Love this so much! Tried the beef roll and some noodles…read more They were both oh so good. Will definitely come back and try other items. Everything was ordering digitally.

Tried this spot recently and had mixed feelings…read more They offer a good variety--small hot pot, skewers, dumplings, and a selection of cold side dishes--so there's definitely something for everyone. That said, it's kind of annoying that they don't have the regular spicy hot pot on Mondays. The small hot pot itself wasn't my favorite. The spice tasted a bit off to me, almost like a chemical-type heat rather than a natural chili flavor. On the other hand, the skewers were decent and worth ordering. The cold side dishes are self-serve from the front and can be hit or miss. I tried the spicy cold chicken, bean curd string, and beef tendon--some were solid, others just okay. Big highlight: the spicy fried chicken. Super flavorful and honestly the best dish I had there. Overall, not a bad place if you know what to order, but a bit inconsistent depending on the dish. Service is slow though and kind of rude.

Leaving this review after an almost bad experience to help the restaurant or anyone else that may…read morehave eaten here today. 5 stars for fixing the problem immediately for us. We've been here several times before and what keeps us coming back is the quality of the food. Today, they had a new chef cook our food and it was terrible. Green beans were extremely sour (way way too much vinegar). Mapo Tofu had a ton of oil but not enough sauce, so it was just flavorless except the oil. The fried pork chop was over fried where some pieces you can't even bite through. The rice had too much water in it and was mushy. I rarely return food but this time it was so bad we had to let them know. We returned all of our dishes back to them. They let us know there was a new chef today, and they would remake all the dishes for us with the original chef. The replacement dishes were just as good as all our previous visits and it was excellent again! So thanks to the staff for fixing the problem. I'm not sure if they are training a new chef to take over, or as a backup, but they need to be careful as serving bad quality food like that would drive most people to never come back. We knew the food was good from prior experience, so we knew we could ask why the food quality changed. For first time customers, or those that may have ordered to go - if you had bad food today, it may have been a fluke due to the new chef. Service however was a amazing as usual. For all our visits including today, the staff has been kind and always looking for ways to help out and make sure we were having a good experience. So besides the food being good, I would say excellent service is also huge plus here. Don't be fooled with the automated ordering and robot delivering the food into thinking there is no service. The people behind the counter are awesome! Hope management takes care of this new chef issue quickly since their food quality is the main reason people come here. There was a night and day difference between the original food we got today, and the replacement!

Modern Chinese, Ancient Disappointment…read more EverSpring looks great, sounds great, and is priced like it plans to deliver something memorable. Unfortunately, what I'll remember most is how quickly my excitement turned into polite disappointment. The salt and pepper pork chops were...bold. And by bold I mean shockingly salty, like the chef was trying to preserve them for winter. I've had salt and pepper chops more times than I can count, and this version tasted nothing like any of them. Overcooked, oddly flavored, and just completely off. If this was a creative interpretation, creativity may have gone a step too far. Then there was the crispy beef. I say this with sincerity: it was inedible. Not "I'm picky" inedible--burned-breading-that-tastes-like-toasted-mistakes inedible. Each bite delivered a charming note of scorched regret, like someone deep-fried a crouton and called it a day. I stopped eating not because I was full, but because my taste buds filed an HR complaint. And look, if this were cheap comfort food, I'd shrug it off. But this is sit-up-straight-when-the-bill-arrives pricing. For what we paid, I expected at least one dish to make me say, "Okay, this works." That moment never came. The concept is solid, but the food just didn't deliver. I wanted to love it. My taste buds, however, requested an early exit. Everything went to the trash can. Never again.

good, we had mapo tofu and shauronpo, These were so tasty. I…read morerecommend this restaurant.

Food: 干锅山珍肥牛 Spicy Dry Pot with Fatty Beef -…read more Flavorful chili lavished with melting fatty beef, perfect but not too fatty! Addictive! 四川回锅肉 Twice Cooked Pork - excellent the first time but ok the second time maybe cuz the beef over powered the pork. I love the fresh Sechuan peppercorn the first time to add more numbing flavor. 金汤酸菜鱼 Fish in Sour Pickled Broth - excellent! Perfect amount of sour vs spiciness. Service - typical for Chinese food. Ambiance - small place and casual.

It is really hard to find good Chinese food, in my opinion. This place is consistently amazing…read more Its SO good. Very fresh, and quick service. You order at the counter and they bring your food to your table. The cucumber salad is THE BEST I have ever had and the garlic sticks with you the rest of the day and I am so here for it. They have good eggrolls too! Parking can be challenging as its in a huge shopping center with a ton of places and near a University but its so worth it. They fill up quickly as soon as they open.

