Northern Taste

Chinese restaurant · Bridgeport

Northern Taste

Chinese restaurant · Bridgeport

2

3409 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608

Photos

Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by Sandy Noto
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null
Northern Taste by null

Highlights

Authentic Northern Chinese dishes, cumin lamb, soup dumplings  

Featured in The Infatuation
Featured on Michelin

3409 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608 Get directions

northerntasteil.com

$10–20 · Menu

Information

Static Map

3409 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608 Get directions

+1 773 940 2172
northerntasteil.com

$10–20 · Menu

Features

payment credit card
reservations
wifi

Last updated

Aug 7, 2025

Powered By

You might also like

Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy
 © 2025 Postcard Technologies, Inc.
@infatuation

Homestyle Taste Review - Bridgeport - Chicago - The Infatuation

"Some restaurants are so good they’re worth going out of your way for. And then there’s an even higher echelon - for places serving things you want so badly, you’d knock your own mother out of the way to eat them. Or at least think about it. We know this sounds dramatic, but a lot of the food at Homestyle Taste falls into this category. The menu at this small, casual restaurant in Bridgeport is long. You’ll want to approach it with some kind of a game plan, because while service is friendly, it’s also very efficient. In other words, you get the sense they’d like you to hurry the f*ck up and place your order. Start with the fantastic steam soup buns, also known as soup dumplings. Not only is the filling delicious, but the dough is also just the right thickness to prevent any liquid from leaking out. Anything that involves their excellent noodles will make you happy, too. They’re perfectly chewy, and the texture holds on to whatever delicious sauce or soup they’re in. (Our favorite is the combination noodle soup with pork, shrimp, and crab.) photo credit: Sandy Noto There are plenty of other things on the menu you could easily become obsessed with. Like the tender, spicy cumin lamb. Boneless pieces of lamb are perfectly seasoned, and served with just enough szechuan peppers to balance out the fattiness of the meat. The dry chili chicken is another hit - it’s fried perfectly, and mouth-numbingly spicy (so consider saving this for last). Some dishes aren’t completely successful - like the mapo tofu and the General Tso’s chicken, both of which have extremely thick sauces. But the things Homestyle Taste gets right far outweigh these issues. The space is snug and sparsely decorated, with some lanterns hanging from the ceiling and a few pictures on the wall. They do a big takeout business, which means you’ll see plenty of people coming, going, and standing in the middle of the restaurant waiting for their orders. If you’ve traveled to visit this place, the most annoying thing about all the foot traffic will be knowing that these customers probably live close enough to come here all the time. Homestyle Taste is a destination restaurant in the truest sense. Once you have some of the dishes here stuck in your head, you won’t be happy until you’re eating them again. Not a lot of restaurants are capable of inspiring this kind of devotion. So come here, and plan on subsequently irritating everyone by comparing all future dumplings you eat to the ones at this restaurant. Food Rundown photo credit: Sandy Noto Scallion Pancake This scallion pancake is on the thicker, chewier side. It’s perfect for taking the edge off any spicy dish. photo credit: Sandy Noto Steam Soup Buns Also known as xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. The worst thing about these dumplings is that they’ll likely ruin you for all other dumplings. Long Pot Stickers The long pot stickers are pork links wrapped in dough and pan fried. They’re tasty, but don’t choose them over the soup dumplings. Just get both. Combination Noodle Soup The soups at Homestyle Taste are fantastic, and our favorite is the combination noodle. It’s full of pork, shrimp, and crab in a spicy broth. The slow build of spice and the chewy noodles make this something we’d line up early to eat if we had to. photo credit: Sandy Noto Cumin Lamb Boneless pieces of lamb seasoned with cumin, and served with bell peppers, onions, and szechuan peppers. The lamb is slightly fatty, and the overall spice level isn’t too aggressive. If you like lamb even a little bit, you need to order this. Stewed Beef Hot Pot The beef hot pot comes with beef tendon, szechuan peppers, potatoes, and chunks of beef in a rich brown sauce. It’s spicy, and served with cornbread that helps mitigate the spice level. This is what you want when it’s winter in Chicago. photo credit: Sandy Noto Mapo Tofu The sauce here is too thick, and for mapo tofu, it’s also not as spicy as you might expect. photo credit: Sandy Noto Dry Chili Chicken We really like this dish. It’s simple - fried chicken pieces topped with a pile of szechuan peppers. Hold on to a scallion pancake wedge to take the edge off the spice. Fried Sweet Potato Crispy and not at all greasy. This is basically a mashed sweet potato fritter. It’s very sweet, and we like having bites of it between savory dishes - like a very delicious palate cleanser. General Tso’s Chicken The sauce here has the same overly thick quality you’ll find in the mapo tofu. Not our favorite version of the dish, and not what you need to order when you’re here." - Adrian Kane

https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/reviews/homestyle-taste
View Postcard for Northern Taste
@michelinguide

