Northern Cafe

Frank Biermann

The food was great, so good that we ordered two of the same dish unknowingly. Pretty small spot, but we were able to find a spot without much trouble and were even able to fit some extra baggage on one side. Even though we ordered two of the same dishes, it was still bomb and we nom nommed both plates out of existence.

Jason Watanabe

It's an almost fully self-service spot, which is great, but may not be what some are looking for. They have a number of great dishes and I love the flavor of their dumpling sauce.

Hong Torrez

If you are looking for delicious and yet affordable food? This is your place! There is lots of seating indoors and outdoor for all the party size. It is located right near UCI. Everything we got was sooo good! They have such a variety of dishes! I highly recommend the popcorn chicken and the garlic pork ribs! They are even better then next day!!

sandra calderosmith

Had the fried noodles, beef noodle soup, and beef wraps. Food was great! Loved it. Great flavor on everything.

Brian Pavsek

The ambiance of this location is very warm and welcoming. The staff is always kind and efficient. If it's your first time here, make sure to scan the QR code on the table and place your order from your phone. They have several dishes that are must trys. I recommend the Kung Pao Chicken or the Beef Soup. The Chinese scallion pancakes are also a good starter.

Best freaking beef rolls I've ever had, and I've had a LOT in Irvine over the years. Thin sliced super tender beef, and the bread has a ton of super crispy little layers. Nothing pulls out of the roll when you bite into it.

This is a very busy Chinese restaurant near campus. If you want a tablecloth and a nice conversation, look elsewhere. But, if you want tasty Chinese food with good sized portions and don't mind the hubbub, this is your place. Sauces are rich and my favorite eggplant dish always comes out perfect. Takeout is a popular option here with kiosk ordering.

Average Chinese food joint - Thai fusion soup was good, the chicken wontons were juicy, but the stir fry rice cake dish was very average. Gets busy at lunch time

If you're looking for a flavor-packed adventure, look no further than Northern Cafe at UCI! I tried their spicy beef hot pot and sour vegetable noodle soup, and let’s just say: my taste buds went on a rollercoaster ride of excitement. The spicy beef hot pot? It’s like a warm hug with a little bit of sass. Tender beef swimming in a bubbling cauldron of spice— it’ll make you break a sweat in the best way possible. It’s fiery enough to make you feel like you’ve earned that second bowl of rice, but not so hot that you regret it immediately (looking at you, other spicy foods). And then there's the sour vegetable noodle soup. It's like the perfect mix of tang and zest that makes you feel like you've just won a flavor jackpot. The noodles were just the right amount of chewy, and the sourness of the broth had that "I can’t stop slurping" effect. Honestly, it felt like a rejuvenating spa day for my soul, except with more noodles and less cucumber water. All in all, Northern Cafe isn’t just a place to eat — it’s a spicy, sour, and soul-satisfying experience. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and a satisfied stomach... and maybe a slight craving for another round of that spicy beef hot pot.

Good food and large portion sizes! Came here with friends and was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food here. The orange chicken was fried perfectly and so juicy. The spicy beef pot was good but I wish it were a bit saltier. I really enjoyed the green beans. They were savory, garlicky, and tender. I wish they gave rice with some of the entrees (they only gave one bowl of rice for the spicy pot). The rice was good but a bit hard.

Highly recommend the beef roll, golden soup beef noodle and the mapo tofu. They overcooked the string beans to the point they resembled jerky but everything else was delicious. Great service and we got our food quickly. Has a clean bathroom as well.

We ordered a lot and everything came fairly quickly. Lau Gan MA noodles were OK. The beef roll, and the cold appetizers (cucumber and mushrooms) were my favorite. The scallion beef was good as was the fried dumplings but the xlb was just OK.

Chris Pounds

This is a very busy Chinese restaurant near campus. If you want a tablecloth and a nice conversation, look elsewhere. But, if you want tasty Chinese food with good sized portions and don't mind the hubbub, this is your place. Sauces are rich and my favorite eggplant dish always comes out perfect. Takeout is a popular option here with kiosk ordering.

Aarushi G

Average Chinese food joint - Thai fusion soup was good, the chicken wontons were juicy, but the stir fry rice cake dish was very average. Gets busy at lunch time

M.

