I've been wanting to try this place for awhile but it was always so busy! Finally was able to get a table and I now know why this place is always so packed. Everything was delicious, I've never had northern style Chinese food and its now my favorite. Totally worth the wait. The staff was attentive and service was quick. We had the crispy pork in sweet and sour glaze, salted egg yolk with Japanese tofu, tomato egg noodles and spicy green beans. We've been back many times as this is now our go-to place on campus during summer break while students are away. read more

Got some great authentic tasting Chinese food at this restaurant in Champaign. It has more Americanized options if you would rather be safer. Northern Cuisine is popular with the Asian students because they're most of the people eating in there. Basically it shows it's good enough for them so it's good enough for everyone. The prices are pretty okay for portions. Came in and looked at the menu. It's certainly a big one. There's tons of meaty and plant friendly options to get and they get spicy. Felt like feeling a burn. It's about $15 for an entree which is okay because you get a lot. Also has more authentic options that get even crazier. I got the Mapo Tofu. A great thing is it's not a recipe that uses pork. This is soft tofu with a spicy ass sauce. Could have used a few vegetables in it. This was still pretty good though. Have to say it looking for authentic Chinese to come here. It's located on Green in the middle of the campus bars and restaurants. There's a few things for vegetarians. read more

Northern Cuisine - Mapo Tofu - Dim Sum Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Like we stepping into a mini China, with top chart new c-pop playing and foods served beautifully. Flavors are all pretty good. The two dishes we ordered were a bit on the sweet side, which isn't atypical for the dishes themselves, so kind of an error on our part. They had celtuce so we had to order it, it was tender and light and flavorful. The dumplings is good but a bit meat heavy than I would've preferred. Skin is very thin, like wonton skin. The scallions pancakes are perfectly panfried. The Beijing yogurt is not at all correct, it's stickier than I'm used to and not as smooth and flavor is a bit flat than the actual ones. Coconut pudding was unremarkable, doesn't stand out. Overall, the foods were good. We probably could've ordered better. read more

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Ordered takeout from here so can't really comment on the service other than the food was ready relatively quickly! Portions were great for both items I ordered. Rice Noodle and Pork Salad {3.5/5}: Texture of the rolls of rice noodles were nice and chewy. There were tender strips of pork throughout with some refreshing cucumbers all mixed in a peanut sauce. Not really my preference. Braised pork belly and tofu puff {3.5/5}: Very nice portion size and tender pork belly. The sauce itself is like a thick gelatinous gravy that I was not particularly fond of. read more

Northern Cuisine - Braised pork belly and tofu puff - Dim Sum Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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One of the places on campus that consistently maintains good quality. Dine-in or takeout hits the same. Recently got the Wok fried beef with cilantro and chili, Stir Fried Chicken W. Long peppers. Both were delicious, less oil and less filler veggies, good way to hit your protein goals. read more

What a great find. This place is every bit as good as you've heard. Atmosphere is very relaxed. Great modern chinese music in the background. Friendly service staff & food that will leave your mouth watering. My wife, who doesn't do spice at all, went with the breaded tilapia in sweet and sour sauce. By itself, its a little too sweet, but paired with my dish, the wok fried beef with cumin - it was heaven. Such a great pair of dishes to go togetehr. If you're considering dining here, do it. You will be thrilled to have found your new go to chinese spot. read more

This place was all over my timeline, and it did not disappoint. Everyone was nice and the food was delicious, and was served fast, even though it was busy. read more

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Upscale Chinese restaurant that specializes in regional (northern) cuisine. Come here for the characteristic dishes, prepared well. The cuisine incorporates some subtle flavors into its fare. We ordered the Mapo Tofu and the Crispy Sweet-Sour Pork. Although the tofu is a Szechuan standard, the sauce was notably prepared. It had an almost fruity aroma, as if there were sun-dried tomatoes in the chili paste. Only when I took a bite did I get the depth of the fermented bean flavor. The pork is fried twice and has the crisp to prove it. Perhaps it could have spent a little less time in the first round of oil: it took a bit of effort to tear off a bite. On the other hand, the sweet and sour sauce was light like honey and let the pork flavor through. The dishes that came out around our table looked and smelled excellent as well. The regional flavors give an extra layer to each item on the menu. read more

Came in n a cold Friday night which was busy but great service. Waitlist sign up is fast and easy on a tablet by the front desk, by the kitchen entrance. Give it your phone number and text messages will update you. Fast table turnarounds during busy times. We split a B1 chefs special entree which is the yummy Crispy Pork in Sweet and Sour Glaze. It comes with one bowl of rice, so got a second one. Very seriously some of the best crispy pork I've ever had. Drink wise, apart from the water tried the Chinese Sweeter Herbal Tea (which is cold and in a can) and a hot tea, both hit the spot. Bathrooms are at the end of the larger dining area, very clean. The larger dining area is upstairs, with 5 steps, but there is a small elevator to make it accessible to everyone. Will definitely be back to try more! read more

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Portions are great and the atmosphere is quiet and nice. Everything was salted very well but also didn't feel too unhealthy.

Came here with a reservation at 5pm on Mother's Day with 12 and got a private room. Chicken peanut noodles - yummy cold appetizer Cumin beef - very flavorful and tender Eggplant - more al dente than I am used to Fried pork - so crispy and nice Potato strings - interesting that this was warm. Garlic green beans - great garlic flavor. Green beans were a bit al dente read more

Expensive and bad-taste food - any Taiwanese would be able to find it is far from real Chinese cuisine.

