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    Northern Cafe

    4.2 (104 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Noodles
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Northern Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Northern Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    NORTHERN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Northern Cafe

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    Vegetarian Eggplant with Garlic Sauce 素鱼香茄子
    Steph H.

    STEPH JUDGEMENT: A good Northern Cafe outpost in DTLA. When we stopped in for lunch, I thought the place looked familiar, and realized that it was the former The Counter location. They'd made some renovations to make it feel more warm and open. We're fans of Northern Cafes in general and this one didn't disappoint. We ordered the following: - Steamed shrimp dumplings (good, but nothing extraordinary) - Hot and sour soup (good flavor and ENORMOUS portion) - Eggplant garlic with white rice (tender eggplant with good flavor. No brown rice, alas) Service was friendly and efficient, and the prices reasonable for the area. A perfectly pleasant lunch stop.

    Beef Fried Noodle 牛肉炒面
    Chrissy L.

    Beef Fried Noodle (牛肉炒面) is good. The half circle booth seats are noticeably nicer than seats at many other Northern Cafe locations.

    Sautéed Bok Choy with Garlic 蒜炒清江菜苗
    Jessica W.

    This was the worst chinese food ive ever had, i didnt expect a lot but i didnt expect it to taste THIIIS BAD. Service was not great either, whoever was working today thursday around 330 -430 definitely needed some more help. It took a while to get stuff&asking for things was a big issue since i couldnt really get her attention. An inspector came in as we were eating which made it even harder to get her attention.I had to physically bring my plate to her to tell her there was an issue with it(she did take it off my order). The place itself is decorated really nice and it wasnt full so it was quiet inside. I would not comeback

    Yih R.

    Came by with myself. It tastes fabulously good, and the beef was tender and big enough. I really appreciate a bowl of hot soup when the nightfall chills LA. I love this area, so vibrant. I like this joint. I wish I was able to try more things. Will come back if you will end up around this area again. People here are chill, very into sports. I like the vibe.

    Mapo Tofu
    William I.

    I've been to the USC location and this was my first time visiting here (December 21st) with my friend. When you walk in there's a great open concept, while still maintaining some privacy for each seat. The bar is tastefully decorated, along with the bluish-green tiled walls in the restroom. Each portion was generously portioned and very good for the most part. The cocktails also sounded delicious, but did not feel like drinking that night. Pork Wontons in Chili Oil (5/5): Has the right amount of garnishing and the wontons itself are juicy. XLB (5/5). The dough is just right and the meat was flavorful. Don't remember too much soup though. Strawberry Smoothie (2/5): Not enough tang. I think the perfect fruit smoothie has that tang or zest to it, but this was more of a strawberry milkshake. Also the consistency made it hard to get past 3/4 of the way from the ice. Mapo Tofu (5/5): Tofu has the right 'silkiness' to it. House Fried Rice (3/5): Not a big egg person, but the color of the egg looked a bit off. Fried Rice itself was very standard, was hoping to try the Seafood Fried Rice with Garlic, but they were out of it unfortunately. Spicy Chicken Dry Pot (5/5): Very generous chicken portions, and it mixes well with the bok choy, potato, and enoki mushroom. The service was also very attentive and accommodating. Honestly, after visiting the USC location several times, I always thought Northern Cafe was meh. This experience changed my mind, and I would definitely come back again with a group to try the cocktails.

    You add soy, vinegar, & chili flakes to the ginger.
    Nikki B.

    4.5 stars My friend and I were wandering around DTLA and passed by this place. We had worked up an appetite and dumplings sounded good, so we went in. Our server Angie was friendly, attentive & sweet. My eyes lit up when I saw the bar because I was thirsty from all that walking. (Apparently the other locations don't have a bar.) I ordered a Hendrick's & Soda and my friend an Asahi on draft. They specialize in Northern style dumplings so I selected the Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings, and my friend got the Pork Soup Dumplings. I like that you can make your own dipping sauce out of soy, vinegar, & chili flakes. The dumplings were soft with an ample amount of filling. They had a nice flavor and were even better when dipped in the sauce. When we first got there, it was empty but filled up quickly. I looked around and noticed a mixture of locals & regulars and not just people working nearby - a testament to how good the food here is. I'm not a dumpling expert but my friend said they were better than Din Tai Fung. *Metered street parking. Also located near the 7th St Metro station.

    Menu
    Rong F.