If you're looking for a flavor-packed adventure, look no further than Northern Cafe at UCI! I tried their spicy beef hot pot and sour vegetable noodle soup, and let’s just say: my taste buds went on a rollercoaster ride of excitement. The spicy beef hot pot? It’s like a warm hug with a little bit of sass. Tender beef swimming in a bubbling cauldron of spice— it’ll make you break a sweat in the best way possible. It’s fiery enough to make you feel like you’ve earned that second bowl of rice, but not so hot that you regret it immediately (looking at you, other spicy foods). And then there's the sour vegetable noodle soup. It's like the perfect mix of tang and zest that makes you feel like you've just won a flavor jackpot. The noodles were just the right amount of chewy, and the sourness of the broth had that "I can’t stop slurping" effect. Honestly, it felt like a rejuvenating spa day for my soul, except with more noodles and less cucumber water. All in all, Northern Cafe isn’t just a place to eat — it’s a spicy, sour, and soul-satisfying experience. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and a satisfied stomach... and maybe a slight craving for another round of that spicy beef hot pot.

Lynn Wang

We ordered a lot and everything came fairly quickly. Lau Gan MA noodles were OK. The beef roll, and the cold appetizers (cucumber and mushrooms) were my favorite. The scallion beef was good as was the fried dumplings but the xlb was just OK.

josh lee

The food here ranges from fairly authentic to quite Westernized, which is not a good or a bad thing. You can find something you'll enjoy, probably. Quality is decent but not amazing, which makes sense given the prices. It's good value for the area if nothing else.

Marina Chen

Good food and large portion sizes! Came here with friends and was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food here. The orange chicken was fried perfectly and so juicy. The spicy beef pot was good but I wish it were a bit saltier. I really enjoyed the green beans. They were savory, garlicky, and tender. I wish they gave rice with some of the entrees (they only gave one bowl of rice for the spicy pot). The rice was good but a bit hard.

Avu

Highly recommend the beef roll, golden soup beef noodle and the mapo tofu. They overcooked the string beans to the point they resembled jerky but everything else was delicious. Great service and we got our food quickly. Has a clean bathroom as well.

Review based on our pick up/to-go experience. The food at this location is just okay, especially compared to other Northen Café that we’ve been to. Located at UTC near the back. Parking can be easy or difficult on time of day. The place is a bit dark, but kept clean. Food was ready on time and ready when we came and picked it up. Staff kind of just waits until you approach them rather than trying to be welcoming. It was a slow period too around 3PM. Can't say how the service would be if we ate there. Some foods were better than others Chongqing Crispy chicken was delicious. Good spice, and stay crispy through the drive home and was even great the next day. I’d get this dish again when I’m in the mood for that mala spicy flavor. Sautéed Bok Choi with garlic was fine for what it was. Nothing special, but a solid vegetable dish. The Zha Jiang Noodles were the most disappointing. The cucumbers really should’ve been put in a separate container for a to-go order, When it’s packaged with the noodles and meat, it just looks sad. The meat wasn’t well minced, I’ll get lumps of meat even after mixing. Some of my problems with this dish is that the meat was basically a salt bomb. Almost impossible to eat, especially when you’re getting huge lumps of overly salted meat. The dish itself has a very strong ginger flavor. It’s not well balanced so you feel like you’re eating Salty Ginger noodles some cucumber. Overall, this Northern Café is just okay. Some good and passable dishes, but a poorly executed dish soured our opinion of the place

Felix G

Review based on our pick up/to-go experience. The food at this location is just okay, especially compared to other Northen Café that we’ve been to. Located at UTC near the back. Parking can be easy or difficult on time of day. The place is a bit dark, but kept clean. Food was ready on time and ready when we came and picked it up. Staff kind of just waits until you approach them rather than trying to be welcoming. It was a slow period too around 3PM. Can't say how the service would be if we ate there. Some foods were better than others Chongqing Crispy chicken was delicious. Good spice, and stay crispy through the drive home and was even great the next day. I’d get this dish again when I’m in the mood for that mala spicy flavor. Sautéed Bok Choi with garlic was fine for what it was. Nothing special, but a solid vegetable dish. The Zha Jiang Noodles were the most disappointing. The cucumbers really should’ve been put in a separate container for a to-go order, When it’s packaged with the noodles and meat, it just looks sad. The meat wasn’t well minced, I’ll get lumps of meat even after mixing. Some of my problems with this dish is that the meat was basically a salt bomb. Almost impossible to eat, especially when you’re getting huge lumps of overly salted meat. The dish itself has a very strong ginger flavor. It’s not well balanced so you feel like you’re eating Salty Ginger noodles some cucumber. Overall, this Northern Café is just okay. Some good and passable dishes, but a poorly executed dish soured our opinion of the place

“Fried rice” is just white rice with meat thrown in it. every time i order it I have to add everything in at home and it’s never even cooked. Just steamed rice microwaved for a bit. 5 pieces of shrimp for an order is also pretty cheap of them. Really disappointing because the food used to be really good, just let the quality go down drastically. Definitely my last time. For 20$ i shouldn’t have to make my own food.

