service was good but then again I was there minutes before 5pm on a Saturday. The portion for the main meal was fair and ok flavor wise. Just nothing that stands out to make it exceptional. The place is tiny and arranged for groups of 4-6. the spring rolls are super tiny and not much filling which means save the $4 or get egg rolls or spring rolls somewhere else. I will not be back and instead hunt for another place more distinguished.
Sara O.
I ordered delivery one afternoon when I was working from home, I had never heard of this place but my normal go-to no longer delivers. They popped up and had good reviews so I decided to give them a shot. The first odd thing was I ordered through their website and got a text from a random phone number asking if they could refund me and I could Zelle or Venmo them for my food because the app takes a large percentage. I worked in restaurants for 15 years so I get that 3rd party delivery takes a good chunk, but why offer it then? Or at least call me from the restaurant so it doesn't seem so sketchy. I told them I didn't feel comfortable sending a random Venmo when if I don't get my food or it's wrong or something I would have no purchase protection. I offered to pay cash upon delivery and then I was like or I can pay with a card over the phone. An incredibly nervous man called me asking for my info which I gave to him. Honestly the 2 stars have nothing to do with that and I thought it would be a sign the food would be great, like I mentioned I worked in restaurants mainly ones that were family run. Anyhoo, the food was not good. Idk if it is because my standard for Chinese food is Tea House on University as I helped open it in College and worked there for over 2 years and visit back for their amazing tastes a few times a year. I was hoping Northern Kitchen would satisfy those tastes without having to drive to Dinky Town, unfortunately not. I ordered General Tao's chicken lunch portion: it was sweet, and was more like a sweet and sour chicken, it was bright orange super bland and disappointing. I also ordered the Mongolian Beef and it was a little better, the beef was pretty tender but also fairly bland. The chicken wing appetizers: for $20 I was expecting maybe the full wing or something to write home about, they were decent but $20 for 8 tiny wings the size of my thumb size and some peppers. Never again. We got the spicy and sour potatoes that were very bland not spicy or sour. Like noodles, no flavor at all. Not even some salt and pepper. In all, 2 lunch specials, wings and some bland potatoes with 4 cartons of rice and 2 cans of sprite were over $70 without tip for the delivery person. If the food was good which I was hoping for I'd have no issue with it being on the expensive side. Maybe I didn't order the right things but with it being so overpriced in my opinion I likely wont give it another shot. I ended up doctoring the food up to try and make it better to not go to waste.
J B.
Picked up their cumin lamb and garlic eggplant. Excellent Chinese food, generous portions. Ready when promised. Will go again Restaurant atmosphere seemed pleasant.
Ngan N.
Love that Bloomington now has another great Chinese food option! I didn't even know this restaurant existed until a random Yelp rec showed up and I'm glad it did. I came with a group of 4 and ordered: peppercorn fish, green beans with garlic, Chairman Mao's pork, salt & pepper squid, and golden fried corn. The food reminded me of being at a friend's house and having wonderful homemade Chinese food! Service was also kind. I've been searching for peppercorn fish in restaurants near the city and finally found it here. It was my favorite dish, flavorful with a kick, not extremely spicy, highly recommend it! Golden fried corn was okay, I didn't know what to expect. It's not something I would get again. Same with Chairman Mao's pork and salt& pepper squid. While the flavors were there, I think it was a little underwhelming. Overall, I enjoyed all the food. I hope to try other dishes there as well because it seems like there are authentic dishes that I may not know about.
Jill Lee
I had many dine-in experiences, service was very good. today is my first time ordered for taking out, they gave us a decent amount of food.
Kangyoua Thao
There was this pork dish that my friend got which tasted amazing. Family style served. Staff was friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
mocha
Delicious and fresh Sichuan food at the right price! Spicey and savory, the staff is always super friendly!! Will def be back, one of my go to Sichuan spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Geoff Holdorf
Ordered the Spicy Pepper Chicken. Dish was incredibly dry, so dry that the bits of chicken were crunchy. It was like eating a mouthful of dry cereal. Additionally, it was FULL of bones and bone shards. Not something I'd spend $22 on ever again.
Food: 1
Kristina T.
Unbelievably fresh, delicious and flavorful Chinese food. Had all vegetables and they were amazing and cooked perfectly
Garrett S.
Wife is from northern China and this is her go to spot. It's authentic and really good. It specializes in northern Chinese cuisine which is sadly too rare. It seems like every athletic restaurant is Szechuan cuisine now (which I do love) but there are so many more Chinese cuisines. Don't be fooled by the healthy relaxing center exterior. The best and most authentic Chinese food is inside.
