Northwest Chinese Food

NorthWest is one of a kind. I feel like College Park lucked up to get such a great authentic Chinese food restaurant among the American Style calorie laden carry out spots up and down Baltimore Avenue, seems you only find stuff like this in unlikely pockets of DC. I do miss OVO, but North West has pleasantly filled the space with tasty food at an inexpensive price. The cuisine is straight from Shaanxi in the Northwest China region. If I were to have arrived here alone, I would totally be lost. But, thanks to My knowledgeable dining companions I definitely stepped out into some new food territory.
Just a quick cheat sheet on what to eat, so you don’t have to scratch your head and continue to ask a bunch of questions:
–Seafood ball skewers flavorful, reminds me of the imitation crab just lumped in a ball and roasted with chili oil and garlic
–Lamb burgers are medium sized, about the ratio of an Egg Mc Muffin, the bread is about the same texture. The lamb was flavorful, but not hot (flavored with cumin). Very filling and serves as a sort of main course among the small bites
–Soup Dumplings all of em’ good!
–Spicy cold shredded potatoes are delicious, very crisp, garlicky and light. For a moment I thought I was munching on water crest.
–Black Vinegar Peanuts are so delicious. This is not something you can get just anywhere, so I highly recommend these nuts. Note: Don’t think Vinegar. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. The texture of the peanut is not soft and mushy, but rather firm and crunchy.
–The noodles weren’t bad. Personally I would add a little sea salt and pepper. If you want a noodle that is fresh, not too heavy in flavor this is not bad. The veggies in the soup were firm, fresh, and crisp. Don’t go with the expectation of eating Phở, it’s a completely different noodle game in the Northwest.
I came with no expectations and left extremely pleased. The staff was polite and attentive. This was a true native food experience at a very inexpensive price. Where can 4 people sumptuously feast under $ 70 and not leave feeling like you need to be rolled out the door sideways?
Northwest: A whole new outlook

If you are looking for a Chinese food spot that’s full of flavor to fulfill a medley of taste buds this is your place!
We arrived around 7pm on a weekday to a pleasantly not so crowded Northwest Chinese restaurant (college students on summer break). The atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming and the cool décor mimics the cuisine.
The Sour Soup Dumplings gave me life!!! I loved EVERYTHING about it from the sexy, sweet, spicy broth to the tender noodle wrapped around that perfectly seasoned meat to make a dumpling! Yyyaaaasss! This was my favorite. I liked it so much I went back the next day!
Lamb Burgers are full of seasoning but just a tad bit overcooked for my liking and I notice they were dripping with OIL BUT they were still good.
Black Vinegar Peanuts were different but in a good way. Perfect balance of spicy and slight vinegar. Great little snack for you to munch on while you’re waiting on the main dish.
The Spicy Shredded Potatoes are cold. Dusted with garlic and other fine seasonings. Acquired tasted but pretty good!
The Mushroom with Minced Pork Soup was my least favorite. Served with big egg like noodles. The broth was truly lacking on flavor. Take some of the dumpling soup broth and dump it in here and booyah! Ya got yourself a little something good now! Lol
Wait! On second thought, I did try a Bean Curd Skin Skewer… um, yeah that’s not my cup of tea and I have no desire of trying it again. The texture was weird and it had no taste. To each it’s own but that’s a no go for me!
I went back the next day and decided to grab a to go order of the Sour Dumplings (yes, I liked them that much :-))and a order of the Pan Fried Rolled Noodles with Chicken. The noodles were thick. Cooked perfectly. Not enough chicken (I’ll ask for extra next time). Slightly spicy. Tomato base with very little broth. Next time I’ll request more broth… maybe on the side. I imagine the noodle being so thick that it might soak up the broth if they don’t put enough in. Put too much in and you’ll end up with a soggy noodle.
Also, the prices here have to be some of the best in town!
This tucked away gem is definitely worth stopping by!
*Parking Tip* The garage is free on the weekday after 6 PM, while the college students are gone for summer vacation.

