Very family style, large portion and authentic Chinese food featuring various Chinese food options. The cold dishes are good choices.
You sit yourself, choose from the menu, and order from the front. They will deliver food for you. You may need to get your own utensils at very busy times.
Portion size may be too large for 2 people, so expect to get a take out box (or get your own box).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Greg Jacobsen
Great food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Coast Fitness
I've been here multiple times and the service and the quality of food has always been very high. One of the best Chinese spots in Irvine
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Caleb Lavoie
Always love dining here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Violet James
⭐️☆☆☆☆
Northern Café Review
There are two things restaurants should never do: make their dishes overly sweet or overly salty. If I want something sweet, I’ll order dessert — not dinner. 🍮
When I ordered the Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, I expected a nice balance of garlic, spice, and eggplant flavor. Instead, the sauce was so sugary that I couldn’t even taste the garlic or the eggplant. Food should tease the taste buds, not drown them in sugar or salt — and some of us can’t handle that much sweetness or sodium. Where’s the balance?
Here’s how the rest of our order went:
🍆 Eggplant with Garlic Sauce – Way too sweet. Couldn’t taste the garlic or the eggplant at all. 🍊 Orange Chicken – Just sweet. No real flavor except sugar — no tang, spice, or depth. 🍚 Yangzhou (Young Chow) Fried Rice – Probably the best dish. Nicely cooked, not greasy, and had decent flavor. 🥬 Sautéed Green Beans – Fresh, crisp, and nicely seasoned. Simple but good. 🥟 Shrimp & Pork Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce – Barely any flavor. The shrimp ones had a strange taste — I think it was some kind of vegetable inside, but whatever it was left an unpleasant aftertaste. 🍗 Chongqing Crispy Chicken – Not really crispy, and the flavor was flat. I’ve had much better versions elsewhere.
While the fried rice and green beans were decent, they weren’t good enough for me to order from here again.
Of course, taste is personal, and I’m sure plenty of people enjoy Northern Café — but for me, the food just didn’t have the right balance or flavor.
⭐️ 1 out of 5 — a few okay dishes, but overall not something I’d come back for.
Food: 1
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
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Rick Robbins
Waited 1.5 hours for food and they delivered the wrong order
Food: 1
gianfranco sanchez
The meal was outstanding, the beef ribs stole the show crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the atmosphere is lovely and sophisticated, I'd definitely return
Always busy whenever we visit. and always brings consistency and great taste. Food comes out really fast. Portions are generous too, considering the competitions in the same areas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richard Strong
Tasty northern Chinese food. The Sichuan food is also great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Cecile Frausto
Nice ambiance
Anthony Quijano
Why be open till midnight but only offer grilled menu. Waitress female said they dont offer saute or wok past 9:30pm any day anymore. Even on Fridays. Today is 8/12/25
Very family style, large portion and authentic Chinese food featuring various Chinese food options. The cold dishes are good choices.
You sit yourself, choose from the menu, and order from the front. They will deliver food for you. You may need to get your own utensils at very busy times.
Portion size may be too large for 2 people, so expect to get a take out box (or get your own box).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Great food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I've been here multiple times and the service and the quality of food has always been very high. One of the best Chinese spots in Irvine
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always love dining here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
⭐️☆☆☆☆
Northern Café Review
There are two things restaurants should never do: make their dishes overly sweet or overly salty. If I want something sweet, I’ll order dessert — not dinner. 🍮
When I ordered the Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, I expected a nice balance of garlic, spice, and eggplant flavor. Instead, the sauce was so sugary that I couldn’t even taste the garlic or the eggplant. Food should tease the taste buds, not drown them in sugar or salt — and some of us can’t handle that much sweetness or sodium. Where’s the balance?
Here’s how the rest of our order went:
🍆 Eggplant with Garlic Sauce – Way too sweet. Couldn’t taste the garlic or the eggplant at all.
🍊 Orange Chicken – Just sweet. No real flavor except sugar — no tang, spice, or depth.
🍚 Yangzhou (Young Chow) Fried Rice – Probably the best dish. Nicely cooked, not greasy, and had decent flavor.
🥬 Sautéed Green Beans – Fresh, crisp, and nicely seasoned. Simple but good.
🥟 Shrimp & Pork Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce – Barely any flavor. The shrimp ones had a strange taste — I think it was some kind of vegetable inside, but whatever it was left an unpleasant aftertaste.
🍗 Chongqing Crispy Chicken – Not really crispy, and the flavor was flat. I’ve had much better versions elsewhere.
While the fried rice and green beans were decent, they weren’t good enough for me to order from here again.
Of course, taste is personal, and I’m sure plenty of people enjoy Northern Café — but for me, the food just didn’t have the right balance or flavor.
⭐️ 1 out of 5 — a few okay dishes, but overall not something I’d come back for.
Food: 1
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
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Waited 1.5 hours for food and they delivered the wrong order
Food: 1
The meal was outstanding, the beef ribs stole the show crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the atmosphere is lovely and sophisticated, I'd definitely return
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Always busy whenever we visit. and always brings consistency and great taste. Food comes out really fast. Portions are generous too, considering the competitions in the same areas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tasty northern Chinese food. The Sichuan food is also great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Nice ambiance
Why be open till midnight but only offer grilled menu. Waitress female said they dont offer saute or wok past 9:30pm any day anymore. Even on Fridays. Today is 8/12/25
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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