The Food is the Best Dong Bai "Norther Chinese" I've had in the USA. The Service is wonderful! The wife and I are treated like family! This restaurant is clean and very nice! I really like the comfortable booths! read more

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Ambiance: The first thing I noticed is the amazing ambiance. It has one of the nicest interiors out of all the restaurants in campus town. However, I was thrown off by disposable cups for water. Service: The waitress was very attentive and our food arrived very quickly. However, the two dishes did arrive separately with about a 5-10 minutes gap between the two. Food: The eggplant dish was excellent. The eggplant is the perfect texture and there is plenty of savory sauce to cover all the vegetables. The pork was also good but it was a bit too sweet. The cuts are also a little too big and required a lot of chewing to finish a piece. The batter that cover the pork has an interesting texture as it is a bit chewy and less crispy. However overall, it was still a good dish, but I probably wouldn't order it again unlike the eggplant. read more

Northern Cuisine - Wok Fried Eggplant In Garlic Chili Sauce - Dim Sum Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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This beautiful dining experience nestles into Campustown and delivers great food, excellent service and a gentle welcoming atmosphere that pulls it all together into a delightful time. The food is the finest Asian fare around and avoids the common error of over spicing the food. The Mapo Tofu is remarkable and each of the items we shared in our group excelled in its taste and presentation. The decor is simple and elegant amplifying the peaceful mood that surrounds the diners. Each server was polite, gracious and accommodating without hovering or intruding. Do yourself a favor and set aside a day to visit Northern Cuisine and you will not regret it. read more

I spent a fortune to have food delivered and I'm okay with that if the food is yummy - that's my choice. However, the food wasnt quite there. While I loved the use of fresh ginger and fresh garlic, the dishes didn't seem to have any salt. I don't usually add soy sauce but it would have helped this time. Unfortunately, none was delivered with my order. The chicken dish also had a few little hard pieces that I can only assume were bone shards. I gave up eating it. Shucks. I wasted a LOT of money. read more

Food was great! Service was good as well. Only con I would say is the water is served in plastic cups and there was no ice in my water. Other raise the price is good for the amount of food. 100% will come back again! read more

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Northern Cuisine is great! A bit on the expensive side but I think it's one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in Champaign. Favorites are the Chili green beans and crispy fried pork (sweet). The green beans are cooked well and have a nice flavor to them and are always gone within minutes! We also like getting fried dough with soy milk. The ambience is nice, it has dark lighting inside. The service is okay, sometimes we have to look over at the server to come to us but I think they were giving us time to decide. They serve water in plastic clear cups with no ice but it doesn't bother me that much. Overall, it's a nice place to go if you're looking for some quality Chinese dishes! read more

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I honestly was not expecting much on my first trip to Champaign, Illinois. The food here is amazing and this is a perfect example. Classic northern Chinese food in the middle of southern Illinois? you bet! Absolutely amazing, fun environment, speedy service, amazing food, young, respectful, clientele! Really enjoyed this place and will be back again, highly recommended! read more

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Clam dish good, fish with brown sauce good but a bit on the sweet side, chicken in brown/soy sauce and spicy beef dish flavorful. Service is slow and one food never came out. Pointed out to our server when she wanted us to pay, didn't get bill for a while then server came and asked if we wanted the dish if we wanted the dish as it's almost ready...WHAT????...shady.... read more

This is recommended by someone from the northern part of China. It's nice and clean, and staff is friendly. Wait time during lunch hour may turn away those who want a quick bite. I like their stir fried dishes, and their stews can use more ginger because the meat is overpowering. They have Chinese soy milk (Dou Jiang) and fried dough (You Tiao) on the menu, and they came out great. read more

So good! We walked in on a Friday night around 7PM and were seated after a short wait. We ordered the chef's special sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, and egg plant with garlic sauce. Everything was super delicious! The pork was similar to Korean style Tangsuyuk. The mapo tofu was very aromatic and full of flavor. The egg plant was a little on the sweet side but still very good. The restaurant is clean and modern on the inside. Great place! read more

Food was spot on from a flavor standpoint. We had the Rice noodle salad which comes with pork and lots of vegetables in a sesame flavored sauce. Really yummy. Also the mapo tofu, chili green beans, and tumeric beef tenderloin. Honestly, everything was delicious. Service was excellent and we had a really lovely meal! Highly recommend! read more

the eggplant with chili garlic sauce was fire. so was the soybean milk. would come again. so yom

The food is very good - my friends and I always go for birthdays and any big group events. We have never been disappointed by the food and the eggplant is so good. read more

Service was fast and efficient. Zero wait time to sit or to serve food. Food was great and came in large family style dishes. Restaurant was clean and great experience overall! read more

Northern Cuisine - H6 Tomato & Scrambled Egg Over Noodle H6, Lamb Kebab In Chili Sauce (6 Skewers) (6), E1 Mapo Tofu E1 - Dim Sum Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Great new addition of Chinese restaurant in Urbana Champaign. Went there seal times. Tasted the authentic northern food.

We're more used to Szechuan and Contonese style Chinese restaurants and we didn't know quite what to expect. What we got were very generous, obviously home made dumplings, some of the best sauteed spinach with minced garlic we've ever had, and a warm, comforting beef brisket with potato casserole/hot pot kind of dish. We shared everything and we were VERY impressed with the food and service. People are friendly and helpful and the place is immaculate. I can't think of anything they could have done better. My wife ordered a mung bean soup (hot) that was served as a beverage; she poured it into bowls and shared. That really brought my wife back to her childhood. Five stars. I almost never think of writing a review but it was so good I wanted to share. read more

Bad experience. I ordered online and spend so much time on waiting. Timed out for a long time. I've been reminded several times.