The Best Chinese Restaurants in Chicago

"A family-run favorite in Bridgeport. Though the lengthy menu offers plenty of usual suspects (think scallion pancakes and mapo tofu), it’s also chock-full of Chinese dishes that will make any offal lover’s day. Thin slices of lamb kidney are stir-fried, their mild flavor boosted by copious amounts of cumin and red chilies. Then, a sweet and sour sauce offsets the funky flavor of quick-fried intestine, tripe, and liver; while pickled cabbage and pork meatball soup, boosted by tofu and noodles, is a welcome warmer on cold days." - The MICHELIN Guide

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/dining-out/best-chinese-restaurants-chicago
View Postcard for Northern Taste

Thao Tran

Google
This is such a gem in Bridgeport! Delicious tasting food and great value as well. I love their clear noodle salad and fish in spicy chili oil. We also had soup dumping and beef with pickle mustard and they are good as well. We had plenty of leftovers for next few days. Must come and try!

Ivan Reyes

Google
The best Chinese food I ever eat for long time. This is the first time I was impressed with the taste, portion and service. This place should be a must to visit when you are in Chinatown area.

Fi O Soto

Google
Very good. Good service, & very clean. If you're wanting some Chinese food good Chinese food this is the place to go.

Grace D

Google
This place has great food and is a great value. A few years ago, it was about the same value as all the other Chinese restaurants. Then, those other restaurants chose to jack their prices up 50%. However, Northern Taste did not fall into that greedy trap. As a result, it now not only has really tasty food, but it is also a great deal. In addition, when things aren't right, they are very apologetic and do what they can to make things right. I definitely recommend you try this place, especially the lunch specials!

Sarah Lee

Google
Very delicious and they always give generous amount of food! I’ve been coming here over 2 years now and they never seem to disappoint. The dry hot pot here is really good and you can choose from a variety of vegetables and meat. The service is also exceptional!

ska

Google
The portion sizes were very generous! They give you bottled water for free. The restaurant is spacious and pretty clean. The service is very friendly. General tso’s tofu: the fried tofu was crispy perfection in texture. The dish was tasty but a little on the sweeter side. Not spicy. Boiled Beef in Chili Sauce: has a mala taste to it but it’s a mild spice. Not too numbing. It was tasty but could be spicier. Scallion Pancake: a nice crispy snack with a subtle scallion taste.

Z Howard

Google
The food here is amazing and its not to be missed. I'm vegetarian so I got the General Tso tofu. It was flavorful - tangy and sweet. It comes with steamed white rice. My daughter got orange chicken, also with steamed white rice, and she loved it. We've also tried the sesame chicken, chicken fried rice, and another tofu dish I can't recall the name of. Each as relish as the first time. The portions are enough yo share or have for the next day and pricing is great. There restaurant has seating and it was quite full each of the 3 times I was there to pick up on a Saturday evening. Only downside is they close at 830pm on Saturday nights, which seems pretty early.

Michael Edwards

Google
Perhaps I came on a off day (Thursday), but the food and services were below decent. I expected a bit more flavor from a establishment showcasing Northern Chinese delicacy, but I was greeted with a very basic Chinese cuisine. The sweet and sour ribs dish had the ideal flavor but lacked a kick to it, and the poultry was not cured so I can still taste the griminess. The hot and sour fillet lack sourness and its spices can be summarized as msg, salt, and pepper. Then, the dish I was looking forward to, beef pancakes, came out short on flavor as well and seems like something I can create if I had gotten some pancakes from the market and stuff it with beef. There were two servers, but we were never checked on and they just continued playing on their phones the whole time. The setting was low light modern vibes with a traditional dining set up and ceramicware, wish there were music to set the mood. The only upside was the price, as it was quite affordable coming in at $42 in total for two people to come out feeling stuffed. Very hard to recommend Northern Taste as of this experience, perhaps I will need to come on a busy day to reevaluate.
google avatar

Will T.

Yelp
Highly recommend this location. The orange chicken/general Tso is amazing. The mapo tofu was good. The deep fried fish fillet is crispy and delicious. Each dish comes with a tiny container of rice. Very fair pricing and very delicious food.
google avatar

Daniel Y.