    This is a Prime location in DTLA! However, my experience this time is a NO NO I was the very 1st customer here today right after the Dodgers championship parade in DTLA. The door was still locked yet the sign was posted "open" @ around 11:30am. They came open the door when I was knocking. The waitress took my order served my chicken salad in immediately. Then the services got messy, as whole lot of Dodgers fans rushed in here and all of the servers (about 4) got busy out of control. (Not by the customers but got messed up by themselves) I was waiting for my juicy dumpling for about 30-min then served COLD! I almost about to take off without paying, as nobody came apologize nor anybody care to give me the bill...either they totally forgot about me or they got so scared to charge me! It's a terrible experience on both food n services 1). Pork Soup Dumpling: Taste: 1-star. It's arrived LATE only when I asking for it, and it's served cold! As the server was totally forgot about it Bo apology! They did not ever come back to me. It's a crappy taste, thick dough w/ saggy dry meat. Not juicy at all. 2). Shredded Chicken salad: 1-star Chick was dry w/no flavor. It's topped w/whole bunch of peanuts but nothing near how peanuts taste like. No sesame oil as it's should be. Very disappointed!

    Beef Roll -- so good and I highly recommend ordering it
    Airi G.

    This is by far the coolest Northern Cafe because they have a full bar inside. I'm not one to drink so the bartender made me an off-the-menu mocktail, but I forgot what it was called, which was delicious. I also tried a sip of the most popular one, lychee bliss sangria, and you will love it if you like a slightly sweet drink. They're most known for their dumplings so we decided to try three different variations of them. The pork wontons in chili oil were by far my favorite because the sauce that it came in was so addicting that I ended up scooping every last drop with my spoon to make sure I didn't leave anything. The pork potstickers were alright, nothing memorable. The soup dumplings were not good, though. We were shocked to find that it had no soup at all inside. I'm not sure if they forgot to add in the soup stock but it was dry to the bone after checking every single one. We didn't wait long to eat it either and the skin was all intact, so it's not like it spilled out. My favorite entree of the night was their beef roll. It's honestly one of the best I've eaten so I'd say it's in the top 3 beef rolls that I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. Definitely add it to your order. It wasn't that crowded on a Saturday night and the waitress who helped us was very kind so it was overall a good experience. The only con would be parking which is available in a nearby structure or street parking if you're lucky.

    Michele L.

    Looking for authentic Chinese food in LA? Northern Cafe in DTLA is a Northern - style Dumpling House. Whether you get dumplings steamed or pan-fried, these delicate bite size treats with different fillings are a dim sum staple. We tried their Pork Soup Dumplings 小笼包, Steamed Lamb Dumplings  羊肉蒸饺 , Pork Bun 猪肉包子 and pan-fried Shrimp, Pork, Chive Dumplings 三鲜水饺煮/ 煎 All definite MUST-TRYS!! They have a Dim Sum Menu that runs ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday. Smaller portions at great prices. You get to try more items that way. The Downtown location has a bar with cocktails and 50% off Happy Hour! We tried the Golden Pear Mule and Jade Coconut Crush which are so pretty!! We tried the Beef Spicy Dry Pot 香辣锅, which is essentially a dry version of hotpot. It is stir-fried with a flavorful, spicy sauce, potato fries, bok choy, tender beef and wood ear mushrooms. It had such bold, aromatic flavors! Paired with rice, addictively good!! A new favorite!! Other menu items we tried: BBQ Lamb Skewer 羊肉串 Beef Fried Noodle 牛肉炒面 (tender beef, great noodle texture and very flavorful) BBQ Pork Bun 叉烧包 Black Sesame Tang Yuan 黑芝麻大汤圆 (these balls are in a liquid. The texture is like mochi and the middle is creamy and a little sweet) Black & Gold Egg Yolk Bun 黑金流沙包 (could have more egg yolk filling) Marcos was a great help with service and helpful suggestions. Parking: $15 valet in the building near restaurant

    Scallion Green Onion Pancake (8)
    Calena A.

    This Northern cafe location brings a different vibe than the locations near the universities. With a full bar inside, it's definitely more elevated and a nice place to stop in for a lunch or dinner with coworkers. For my group of 9, we got seated for lunch almost immediately and our server was attentive from the get-go. We ordered boba teas and they were well balanced in sweetness and the boba was cooked well. With guidance from our server, we ordered an assortment of dishes to share for the table and everything was delicious. I really liked crispy chicken as well as the beef noodle soup. I appreciated that there was vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil on the table to further season my food, although everything was already tasty. The bathrooms are clean! Much appreciated in downtown. Unfortunately parking is limited in this area but it's close to the Bloc so you could go shopping there and walk across the street.

    Chicken Fried Noodle
    Mike G.

    Food always amazing! Service always top notch and very welcoming, even when they are busy. Ambiance is very chill. Pork Soup dumpling are a must. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Everything is amazing and totally recommend this place.

