Northern Cafe

I am so happy Northern Cafe (Dumpling House) opened here in San Pedro/Rancho Palos Verdes and that this business has been able to survive the devastating economic affects of Covid. They have fabulous homemade food that I would consider to be "comfort" cuisine. They make everything by hand from scratch using all fresh ingredients, and the unique aromas emanating from their large open kitchen is mesmerizing to the senses. They're pretty busy during meal times, but they're able to keep up with the pace and I've never had to wait more than 15-20 minutes from ordering at their counter to pick up. The staff are professional, welcoming, and sweet. I get the vibe in there that this is family run, because all who work there seem to be doing their jobs with joy, good intentions, and the serious desire to make their customers happy. These folks know how to cook and treat their customers.

I do still miss the Mongolian bbq place, but the mourning period is over, I think.Northern Cafe is on our regular restaurant rotation; so much so, I think they know my phone number better than I do! The juicy pork dumplings are consistent (I would like them scalding, but I don't drive home quick enough). The crispy spicy chicken hits about every time. The string beans go from "YES" to "I'm being healthy." You want to know what makes this place exceptional? It's in San Pedro. I don't need to drive up to some expensive place that is more show than function. Give me good food from a family whose kids have had to ring me up. Nothing beats it.

I have been here twice and I highly suggest the beef roll and the dumplings for a good experience. I got the beef noodle soup on my last visit and I was a bit dissatisfied. There are only a few chunks of beef and bok choy with a ton of noodles. The soup gets boring fast or ends up just being broth. This spot is good for quick Chinese food but nothing too fancy.

I'm a big fan of Chinese take out food. This place has pretty good Chinese food. Each portion is a shareable portion. If you plan on feeding a family, like I do, then this place works perfect for Chinese food for the family. I enjoyed their crispy chicken and orange chicken the most. The service was pretty good and quick. I called about 35 minutes before I picked up my order. The inside is nice and clean. I'd recommend people in the area try this place out. You won't be disappointed.

Took out an order of the Shrimp wontons in spicy sauce and the boiled shrimp, pork, egg and chive dumplings.The shrimp wonton filing was good but the "wonton" wrapper was super thick similar to the dumplings...maybe even a little dryer and thicker..which is not typical of this dish. The sauce was also not good at all nor was it spicy. Usually you get these for the sauce and it did not deliver. Would not recommend.The boiled shrimp pork egg and chive dumplings were really good. Flavor and texture were all there. Hit the spot for my craving luckily after the let down of the shrimp wontons. I'm sure this place has some other good dishes. But for now I can only base it off of those two. Decent option in the Pedro area that has little to no good asian options. If you want legit spicy wontons and other bomb Sichuan dishes go to ruiji in lomita... SO good.

Food - pretty good but not greatService - nice people but minimal service Ambiance - clean and comfortable I have been to many Northern Cafes and have been looking forward to this one. I noticed most of the reviews were about dumplings and realized this one is more specialized for dumplings (boiled, pan-fried and steamed XLB varieties.I was hoping for the noodle specialties like the one in Gardena (which is my favorite in the region, 10 min more drive for me).We ordered:- crab dumplings- steamed, XLB style, it was pretty good- lamb dumplings- pan fried, it was ok, a little oily - beef noodle soup- it was ok, they only served with thin noodles, we preferred other handmade varieties at the Gardena storeWe also ordered the beef rolls to go, it looked exact like the ones shown on the poster, ha ha.Overall, pretty good if you are hungry dumplings!

I want to support local businesses. However, the dinner today was disappointing. The eggplant was oily and overly salty, the fried rice has zero flavor and almost looked like steam sticky rice. The kung pao chicken was either raw or stale. $45 with tip for 3 dishes, no thanks. Panda is cheaper and tastes better.

I ordered the beef fried rice and orange chicken wow was that a huge waste of money. The fried rice was soooo bland. I expected yummy flavors with the beef but it was flavor Less. The orange chicken had such a weird after taste idk if it was the oil they cook it or the breading but I was nauseous. I couldn't even finish the meal. It was unfortunate because in the last I've had other items such as the spicy pork dumplings which were delicious. So I'd only for back for the dumplings nothing else.

Pretty good Chinese food near home. I'm not sure if they offer diner in service since I've only ever ordered delivery or picked up food in person and when I've done the latter they seem to only be open for pickup and delivery orders. I like their beef wraps and various dumplings on the menu. Even the XLB is solid.

The restaurant seems to have changed ownership since we last visited many years ago. Now it is run by a couple (very friendly) and started to offering sit-in dinning option again after long period of takeout only due to Covid. The restaurant is small but clean and well lit, with seating for around 20 people. The menu is similar to other Northern Café's with some local variations. We ordered dumplings, beef noodle soup, green onion pancakes and sautéed eggplants.The dumpling wrappers were nicely cooked, slightly form and not soggy, and the fillings were very well seasoned. The beef noodle broth was on the spicy side for me (tongue numbing kind of spicy), the noodle was nicely cooked with firm texture and the beef pieces were tenderly soft.But I was not expecting the taste and flavor of the sautéed eggplants. Personally, I am not a big fan of eggplant, but they were cooked with perfection, melting soft flesh in wonderfully seasoned garlic sauce. What a pleasant surprise.For sure we will stop by again soon to try other dishes.