Food really hit the spot! Place was clean, cozy, and inviting. And the service was perfect! Crystal was... something else ; ) FYI, my drink was amazing Would recommend to all my friends and family. read more

Super disappointing compared to other northern cafe locations. I ordered a bunch of dishes and was so excited.. They took forever with our dishes so by the time we would get a dish we didn't even want it. We had ordered before other tables and still kept getting our orders after them... Despite them taking forever the food was warm. To top it off, they gave us cold Chongqing Crispy Chicken... That was super upsetting and disgusting. They also took forever to remake it and then I believe the waiter dropped it off at the wrong table because we had to wait even longer for it. He was a mess and so disorganized. We spent $90 so I'd think twice before coming to this Northern Cafe. Unless you want to take your cold food home and warm it up yourself. read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

This is one of those new types of Chinese chains which focus less on sweet americanized Chinese food and more on traditional street foods found in china. So less orange chicken and more scallion pancakes. Some of my favorite foods here are the beef roll for a high-protein pick me up, thinly sliced marinated beef wrapped burrito-style in scallion pancakes, yum! Also the peanutty dandan noodles and the delicious eggplant! There's also a decent amount of vegan options including a supreme vegan mapo tofu! Service here is sooooo quick, they almost always have our food out quickly and I'm almost never waiting for it when picking up. Noise levels are pretty high as it is quite busy, so keep that in mind especially for larger groups or date nights, I still recommend going in person if possible since the in-person menu is much larger! They have great teas! Overall not five stars due to lack of convenient parking and a chaotic atmosphere, but great food and service. A great recommendation for some Chinese food different from what you're used to! read more

Excited to have found a solid place for Chinese food in Long Beach! We came in on a Friday night and it was steadily busy. We were seated and the food came out quickly, but after that, service was a bit slow. We tried several things including the crab and pork soup dumplings, shrimp wonton in chili oil, house beef noodle soup, orange chicken, and walnut shrimp. Definitely a place you can easily have a family style meal at! Crab and pork soup dumplings - really good flavor, wish there was slightly more soup in the dumpling! Would definitely get again, especially if you get their HH price Walnut shrimp - my new favorite walnut shrimp in the area! These came out nice and fresh, shrimp was cooked well, sauce was good balance of sweet and savory Beef noodle soup - broth was surprisingly not as hearty as the deep color would make you think, but still very full of beef flavor. The beef was very tender, melt in your mouth! Noodles were nicely bouncy with mild chew. Good option if you are in the mood for noodle soup Orange chicken - unfortunately seemed to be a mix of freshly cooked and an old order as some pieces were warmer than others. Good flavor, but chicken inside the breading was quite dry. Wish it was a bit saucier Shrimp wonton in chili oil - to me had a strange aftertaste. It does have cucumber in the wonton - warm cucumber taste was not for me Inside had a rustic appearance with brick walls and industrial lights. A good place to eat with a few friends and try different things. Would come back for the walnut shrimp and crab and pork soup dumplings! read more

Northern Cafe is one of the few well known Chinese/Dumplings spots in LA & OC area where I know it's going to be delicious every single time. Each restaurant is ready for your bestie meet up, date night or a huge family gathering. On top of that, love the price point and portions. Did you know their dumplings are made fresh everyday ? The steamed XLBs, pan fried dumplings, wontons, steamed baos, boiled dumplings... all of it made fresh! Their lunch specials are also a great deal too! That includes the weekend too! Plus they got all the items you can find at Din Tai Fung with larger portions and little wait. read more