Yelp
Northern Taste is a quaint Bridgeport Chinese restaurant located on Halsted St. I remember when this place was more of a hole in the wall until they renovated the place years ago. You'll find some familiar dishes on the menu but like its namesake, there will be more spicy dishes from the Northern region. Fortunately not everything numbs your tongue even the spicy dishes. If you're looking for some Americanized Chinese food, they have some of that here, but why not venture into some other foods? The beef noodle soup is not really spicy and the quantity they give is plentiful. Service is friendly, and prices are also pretty decent. Northern Taste is one of my neighborhood favorites even if the menu isn't that extensive, but what they do offer hits the spot.
google avatar

Jessica A.

Yelp
The portion sizes were very generous! They give you bottled water for free. The restaurant is spacious and pretty clean. The service is very friendly. General tso's tofu: the fried tofu was crispy perfection in texture. The dish was tasty but a little on the sweeter side. Not spicy. Boiled Beef in Chili Sauce: has a mala taste to it but it's a mild spice. Not too numbing. It was tasty but could be spicier. Scallion Pancake: a nice crispy snack with a subtle scallion taste.
google avatar

Kevin C.

Yelp
Very spacious, great northern style food. We ordered 3 treasures of the ground veggie dish, spicy boiled fish, and pork in scoop traditional style. Staff was friendly and attentive.
google avatar

Jamie T.

Yelp
Just moved into this neighborhood and figured I gave this new place a try. Picked up the orders and started eating in the car and to my SURPRISE THERE WAS A COCKROACH in the orange chicken!!!Went inside to complain and to get a refund. The lady there was super rude and was denying it was from their restaurant the whole time. DONT EAT HERE....ROACH OR NO ROACH....the food wasn't good and the service was rude as heck!! never again!!
google avatar

Steve A.

Yelp
Best Chinese food in Bridgeport. It's not in a trendy neighborhood so it doesn't get too busy here. Northern Taste gets mostly a crowd of Chinese people. At least that's what it seems like. That's a pretty good sign if the food is good enough for them. After getting out from Chinatown, we found there's yet another Chinese place and decided to come eat. It was lunch during a weekend yet it wasn't busy, so we thought maybe this isn't good, but we were luckily wrong about it. This has a pretty good value. It's about $8 for an entree. There's a few that are vegetarian. Both of us got something with tofu, and liked it. I got the General Tso's Tofu. First impression was nothing special because it looked a lot like a typical version of it. The spices were much more pronounced than typical places though. Big portions also made this a good value and it was more than enough. This was some good shit for not a lot. It's pretty big. She had the Stir Fried Japanese Tofu With Vegetables. Good item. This is one of the vegetarian friendly items that also has tofu rather than just like eggplant or something. Good value because of the big portions for some tasty ass food. It's just kind of slow if any complaints about it. There's also not a whole lot that doesn't have meat, but there's some tofu items for vegetarians.
google avatar

Elvin C.

Yelp
Great to have a place close to work that has a lunch special menu that has regional Chinese options in addition Chinese American options that others are looking for. Still keeping their prices generally in the $7.50 range while including a soup or egg roll with. Quick on preparation and service and not busy during weekday lunch. Park in the residential neighborhood rather than on the street by driving around the block off 34th. Order more than one dish and take leftovers home or share with company family style.
google avatar

Sonya M.

Yelp
We ordered from Northern Taste for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Turns out that was our last time ordering as well because it was gross. It looked good, but that's where the positivity ends unfortunately. It was greasy and bland. There's no way to sugarcoat it. It was awful. We ordered egg rolls, Mongolian beef, orange chicken and shrimp fried rice. The egg rolls and orange chicken was nasty. We took one bite of the egg rolls and immediately tossed them. The orange chicken wasn't much better, but we tried to eat some of it. The Mongolian beef and fried rice was edible, but flavorless and nothing spectacular. On top of all of that that the food was really greasy. So much so that you could see the grease once the plate was empty. The food was so bad that we didn't bother saving the leftovers.
google avatar

Linda Y.

Yelp
The ambiance is no frills. Super family friendly restaurant. They had booster seat high chair for little ones. The food is really good and comes out fast. We go 2-3 times a month.
google avatar

Chris H.

Yelp
We ordered takeout from here and really liked it. We ordered: Cumin lamb, which was great. A little spicy, but not much. Pork and peppers, which was good had a light brown gravy Scallion pancake, which we always love. This one didn't come with sauce. Combo fried rice: exactly what you'd expect Eggplant with minced pork, which was very garlicky and great. We would go again.
google avatar

Michael E.