Northern Cafe is a solid, middle-of-the-road spot that gets the job done. I ordered the soup…read moredumplings, pan-fried dumplings, wontons with chili, orange chicken, and sesame balls for dessert. Everything was decent across the board, nothing that really stood out, but nothing that disappointed either. It's the kind of place you can rely on when you're craving something quick and satisfying without overthinking it. Not exceptional, but consistent enough to come back to. 4 stars.

First time trying this place. We were really satisfied with fast service and ordering from our…read morephone. The cold needle was really good and refreshing. The beef noodle soup was really rich.

Nice Food, very decent, choose mild spicy if you can't eat chilly…read more service is good. We got Free dish for our birthday guy. The ambiance is Nice, too

Stopped by here to grab a quick dinner and it did not disappoint! The lamb rougamo aka hamburger is…read morewhat caught my initial attention, but everything else was tasty as well. They also have the option for beef and pork if lamb is not your thing. Also tried their wonton soup, which was actually really savory while comforting, as well as their cold and spicy plate of beef and tripe and decided to give their eggplant, potato, and some peppers a try and even the table next to us was curious about the dish bc it looked and tasted so good. Service was very attentive too, making sure everything tasted delicious. Overall, a casual and small group-oriented restaurant that warrants a solid try.

Simple restaurant serving reasonably priced, casual Chinese food. My son and I were on our own for…read moredinner and decided to try something new. This spot was on the way to football practice, so we popped in. Staffing was minimal -- just two servers running the whole place -- and ordering is done through a QR code, which seems to be the norm these days. The ambiance is basic: plain tables and chairs, minimal décor, nothing fancy. We ordered the fried chicken cutlet w/ rice, the crispy rougamo, and the garlic string beans. Everything was solid, but the crispy rougamo was the standout. Flaky pastry packed with strips of peppery steak -- simple but really satisfying.

We've been searching for authentic Chinese cuisine in Irvine, and this place truly exceeded…read moreexpectations. The food is consistently outstanding, the service is attentive, and the atmosphere is lively and welcoming. And the duck? Absolutely incredible honestly, I recommend the Duck.

Nice atmosphere, yet food is a bit underwhelming. Visited with my cousins for lunch earlier this…read moremonth when I was in Southern California. For 3 people, we chose the $105 lunch special which included their Meizhou roast duck, steamed garlic shrimp with vermicelli noodles and cordyceps, and wok fried green beans. Also added an additional dish, their beef filet with black pepper ($30) as well. Technique and wok hei is there, yet flavor and seasoning was lacking for my taste and what I'd expect for this type of regional/specialty cuisine. Can be a bit pricey for what you get food-wise. But I did enjoy and appreciate the inside decor and theme of a Chinese library/calligraphy study room. Located in a 99 Ranch grocery shopping plaza with plenty of parking.

My husband YELPED this place and it has really high ratings and reviews so we decided to give it a…read moretry! It was 20 minutes away from the Pacific View Mortuary so we decided to come here after my husband visited his dad... GREETED UPON ENTRY! Quite nice and loudly by a nice lady! I believe I only saw ladies working in the restaurant which is pretty cool! Women power!! SPICY BEEF NOODLE SOUP: 10/10 I love the TENDONS so much!! They were nice and TENDER!!! Not chewy at all! The flavor of the broth is good and not too SALTY or SPICY so you can easily adjust it if you need more Salt or Chili oil...Better than SHANGS in Las Vegas in my opinion!!!... SPICY WONTONS: 9/10 The wontons were small and fell apart easily but, the sauce was DELICIOUS!!! It was such a TEASE because it was a small dish that was PACKED with so much flavor so I finished it as REVENGE!!! Mwahahaha!!!!... BEAN CURD WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS: 9/10 Loved the bean curds!!! I finished it too!!! There was only ONE MUSHROOM though so that's why I took off a point... SCALLION PANCAKE: 8/10 In not usually into it. My husband loved it and it reminded him of ROTI... PAN FRIED PORK DUMPLINGS: 9/10 It was nice and juicy! The portions were HUGE!!! Definitely had to pack this one home to finish it later... SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT!!! AMBIANCE was nice! The tables were set per close to each other towards the front of the restaurant so there wasn't much room to walk in between tables. It reminded me of the walkway that's similar to being on an AIRPLANE!!! If you are a Big person I would recommend sitting at the tables towards the back because there's more SPACE there!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND TRYING THIS PLACE !!! A & J RESTAURANT MAKES YOU WANT TO COME EVERYDAY!!!!