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Northern Cafe is the kind of place where the food is so good, you start comparing it to din tai fun. The pork and crab soup dumplings? Elite. Like "burn-your-mouth-but-still-go-back-in" good. And then you add beef rolls, beef fried noodles, orange chicken--suddenly your table looks like you're hosting a family reunion you didn't plan. It's casual, loud, always packed basically controlled chaos with dumplings. It's a great place for casual dining--whether you're with family or friends--and the 2nd Street location keeps things lively... like "hope you like noise with your noodles" lively. There's indoor and outdoor seating, so you can choose between cozy chaos inside or people-watching outside while pretending you didn't just order way too much food. Come hungry, bring friends, and be prepared to say, "okay THIS is the last dish"... at least three times. -seafood fried rice $19 -beef fried noodles $15 -orange chicken $15 -beef roll $14 -pork dumpling $14 -steamed shrimp dumpling $15 -steamed seafood dumpling $16 -walnut shrimp $19 -sichuan boiled fish $16 -garlic shrimp $19 read more

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Such a solid Chinese spot on 2nd Street and I think this is what the street needed because there isn't a current Chinese/Taiwanese food spot. I've been here a couple times and it was really good. They have plenty of menu options ranging from fried rice, wontons, pot stickers, dim sum, noodles and more. As for the food that I've tried, the fried rice is really subtle and not too salty, some of the shrimp options just aren't for me personally. Dim Sum was good but I felt like their wasn't enough soup inside. Orange Chicken was crispy and flavored well. Beef Noodle Soup was really solid. The green beans and wontons are also great options. For me personally I think the food here is well rounded but the service when I last came here was bad. The server forgot a couple of things and didn't check up on us much but overall a good spot. read more

This place has been on my list for the longest time so when my husband and I were in the area and looking for a food spot I'm so glad we decided on this one. There's plenty of seating inside and out and oh my goodness, the food is freaking delicious! Our server was also a gem of a man! He was seemingly doing it all in the front end up of the restaurant - getting to go orders, serving our food, refilling our drinks, constantly checking on us. I didn't get his name, I wish I would've so I could properly sing praises for him. We got a little bit of everything and I don't think you could ever go wrong here. My husband and I usually rate things by our favorite to least favorite but we couldn't because everything was truly our favorite. The green onion pancake was super crispy and I loved dipping it into the chili oil that came with the chicken wontons. Also the noodles were flavorful and the veggies were cooked just right and sauce for the pot stickers was amazing - it was like a creamy soy sauce. I can't wait to come back here - still dreaming of the delicious food we had. read more

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Northern Cafe was delicious. Service was quick, food was phenomenal, drinks were strong. Definitely something for everyone here. The space is beautiful inside too! read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

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Came in again today with my daughter and it was just as good as yesterday's lunch! Crystal was super nice and attentive. We tried a few different items and we enjoyed everything! I'm super down with the Dan Dan Noodles. See you again soon!! read more

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Went here on a Friday night and it was amazing. I sat outside when the weather was nice and enjoyed not only the food, but the people watching lol. This place is located at almost the end of 2nd street and sits right in between a new açaí spot and a sushi place. To drink I ordered the lychee sangria. It was so pretty and packs a powerful punch. Be sure to mix it because all the sweetness sat at the bottom of the glass. It was refreshing and not too heavy. To eat, I ordered the beef pancake and that thing was sooooo juicy. Just from the outside you would not think that all that soup was in there but as soon as I cut into it you just see all this nice broth coat the plate. 1 order came with 2 pancakes. It came with a ginger? Sauce and it was amazing. I put some chili sauce on top of it and of course the black vinegar. The second thing that I ordered was the chicken chili dumplings and OMG can't go wrong with it. The meat to actual wrapper ratio was perfect. It was steamed perfectly, meaning that the meat was tender and the wrapper was not gummy at all. 10/10 would recommend. Service was amazing. There were plenty of folks working and they were all so attentive! Especially on a Friday night when total madness could ensue. read more

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Been wanting to try this place for some time now and glad I finally got to! As soon as I was sat, the place got packed. Customer service was kind and my server also happened to be my bartender. Come to think of it- I only noticed two servers for the whole place, but they had everything handled despite the high volume of customers that were sat right after one another. The spot itself Is quite spacious, ample seating. The booth was a little uncomfortable for my back but otherwise ok. I got the blackberry matcha mojito and it was delicious, it had sake in it. For the food, I was a bit disappointed in the shrimp dumplings. I guess I was expecting better quality ? It also came with some type of brown sauce which I couldn't tell what it was, a bit sour- I didn't love it. The chive scallion pancake was veryyyy crispy very fried but alas it was tasty. The garlic green beans WERE 10/10!!! Obsessed. I'd come back just for that and a drink. read more