Yelp
Perhaps I came on a off day (Thursday), but the food and services were below decent. I expected a bit more flavor from a establishment showcasing Northern Chinese delicacy, but I was greeted with a very basic Chinese cuisine. The sweet and sour ribs dish had the ideal flavor but lacked a kick to it, and the poultry was not cured so I can still taste the griminess. The hot and sour fillet lack sourness and its spices can be summarized as msg, salt, and pepper. Then, the dish I was looking forward to, beef pancakes, came out short on flavor as well and seems like something I can create if I had gotten some pancakes from the market and stuff it with beef. There were two servers, but we were never checked on and they just continued playing on their phones the whole time. The setting was low light modern vibes with a traditional dining set up and ceramicware, wish there were music to set the mood. The only upside was the price, as it was quite affordable coming in at $42 in total for two people to come out feeling stuffed. Very hard to recommend Northern Taste as of this experience, perhaps I will need to come on a busy day to reevaluate.
google avatar

Josh W.

Yelp
Very spacious, large groups are very welcomed here! Staff is attentive, friendly! Place closes at 830, no pressure to leave as it was after 9 and we were still chatting it up! Plenty of parking on the street, might be more difficult during a Sox game, but not sure.
google avatar

Stella T.

Yelp
Taste really good, especially the noodles, service are good too, kindly and full of smile, make you like a VIP
google avatar

Cici C.

Yelp
Northern Taste can be ordered through Chowbus and often have discounts. I like their portion sizes and in general, food tastes fresh and great, but sometimes the flavoring isn't consistent, but that's ok. It is still one of our go-to Chinese food restaurants for delivery. Like this time, the salt and pepper fish fillets didn't have much taste but the Japanese tofu was very flavorful and delicious. Their garlic eggplants have been consistently pretty good. Cumin lab as well. Veggies dishes we get pea tip or Indian leaf lettuce. The rice they provide is on the dryer side, which can be great for fried rice the day after or you could add water to make a porridge as well.
google avatar

Shuang Z.

Yelp
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chicago!! The owner is from Dong Bei (northern China) and their dishes are super authentic. We ordered garlic spinach and chili chicken. The portion is huge, like HUGE!! Three of us only finished half the portion Def highly recommend this place if you wanna try authentic Northern Chinese food.

Frank A.

Yelp
Egg rolls different yet delicious Wish they had Lamb skewers Lamb I had way too much cumin Horrible horrible rice
google avatar

Joyce W.

Yelp
This is our new favorite Northern Chinese place in the Bridgeport/Chinatown area. Really authentic cooking, and a great value- one dish to go was enough to serve three people. Even in an area with lots of Chinese options, Northern Taste stands out. Our favorites are the smoked pork pancake, broiled fish fillet with red chili sauce, sautéed string beans, Yu Xiang eggplant, cumin beef, and salt/pepper Japanese style tofu (just to name a couple). Super kind staff that speaks English and Chinese. My spouse speaks Chinese with a thick English accent, and they treat him like a native Chinese-speaking customer (which often isn't the case). Food is always on time, and they are super careful about sanitizing, masks, and social distancing.
google avatar

Lily Z.

Yelp
I've been waiting for this place to open ever since I saw the construction license on the window. Growing up, my family always stuck to Cantonese restaurants. It's only this past year that I started trying out more local spots in my neighborhood of Bridgeport and lo' and behold, there are 4 northern Chinese style places! I really do like Homestyle Taste on 32nd street but a girl's gotta try different places! We ordered the deep fried chicken with red chili (I don't think Homestyle taste has the numbing Sichuan peppercorns which this place does. I'm not a fan but it's not a deal breaker. There is a good amount of chicken AND there aren't as many/zero bones!), deep fried fish fillet with sweet sauce (big pieces, not as big of a fan of the sauce but the boy liked it), steamed lamb dumplings (they didn't have lamb skewers so I ordered this instead. The skin isn't bad and it had a good taste to it). I agree with the previous review that the indoor seems relatively spartan, but meh. Who cares when the food is tasty? Service wasn't too bad. She meant well and was friendly. I need to come back to try out their lamb skewers to compare to Homestyle Taste! But overall, pretty happy to have something within walking distance to my house. *Please ignore the black specks in my pictures. I replaced my iPhone camera shortly afterwards.
google avatar

L L.

Yelp
Food is still amazing! I love their Stir-fried Cumin Lamb or Beef, Fish Fillet with Tofu (spicy, Stir-fried Eggplant, Sautéed String Beans and Fish Fillet with gravy. All their spicy items are delicious. If you enjoy spicy and never tried northern Chinese style cuisine, then you must eat here. Northern cuisine is typically medium spicy. They also offer many non-spicy options. Their dining area is open to eat-in. Street metered parking is easy to find. Service is always great.
google avatar

Cary C.