Beef tendon soup good! Solid 8.7/10 thick noodles good texture. Needs more meat probably 4 small…read morepieces Pan fried dumplings ok 6/10, wish it was fried all around not just one side. Idk if I would get this again Fried pork is good 8/10 would get again just so I can have some protein I love the spicy wontons but they are small but flavor is bomb. 8/10 Scallion pancake is pretty dense but I like it when I rip the layers for a lighter flaky texture 8/10 Minced pork was comforting but the meat to rice ratio is really bad. Maybe 2 teaspoons of meat. Hella rice. 6/10 wouldn't get again unless they had more meat :/ But they're pretty fast! Solid comfort meal

Let me just say, I absolutely love this place. Everything tastes so fresh, the prices are great,…read moreand the service is always fast. This is my go to spot for dumplings. There's usually a wait every time we go, but it's 100% worth it. I could honestly eat here once a week if my husband would let me The food is always delicious, fresh, and consistently good. Definitely one of my favorite places to eat.

10/10 Crab XLB - Love these! They're so juicy and bursting with flavor. They add some corn on the…read moreoutside which is a funny addition lol but no complaints here! 10/10 Wonton W/ Chili Sauce - This is one of my favorites here. The chili sauce is great and it's literally not spicy at all. 10/10 Scallion Pancake - My favorite thing to get here! It's super crunchy. I do feel like it's missing a dipping sauce so I just made my own with the sauces already on the table. 10/10 Pan Fried Dumplings - Probably my least favorite out of the four items. They're pretty basic and generic as far as dumplings go but still good. Cost - Crab XLB $11.00, Scallion Pancake $6.00, Wonton W/ Chili Sauce $9.00, Pan Fried Dumplings $13.50.

Met with friends from all over So Cal for an event down South. After the event our friend found a…read morenoodle house in Santa Ana, odd find location but lets go ... Massive parking lot so that was easy, one friend went ahead and let them know we had 10 incoming. They made room and we sat immediately. One of the spots that you scan a menu at the table and you review, order and pay all in the app. I was really not familiar with the line up and went with the "House Special Beef Pot Roodle" (Roodles are their rice noodles). It was a weekend only item and I tried that. The noodles came separate from the soup. Over all it was very tasty. The meat was a bit fatty and the soup had tendons too. I took that part home and my wife loved it. I tend to avoid the fatty meat and tendons are not good to me. 10 of us so some of the appetizers got passed around. The smashed cucumbers are excellent, and my buddy also got some friend potatoes of sorts, reminded me of a fat French fry. Because my buddy and I sat at the same table we scanned the same menu, he ordered a bunch of stuff and also House Special Beef Pot Roodle. That confused the kitchen and they asked me if I meant to order 2, I said no and didn't realize I cancelled my buddy's order. Part of the confusion of a large party and many scanned menu orders. My buddy was struggling to order and our initial waiter seemed to not understand my friend and that took a little bit to work out, young lady came from the back and was able to quickly resolve some of the confusion and get questions answered as needed. In the end he had lot of food to explore. One thing that caught my eye was several couples there and sharing a large soup item served with a tray of various food items for the soup. Kind of a date night visual and something that looked very interesting. Several couples around us had that same dish and its got me more curious. Might have to come back with my wife and try this one.

Stopped by Xishang Roodle in Santa Ana and... bless the staff, truly. They were the highlight of…read morethe entire experience. Polite, quick, and doing their best in a situation that could only be described as "culinary confusion." The food? I'm still trying to figure out what happened. The broth tasted like it was made by someone who's heard of seasoning but refuses to believe in it. The meat portion? I've seen more protein in a microwavable noodle cup. And then there's the very bold "better than pho" claim. Better than pho?? My brother in broth, that is delusion with confidence. And the price--$19! For that much, you can get a glorious XL bowl of pho elsewhere stacked with meat, loaded with herbs, and seasoned by someone who actually cares. Meanwhile, I took two bites here, sat in silence, reflected on my life choices, and walked out. The bowl stayed behind, untouched and unbothered. To make things even more tragic, I only ended up here because Whealthy Pasta next door opens late on weekends. Honestly, the biggest plot twist of my day. Great service, terrible food. Funny experience, but not funny enough to ever try again. This place disappoints!