinese food. Self order at cash register area, self seating. Awesome prices. Limited indoor seating.

Oil Splashed Noodles with Beef
Thao T.

I absolutely love Northern Pasta. I'm a big fan of large, thick, and chewy noodles and they do it the best here. It took me a while to find good biang biang noodles in Houston, but I'm so glad I found this spot. When you walk in, go to the back counter to order. Just a heads up they speak mainly Chinese with limited English, so I got around it by pointing at the menu. Also, it's cash only for orders under $10. They will then give you a number tent and bring you your order at your table. They actually offer a lot on the menu, but I haven't gotten around to trying dishes other than the oil splashed noodles and dumplings. For the Oil Splashed Noodles, you have the option to add beef for an additional $3, so in total it comes out to $12 a bowl. They come in a generous portion - I always have extras to take home. The noodles are perfectly bouncy and chewy and makes you go nonverbal from how great it is. The bowl also includes sliced beef if you added it, baby bok choy, lots of bean sprouts, and a soy sauce/vinegar sauce that pools at the bottom. An absolute S Tier dish. For vibes - it's pretty quiet as there's no music, and all the patrons spoke Chinese. And interaction with staff is pretty minimal; they don't check up on you and it's mainly self serve. My only gripe is their large use of disposable plastic utensils and styrofoam dish ware at the self serve station. But besides that, this is a top tier restaurant you definitely have to try out.

Chinese hamburger
Victoria N.

Stumbled upon this restaurant and visited on a Friday afternoon. It was not busy at all during this time, so service was quick. You order at the counter and then take your number back to your seat where the food is delivered to you. It's a quaint restaurant and has a fair amount of seating. Parking is also good because it's located in a large plaza with lots of parking. I tried the popular dishes - Chinese hamburger and oil splashed beef noodles. I see that they're popular for a reason! The Chinese hamburger was super flavorful, tender and filling. The oil splashed beef noodles were chewy, fresh, flavorful as well and not too oily.

Lamb noodle soup
Courtney W.

Authentic northern style noodle/dumpling spot in Chinatown! Very casual, walk up to the counter and order. There are a lot of people getting takeout and sometimes the person working the cash register is taking dine in orders at the same time that people are paying for their takeout which feels a little chaotic. But the food is great and price is very reasonable. Chinese hamburger or 肉夹馍 is very tasty, the "bun" isn't too tough and the pork has the option of being spicy. The meat is very filling and it's very flavorful. The noodles are great! Lamb noodle soup definitely reminded me of lamb that I ate in Xi An- slightly gamey but not in an overwhelming way, tender with a flavorful broth to at wasn't overly salty. The taste profile was actually quite light. The noodles were cooked nicely and there's a nice helping of bean sprouts. It is filling but not heavy. Other items like the dumplings are also very good, you can tell they're fresh! Nice spot for quick casual but well executed noodles and dumplings.

Mark W.

Do not expect good customer service here, just good Chinese food you order in the back counter and be sure to bring cash, you grab your own water and utensils, they will bring the food out to you at least. It is a but cramp in here so it is not handicap friendly here. At least it looks very clean in here. The food is authentic and delicious. The English here is not the best. But if you do not know Chinese, you will still be able to order your food. with no issue.

Spicy hand pulled noodles in oil
Dawn B.

I came here since I was in the area and craving savory tofu. Unfortunately when I went they were out of tofu, but I made due with what they had. Their spicy noodles in oil were so freakin delicious. It's a lot of noodles so I definitely think it's shareable and a great value for the price. Their cucumber were okay. Very fresh, great amount, but I wanted more fresh garlic to add that garlicky kick to it. Maybe just a personal preference and it was still good. They have self-serve water, which I appreciate. The place reminds me of the old school Chinatown places from my childhood.

Fried donut sticks
Nicole M.