About a year or so ago, my friend arrived back from a month long school trip to China. From that trip, he recounted a few tales.
1. People in China loved taking pictures of him and with him because of his complexion.
2. The trains they took were so crowded that you had to aggressively shove yourself in line to get on them.
3. There was an epic dish of thinly sliced potatoes in a vinegary and spicy sauce.
Now, it would only be appropriate/​possible to recreate one of those scenarios. So we went out in search of a crowded train platform. Just kidding, just kidding! We went in search of the spicy potatoes obvi.
We found a rendition of them at Sichuan Jin River, but all in all, they just weren’t right. I could tell they wern’t right as soon as I ate them, cause I know that my friend would not rave about a dish so pale and forgetful. Sorry Sichuan! I still love your Dan Dan and your Beef Noodle Soup.
After dining at Northwest Chinese Cuisine last week… I know… for sure… that I had found them.
I texted him immediately and got a text back of «AHHHHHHhhHHHHhhhhhhhHHHhhhhwwww»
Now, that wasn’t the only delicious thing that we ate at Northwest Chinese Cuisine. I’d probably have to give first place prize to the black vinegar peanuts. So simple, so delicious, so addictive. Peanuts, red skin on, are bathing in a vinegary and spicy sauce that is flecked with cilantro and chili flakes.
The «burgers» that we had were good, filled generously with tender broken meat. But the amount of (what looked to be uncooked oil) dripping off the top of my bun was wholly unappetizing. I’d probably ask if they could make it without adding oil next time.
The only other dish that we got that was somewhat disappointing was the mushrooms with minced pork noodle and soup. With all of the other bold adventurous flavors, this seems to
miss the mark a bit.
But aside from those couple of misses I must tell you about the sour soup dumplings. They’re delicious and I wanted to pick the bowl up and drink the broth. The broth was so good that we actually ended up adding some to the pork and noodle soup to give it more flavor.
Skewers were not the best I’ve had, but were good. I would not order the bean curd skin skewer as the texture was just a bit off for me, but I would definitely order the assorted seafood ball skewer or any other one for that matter.
I am really excited to go back to here. This is a restaurant where the menu excites me. It’s different and bold. It’s well priced, and it’s a comfortable atmosphere.
Some of the dishes I just can’t wait to eat again. I want to make my way through that menu like a Phillips Seafood Buffet; Hours at a time, plates piled high, and unapologetically.
Different Strokes Theme Song:
Now the country China don’t move to the beat of just one drum.
What might be Chinese for you, may not be Chinese for some.
A restaurant is born. It’s Northwest Cuisine.
Then along come me, it’s like nothing that I’ve seen.
And it takes different strokes to rule the world!

Food is authentic and very tasty. I’ve been to Shanghai and this place smelled lot like the smell i used get in the dining room of my hotel in Shanghai. We tried dumplings in sour soup, luang pi cold noodles and a cumin lamb burger. The portion sizes are a bit small compared to the price but it’s deceiving since it turned out to be extremely filling. I must mention that the items we ordered were very oily and had a strong flavor of garlic. But it tasted amazing and I will go back once in while. Yeah, this food is not for everyday.

This place is amazing! The hot oil dumplings and the anything from the hand cut noodles portion of the menu are my favorite. The tangerine lemon tea is also very good hot or cold. I get it every time even if it is a bit on the sweet side.

be prepared to wait for more than one hour to get your food. and no service at all, you have to ask for water! and even worse, the waiter forget my order, I got nothing until my friends finish! I wanna rate –10 if there is option！don’t go here

Noodles are fresh and delicious, service is friendly. College park has needed a restaurant like this for a long time.