Skip the fast food and support your local Chinese spot! This little hole in the wall local Chinese restaurant has a name that will throw you off, Massive portions, and excellent service! We felt transported to the culture by delicious Tso's chicken, egg drop soup and shrimp and tofu soup. Be mindful when you get into the plaza that the entrance to the restaurant is a little hard to see, look for their sign in the window! The service was excellent and we will most definitely be back again! We had to box everything up because we were only able to get through half the platters. SUPER GOOD!
Allen Wang
The food is too unstable, like opening a blind box, sometimes it tastes good and sometimes it tastes
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Patti I.
First time here; if I hadn't known for sure that the restaurant was tucked into the "Relaxing Healthy Center" at the north end of the strip mall, I might have missed it. (I have not asked what services are offered at Relaxing Healthy Center.) The obscure location is part of what I consider the perfect ambiance for a great Chinese restaurant. They put their resources to the food, not a swanky address or fancy decor. Everything was delicious! Our party of five (three adults, two kids) started with potstickers--a.k.a. fried dumplings--at the request of my grandson. I didn't get one, but they looked good. Other dishes included House Spicy Beef (Shui jiu niu rou), Spicy Pepper Chicken, Triple Vegetables, and Cumin Lamb. Portions were generous and everything came to the table piping hot, fresh out of the wok. The Cumin Lamb was the best I've had in town--better than Grand Szechuan in my opinion--a generous amount of lamb combined with cilantro and shreds of red onion, definitely not "saucy" but not overly dry as it can sometimes be. I thought the House Spicy Beef was a little less of a hit, but still very good. Often this chicken dish (it also appears on menus as Chongqing Spicy Chicken) is light on chicken and heavy on the peppers, which you can't really eat...but Northern Kitchen's version was super-flavorful and had enough to keep us all happy. Triple vegetables is essentially the same as the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce that's on the menu, but uses eggplant, potatoes, and jalapeños. It was also good, but I give the edge to Grand Szechuan for the flavor of the sauce. Service was prompt and really friendly. Our waiter made sure we were comfortable and checked in with us a few times during the meal, and the proprietress came out and chatted with us for about five minutes when we were done. I will be back, eager to try some of the dishes I couldn't get to this time.
Andrew R
Service was extremely nice and prompt. The food was very good but fairly average. It was very tidy inside and bright. It is hard to find the restaurant as the signage is small.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Matthew Morrissette
The food is good lots of dishes to pick from. Family style dining no alcohol on the menu. Large portions for the money.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry Pot Cauliflower, Crispy Glazed Shrimp
service was good but then again I was there minutes before 5pm on a Saturday. The portion for the main meal was fair and ok flavor wise. Just nothing that stands out to make it exceptional. The place is tiny and arranged for groups of 4-6. the spring rolls are super tiny and not much filling which means save the $4 or get egg rolls or spring rolls somewhere else. I will not be back and instead hunt for another place more distinguished.
I ordered delivery one afternoon when I was working from home, I had never heard of this place but my normal go-to no longer delivers. They popped up and had good reviews so I decided to give them a shot. The first odd thing was I ordered through their website and got a text from a random phone number asking if they could refund me and I could Zelle or Venmo them for my food because the app takes a large percentage. I worked in restaurants for 15 years so I get that 3rd party delivery takes a good chunk, but why offer it then? Or at least call me from the restaurant so it doesn't seem so sketchy. I told them I didn't feel comfortable sending a random Venmo when if I don't get my food or it's wrong or something I would have no purchase protection. I offered to pay cash upon delivery and then I was like or I can pay with a card over the phone. An incredibly nervous man called me asking for my info which I gave to him. Honestly the 2 stars have nothing to do with that and I thought it would be a sign the food would be great, like I mentioned I worked in restaurants mainly ones that were family run. Anyhoo, the food was not good. Idk if it is because my standard for Chinese food is Tea House on University as I helped open it in College and worked there for over 2 years and visit back for their amazing tastes a few times a year. I was hoping Northern Kitchen would satisfy those tastes without having to drive to Dinky Town, unfortunately not. I ordered General Tao's chicken lunch portion: it was sweet, and was more like a sweet and sour chicken, it was bright orange super bland and disappointing. I also ordered the Mongolian Beef and it was a little better, the beef was pretty tender but also fairly bland. The chicken wing appetizers: for $20 I was expecting maybe the full wing or something to write home about, they were decent but $20 for 8 tiny wings the size of my thumb size and some peppers. Never again. We got the spicy and sour potatoes that were very bland not spicy or sour. Like noodles, no flavor at all. Not even some salt and pepper. In all, 2 lunch specials, wings and some bland potatoes with 4 cartons of rice and 2 cans of sprite were over $70 without tip for the delivery person. If the food was good which I was hoping for I'd have no issue with it being on the expensive side. Maybe I didn't order the right things but with it being so overpriced in my opinion I likely wont give it another shot. I ended up doctoring the food up to try and make it better to not go to waste.