Everytime I'm back in town, I make sure that I don't leave without dropping by. This spot is my favorite for a great, classic Chinese breakfast (sometimes eaten at lunch cause your girl is catching up on sleep debt). The service is great, you're really taken care of, and they're super fast. You walk in and you order at the counter. They make everything from scratch. You can tell because of their frozen dumplings displayed and labeled in bags if you'd like to buy to make at home yourself, and then a case of their buns and other goods on the side. Self service water and grab whatever else you may need from the side. My go-to is always their savory tofu soup, fried donut stick, Chinese hamburger, and beef and onion dumplings. Chef's kiss- add some chili oil at your table and some black vinegar? Yep, that's the way to go. Super affordable price point, you won't leave disappointed. We order their other dishes as well, great for any time of day- especially their hand made noodles and lamb soup. It feels weird typing the names out in English- an ABC here (those who know, know). Maybe I'll update this eventually with their Chinese names as well, but it would be amiss if I didn't finally write a review for my go-to spots. Happy eating :)

Cabbage pork bun
Brittany M.

Northern pasta is a small, cute restaurant with a1990's mom and pop shop in Chinatown type essence. I really enjoyed the one dish I didn't take a picture of - the chili oil noodles. 10/10 - the noodles tasted homemade and the chili oil was was addicting. Even if you hate spicy things, order this. The oil had this unique, vinegary, sweet, tangy, spice to it. The meat in the buns had this hearty stew soup taste. You can tell they made the buns by hand - made with love though I personally wished the meat was more spread out on the inside instead of being in a ball. The sesame paste noodles were aight'. The paste was the star on the show but lost all its umph when mixed in with the liquid below the noodles. Skip the green onion pancake. Although fried to a perfect crispiness, it had 0 flavor.

Flola T.

Their noodles were amazing! The portion sizes were great for the price and the noodles had amazing texture(best I've had in Houston so far!) The only thing was that the interior wasn't very welcoming but it's not really a place I'd judge for their ambience. It's just not a place I'd really sit and chat with friends. Just make sure to stir it really well from the bottom. The sauce is all underneath.

oil splashed noodles
Christina L.

I've never seen so many bean sprouts in one dish before. Ordered the oil splashed noodles and it's delicious and flavorful, although there's an ungodly amount of bean sprouts. There's also vinegar and chili oil at every table so you can adjust for your preference which is always great.

Beef oil splashed noodles

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4 months ago

Best noodles and dumplings I ever had. Traditional Chinese noodles and dumplings for sure. Love it

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5 months ago

The oil noodles and veggie dumplings are delicious!! The owner (lady) is so sweet and the service is great. I love coming here.

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Hu's Cooking

Hu's Cooking

4.5(1.1k reviews)
7.8 mi•West University, Braeswood Place
•$$

Fast and delicious. Simple and tasty, at a reasonable price.We got there at11:15 a.m. and we're…read moreserved minutes after that. We will go back!

5 Stars - Authentic Szechuan that absolutely nails the classics…read more During our short trip to Houston, as a custom, we were determined to find real Szechuan food, and luckily we found Hu's Kitchen. The location is a bit unassuming, and parking is definitely tough (the spaces are very shallow), but the second we walked through the doors and smelled the Szechuan peppercorns, I knew we were in exactly the right place. I generally judge a Szechuan restaurant by their 夫妻肺片 (Fuqi Feipian)--which they cleverly name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on the menu. They completely nailed it. The beef, tripe, and tendon were incredibly cohesive together, yet you could tell each component was prepared and marinated in a slightly different way to perfectly highlight its specific texture. The chili oil was right on the spot. We went through a massive bowl of rice just eating this dish alone. Honestly, if I weren't feeding a family of four, I could have just ordered that and been perfectly happy. While the Fuqi Feipian proves their skill with dry dishes, the 水煮魚片 (Fish in Szechuan Hot Chili Oil) proves their skill with wet ones. It's another must-order. The execution was flawless--we didn't just finish the tender fish chunks, we ate every last piece of cabbage soaked in that incredible chili broth. For my two daughters who can't handle the heat, we ordered the fried rice, garlic pork ribs with onion, and the 紅燒獅子頭 (Giant Meatball with Cabbage). The giant meatball was spectacular. The kids completely devoured it on their own, but I managed to steal a bite, and it instantly brought back childhood memories of exactly how this dish is supposed to taste. We also had the Dan Dan Noodles, which were great and rounded out the meal perfectly. I loved all of the dishes we tried. Should we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we will absolutely be revisiting this hidden gem.

