Northwest Chinese Food

The main reason I made it through college, and I still dream about their vegetable soup. Every time I went, I tried something new, and was never disappointed! I loved their lamb cumin skewers, the vegetable soup, the peanuts... I hope they continue to thrive for many years to come.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time and knew I needed to make the trip ASAP before they close up shop and prepare to move to a new location.

My husband and I split the following:
1. Liangpi: 8.5/10. we loved this cold dish! It’s not a common dish but well executed here. It has a lovely vinegary taste that contrasts well against the rich flavors of the roujiamo. The noodles are homemade!

2. Stewed beef roujiamo and crispy pork roujiamo: 5/10. Honestly, these were disappointing. They were smaller than we expected (two fit on a quarter sheet), especially for $8 a piece. Even if you set that aside, the bread itself lacked any presence. I wanted crispy layers but you literally get no layers and barely a crisp. Onto the meat itself, the beef was dry. Either a fattier cut or more sauce would’ve gone a long way. They cut the crispy pork so thinly that it’s nearly impossible to cook it properly. The little pieces felt like hard bullets in my mouth; they were inedible. We hate to do this but we had to ask for a refund since we literally could not eat it. The waiter was kind and did remove the item with no hassle. Funnily enough, he said “Oh yeah the crispy pork is hit or miss”. Why even leave it on the menu then?? 😂

3. Hot seared oil knife cut noodles with minced pork and vegetables: 6/10. These get a nod for the house made noodles. Other than that, it’s not exciting. The dish did not come “hot seared”, it was room temp. Hot seared noodles should arrive…hot. The carrots were a nice addition though! Definitely recommend adding spoonfuls of their chili oil to enjoy the dish more. The chili oil is excellent! I’m disappointed in this one since it’s their #1 noodle dish and came highly recommended.

4. Sesame sauce rolled noodles: 7/10. I love sesame sauce so I knew I needed to try their house made version. Sadly, this dish needed more of it. While the noodles were good, everything on the table ended up sharing the same taste profile because chili oil is the star. It felt lackluster as a result. If it had more sesame, then it would’ve really shined.

5. Tangyuan: I’m not gonna rate these because the waiter said they do not make these in-house, they’re prepackaged. I should’ve asked before I ordered; I was wrong to assume. $5 is a high markup for prepackaged tangyuan but that’s just how it is. I would recommend against anyone ordering these; just buy them yourself from any Asian mart. You get a whole bag for the same price. If you feel up to it, they’re also incredibly easy to make.

Overall, good but not something I’d go out of my way to eat again. There are better options in NYC if you find yourself there!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

College Park would not be the same without Northwest. Ridiculous that they are being displaced by their landlord. UMD students, PLEASE go support them. Great, affordable Chinese food. Absolutely one of the best restaurants in the area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great authentic Northwest Chinese with a lot of variety!

Limited menu and zero varieties. Spicy n szechuan peppercorns pretty much are the mainstay. Not sure why WP gave this restaurant high marks.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 3

We've consistently enjoyed everything on the menu, and the staff is always super attentive and helpful. I wish the place were a bit bigger just so we could go more often! A true treasure in College Park.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was the most authentic, delicious, Chinese food I've had since visiting China back in 2007. It brought back so many memories, I could have cried. I had the black vinegar peanuts, red chili sesame dumplings, and the minced pork noodles. I can't wait to go back. This is food I'll dream about.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I ate here for the first (and hopefully not last) time this past weekend. We ordered the Knife cut noodles with lamb, rice noodles with pork, and a spicy chicken mo. We didn't ask for any particular spiciness and everything came out at the perfect heat level. We were saddened to hear that the landlord is trying to kick them out of the building in order to knock it down and redevelop. I hope they stay open even if it means moving. The news had just been announced a couple days prior and they were slammed with takeout orders when they opened but it was more than worth the wait for the food. We were disappointed we hadn't ordered more dishes to try additional menu items!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was my favorite restaurant in college, my comfort food, my everything. I've moved away and was planning on coming to eat here in January for the first time in 3 years. I am so sad to hear that it is closing due to redevelopment. I only wish nw chinese food will stay, I need to eat here again. I bought a flight home just to eat here one more time. PLEASE STAY OPEN I NEED TO EAT HERE ONE MORE TIME 😭😭😭😭😭🙏🙏. No other restaurant compares.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

As someone with Northwest Chinese roots, I can say with confidence that this restaurant is one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants I've ever tried. The tang yuan with seasome seeds tastes like the ones I had for breakfast as a child, and the noodles' texture is impeccable as well as the meat sauce. Definitely the best hotspot in College Park!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The best place on College Park.

Food: 5

Outstanding food, amazing service. I'm short on time so I'll echo what everyone else has said:

NW Chinese Food is a perfect blend of traditional, quality food, and a casual College town environment. They don't sacrifice originality or flavor, for the conventional cookie cutter design of a vast majority of American-Chinese Restaurants.

You won't find a lot of places like it, and I personally haven't had any better Chinese food in the State of Maryland.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always clean and very busy. It's a great place for lunch on a cold day. Nice staff and the food is absolutely delicious.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Small dining area but nice and they have good food.

Absolutely delicious. Incredible selection of noodles and soups that always come out fresh. Staff is extremely attentive and helpful. One of my favorite spots in the area!!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5