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You guys , if you want a good happy hour meal , you have to check them out , the food is so good , the service was quick & kind . Our server had a silly personality , cool dude ! We went on a Tuesday so it was pretty dead , the vibes were good here . My favorite was the oil spill noodles ! read more

Visited the Long Beach location for the second time with friends tonight and again loved our meal! What we had: chicken soup dumplings, beef roll, vegetable fried rice, eggplant, pork and chicken dumplings, garlic green beans and spring rolls. The food was delicious! We love this location for the ambiance, the warm setting and it has a little bit of a bar vibe with uptempo music that lends to an energetic setting. Kaylee was our server and she was chill, asked about any food allergies and was so helpful. Enjoyed meeting her. All in all it was a wonderful dinner and we will be back. This is a good date or family dinner place and you can walk around 2nd street for drinks before or coffee and dessert afterwards. Highly recommend! read more

Excellent service and ambiance. the best Thai deep tissue massage around. I highly recommend.

Ambiance, service and food was on point! I ordered chicken wontons in chili oil (8 pieces) $13.50 Flavor flavor FLAVOR! They were juicy and packed with equal amount of ingredients top tier! These wontons are big too. The chili oil is perfect topped with chopped green onions a refreshing combo. All tables come with condiments such as chili oil, vinegar and soy sauce. I personally like to add vinegar and chili oil FLAVOR! Staff was amazing and attentive THANK YOU Street parking only its on 2nd street so IYKYK I highly recommend read more

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Wonderful menu, a really good variety. Customer service was on top of it, every minute we were there. We did mention it was our first time. We ordered way too much, but hey who doesn't enjoy leftovers?! Even better the next day. We Mongolian beef, house fried rice, crunchy chicken, shrimp fried noodles, and pork dumplings in chili sauce. Every dish was family style, packed with flavor and fire. We enjoyed everything we tried. Highly recommended. We will definitely return! read more

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Another nice place on second street. We went for lunch and they had a great lunch menu with many options. I tried the beef rolls which were basically pancakes with beef and green onion and lettuce with a dip sauce. They were delicious. We ordered some dumplings and we should have gotten them pan fried as they were just boiled. Great outdoor patio and great service. Very knowledge server that seemed to have tried many of the items on the menu. It felt like a bit overpriced food but definitely worth trying. read more

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Always not busy for a great place, happy hours Mon-Sunday can't beat that. Sit outside for great people watching. Food order:shrimps chives pork steamed dumplings, pork in chili oil. Very flavorful, but services were kind of slow, for being not busy read more

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Came here a few days ago with my friend . They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat on the patio because it was a perfect day to have a drink outside & people watch . Honestly, this place is so underrated every dish we tried was amazing such as the string beans. You must try the beef roll. It was so good. I packed it up to save it for later my friend, and I both tried the different noodles such as the golden beef soup, and the house special, which both were so delicious. Of course they're known for their dumplings so we had to try a few of them. My friend doesn't eat pork and they were able to accommodate which was lovely. They offer veggie and chicken in addition to the pork overall it was an amazing experience and the place was clean Service wise everyone was helpful and offer suggestions Thank you Crystal for your service. We will be back. read more

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Came here on a Saturday around 11:30am. No wait to be seated. Service friendly. They had the happy hour for dumplings. Ordered the pork soup dumplings it was warm and good. The chili oil wontons it wasn't spicy at all but okay. My first drink had a few pieces of powered something but they were quick to exchange it. The wait to get the items was slow. All in all okay for price to taste. read more