    Maruko X.

    Ambiance: it's located in DTLA, outside of the metro station, and across the street from the bloc shopping center, spacious inside with bar service, good for large group hangout Service: very friendly and attentive with specific requests, server water and food adequately Food: standard northern cafe menu, specialized in noodles and dumplings BBQ Lamb Skewer - *** 2pcs, tasted like oil fried, no charcoal scent Beef Rib Noodle Soup - **** flavorful broth and tasty beef ribs, the noodles were too soft and soggy, but still would recommend for the broth and meat Price: generous portions and affordable prices, expect $25 per person for a very hearty meal

    Pork and cabbage dumplings.
    Steven M.

    My wife and I were feeling lazy last Sunday so instead of making dinner we decided to walk over to the Northern Cafe and let them do it for us. This location has only been here for maybe 5 or 6 months so I was pretty excited to give it a go. The restaurant itself is very nice, super clean, and has a ton of seating for those busy nights. The menu here has a ton of different rice dishes, noodle dishes, appetizers, and of course dumplings to choose from and it was definitely a struggle to pick what to order. Instead of ordering separate dishes for each of us, we ended up splitting an order of the Dan Dan Noodles, the Mongolian Beef, and some pork and cabbage dumplings to round the meal off. The staff here was friendly, quick to refill waters, and brought our food out pretty quickly as well. Let's break down the food! Dan Dan Noodles- One of my all time favourite dishes, the dan dan noodles were super tasty and definitely my favourite part of the meal (hence why I ate 75% of this) Mongolian Beef- Solid beef dish, the meat was pretty juicy and had solid flavour. Pork and Cabbage Dumplings- Although I am not a fan of cabbage, my wife is so I still gave these a shot and actually really enjoyed them. The pork had great flavour and I liked them. Overall, the Northern Cafe is a super convenient place to stop for a fair priced meal in a solid environment. I'll definitely be returning in the future and I very much look forward to checking out the rest of the menu.

    Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao

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    Walked in last night at 8:50 and got 5star service. Walked in tonight at 8:50 and was told the kitchen is closed. 3.5.....

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Northern Cafe

    Can I walk there from Westin Bonaventure?

    Yes! It should be about 10-15 minute walk. About half a mile walk

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Late-ish lunch on Juneteenth. Of course there was a wait. 8…read moreparties down so we had plenty of time to pursue the menu. QR code at sign in. It's a typical sized place for a restaurant on First St. (I.e. small & narrow). They do make use of every space though. Parking is...Little Tokyo...sigh. IF you're lucky enough to get street parking, go buy a lotto ticket on your way home. Parking structures near by. We shared: Agedashi eggplant: Japanese eggplant beautifully "fan" sliced. Dashi was VERY good. Generous amount of grated daikon. Assort. Tempura: Saw this being served while waiting. Looked really good and it WAS! Large shiitake mushroom. Fan cut Japanese eggplant, kabocha pumpkin, shrimp tempura & two (2) shiso leaves. All VERY crisp not oily. Warm dashi side had deep umami rich flavor. Probably made the legit kombu & bonita flake method. #1 ordered the Miso carbonara: garlicky carbonara served with their signature house-rolled out udon. Wonderful dish. Portion sizes were adequate. #2 ordered the Uni carbonara: same garlicky carbonara with uni bits strewn about. Estimating one whole uni broken. This actually works for ease of eating. Plus, uni ranges in the $18/oz on the low end to $60 or more/oz on the higher end. Yes we love & appreciate their gonads. Udon noodles were chewy, bouncy & worth the wait. Yeah yeah....the dough is purchased. Not house made. But, seriously you've seen the YouTube videos of restaurants specializing in Japan? Yes there are places in LA who make their dough & roll it out. It's Hella lot of work! Yamachan produces large scale udon/ramen in San Jose. It's fine. Let them work out the dough to water ratio. Also portion size was decent since we shared a couple apps. Might want to consider the option of extra noodles. The table to our right full of younger male co-workers were there to socialize. They probably all grabbed an afternoon snack. Was it worth the 30-40 min wait? ABSOLUTELY! Michelle 2025 Star. Yes it's worth the wait even with the sucky parking. Got so excited forgot to take photos of our udon. That's ok. Just take a look at the 3,000 photos.

    Sometimes you just want a simple well made meal…read more I love coming by to watch the udon masters make the udon, so freshly made! I love getting a kake udon, just great handmade udon with really flavorful broth and some green onions as complements to the noodle soup. Amazing!

