Can't believe I've never tried this place even though they have so many locations everywhere. Came here with my mom for an early lunch a few weeks ago - the lady working by herself was great. Very attentive, very knowledgeable on all products and nice.
Always wanted to try Northern Cafe but didn't get chance earlier. Recently, a friend in my pickleball group recommended this place so I stopped by for a quick lunch.
Service was quick and efficient - I didn't have to wait in spite of dropping in during a busy lunch hour.
Started off with Spicy Pork Wonton Dumplings which were very good. Also ordered Kung Pao Shrimp & steamed rice on our server's recommendation and it was awesome.
Portions were too much for 1 person but good enough for 2 to share.
This was a really good one for a quick lunch and I bet I will be back here a lot many times in future !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Momo Sky
Pretty good overall. The food tasted fresh and the service was friendly. The wait was a little longer than expected, but I would still come back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Yifan Chen (Peter)
This spot is a love letter to bold northern Chinese flavors, especially if your heart belongs to stir-fried noodles and cumin lamb done without compromise. The noodles come out gloriously chewy and blistered from the wok, tangled with cabbage, scallions, and just enough oil to make every bite addictive without crossing into greasy regret, delivering that elusive wok hei that separates the serious from the forgettable. Then there’s the cumin lamb, fragrant, savory, and unapologetically punchy, with tender slices of meat coated in toasted cumin, chili, and aromatics that hit your nose before they hit the table and linger long after the plate is cleared. It’s hearty, assertive food that doesn’t water itself down or apologize, the kind of meal that makes you eat faster than intended, slow down for the last bite, and immediately start plotting when you can come back for another round.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: House Special Beef Noodle Soup
Wen Lin
Food quality gone way down. Not going back.
Food: 2
Service: 2
Randy Thompson
It is a modest little resteraunt with really good food. I do take out so my service review is simple at the counter. I love the place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Emiko Kawashima
Arrived there close to 1 pm on Monday, and we ordered a variety of items for the two of us so we had a plenty of food to go afterwards. I am told that they changed the ownership so I wasn’t sure about the quality/flavors, and I was very happy to find that all the food tasted great!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lingua Adamica
I visited Northern Cafe in Cerritos and would rate it around 2.5 out of 5.
I went around 4 p.m. when it wasn’t busy, yet it still took over 10 minutes for the food to come out.
We ordered four dishes: 1. A3: Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (the one I was most looking forward to) 2. Beef Roll 3. Dan Dan Noodles 4. Xiao Long Bao
The biggest disappointment was the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. Despite being labeled as “hot,” the broth was barely lukewarm. The beef tasted soggy, like it had been sitting around for a while, and the handmade noodles lacked any bounce or chewiness.
The other dishes were just average in flavor, but overall, the freshness and quality of the food—and the service—were quite poor.
Honestly, I left feeling very disappointed and don’t see myself coming back.
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Northern Cafe in Cerritos, and it’s quickly become a new favorite! The food was absolutely delicious—flavorful, authentic, and well-prepared. The portion sizes were huge, perfect for a family meal, and everything we ordered was spot-on. The service was also top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff that made the experience even better. Highly recommend this place if you're in the area and looking for great Chinese food. Definitely coming back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Tuan Hien Ly
Food is way too off. Their house special noodles taste so soft likes instant noodles. They used to make the noodle fresh there. I also ordered sliced noodles with chicken, potatoes is overcooked, sauce is lacking authenticity, and chicken does not taste fresh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Marcy Sopena
Most authentic Chinese food in the area. If you get chow mein, it may ruin Panda Express for you. Their Biang Biang noodles were my favorite and love the beef roll or even just the green onion pancakes. Try the green beans even if you don't like green beans.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Roll, Chow Mein
Fernando Soto
Food is great service is slow only because being short handed
Preprocessed noodle……
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Can't believe I've never tried this place even though they have so many locations everywhere. Came here with my mom for an early lunch a few weeks ago - the lady working by herself was great. Very attentive, very knowledgeable on all products and nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Roll, House Special, Orange Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice
Always wanted to try Northern Cafe but didn't get chance earlier. Recently, a friend in my pickleball group recommended this place so I stopped by for a quick lunch.
Service was quick and efficient - I didn't have to wait in spite of dropping in during a busy lunch hour.
Started off with Spicy Pork Wonton Dumplings which were very good.
Also ordered Kung Pao Shrimp & steamed rice on our server's recommendation and it was awesome.
Portions were too much for 1 person but good enough for 2 to share.
This was a really good one for a quick lunch and I bet I will be back here a lot many times in future !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Pretty good overall. The food tasted fresh and the service was friendly. The wait was a little longer than expected, but I would still come back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This spot is a love letter to bold northern Chinese flavors, especially if your heart belongs to stir-fried noodles and cumin lamb done without compromise. The noodles come out gloriously chewy and blistered from the wok, tangled with cabbage, scallions, and just enough oil to make every bite addictive without crossing into greasy regret, delivering that elusive wok hei that separates the serious from the forgettable. Then there’s the cumin lamb, fragrant, savory, and unapologetically punchy, with tender slices of meat coated in toasted cumin, chili, and aromatics that hit your nose before they hit the table and linger long after the plate is cleared. It’s hearty, assertive food that doesn’t water itself down or apologize, the kind of meal that makes you eat faster than intended, slow down for the last bite, and immediately start plotting when you can come back for another round.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: House Special Beef Noodle Soup
Food quality gone way down. Not going back.
Food: 2
Service: 2
It is a modest little resteraunt with really good food. I do take out so my service review is simple at the counter. I love the place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Arrived there close to 1 pm on Monday, and we ordered a variety of items for the two of us so we had a plenty of food to go afterwards. I am told that they changed the ownership so I wasn’t sure about the quality/flavors, and I was very happy to find that all the food tasted great!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited Northern Cafe in Cerritos and would rate it around 2.5 out of 5.
I went around 4 p.m. when it wasn’t busy, yet it still took over 10 minutes for the food to come out.
We ordered four dishes:
1. A3: Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (the one I was most looking forward to)
2. Beef Roll
3. Dan Dan Noodles
4. Xiao Long Bao
The biggest disappointment was the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. Despite being labeled as “hot,” the broth was barely lukewarm. The beef tasted soggy, like it had been sitting around for a while, and the handmade noodles lacked any bounce or chewiness.
The other dishes were just average in flavor, but overall, the freshness and quality of the food—and the service—were quite poor.
Honestly, I left feeling very disappointed and don’t see myself coming back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is no longer for lanzhou people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Northern Cafe in Cerritos, and it’s quickly become a new favorite! The food was absolutely delicious—flavorful, authentic, and well-prepared. The portion sizes were huge, perfect for a family meal, and everything we ordered was spot-on. The service was also top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff that made the experience even better. Highly recommend this place if you're in the area and looking for great Chinese food. Definitely coming back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Food is way too off. Their house special noodles taste so soft likes instant noodles. They used to make the noodle fresh there. I also ordered sliced noodles with chicken, potatoes is overcooked, sauce is lacking authenticity, and chicken does not taste fresh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Most authentic Chinese food in the area. If you get chow mein, it may ruin Panda Express for you. Their Biang Biang noodles were my favorite and love the beef roll or even just the green onion pancakes. Try the green beans even if you don't like green beans.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Roll, Chow Mein
Food is great service is slow only because being short handed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
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