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Overall: I find it a little difficult to justify coming to this American Chinese restaurant solely because everything about it is slightly off. The ancillaries are fine though so it receives a passing grade. Food: their Dan Dan mian has the flavor slightly off. They use instant ramen type noodles (already odd) with this sweet peanut / sweet chili esq sauce combo. The peanut sauce can be permissible but the chili needs to be hot chili oil otherwise I'm eating sweet noodles. Their XLBs were totally standard flavor wise but their texture of the skin has that grainy out of the freezer feel like the ones you bring back home and leave in the freezer. Lastly, their wonton in chili oil was off in both departments. The wontons were wrapped with a thick wrapper. Typically I'd expect the wonton skin to be a slippery thin close to the filling wrap. But the way it's wrapped (multiple folds on itself) creates this multilayer thickness that again appears to be frozen. The sauce was also wrong again going with a sweet chili thicker sauce rather than normal hot chili oil. Ambience/Decor/Service: the ancillaries were quite nice, as the restaurant was clean, not too loud and raucous, price was fairly competitive $6.50 per dim sum dish or ~$17 for a regular portion dish, and the service was quick and kind. read more

Love their dim sum option menu. They offer a wide selection of Chinese cuisine. I had a few dumplings the one that stood out the most was the hot and soup soup and pork soup dumplings. Sad there wasn't shu mai option because that's one of my favorite dim sum items. I wasn't a fan of the crab dumplings and the spicy wonton wasn't too spicy but there is extra chili oil on the side to add to your liking. Service was good. Ambiance is causal. Price point was decent for being able to order multiple menu items. My favorite part of the day was eating my leftover hot and sour soup after a long night out. read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

As somebody who has a severe nut allergy and has to worry about being told no accommodations can be made the host and my server Timothy went above and beyond for still being new to make sure my safety was important from double checking the food items I wanted to order to coming back and communicating what was safe and what wasn't made this experience 10 times better not only was the food well portioned and amazing,the staff was amazing. It was so fresh and filling the atmosphere alone was lively friendly and very comfortable! So thank you Timothy for a great experience! read more

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Food was super good once again and Tim was fantastic! We had about 4 dishes: Dan Dan noodles, dumplings, green onion pancakes and wonton in chilly oil. We can't wait to return and try more items. We found our favorite Chinese spot in the middle of 2nd street read more

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I've been an avid goer of Northen Cafe. I been to majority of their locations and I could confidently say that the Long Beach location is by far the WORST. The service we received was pretty lackluster. We ordered food to go for the Lunar New Year, pick up was in 20 min, got there in 15 minutes. Once we got there the hostesses paid little to no attention to us, had to flag them to down to let them know about our pick order. Continued to wait for about 45 minutes standing for our order granted our order was enough food for about 2 people. For the entirety of the time we waited a table got sat and received their food while we were still waiting for our food. Once we received our order, there was no apologies or sincerity from the hostess of the inconvenience. Very upsetting experience. read more

Great Food & Great Service! Their Signature Pork Soup Dumplings & their Premium Pork & Crab Soup Dumplings are juicy, flavorful, and have a rich broth. They give you a dip that pairs very well. Also their Pork Wontons in Chili Oil are a very good option to try and would say those are one of my favorites. Also recommend the Golden Beef Noodle Soup and the Beef Rolls! This place has a good amount of seating and is located on 2nd street, and although parking is challenging, it's a great spot for a pregame meal before the night out! For a full video breakdown, find my Socials @ToshiEats read more

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A Chinese restaurant in Long Beach...on 2nd st? My curiosity was peaked as well. Stopped in for a late lunch on a weekday to try out some dim sum and noodles. My hopes quickly met reality - rectangular tables hmm...no hot tea at the ready and I had to ask for water instead of it being offered. Misgivings I might have overlooked had the waitress known anything at all about the menu - she literally had no idea what they were selling. Menu items had no numbers at all, but had Chinese characters next to useless English descriptions - yeah, another red flag. I know enough Chinese to decipher xiaolongbao and jiaozi. Both dishes were fresh enough, but had some of the worst execution I've ever had - frozen from Costco would easily better these. The shrimp dumplings with chili oil faired no better - overcooked with a bizarrely sweet chili sauce. Hard pass. Picked garlic broccoli for some veggies. This was stir fried bulk broccoli florets - fresh, but panda express level "Chinese". The Dan dan noodles was only dish that approached tasting authentic, but only cafeteria level execution. There is a fairly large menu of other common Americanized Chinese dishes that I didn't try, which might hit the spot for Panda Express lovers, but I doubt many Chinese people eat here willingly. This is 3 star food for undiscerning palettes looking for Chinesesque fair. I'd score 3 stars for the food tasting fresh, but having such a clueless waitress is insulting to customers, hence 2 stars. If you're looking for dim sum, you'll find much better options traveling up the 605 to LA or down the 5 to OC. read more