Picked up their cumin lamb and garlic eggplant. Excellent Chinese food, generous portions. Ready when promised. Will go again Restaurant atmosphere seemed pleasant.
Love that Bloomington now has another great Chinese food option! I didn't even know this restaurant existed until a random Yelp rec showed up and I'm glad it did. I came with a group of 4 and ordered: peppercorn fish, green beans with garlic, Chairman Mao's pork, salt & pepper squid, and golden fried corn. The food reminded me of being at a friend's house and having wonderful homemade Chinese food! Service was also kind. I've been searching for peppercorn fish in restaurants near the city and finally found it here. It was my favorite dish, flavorful with a kick, not extremely spicy, highly recommend it! Golden fried corn was okay, I didn't know what to expect. It's not something I would get again. Same with Chairman Mao's pork and salt& pepper squid. While the flavors were there, I think it was a little underwhelming. Overall, I enjoyed all the food. I hope to try other dishes there as well because it seems like there are authentic dishes that I may not know about.
I had many dine-in experiences, service was very good. today is my first time ordered for taking out, they gave us a decent amount of food.
There was this pork dish that my friend got which tasted amazing. Family style served. Staff was friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious and fresh Sichuan food at the right price! Spicey and savory, the staff is always super friendly!! Will def be back, one of my go to Sichuan spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered the Spicy Pepper Chicken. Dish was incredibly dry, so dry that the bits of chicken were crunchy. It was like eating a mouthful of dry cereal. Additionally, it was FULL of bones and bone shards. Not something I'd spend $22 on ever again.
Food: 1
Unbelievably fresh, delicious and flavorful Chinese food. Had all vegetables and they were amazing and cooked perfectly
Wife is from northern China and this is her go to spot. It's authentic and really good. It specializes in northern Chinese cuisine which is sadly too rare. It seems like every athletic restaurant is Szechuan cuisine now (which I do love) but there are so many more Chinese cuisines. Don't be fooled by the healthy relaxing center exterior. The best and most authentic Chinese food is inside.
Restaurantji Recommends
Skip the fast food and support your local Chinese spot! This little hole in the wall local Chinese restaurant has a name that will throw you off, Massive portions, and excellent service! We felt transported to the culture by delicious Tso's chicken, egg drop soup and shrimp and tofu soup. Be mindful when you get into the plaza that the entrance to the restaurant is a little hard to see, look for their sign in the window! The service was excellent and we will most definitely be back again! We had to box everything up because we were only able to get through half the platters. SUPER GOOD!
The food is too unstable, like opening a blind box, sometimes it tastes good and sometimes it tastes
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
First time here; if I hadn't known for sure that the restaurant was tucked into the "Relaxing Healthy Center" at the north end of the strip mall, I might have missed it. (I have not asked what services are offered at Relaxing Healthy Center.) The obscure location is part of what I consider the perfect ambiance for a great Chinese restaurant. They put their resources to the food, not a swanky address or fancy decor. Everything was delicious! Our party of five (three adults, two kids) started with potstickers--a.k.a. fried dumplings--at the request of my grandson. I didn't get one, but they looked good. Other dishes included House Spicy Beef (Shui jiu niu rou), Spicy Pepper Chicken, Triple Vegetables, and Cumin Lamb. Portions were generous and everything came to the table piping hot, fresh out of the wok. The Cumin Lamb was the best I've had in town--better than Grand Szechuan in my opinion--a generous amount of lamb combined with cilantro and shreds of red onion, definitely not "saucy" but not overly dry as it can sometimes be. I thought the House Spicy Beef was a little less of a hit, but still very good. Often this chicken dish (it also appears on menus as Chongqing Spicy Chicken) is light on chicken and heavy on the peppers, which you can't really eat...but Northern Kitchen's version was super-flavorful and had enough to keep us all happy. Triple vegetables is essentially the same as the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce that's on the menu, but uses eggplant, potatoes, and jalapeños. It was also good, but I give the edge to Grand Szechuan for the flavor of the sauce. Service was prompt and really friendly. Our waiter made sure we were comfortable and checked in with us a few times during the meal, and the proprietress came out and chatted with us for about five minutes when we were done. I will be back, eager to try some of the dishes I couldn't get to this time.
Service was extremely nice and prompt. The food was very good but fairly average. It was very tidy inside and bright. It is hard to find the restaurant as the signage is small.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food is good lots of dishes to pick from. Family style dining no alcohol on the menu. Large portions for the money.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry Pot Cauliflower, Crispy Glazed Shrimp