"Northern China Eatery is tucked away behind an eyewear store, but you’ll spot it once you clock the red awning and the line that stretches out the door during dinner. The place is small-ish and seating is limited, so you might end up sharing a roundtable with some strangers. Don’t worry about awkward conversation though—everyone is too busy devouring family-style Chinese dishes like giant bowls of housemade noodles and saucy stir-fried meats. Make sure some dumplings are on your table, especially the flavorful Shanghai soup dumplings, zesty pork and fennel dumplings, and hearty lamb and zucchini dumplings." - nina reeder, jacinta howard, juli horsford