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3.5 stars. Food overall is not bad but not outstanding. Portions could be more. Mama Lu's in the SGV is still the spot to go to. But if you're in the LB area this works. read more

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This was the best Chinese food I've had in a long time. Everything was delicious! I had the Garlic Shrimp 蒜香虾, Vegetarian Fried Rice 素炒饭, and Pork Wontons in Chili Oil (8)! All of it was slamming good! I am definitely giving this place that heart emoji. The food was so fresh. The green onions still had a firmness to them and that let me know they used fresh produce. The only minus was the hea level of the chili oil was not hot enough for me taste. That's so minimal and the other food made up for it. The portion and packaging were on point too! I understand why this is a local favorite. I'm definitely going to order from here again! read more

Northern Cafe - Pork wontons in Chili oil - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

Told my server Genesis to just surprise me. She smiled like she already had a plan and walked off. Came back with stir-fried noodles that hit different and a bubble tea I didn't even ask for but couldn't put down. Noodles were fire. But Genesis was the highlight. 10 out of 10. I'll definitely be back. Hopefully she remembers me. read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

We don't do dim sum for lunch very often. I can't imagine why not! My best friend of 30 years directed us here anyway. The menu is basic and complete. We were over whelmed with the selection. Our server was friendly and helpful. He let us know when we had made a good selection from the array of dumplings and pot stickers and soups and buns! The dining room was clean and comfortable, light and bright. The crowd was rather thin on a Wednesday at noon. When the dumplings started to arrive we were delighted. The food just kept coming, it was delicious, and we just kept eating. When we had finished we had eaten everything! I love dim sum for lunch! read more

Northern Cafe - Dim Sum Yummy! - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

I recently visited Northern Cafe and ordered the bok choy, Kung Pao chicken, shrimp dumplings, white rice, and Lao Gan Ma fried noodles with chicken--and everything was excellent. The food was fresh, well-seasoned, and served in generous portions. While every dish was flavorful, the shrimp dumplings were the clear star of the show--perfectly cooked, tender, and absolutely delicious. Service was good with solid customer service, and the restaurant had a nice, clean atmosphere that made the experience even more enjoyable.Overall, it was a great dining experience, and I would definitely return. read more

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Tried Northern Cafe in Long Beach and I'm already craving it again! The menu has so many delicious options that I honestly forgot to take pictures of most of the food . Their Mongolian beef was packed with flavor and cooked perfectly - tender, saucy, and so satisfying. I also got a Thai tea, which was creamy, refreshing, and the perfect balance of sweet. Cozy vibes, friendly service, and tasty food all around. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area! read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

It can be a hit or a miss with Chinese food. Our friends introduced this place to us and I am very glad to say that this place was a hit with us. Delicious food and not overly greasy (as in other places). The place is very big and very spacious. Cool staff, they were very busy. This place has vegetarian\vegan options. We ordered Sautéed Mushroom, Vegetarian Eggplant W Garlic Sauce, Vegetarian Mapo Tofu, Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings and Red Bean buns. Absolutely loved all the dishes. The Red Bean buns took forever to come, so order in advance as it takes a while to be cooked. But it was a delightful, very soft bun with yummy filling. Their portions are not very generous as other Chinese places but the food is just so delicious. Would we visit this place again? A hell yes!! read more