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    Hangari Kalguksu

    Hangari Kalguksu

    4.4
    (3.3k reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$
    Women-owned & operated
    10 years in business

    I came here with a big group of 10 people and we were allowed to make a reservation! Since we did…read morehave a lot of people we were excited to eat family style. The service was also quick. The restaurant was kind of small but it was clean. Everything was so flavorful and delicious! Seafood kalguksu 9/10: it was def filled with various seafoods. The flavor was super bold and a bit spicy but not intolerable. I love the texture of the noodles. Perfectly cooked. Bossam 9/10: also such an amazing dish! Perfect ratio of fat to meat. I do wish that for this large plate they gave us more cabbage. We ended up ordering more for $5 but I think it should be included given the amount of meat. Parking was valet and it's a small lot. I think we paid $5 for parking. I think there's also street parking but we wanted to play it safe and just do valet. Overall it's such nice place to eat with a group of friends. The portions are large and food taste better shared!!

    Good but not amazing. I was expecting to be mind blown by the amount of people who rave about this…read moreplace but I think it is pretty on par with many other Korean places in ktown. I especially wanted to try their bossam but didn't think it was out of the ordinary. With that said, food was still very good. Parking was difficult to find (obviously it's ktown) but they do offer valet. Food comes out very quick. I would recommend coming with a group because portions are large so you can try many things.

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    Afuri

    Afuri

    4.4
    (946 reviews)
    1.7 mi
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    I love yuzu shoyu ramen. It's hard to find a place that serves yuzu flavored ramen, so I was…read moreexcited to see that Afuri is known for it. I had it in Japan before and it was delicious! They offer Yuzu Shio (salt broth) and Yuzu Shoyu (soy sauce broth) Ramen. I went with Yuzu Shio ($19.50). The yuzu gives it a refreshing/bright taste that really cuts through the fatty broth and pork. Yuzu Limeade ($7) and although I liked the drink because it had a strong yuzu and lime taste, I wouldn't recommend getting it with a yuzu flavored ramen because it takes away the yuzu flavor in the ramen. Service was friendly and attentive. The space is open and bright. We paid for parking just to the side of the restaurant so that we didn't have to deal with street parking.

    Good ambiance, definitely. Good service, yes. Good food, yes. Good value.. no, not really…read more Came for their 6th anniversary where it was 50% all ramen. Got their signature Yuzu Shio which was about $10 (normally $19.50!!), as well as their Afuri Roll which the server recommended ($23). The ramen rather had a small portion, but was balanced and pretty good - and the broth was definitely on the lighter tasting side, good for people who wants a cleaner taste. I ended up using chili oil on the side to spice things up. The Afuri Roll wasn't anything special, and a bit on the dry side but it had a nice variety of different fish inside. Overall, considering all the other competitive ramen joints in the area that have a more competitive price/portion/variety, I'm not sure if I'd give this place another go given the price. Great vibes though!

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    MDK Noodles

    MDK Noodles

    4.1
    (1.9k reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    Came here on a Saturday around 5 pm. There seems to be $2 parking for the restaurant but me and my…read moregroup took the metro here. The restaurant is just down the street from the closest metro station. We were greeted immediately and told to wait while they set up the table. When we got to the table, kimchi and water were already set up! The inside is very bright, with modern light wood furniture and bright tile flooring. The ceilings are pretty high and there is a decent amount of seating. Half of the tables were probably taken around this time and there were a few TVs on playing a live FIFA World Cup game which people were watching. I decided to order the 3 of us: 1. Kalguksu, 17, bibim nengmyun, and 25. Beef bulgogi. Everything was out pretty quickly and everything was delicious. The beef bulgogi was good but nothing too special. Sweet and savory with plenty of onions and served on a hot plate. My dad has been to Korea more than a dozen times and says that this bulgogi isn't close to as good as he's had, but that the noodles were very good. He says this bulgogi could be more Smokey, with a grilled flavor. I've probably had better bulgogi around as well so probably wouldn't come just for it, but it was nice to have a dish with rice in addition to the 2 noodle dishes. The kalguksu was my favorite. Very savory and the broth was so good. The other 2 dishes came with little bowls of extra broth as well. Inside the kalguksu was 3 dumplings (yum), some well seasoned ground meat (yum), and very good al dente noodles (yum). The spicy cold noodles were also good. I typically prefer the cold noodles that come in the slushy broth but my boyfriend prefers this spicy one! It had fresh veggies, a slice of Korean pear, an egg, and a lot of delicious sauce that ended up not being too spicy. The red kimchi was more spicy than the noodles! Overall good food and good service, fast and efficient, no nonsense. Would come again for the noodle dishes which were around $18.