Yelp
Northern Taste has grown on me to be my go to for Northern Chinese cuisine in Bridgeport. I've eaten here at 8 times in the last couple of years, the owner and her daughter even recognize us. I've brought friends here and my family for this past Christmas Eve, and everyone has been impressed. The service is good, its usually just the 2 owners running around serving everyone, but they do it with care, manners, and a smile. I think they deserve a 4.5. I know some people are probably coming here for Chinese American food, egg rolls, wonton soup, fried rice (actually the fried rice is good), but none of these legit Chinese places care about cooking this food. Stop eating it haha. Their Xiao Lung baos are mad underrated, the skin is delicate, chewy, super flavorful soup and great meat. My mom ordered these on a whim for Christmas and we were blown away. Seriously yummy. The spicy cold beef tendons and other meat appetizers in spicy Red Chili Sauce are legit, great flavor and packing that fiery heat. I really enjoyed their cumin lamb skewers too, but they don't always have them, its a shame though. The scallion pancakes, money money money. I think they set a really high bar, sometimes its a little under-cooked but its hard not to order these. West Lake Beef Soup, I adore thee. Warm beef broth, egg, veggies, really hardy, tasty soup. Can be a great dish alone or supplement to a big feast. The mains are all solid. The hot pots with pork belly and glass noodles, stewed lamb with bones, etc. The meats all pack rich flavors, heat, and great textures. I ordered a random fried fish dish, and the batter was awesome. A little heavier than the typical Chinese fish batter, but it was crispier and had a real satisfying crunch. Any of their stir fried eggplant or Mapo Tofu dishes are delicious as well. I'm starving just writing this. Can't wait to stop by to satisfy those cold-weather Northern cravings.
google avatar

Hannah L.

Yelp
HELLO LUNCH SPECIAL. My friend and I each ordered a lunch special. I ordered the kung pao chicken lunch special for 5.50 and when I was done, it looks like I had barely touched it! They absolutely have a heavy hand when filling up your lunch box. It's packed to the max. The chicken was extremely tender, but there were SO many peppers in there and were spicier than we were ready for. My tolerance for spicy food has gone up, so this dish was enjoyable. But of course my nose was running quite a bit by the end of it. Scallion pancake was delicious too! Such a good deal, fast delivery, and would love to have a lunch special again soon!

John O.

Yelp
We had the vegetarian dumplings, an appetizer of beef and tripe in pepper sauce, and a pot of 5-6 veggies and tofu cooked in delicious ma pepper. The food was wonderful. The service outstanding. This is a top notch Northern Chinese style restaurant
google avatar

Jaclyn W.

Yelp
Today I ordered the sesame chicken lunch special. Online through the Yelp app, it's stated that it comes with an eggroll, soup and a lemon tea. It was around six dollars with tax. I went to go pick it up and the girl at the counter told me only an egg roll comes with it. It was not a big deal because it was still cheap. I didn't like the chicken at all. It had a weird taste to it. Kind of reminded me of fried pork or something. The white rice tasted plain like regular white rice. I'm not sure that I would come back, just didn't think the chicken tasted how it should be.
google avatar

Yuyi L.

Yelp
Inexpensive, great tasting, big portions, I just hope that it stays. Not from northern China so I am not sure how authentic they are, but I don't really care about authenticity as long as they taste good. I have ordered stir fried beef with cumin (孜然牛肉), deep fried pork with sweet sour sauce (鍋包肉), stir fried pork belly (成都回鍋肉), and some veggie dishes from them and they all tasted great, not too salty comparing to other northern Chinese cuisines/restaurants in town. I especially like their stir fried green vegetables. Just found out that they have spicy numbing stir fry (麻辣香鍋) and am excited to try that out next time.
google avatar

Elyse S.

Yelp
My favorite Chinese food in Bridgeport. Always easy and fast to order ahead. Good variety of options and love the fried rice and beef broccoli dish.
google avatar

Nope N.

Yelp
I LOVE THIS PLACE!! Amazing, inexpensive food with generous portions. Wonderful service, too! The atmosphere in the restaurant is lovely too. My mouth is watering just thinking about their chicken. I just ordered delivery, I'm so excited LOL
google avatar

Len L.