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Hu's Cooking - Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

Hu's Cooking - Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

Hu's Cooking

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Bamboo House - Bamboo House Special Beef Noodles

Bamboo House

4.4(747 reviews)
23.1 mi
•$$

My favorite place for Peking duck around the Houston area. It's a little farther out, but I usually…read morestop by whenever I'm driving to or from AIH. The duck is roasted for hours, so the skin comes out nice and crispy without being too greasy. I also like that the remaining duck is made into a soup afterward. It's simple, hearty, and especially good on a colder day. I've tried several other dishes here, and they've all been solid and remind me of the Chinese food I grew up eating. The servers have always been attentive and friendly, and the restaurant is spacious, so it's a good spot for family dinners or larger groups.

I made the decision to eat lunch here after having a craving for Chinese food and reading the many…read moregreat reviews. Unfortunately, I shouldn't have ignored the average reviews, as this is what it turned out to be. I had lunch at Bambi House this last Friday for the first time. I was disappointed for a couple of reasons: my Orange chicken was basically mostly tempura and very thin slices of chicken. I had purchased the orange chicken, which was $9.85, with egg fried rice. The chicken was average in flavor, but as I mentioned before, the chicken was in thin slices; therefore, I mostly had tempura drowned in the orange chicken sauce. The fried rice was bland in flavor. Honestly, I agree: half and the re w the rest away. Admittedly, all of the 5-star reviews I read praised the duck, so perhaps that's what they're really good at. Unfortunately, I will probably never be back, because thin slices of chicken don't meet my expectations.

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Bamboo House - Inside

Inside

Bamboo House - Twice Cooked Pork Belly

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

Bamboo House - Peking Duck

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Peking Duck

Xiaolong Dumpling - B1. Mongolian Beef B1.

Xiaolong Dumpling

4.6(311 reviews)
10.2 mi•Fourth Ward, Midtown, Montrose
•$$

This little spot is my literal favorite place for fried rice. Everything is good but the fried rice…read moreis the best I've ever had! Pork Bao's are normally my daughter fave but the soup dumplings here are her favorite. She could finish an order on her own. The service is always great. As soon as you get in they give everyone a water and a carafe of more water. There is a QR code to order and you place your order on the phone. The order goes straight to the kitchen and you can add as you go if wanted. I always thought that was pretty cool. The owner came out to say hello and ask how everything is. She even brought out a small bowl of soup for my baby to enjoy. The waitress was also very sweet and attentive. I don't live close by but will make the trip when the craving hits. Today was one of those days. The last time I was here there was no ac and not enough seating. This time it was nice and cool in and well as having new seating! This little spot needs to be on your need to stop places!

Came here solo on a Saturday evening with goals to get some biang biang noodles. I was hoping to be…read moreable to dine there. I asked the main waitress how long it'd take to get seated as a solo diner, but she never gave me a clear answer as she was so busy as the only wait staff. I decided take out was the move. Take out took about 15 minutes to come out, so not too long. The biang biang noodles had a nice bounce, but I'm not sure if it was because it was a take out meal that the noodles were sticking together. However, they were very flavorful. I also got the pork wontons in the peanut sauce and they were also very juicy and flavorful. Overall, the food here is good and I'd try it again but hopefully for dine in. If you can get a reservation, I'd suggest doing that or else the wait will be long.

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Xiaolong Dumpling - Excellent customer service!!!

Excellent customer service!!!

Xiaolong Dumpling - V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.

V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.

Xiaolong Dumpling - P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.

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P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.

The Rice Box - Sesame Tofu, really good!

The Rice Box

3.8(1.1k reviews)
11.0 mi•The Heights
•$$

I haven't even received my food yet, but the kindness shown by the employees here has already…read moreearned my respect. It wasn't just directed at me. I watched them help someone truly in need. That level of compassion means a lot, and it's why I'll always come back. If the food matches their humanity, it's going to be great.