Daisy I

You have to order at the counter. There is basically no table service, yet the system still asks you to select a tip, with a minimum of 18% shown on the screen. The restaurant had an unpleasant smell inside. I ordered a beef roll and unfortunately found a piece of a blue glove in my food, which is completely unacceptable. I asked for a replacement and specifically requested it to be packed in a to-go box. However, it was still served on a plate. I had to request again and clearly told a female staff member that I wanted it in a to-go box. She did not respond, walked away, and later came back with a box, which she dropped on the table without saying a word. This experience was extremely disappointing and unprofessional. I will never come back, and I strongly recommend that anyone reading this reconsider, as I would not want others to experience the same issues I did.

I had a disappointing experience during my visit, rating it a 1 out of 10. The staff seemed disengaged and inattentive, requiring me to get up three times just to ask for basic items like napkins, salt, and a spoon. Additionally, when I requested another item, they simply ignored me. This was my first visit, and it was far from enjoyable; I felt overlooked and unvalued. To make matters worse, I had to call for assistance twice just to place my order. Given the tipping culture, it’s frustrating to feel obligated to tip, especially after such a lackluster experience. I won’t be returning.

This is a chain store and we are happy with most of the dishes, but I won’t recommend their dumplings at all. We have been to many locations and most of time we don’t order dumplings; the only two times that we ordered dumplings, they were not fully cooked. It is very dangerous to eat raw chicken or pork…

I visited this restaurant again today, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience that made me feel like I probably won’t return in the future. We ordered the Lao Gan Ma chicken fried noodles. The chicken tasted very off — not fresh at all and had a very strong unpleasant smell. When we brought it up, the staff explained it was because the chicken had just been defrosted, which was not a great excuse. We ended up asking them to just give us a veggie version instead. We also ordered the Beef Hot Pot #1, but the beef tasted exactly like lamb. I even asked if they gave us the wrong meat. The server tried it, then went to check with the kitchen. They confirmed it was beef, and told us that if we wanted the fatty sliced beef, we should’ve ordered a different item. Overall, the food quality and service were not up to standard this time. It’s a shame because I had a decent impression before, but this visit really changed my mind.

Robert Trinidad

I had a disappointing experience during my visit, rating it a 1 out of 10. The staff seemed disengaged and inattentive, requiring me to get up three times just to ask for basic items like napkins, salt, and a spoon. Additionally, when I requested another item, they simply ignored me. This was my first visit, and it was far from enjoyable; I felt overlooked and unvalued. To make matters worse, I had to call for assistance twice just to place my order. Given the tipping culture, it’s frustrating to feel obligated to tip, especially after such a lackluster experience. I won’t be returning.

simon gu

I visited this restaurant again today, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience that made me feel like I probably won’t return in the future. We ordered the Lao Gan Ma chicken fried noodles. The chicken tasted very off — not fresh at all and had a very strong unpleasant smell. When we brought it up, the staff explained it was because the chicken had just been defrosted, which was not a great excuse. We ended up asking them to just give us a veggie version instead. We also ordered the Beef Hot Pot #1, but the beef tasted exactly like lamb. I even asked if they gave us the wrong meat. The server tried it, then went to check with the kitchen. They confirmed it was beef, and told us that if we wanted the fatty sliced beef, we should’ve ordered a different item. Overall, the food quality and service were not up to standard this time. It’s a shame because I had a decent impression before, but this visit really changed my mind.

Nick W

This is a chain store and we are happy with most of the dishes, but I won’t recommend their dumplings at all. We have been to many locations and most of time we don’t order dumplings; the only two times that we ordered dumplings, they were not fully cooked. It is very dangerous to eat raw chicken or pork…

Gene

I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken, and the meat tasted like it had been pre-cooked days earlier—it had a stale flavor I recognized immediately. I couldn’t finish the dish and left. About an hour later, I started experiencing stomach pain and diarrhea.