Yelp
There seems to be many Northern China cuisine in this area, plenty to choose from but I consider this to home. Yes, all of them have similar dishes but this is the place that your tummy will gladly thank you. I love the grilled lamb skewers and spicy noodle dishes. I can't eat too spicy but for some reason the heat does not kill me here. The service is impeccable and the dishes are authentic. You can't go wrong here at Northern Taste.
google avatar

Z Crash Test Corpse Z.

Yelp
Even when I'm visiting Chinatown, I often go a few blocks Southwest to Northern Taste on Halsted for Szechuan cuisine and affordable lunch specials. One of the most affordable places around. Northern Taste staff are friendly and attentive, perhaps moreso than many of the restaurants in Chinatown proper, at least to this non-Chinese. Great hot pot and dry pot. And the lunch specials absolutely can't be beat. Huge portions and unbelievable prices. This place is a keeper.
google avatar

Diane M.

Yelp
I ordered a few dishes from Northern Taste last night through Seamless. Seamless had a good deal with $10 off of a purchase of $30 between 5-9PM. I got the Kung Pao chicken, Yu Xiang eggplant, and Japanese tofu with seafood. I understand that takeout food is never as good as food eaten on the spot, but the quality and taste were really lacking. The only good thing about the order was that it arrived exactly at the time I had scheduled it for, but I think that's more of a nod to the driver. The food arrived cold, so I imagine it was prepared way ahead of time. The Kung Pao Chicken was extremely spicy but not salty enough. The Japanese tofu had good texture and flavor, but the "seafood" was just imitation crab and a few pieces of frozen shrimp. Lastly, the eggplant was unlike anything I've ever had. It was sweet/salty which was what I expected, but the eggplant was breaded and fried and by the time I received it, everything was a soggy, sour mess. I hate wasting food, but I had to toss the whole thing. Not sure that I would order from Northern Taste again, but maybe I would come back for dine in to see if it makes any difference.
google avatar

Henry P.

Yelp
The best hometown cooking I found in Chicago so far and I will visit their place again tomorrow It's tough to find a real Northern style restaurant in the USA
google avatar

Alyssa N.

Yelp
My husband and I were SO excited when this place opened -- it's a five minute walk from our apartment, so we just had to try it out. While we plan to dine in there sometime in the future, we've only ordered pick-up so far. When we come in, we're immediately greeted -- everyone is so friendly! And our orders have always been ready before the stated time. First, I have to say that they have the best fried rice I've ever eaten. We get the beef and kimchi fried rice, and it is fantastic. The rice is flavorful while not being at all greasy or oily; definitely a go to. The lamb skewers are also well worth the price; deliciously flavored and perfectly cooked. Another favorite of mine is the scallion pancakes. The only dish I've had from them that I wasn't a huge fan of was the fried chicken with red chilies; the chicken is too dry and there are way too many chilies in it. I can't wait to try more of their food -- we're definitely going to be regulars here!
google avatar

Victor L.

Yelp
Absolutely loved my orders, lamb dumplings and combination fried rice. They're both delicious and both came in generous portions. I would absolutely go back to try out more of their signature dishes.
google avatar

Franklin M.

Yelp
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the city. Staff is super friendly and food is great. Love the fish fillets, the soups, the noodles, everything. Must go. Open for pickup which is great.
google avatar

Daniel S.

Yelp
Comcast was down in the area, so sadly I couldn't call ahead or use credit card, but the host was very apologetic about it and gave us 10% off our order. I got the yellow crouper, a dish I had never had before, it has bones in it, but aside from that it was good, came with rice and this other side I wasn't sure of. My friend got general tsos chicken and it looked big and good. I live down the street so I will likely be back
google avatar

Lina W.

Yelp
My friend took me here for my birthday and I enjoyed my dining experience here very much! I was immediately delighted when I saw the WiFi code painted on the walls - no need fear rejection when asking for the WiFi password. We were served complementary fried salted peanuts when we were seated. The menu is YUGE. The few the dishes we tried were very good: a) fish filet in chili oil, b) sze chuan spicy green beans, c) cumin lamb with bone in. The flavors were on point, but I will request for a higher spice heat level the next time around. I still like the spicy Chinese food at MCCB or Yang Bang Cai (sadly its closed now) better, but this place has many available street parking and very nice service. They also have a private party room too! I will definitely return to explore the rest of their menu!
google avatar

Derek P.