The Rice Box on 20th is a solid option if you're looking for quick, very Americanized Chinese food…read morein the Heights. It is very much a chain restaurant, and it has that polished, standardized feel to it. I've eaten here a number of times, and while I wouldn't say the food stands out above some of the other Chinese restaurants in the area, everything I've had has always been good. I've never gotten anything that tasted bad or had an order come out wrong. It's just consistently solid. One sleeper hit on their menu, though, is the lava buns. They're warm egg custard buns like you'll sometimes find at dim sum places, and they are really good. Honestly, they're probably one of my favorite things here. I've even stopped by after already having dinner just to get an order to take home for dessert. They're definitely best hot, so I'd recommend eating them pretty quickly. The design of the restaurant is probably more memorable than the main food. They really committed to a specific industrial, techno-chic look with neon signs, animated menu boards, exposed metal, acrylic panels, textured wall details, and movies playing by the bar. The theme is carried throughout the whole place really well. At the same time, all of the metal and harder surfaces can make the inside feel a little cold and unwelcoming. There isn't much traditional indoor seating. Most of the seating inside is at the bar, with additional tables outside under some shade. Because of that, it's probably not my first choice for sitting down for lunch during a hot Houston day, but it works really well as a pickup or takeout spot. The staff has always been friendly, and they have a good system for getting people in and out. The parking lot is a little small, but since a lot of people seem to be picking up food, spots turn over pretty quickly. Overall, The Rice Box is convenient, dependable, and does what it does well. It definitely feels like a chain, but the design has a strong personality and the food is consistently good. It's not my favorite Chinese food in the Heights, but I've never had a bad experience here. And the lava buns are absolutely worth getting.

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The Rice Box - The counter/bar area

The counter/bar area

The Rice Box
The Rice Box

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Cooking Girl - Montrose - Spicy Chicken Cube

Cooking Girl - Montrose

4.5(205 reviews)
9.8 mi•Montrose, Fourth Ward
•$$

Love this spot! I've been coming here for quite some time, and it never disappoints. The spicy…read morechicken cubes are my absolute favorite! The interior is super cute, and the atmosphere is always inviting. Definitely a place I keep coming back to!

I have wanted to eat here for months but I always passed it up because of how busy and small the…read moreplace looked from the outside. Today was my lucky day because there was plenty of parking spots and seats (although the parking lot is very small). This place is great! I understand the hype for sure. When you walk inside it's just about the smallest restraunt I've ever. Very cozy and cute vibe with smooth jazz playing on a speaker and we got our food very fast. I really enjoyed my time here. Dry Fried Green Beans 5/5- these are the best green beans I have had in my life! I am not exaggerating like I will be thinking about these green beans all week. Do not hesitate to try these. Perfectly salty and good amount of crunch still left. The flavors they used are just perfect. Colorful Beef 4/5- The texture of the beef was so tender and not chewy at all like other places. The flavor was bright and the bell peppers were cooked through well. The issue I had with this dish was the sichuan peppercorns. I was just eating and not really looking at it super closely so I got a mouth full of these peppercorns and wow it was actually horrible. Just beware because the texture of these things are god awful and I think that they should be taken out like how a bay leaf is removed before serving. It was just really intense and it almost ruined the dish for me honestly. Other than that a great dish. My mouth was so numb but worth it. Dandan noodles 2/5- This was my first time trying this dish anywhere and I did not really enjoy it at all. The sesame flavor was really strong and it wasn't really salted at all. Very strange flavor. I will not order this again, however I do believe that the execution on this dish is great. There was a lot of sauce and the noodles were cooked well. I just really wish I liked the flavor of this dish and that's a personal problem. This dish also made my mouth numb but the flavor did not make it worth it. I wanted to like these so badly but I just couldn't do it. I will be back!

Photos
Cooking Girl - Montrose - The bar

The bar

Cooking Girl - Montrose - Bao was Delicious!

Bao was Delicious!