If you wanna try something which is really authentic and really northwestern Chinese, check this place out! They have recently upgraded the menu and I would say it is definitely a nice shot!
My favorite used to be sour & spicy potato noodles and now Sichuan style spicy potato noodles is even better. They are sort of similar except for the vinegar and veggie inside. Strongly recommend to add luncheon meat! For those who are good at spicy food and wanna taste the hot Sichuan flavor, they are must-​order!
I also love the Northwestern noodle soup with lamb (not sure about the name). It is not spicy but has a strong flavor. It has a lot of sliced noodles, potato noodles as toppings with tomatoes and other two veggies. Of course there are many lamb slices.
The lamb stewers used to be too chewy and not juicy. But they have become much, much better, which is better than the lamb bun, I think.
They also has a dish similar to spaghetti called Xinjiang stir fried noodles with lamb (not sure either). The noodles are chewy and come with tomato sauce. Maybe you will like it too.

We’ve enjoyed three meals from this gem and sampled a good amount of the menu. So far, all soooo good. Veggie dishes are full of fresh and vibrant, well-​seasoned offerings. The noodles dishes are glorious comfort food, featuring generous servings of wonderful dishes. The space is modest but with engaging décor and the staff is great.
Do not miss the dumplings and ‘burgers’!

I suspect the tale of how we discovered Northwest Chinese Food is shared by many — we wanted to get dinner at Ovo and found a totally different restaurant in its place (even though the Ovo sign was still there)! The name was so generic that I initially figured College Park had gotten another Americanized «Chinese» joint, so I was shocked to find a really unique menu of authentic Chinese cuisine from an unusual part of the country!
They’ve been playing with the menu — and how you order (right now, it’s wipe-​off marker on a laminated menu) — but things have been fairly consistent for a few visits. Their «burgers» are a must have, served on a crispy bun that’s different from all the spongy bao burgers I’ve had. The potato burger is my fave, but the beef and pork are also excellent. Be prepared to get messy! I also strong recommend the black vinegar peanuts, which are so good that we like to take some home for snacking. The cold shredded potatoes are an extremely garlicky take on a traditional Chinese dish that I’ve enjoyed at multiple restaurants. The mixed vegetable appetizer is flavorful and has many interesting veggies included. And I love getting their hot citrus tea, which is a Korean-​style jam and honey tea — but that doesn’t mean I love it any less!
I’ve generally been disappointed with the noodle dishes, compared to the ones I listed above. I find them much blander and less interesting than the flavors and textures in the appetizers and burgers. We’ve tried a noodle dish with every meal, and I still find myself reaching for the chili oil and leaving the leftovers behind. But there’s still so much to love on the menu!
The restaurant is clean and they’re continuously improving it. Service has also gotten better over time, though they often still understaffed when most of the tables are full. I appreciate that they’ve moved to an ordering system that lets you take your time and mark down what you want. I do wish I could get my water refilled more quickly, especially when I’ve just gotten an especially hot and garlicky bite!
One additional feature at NW, at least until they get rid of Ovo’s sign, is watching optimistic vegans come in, sit down, and angrily leave when they find a meat-​laden menu. I wish there were a place in CP for both restaurants… but if I had to choose one, I’m glad it’s this one. I just don’t know why they’ve kept Ovo’s sign for six months now!

The food here is authentic. It’s better than any of the Chinese places in college park. The service is usually slow and not up to standard.
The food is relatively spicy and lives up to the region of China that the restaurant is named after.
All in all, if you’re craving authentic Chinese street food this is a good place to go. The lamb skewers are good and the lamb burgers are ok.

They marked delivery yes, but I was advised that they actually don’t do delivery when I just called.

Love the authentic Chinese food here. I’ve come back 3 times now and it’s been just as good every time. Really glad this place is here!

My girlfriend and I visited this place a long time ago when it first opened. I was very impressed by the place when we went we were the only ones there. They were kind and the food was delicious!

Excellent Chinese food. I ordered the B3 (hot and sour dumpling soup) appetizer, and the D5 (hot oil noodle with bean curd) main dish. Both were very flavorful (actually pretty spicy too without needing to make a special order — a rarity around here, it seems) and well-​balanced. The dumplings and knife-​cut noodles had just the right texture. The presentation wasn’t super fancy, but the noodles were arranged and topped pleasantly enough.
Service was relatively fast for lunch rush. Ambiance isn’t bad, but it’s a little cramped to dine in, and the tiny napkins and paper cups are a bit strange (I also wasn’t sure if I was supposed to get up and refill my own water or ask a waitress — there were only two of them and they seemed pretty busy).
All-​in-​all, a good experience and delicious food — I will almost certainly be coming back! Northwest, please don’t leave without warning like the vegan place who used to occupy the space — you’re even better than they were!