Yelp
Northern Taste is having 20% off for their grand opening, and with no reviews I decided I'll give them a go. Very simple interior. I would like a view more things on the wall personally, but it can easily be considered minimalistic. I feel like they're still getting their footing. All the small tables had dirty dishes son them, but they quickly cleared one off. The staff for the entirety of the stay was extremely attentive and filled my water constantly which was great because I drink a lot of water. I don't know enough about the differences between regional Asian restaurants, but this place seems like their dishes would be spicier. I ordered beef and kimchi fried rice, and it had a surprising kick to it. It was delicious. Even my sweet and sour pork, although not spicy, seemed extra tangy, which is just a step away from slightly spicy. No vegetables though in a dish, which I'm a fan of. Egg roll was standard but the sauce with it was great. For most, if not all the dishes, there's only one size: large. So come hungry, with backup, or prepare for left overs. My pork dish was put in late, and it took a while for me to get it, but to apologize they gave me a pancake dish for free, which made it good. Especially since I'm patient. Overall, this place was pretty good. I already have my "usual" Asian restaurant, but I wouldn't mind switching it up every once in a while for here. And with a little time, I feel like the few kinks I had here will iron out! I definitely recommend this place, especially while it's 20% off for their opening!
google avatar

Jen C.

Yelp
We always order Chinese from Northern Taste. The food is great, portions are generous and it's always prepared fast (very important when you have hungry kids to feed)!
google avatar

Anthony N.

Yelp
Good portions and taste. Lunch special is worth it. I ordered orange chicken and cumin lamb. Soup dumplings have ten pieces which is more than other places.
google avatar

Kel E.

Yelp
Love this place. Great not-your-typical, American-Chinese menu options. They were out of the dry braised flounder and so made it for me with yellow croaker. Sweet and surprisingly spicy hot but delicious. My husband had and enjoyed the shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Mason L.

Yelp
True taste of northern styles cooking. Prices is very reasonable and the quality is more than what you will expect. Will come back again next time.
google avatar

Michael L.

Yelp
Big inexpensive portions of straightforward, well-made Chinese food. The lunch specials are a bargain. As others have said, the cumin lamb is a great choice for a reasonably spicy and fairly un-americanized option. We'll be back.
google avatar

Wayne H.

Yelp
This place is promising but doesn't seem there just yet. A lot of items were crossed off the menu and others were not available unbeknownst to the wait staff. As for the food we did order: beef noodles - thin sliced beef shank over a simple (bit salty) broth (with very al dente noodles); scallion pancake with smoked pork (assemble yourself, thick pancake was not cooked all the way through); boiled pork and cabbage dumpling (simple but good).
google avatar

Claire L.

Yelp
Very authentic. I came from north eastern part of China. I am always missing hometown food. For some traditional and classic northern dishes, I think this one is the best that much better than the other three northern restaurants. I feel so satisfied and excited to find this place. Although the decoration of inner restaurant is simple, it has the feeling of going back to hometown. The waitresses are very friendly and generous. I like here and even my younger brother who is from southern part of china thinks the fish is amazing! Definitely will come often!
google avatar

Jenny L.

Yelp
We really enjoyed our meal from Northern Taste today. The general tso's chicken was actually spicy (yay)! and we all loved the scallion pancake. Thank you for the large portion sizes too!
google avatar

Ra'idah N.

Yelp
The pancakes were a tad lacking in salt, but otherwise delicious! The shrimp and chive dumplings were delicious, though a little bit dry. The boiled fish in red sauce was unbelievably good- authentic Sichuan flavor that left my lips and tongue tingling- and the portion size was HUGE!! Overall a really good experience.
google avatar

Reina A.

Yelp
Well. I have to say this was a nice experience. I came earlier in the week and again today. I can confidently say that I enjoyed it both times and had great service. The manager speaks little english but was still able to efficiently help me get what i wanted. Today I ordered the 2 lamb skewers($3.00) a pork leg in garlic sauce( 6.95) and the spicy lamb hotpot... Pork leg had a super heavy garlic sauce that reminded me soooo much of finadene sauce I damn near cried. (Im originally from guam look it up if u dont know what finadene sauce is lol) The pork was tender and it was just delicious. Lamb skewers are tender, salty and cooked medium. Very good. ON TO THE BEST GOTDAMN DISH...the spicy lamb hotpot. Omg. OMG OMG . It was literally the best ive ever had and ive had alot. The soup was so tasty i almost picked up the scalding hot pot to drink it faster lol. Lamb was cooked amazing. The cabbage was to die for. I have zero complaints. I will DEFINITELY be back. Next time with friends tho. Its def a dish best shared.
google avatar

Chen Y.

