Northern Cafe DTLA

If you’re craving Chinese food in downtown Los Angeles, this is a spot you won’t want to miss! The portions are generous—perfect for sharing—so you definitely get great value for your meal. We ordered the orange chicken and beef fried rice, and both were absolutely delicious. One thing we truly appreciated was the relaxed atmosphere. There was no rush to clear our table after we finished eating, allowing us to sit and enjoy our time without feeling pressured to leave. Our server, Hazel, was fantastic—attentive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed. For excellent food, generous portions, and great service, this place is definitely worth a visit!

2/22/2025 - Northern Cafe DTLA joined the chain Chinese restaurant of Dumpling House and had a grand opening at the heart of the downtown Los Angeles on 09/21/2024. Across the street is Macy's Plaza that will be scheduled to be closed in 2025. The first Northern Cafe was opened in Arcadia, CA in 2004. The price of many dishes is very reasonable, for example, a set of five Crab Meat or Pork Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao, 蟹粉小笼包) is only $6.50 in weekend in comparison to other places at $10.95 we visited two weeks ago. We admire the owner, Cynthia, to open the first authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. We enjoyed every dish. The tea drinks are okay because all drinks are pre-made but Boba is excellent with soft and elastic nature.

Excellent food. I had walnut chicken and a side order of dumplings. Great happy hour price for beer as well. Half the price of most places. Staff very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend if you’re craving Chinese dumplings or traditional Wok servings.

Glad there’s a Chinese dumplings in the area. My friend and I had lunch and were both satisfied. The dumplings were so good and yummy. The server Angie and the manager Sergio are friendly. The place was quite busy during lunch hours. Place was clean and organized. 👍🏻 check it out for dumplings 🥟

Very new, modern and clean inside. This Chinese restaurant is located right across the street from the Bloc in downtown Los Angeles. The parking is difficult and you certainly need to walk. It is a very nice decorated, new restaurant. However, the food was rather average. For example, I ordered a seafood fry rice. It was about 20 dollars. It had 7 pieces of tasteless shrimp and 6 pieces of very light flavored scallops. When it comes to the " real crab meat " it was very small pieces and equally tasteless. Plus, there were very little vegetables. I have to say, this Chinese dish was very average and the price was certainly above the average. I just have to try other dishes until they change my mind. I certainly will not order this kind of the fry rice again, so do you.