Different menu from other locations. More skewer Chinese style bbq. Delicious!…read more Easy parking. Good service.

Came here today, but it was just average. Nothing special to rave about…read more That's it.

What a pleasant surprise! We found this little Xi'an restaurant while shopping and ended up having…read moreone of the most satisfying meals we've had in a while. The lamb skewers were juicy and perfectly seasoned with cumin, and the grilled beef tendon skewers had an amazing crispy, chewy texture. The soup dumplings were full of flavorful broth, and the braised beef knife-cut noodles were chewy with large, tender chunks of beef. We also tried the beef paomo for the first time--it was warm, comforting, and packed with rich flavor. The portions were generous, the prices were very reasonable, and after chatting with the staff we learned the owner is from Xi'an, which explains how authentic everything tasted. If you're craving Northwestern Chinese food in Irvine, this spot is definitely worth checking out!

What happened to EverSpring? Things were so different on our last visit that my mom asked if they…read morechanged ownership, which the staff said happened a few months ago. This spot used to have amazing fresh, delicious food and compostable tableware. Now there are ceramic plates which appeared scratched and dirty, all the food came in different plates/bowls, beverage fountain doesn't work, and worst of all, food was not good. We all ordered things we always do that we love and everything was a miss. My fried rice was SO dry with just a few tofu pieces. I added so much hot sauce, chili, and soy sauce and it still wasn't good. Cucumber salad was completely different and actually off putting. No one said their food was good which is the exact opposite of all of our other experiences. To top it off, everyone felt sort of sick after because of the amount of salt in the food. Staff were doing their best but everything seemed unorganized and we had to constantly ask for things that were missing. Heartbreak.

Came by for lunch on the weekend and the place was packed! We managed to grab a seat but I can see…read morethis filling up or getting to a wait if it was any busier. They have a very Szechuan focused menu with most of the classics. Interior is lively and the space is on the smaller side. Service was prompt and all our food came quickly. The twice cooked pork was a little salty but came with generous ratio of pork to veggies. The hot and sour soup was piping and well flavored. Everything was spicy but not unbearable, and their food was all generously portioned.

The short female server was extremely rude and had a very unpleasant attitude. We noticed that she…read moregave a larger table to customers she seemed familiar with, while assigning us a much smaller table even though we had the same number of people. What made it even more frustrating was that the restaurant was practically empty at the time, so there was clearly no issue with the restaurant being too busy or running out of available tables. The way we were treated felt unfair and very disrespectful. If you're willing to spend money just to be judged and treated differently based on who you are, this is definitely the place for you. Highly recommended!!!! To clarify the situation: When we entered the restaurant, it was clearly not a busy hour. There were plenty of empty tables available. If your policy is that certain four-person tables are reserved exclusively for customers who make reservations in advance, then that policy should be clearly stated to customers rather than being applied selectively. When we arrived, there was a customer dining alone who was seated at a table for three. Later, another customer who appeared to be familiar with the short female server also came in alone and was given a larger three-person table. So just to clarify: were all of these tables reserved in advance as well? Or does the "reservation" rule only apply when it comes to certain customers? No one wants to sit at a tiny table in the middle of the aisle when there isn't even enough space to comfortably fit four dishes. We are not complaining simply because we were given a smaller table. The issue is the obvious inconsistency in how the seating was handled. If there is a legitimate seating policy, it should be applied consistently to everyone--not selectively depending on who the customer is.

We have been to Northern Cafe many times over the years, although we hadn't visited for a while…read morerecently. It is conveniently located near UCI, making it a popular spot for students. The ordering process is simple. Just find an empty table and sit down, browse the menu, and when you're ready, walk up to the front counter to place your order and pay. After that, the staff will bring the food to your table. If you need extra plates, water, or other basic items, it's mostly self-service. Just grab what you need yourself. The setup is straightforward and efficient, which is probably one reason so many students like coming here. It's a great place for a quick meal with friends or family near the UCI area.

This place is located at UTC. Plenty of parking and the restaurant is front and center so it's hard…read moreto miss. This is a great spot for students. Plenty of seating and prices are definitely affordable for what you get. You order up at the register and the staff brings the food to your table. I had the beef noodles which was very filling. Not the best I've had but acceptable for the price. My friend had the hot pot also looked amazing. Staff are nice and restaurant is clean overall. I went on a weekend evening so there wasn't a wait. Overall a fairly good place for the price.

Really enjoyed my oil biang biang noodles here. The hand pulled noodles were saucy and savory and…read morevinegary - it definitely hit the spot. Pro tip: Don't wear white like me because I walked away with 1000 stains / oil splashes on my top and jacket. For only $13.99, the noodles here are a great deal. I can finish a whole bowl on my own. The order doesn't come with much meat or vegetables but they're vegetarian friendly. Ordering was very easy with the QR code. Service is fast and friendly. There's one gender neutral restroom.

Was really excited to try this place because it has my two favorite Chinese dishes: rougamou and…read morebiang biang noodles. Obviously, I tried both. The rougamou was extremely greasy, like dripping into its own pool of oils. The cold noodles were mid but the texture definitely improved when I reheated them. I think I would have liked one of their hot, stir-fry noodles instead. Service was ok and there's a small parking lot in the front.