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Family first time to this amazing restaurant called "Northern cafe dumplings" here in Long Beach Belmont shore. Parking was street. We arrived for dinner around 5:30am. Was quickly seated for a table (4 adults, 1 child, and 1 baby). The dining area was spacious and clean. As a San Francisco resident who is a dumpling connoisseur and have to say this place was pleasantly wonderful. The pork dumplings steamed was freshly tasteful. The fried shrimp noodles was also fresh and flavored. I have to say the beef roll was our favorite! Orange chicken was perfectly crispy and sauce perfect to the taste. Price was right based on the location of the restaurant. Overall the service, place, and food all deserved a five stars! We will definitely come here again. read more

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We recently dined at Northern Cafe on Thursday evening and had a wonderful experience! Our server was Genesis and she was an absolute gem! She had great recommendations and was very attentive. For the food, the soup dumplings definitely stood out the most! I know Din Tai Fung is the usual comparison and I would say it's pretty close! And of course there are not many places in LB to get soup dumplings so I think this would definitely satisfy your craving. Some other notable dishes were the garlic cucumbers, fried noodles, and shrimp/pork/chive fried dumplings. read more

Northern Cafe - fried rice, beef noodle soup, shrimp pork chive dumplings, fried noodles - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

Been hearing great things about this newer Chinese Restaurant. Very excited to finally try it out as it is walking distance from our house. Overall, a bit underwelmed by the food and setvice. It was very busy during our visit. Our server was wonderful and kept apologizing for the wait on the food. She was juggling many tables and checking people in on the waitlist. Staffing definitely needs to be addressed but again, a newer establishment that may still be working out the kinks. For the food, we ordered some of our usual dishes to compare with our regular Chinese Restaurant. Kung Pao Chicken, it was flavorful but chicken was a bit chewy. Mongolian Beef, again good flavor but the meat was very tough. House Special fried rice waa excellent! BBQ Pork Bun was too doughy and very little filling. For a cocktail, my husband ordered a Chocolate Sake Martini, a bit too sweet. The hot tea was great! There may be other dishes we should have tried out but it was just the two of us. read more

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Wish there was a way to give 0 stars.... Just left Northern Cafe in Long Beach with a harsh taste in my mouth.... The taste of the 100% RAW CHICKEN that I consumed in their "chicken wontons in chili oil."We informed the staff of the situation, and they failed to inform our waitress/shift-lead, who then tried to charge us for the food. Instead..., After the situation occurred, the person I believed to be the manager or MOD offered to bring us another batch, in which we declined, obviously. However if you serve RAW CHICKEN or chicken sashimi, you don't say sorry, you cover the WHOLE BILL without the customer having to ask. Our poor waitress/shift lead had no idea of the situation and was absolutely wonderful in taking action and discounted our meal. Unfortunately, we DO NOT PAY FOR SALMONELLA, so she let us leave free of charge. Pauline our waitress/shift lead who said works at another location was great, and professional. She informed us that Lydia was the regional manager, who I hope that this message reaches. To assure that you can train your staff better, not only preventing this from happening to anyone else in the future, but also training staff how to properly handle these situations. read more

Northern Cafe - Chicken Wontons in Chili Oil 鸡肉红油抄手 (8) - Chinese Near Me - Long Beach, California

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A friend and I ate here and we ordered Crab & Pork Soup Dumplings, Shrimp & Pork Dumplings, and Broccoli. Both dumplings smelled very fishy but didn't think too much about it. After dining at the restaurant for about 20 minutes I had to run to the restroom to vomit. I got violently ill. I told the server that I think it might've been the fish and she told me she was going to speak with her supervisor. After a while, she came back and said he was busy, but he wants to call me later and said my stomach probably wasn't used to the heavy food. I have a lot of experience eating dumplings at much better establishments than this one. I feel like it was very condescending that he would say that. I never received a call from the manager. I would be very careful dining at this restaurant. on top of getting food illness, I also thought this restaurant was very loud and the service was subpar. It was really empty when we went, but we had a hard time flagging down our server when we needed her read more