To satisfy Chinese food cravings in DTLA, Northern Cafe would be a good spot. This restaurant can get pretty busy during lunch time, but there is a good amount of seating inside. The staff at the restaurant are friendly, but you definitely have to be patient and will have to follow-up on asking for any utensils or more water. The dishes here are served family-style, so make sure to bring a group of friends to eat so you can all share!
Cold Dishes + Pancakes
Garlic Woodear & Tofu Skin – The Garlic Woodear & Tofu Skin was not bad, but I wish it had more garlic flavor. The taste was on the lighter side, and mixed with carrots and cucumbers, there actually wasn’t too much woodear and tofu skin.
Green Onion Pancake – The Green Onion Pancake came in 4 (or 8 if you split each cut) pieces for $8.50. The pancake was on the thicker side, and while the level of crispiness was decent, there really wasn’t too much flavor or green onion. I would rather get the Garlic Woodear & Tofu Skin or try something new next time.
Sizzling Pot ＋ From the Wok
Beef Spicy Dry Pot – This sizzling pot is spicy! The dish is also on the oily side, but you eat this with rice so it evens out a bit. I would make sure to ask the server ahead of time if you think you’ll need more water. The server took quite some time to refill our waters, and by that time, the spice already got to us!
Chongqing Crispy Chicken – Bites and bites of meat is what I like about this dish! This dish also has a kick to it, so be prepared! The crispy chicken was pretty solid – I’d be down to get it again.
Vegetarian Eggplant with Garlic Sauce – This was my favorite dish. The garlic sauce was delicious and I loved the flavor and the bamboo shoots mixed in with the eggplant. This dish is an amazing combo with rice! I would definitely order this one again, with meat next time!
I would visit Northern Cafe for the dumplings and wok items, and probably won’t get the sizzling pot again. I have yet to try the beef rolls and noodles at this location. Our server was quite interesting at the end though – he brought over the check, read off the amount, and asked who was paying. Then, he stood there holding the machine while we slowly calculated how much to tip. Other than that, this was a filling and satisfying meal overall!