Great service and delicious food!!! Everything is great at this place. The Ambience is amazingread more

LA's only crispy pork burger; 肉夹馍 ​ actually lives up to the claim. Pulled up after picking up…read morestuff nearby, was starving, so I grabbed one to go. First bite and I literally stopped talking. Bread has that loud crisp on the outside, but inside it's soft and warm, kind of melts into the pork. The pork itself is super flavorful, a little juicy, not greasy at all, just that comforting, savory hit that makes you want another immediately. Tiny catering-style spot, but they're on it - quick, organized, and the guy helping me was super patient explaining options. Not a hangout spot, more like: roll up, grab your crispy pork burger, walk out happy.

My family and I stopped in for Tuesday lunch, and I was pleasantly surprised by how lively it was,…read morethere were quite a few tables for a weekday afternoon. We ordered the mapo tofu with beef, kung pao chicken, and the dongpo pork belly with preserved vegetables. I was impressed with the authentic flavors and quality. The pork belly melts in your mouth exactly as it should. Mapo tofu delivered the ideal mala (numbing and spicy) kick that wasn't overly spicy. As for the kung pao chicken, at first I thought the peanuts seemed a bit underdone but the flavor was so aromatic. The prices were very reasonable for the quality and portion size. Would be happy to come back!

Came inside on a whim after trying to go to multiple restaurants that had long wait times and…read morepassing by this. Glad we ended up here! The restaurant is large and service is quick so we waited just 5 mins for a table on a Saturday night. It has traditional look inside although the booth seating could use some updating as it seemed to have tape or something. My partner always wanted to try the classic dongpo braised pork belly. They do an individual portion here and I didn't realize it also comes with rice and picked mustard greens. It's the perfect size to try this dish and it's very hearty. It's a bit sweeter tasting here but tender. It comes with a spoon because you should be able to just cut into it with that. I also tried a seasonal item of tofu with crab roe. It was fresher tasting than I had expected. It was lightly seasoned and not too fishy. It had the grittiness of the crab roe and head along with some shrimp I believe. I think I would've liked a bit more flavor. With my leftovers, I added chili crisp to it the next day and it was great. Beef chow fun was amazing. It had the perfect flavor, rice noodles were tender and not all clumped up with some noodles seasoned and other not. It tasted like fresh noodles and had that wonderful wok hei flavor. Definitely a must order. This place is known for the duck but my partner does not enjoy it unfortunately. I will have to try it one day!

It isn't in the style of Taiwanese bento chicken cutlet. Let's get that out of the way…read more But it's a $13 chicken and rice bowl in 2026. A solid meal, well fried and fat rendered, not much batter in this style. Seasoning is there, and they have an excellent chili oil-sauce thing on each table to add for deep flavor and spice. If I had to change something... I'd add bok choy as a side rather than chopped into the rice? Still solid choice. Service is as usual at an Asian restaurant--order, and they'll respect your meal time and leave you alone unless you ask for attention.

Here is what I ordered and how I score the dish with my comments. Sorry I didn't take pictures…read more Each dish has a number. I am not Chinese so take that into consideration. 122 beef soup clear broth - This was a 5/5 - so good we got one too go. The price is good but it is a small portion with just a little meat. It's the broth that tastes so good. 111 noodles with ground pork, sprouts and cucumber 5/5 - I really liked this dish. It's like a Chinese chili on wide noodles. Addictive. Good value too. 139 beef wrap - 3/5 - This is the chinese pancake surrounding overcooked beef that you can get anywhere. Thankfully they didn't use too much cilantro like other places. It was dry. I would not order it again. Needs a sauce too. The vinegar from the table wasn't helping. 137 1000layer pancake - 3/5 This was made fresh and it's puffy! ---probably exactly what it's supposed to be. It, too, needs a special sauce. There just is no flavor by itself. Plus, I only counted 900 layers. Just kidding. I would skip next time. The service here is great. Food comes out fast.

The food here is excellent and tastes very good. However when I went there the service wasn't the…read morebest, some servers completely ignored me. The ambience was very good and made this restaurant look very good and cozy.

I thought Seven Grams was a 9 out of 10! Although the Seven…read moreGrams XLB was not quite as good as Din Tai Fung, it was pretty good, 8/10. The chicken Katsu was not as good as Mrs Futagaki's homemade, but still a 10 of 10. Although I wasn't a fan of the Lava Custard Buns, they were a little too eggy for me, I would give them a 7 out of 10 for the portion size and the presentation. I will definitely come back to try new things and I enjoyed my conversation with Benson ... one of the servers.

I'm Chinese, but had never had Yunnan food before, so thought of giving it a try…read more I walked in and was immediately sat. It's a QR scan to see the menu and place your order through your phone. The food came out so quick. Less than 2 minutes and everything was in front of me and tasted fresh. The service is extremely fast. I got the classic Roodle and as soon as I put all the ingredients into the broth, they swung by and collected empty dishes immediately. The portion was large and ingredients fresh. I enjoyed the variety and the amount of rice noodle. The broth was salty and refreshing. They have some side sauces to adjust the flavor, but I found myself not needing it. The dish reminded me of a form of hot pot but a soup version. Loved it! I highly recommend and will be returning!

I decided to give this place a try because I heard their noodles were very authentic, and as…read moresomeone who loves noodles, I was excited to try it. I ordered their most popular dish, the A1 set, but honestly, it didn't really live up to the hype for me. The broth tasted pretty underseasoned overall. From what I understood, you're supposed to mix all the toppings into the soup with the noodles, but even after doing that, I still felt like the flavor was lacking. Yes, they provide seasoning on the side, but personally, I wish the broth already had enough flavor on its own without needing to adjust it myself. Would I come back? Probably not. Nothing really stood out to me enough to return, and it felt more like a one-time experience. Overall, everything was just okay.