    Standard lunch spot for Korean soups & dumplings…read more Loud, crowded, busy. The hyped cold arrowroot soup was just ok and did not live up to the reviews. Famous for its garlic kimchi ~ the most garlic ever tasted in kimchi, almost too much whileeating over powering the soups. Regretful eating so much of it with garlic burps all day long! LOL Dumpling hot & fresh to taste. Overall decent spot for lunch but a couple $$ too much for what you get. Parking garage validation across the street was a headache. Instructions do download the garage app in the restaurant was in Korean so needed a translation. When trying to exit the gate, the app would not detect the rental and we had call the support number and wait for a live person to assist over the phone :/

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    Menu AYCE Shabu & Kalguksu daily from 5pm-9pm.
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    Tsujita Artisan Noodle

    Tsujita Artisan Noodle

    4.1
    (165 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    Tasty ramen and tsukemen! I was in the area looking for something hearty and this hit just the…read morespot. We ordered a tonkatsu ramen and a tsukemen which had a choice of cold or hot noodles We did a hot noodle and both dishes were tasty! The tonkatau wasn't overly heavy but just enough to not be bland either which was perfect for my taste Interior was clean and service was awesome. We came on a Sunday early afternoon so we didn't have to wait. Parking is unfortunately just street parking but there's also a lot nearby if you're willing to pay. This place was also dog friendly and my small Maltese was allowed to sit with us even though there was no outdoor dining

    I have not been to Tsujita in a few years and this was my first time at their Art district…read morelocation. I'm a fan of their tsukemen at their original Sawtelle location. During the pandemic, I loved ordering their ramen kit and making our own tuskemen. However, I have to say the quality of the food from this location seems to be poorer. I ordered the spicy pork tsukemen. The noodles were a bit soft that I think they were overcooked for a few seconds longer. It didn't have the chewy bouncy texture that I was expecting. The broth seemed to be missing a few toppings that was promised in the menu, there was no green onion, chopped chashu and menma. Overall I enjoyed the ramen, and it was still good, but just not as good as I remembered. The service was just okay as well. I did think the waitress tried her best, but she was the only one person working during Sunday lunchtime. It was very hard to get her attention. I can't help but feel a bit disappointed with this experience. I'm not sure if I'm going to come back.

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    Pine & Crane DTLA

    Pine & Crane DTLA

    4.5
    (1k reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    We came around 8:00 pm on a Saturday, and the place was still packed. The restaurant has a fun, hip…read moreatmosphere, and I liked the setup. You order at the counter before finding a table, which made everything feel efficient and relaxed. We ordered the pork belly bun, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, pan-fried pork buns, beef noodle soup, and Hakka mochi. The MVP of the meal was undoubtedly the Taiwanese popcorn chicken. It was honestly better than many versions I've had in Taiwan, and I've had plenty. The chicken was crispy and crunchy without being greasy, and the meat stayed juicy rather than drying out. If you come here, order this. The pork belly bun was my personal favorite. The braised pork belly practically melted in my mouth, and everything was seasoned beautifully. Simple, balanced, and incredibly satisfying. The pan-fried pork buns were the only disappointment. The filling felt underseasoned, and the bottoms lacked the crispy crust I was hoping for. They were fine, but not something I would order again. The beef noodle soup was solid. The broth was excellent, with a depth of flavor and spice profile that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, the beef shank was overcooked and a bit too dry (乾) for my liking. For dessert, we had the Hakka mochi. It was served warm, pleasantly chewy, and not overly sweet. It was a nice way to end the meal and made me curious to try some of their other desserts next time. This was overall a fantastic meal. Not every dish was perfect, but the highlights were memorable enough that I'll gladly return. The popcorn chicken alone is worth the visit.

    A great spot near the Crypto.com arena!…read more Despite the line, we put in our orders at the counter and got a table fairly quickly. We shared the dan dan noodles, the 3 cup Jidori chicken, pan-fried pork buns, and cucumber salad. I also got the soy milk, which I believe is made in-house. The food came pretty quickly and arrived before our drinks, in fact. The cucumber salad was fresh, and the cucumbers had a nice crunch. I liked the flavor of the chicken, but I thought it a bit on the dry side. The dan dan noodles and pork buns were excellent, however. The noodles were flavorful and had an enjoyable chew. The pork buns were tasty as well and filled with juicy meat. I also really liked the soy milk. It wasn't too sweet, and it had a nice thickness. The staff was friendly. The restaurant is a casual spot with a self-serve water station.

    Photos
    Interior of Pine and Crane
    Interior of Pine and Crane
    Popcorn chicken!
    Popcorn chicken!
    Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken 鹽酥雞

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    Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken 鹽酥雞

    Northern Cafe - chinese - Updated June 2026

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