Cooking Girl - Montrose - Inside

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Inside

Hi Trendy Dumpling - General Tso's Chicken

Hi Trendy Dumpling

4.4(437 reviews)
10.0 mi•The Heights
•$$

One of my favorite Sichuan places in town!…read more Dishes had this time around: Pork Soup dumpling - always temps me to order more Shrimp and pork Shumai - i recently had shumai that was good but not as great as the ones here. I've never had any oeovlem with any of the food not tasting fresh here Spicy chicken cube - crispy, spicy, what more can you ask for Walnut shrimp - a common Cantonese style chinese dish with crispy shrimp, mayo, and walnuts. A perfect combo! Overall would recommend to anyone in town, a favorite of mine for sure

My three friends and I were in the area when one of them suggested this place after having a good…read moreexperience here previously. We ordered quite a bit of food, and everything came out quickly. The staff were attentive and friendly, and overall, the food was decent. My favorite dish was the Chicken Steamed Dumplings. I usually prefer pork dumplings, but these were surprisingly tasty. The wrappers were on the thicker side, which I personally enjoy, the filling was moist, and the sauce was packed with flavor. I also ordered the Beef Noodle Soup. The portion of noodles and beef was generous, but I thought the broth lacked depth and had far too much chili oil. Instead of providing a pleasant spice, the excess oil left a greasy coating in my throat that actually made me cough. The other dishes were less impressive. The Pork Bao tasted like they had been frozen and reheated, with slightly soggy, overcooked buns and a filling that lacked flavor. The Egg Rolls were also extremely small and had that same frozen, store-bought quality. Overall, the service was great and there were a few solid dishes, especially the chicken dumplings, but too many of the items tasted like frozen or pre-prepared food. I would come back for the dumplings, but I would probably skip most of the other dishes.

Photos
Hi Trendy Dumpling - Interior

Interior

Hi Trendy Dumpling - Braised chili oil fish

Braised chili oil fish

Hi Trendy Dumpling - Chili oil dumplings

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Chili oil dumplings

Cooking Girl - Downtown

Cooking Girl - Downtown

4.1(72 reviews)
11.7 mi•Downtown, Fourth Ward

Casual but solid in an awesome location if you are enjoying downtown…read more My niece is a lover of dumplings and fried rice so of course we had to walk over for an early lunch before the Art Car Parade. --- location/vibes--- located in the northwest corner of downtown -- can stop by before bar hoping, catching a show, maybe even an Astros game if you wanna walk just a bit. There was a good amount of seating for that area of town but not a ton! --- Foods--- We really loved the wonton soup and mama's dumplings (gyoza basically). Both had a surprising amount of flavor. Especially the soup as this can be kinda plain at other places. We also tried soup dumplings which unfortunately stuck to the pan so we missed on the soup but the pork inside was lovely. Pricing was very resonable. ---Service--- to the point -- friendly but limited - ---Overall--- Looking forward to trying more dishes here!

My friend and I had dinner at Cooking Girl a few months back. It wasn't busy at all on a Thursday…read moreevening. We were seated towards the back of the restaurant and it was uncomfortably warm. I don't remember our server's name but she was nice. I started with a Lychee Martini. It was very good and very strong. For apps we ordered the Scallion Pancakes and the BBQ Pork Buns. The Scallion Pancakes were very good, but once they cooled down, it didn't taste nearly as good. I enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns too. For entrées I had the Salt Pepper Fish Slices while my friend went with the Ingenious Fried Beef. The Fish Slices were very seasoned and flavorful, but a bit dry. The batter was good and I really enjoyed the peppers and onions that accompanied the dish. I think a dipping sauce would have helped. My friend enjoyed the Fried Beef. They have quite a few locations around town if you don't want to venture into the downtown area. If you're near the Theater District, Cooking Girl is a great dining option.

Photos
Cooking Girl - Downtown
Cooking Girl - Downtown
Cooking Girl - Downtown - Apricot Spritzer & Baijiu Pom Lemonade

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Apricot Spritzer & Baijiu Pom Lemonade

Northern Pasta 北方面食 - chinese - Updated October 2026

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