Yelp
Came at 3 o'clock, not a single table was there. Ordered 4 dishes with 4 rices togo, took 30 minutes. Given 3 super lightweight cheapest napkins, asked for more, got an attitude from the owner. Waitress was nice, but slow. Asked for chili oil, she was gone for another 5 minutes. Shouldn't those be prepared? As for the food, portion was ungenerous for the prices. And every single dish was soaked in oil. Would not come back and would not recommend.
google avatar

Leandrea R.

Yelp
Oh my goodness! I went here with my husband last night and I am so happy to say that we found good Chinese food in Chicago. Me and my husband are both from Portland, Oregon and we have a really good Chinese food in Portland. After trying five different Chinese restaurants, we had decided that we would not be trying any other Chinese food until we went back home. I came across this restaurant on Yelp and decided to give the Chinese food in Chicago one last time. I looked at their menu and noticed that they had lamb with cilantro and peppers. I ordered it and it was amazing!!!! The lamb was so thinly sliced and tender! I called everyone when I got home and told them we found Chinese food we could eat! Me and my husband were very excited to find this place .
google avatar

Liang H.

Yelp
I was excited for another new Northern Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood and curious to see how it would stack up against BP's other northern Chinese restaurants. We walked in and it was a much larger restaurant than expected, at about 50% capacity with a few larger parties seated. Immediately, I noticed the stark settings and lack of decorations, as well as a sign for free wifi. Who cares about decorations if the food is good, right? The waitress was a nice and polite young lady who thoroughly explained the menu to us. She immediately brought us some free tea and free side dishes-- however, she gave us kimchi and a bean sprout dish not remotely resembling Chinese food at all, definitely more reminiscent of Korean banchan. Whatever, it was free, it was tasty, and it was unlimited refills. We ate it up because we were starving. For two gluttons, we ordered the Spicy Whole Fish, the Yu Xiang tofu, scallion pancake, and lamb shumai. We didn't wait very long for our food, and the portions were generous enough. The spicy whole fish came on a butane burner and one of those square metal trays, bubbling with broccoli, lotus root, fried tofu pouches, cauliflower, and bok Choy. While the flavor of the broth and vegetables was good, the fish itself (tilapia I believe) was disappointingly small for $9.99 and tasted a bit like "dirt" for an aftertaste. The Yu Xiang tofu was tasty, coming in triangular slices of fried tofu for $7.95 with a pungent sauce very strong in chili bean "doubanjiang" flavor, and generously portioned. My favorite part of the dinner was the scallion pancake, which was flaky and soaked up the broth and juices from both dishes nicely. The waitress had told me they ran out of lamb and asked me if beef filling was okay for the shumai ($7.95) and I said sure, because I wanted to try it. The skins are not handmade and there are no vegetables in the filling- all meat- but it was tasty, just a touch salty. Is this my favorite and best tasting Chinese restaurant? Nah, I've had better in Chinatown. However, I will return for the kind service and fair prices and decent tasting food. Update : came back here with four friends and had to knock off a star because while the food was delicious, two of the dishes we ordered were way salty. We had the ma po tofu, a spicy fish dish (sorry I forgot the name), scallion pancake, dumplings, cumin lamb, and crispy chicken. My favorite was the crispy chicken because I enjoyed the celery complementing the dish as well as the hot and fresh chicken. However, the chili sauce in the tofu and fish were way salty. The dumplings were delicious, but the scallion pancakes didn't taste as great as last time. Plus, they didn't offer us the complementary side dishes as an appetizer whetter -- which they had, because I asked them about it. However, it was still a good experience and only $15 per person ($60 total for all that food!) Update: Came back one week later from my 1st update and man the food was good- solid 4 stars again. We had the "big plate chicken" (Chinese translation), Fish Fragrant eggplant, cumin bone -in lamb, crispy tofu, and scallion pancake. Ginormous portions and so delicious. Our faves were the eggplant which came with wood ear and were hot and fresh (they were fried before tossed in the sweet and sour fish fragrant sauce) , and the cumin bone in lamb which was SPICY but so tender. I liked the potato and bell peppers and fat noodles in the big plate chicken . Service is always so pleasant and kind despite being slower, but they are quite popular so the wait time is understood. $60 before tip for all that food!
google avatar

Hungry G.

Yelp
When you get food from Chinatown, you're thinking this is the real Shee(&&#@#(t. Well, I cant find words to describe mediocre. Disappointment. What the hell is this? Why is this rice so greasy? And the delivery guy, wouldn't even get out of his car to give me the food. He wanted me to meet him at his car!! LOL. That was a tip!!! So... yeah. Not sure if family/friends posted reviews about authentic Northern taste, bla bla bla, but this was the most mediocre Chinese food I have had in like 25 years.