The food is amazing. This is not an impress your date ambience place, however, excellent vegetarian regional Chinese food. The homemade noodles are great. #6 bean curd noodles is always good. Try the different stuffed buns. Their version of an egg mcmuffin was awesome.
I am not a fan of the skewers, but everyone that I have brought loves them. They have great salads, noodles, and bun situations. Prices are very reasonable. Service is good. Beware that they sometimes have lines out the door, and seat on a first come, first serve basis.

This place reminds me of the street food I had growing up in northern China. The pork buns (roujiamo), spicy potato noodles, xibei handmade liangpi are all amazing! Ordered several knife cut noodle soups too, also really authentic. Going back for lunch tomorrow.

I was so disappointed by this place! My friends and I came on a Tuesday evening (party of 4). It took about 10 minutes to get a table, which wasn’t bad considering how little seating there is. We ordered about 15 minutes later but then it took almost 30 minutes for our first course to come out… and they came to tell us they had run out of the lamb buns! The beef bun was okay but not that great. Then we ordered the pork/​mushroom noodle soup. The broth tasted ok but there was almost no pork in the soup and the pork was on top and pretty cold. We had also ordered the Liang Pi… but it never came. We asked the waiter (after he dropped of the check) and he said they had run out. Not organized and the food is not that great. Took about 2 hours total to have our meal…

It’s a little confusing because the Ovo Veggie sign is still up above it, but there’s a sign in the window, along with a menu.
I really like the spicy oil noodles, which come with some bean sprouts and cabbage and pickled veggies. It’s not overwhelmingly spicy but has a nice kick, and the sourness of the pickles provides a good balance. It’s best to eat it in the store though, because somewhat alarmingly, I got it to go once and the heat melted a hole through the plastic bowl, causing the oil to leak out into the bag.
We also tried the lamb burger since the waitress recommended it. I don’t particularly love lamb but thought it was well-​spiced. I’ll definitely try the pork or beef options in the future.
I didn’t have the service issues others complained about– I think I waited 10 minutes, tops, both times– but I also went at pretty empty times when there were only one or two other people there.

There are five stars to indicate that you love a place!!! First time coming here. Highly recommended to me by a friend. Clean and tidy restaurant. friendly staff. Ordered Lamb burger and Liang pi, which were both incredibly authentic and delicious. Next time i will try their noodles.

Dear Unilocal:
You folks posted as the very first brief review statement at the very top of the page, what I wrote previously, which is:
«Hot Oil Seared Noodles (Item D1): Well prepared, but I wouldn’t get this again.»
I’d like to gently and politely ask Unilocal to please remove that reference from the initial summary statements about this restaurant. I don’t want to give readers an incorrect impression. Although it’s true I would order other items at Northern Chinese first, as a short glimpse, and as the very first thing the readers see, I think my statement (taken alone) leaves an initial negative impression about the restaurant with the readers and could dissuade them from trying out the food at Northwest Chinese. And I would be very dismayed if that’s happening, because I LOVED the food at Northwest Chinese, would like to encourage (rather than discourage) people from going to eat there, and want to congratulate Chef Wang Hua on a job very well done!
If Unilocal is going to post any short summary of my review, I’d ask you to post this statement instead: «LOVED THE FOOD AT NORTHWEST CHINESE!!! CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK!!!»
Thank you, Unilocal,for reading and considering this update and my request contained therein.
PS: I would have sent an e-​mail if I could find a way to contact Unilocal about my review privately, but it seemed the only way to send this request was to post if publicly… unfortunately. I’d have preferred a more discreet way to submit my request, if I could have found one.