Northern Cafe will be opening a new location in Irvine. While an exact opening date has not yet been announced, we do know that the team will be coming to 3831 Alton Pkwy in the Westpark Plaza.
Originally a Westwood institution catering to the UCLA crowd, Northern Cafe has expanded over the years to include a handful of Los Angeles and Orange County outposts, all owned and operated by Chuan (Cynthia) Yong. This won’t even be the first Northern Cafe in the Irvine area, with a University Center spot already going strong.
The menu at Northern Cafe boasts a full selection of Shanghainese classics, with handmade dumplings of course leading the way, including multiple varieties of xiao long bao. There are also quite a few sichuan dishes in play as well, including hot pots, mapo tofu, and cumin lamb, for diners looking for the numbing kick of ma la. There are some Chinese-American classics like orange chicken available as well.
Operated by the Shop Irvine Company, the same folks behind The Irvine Spectrum and The Square, Westpark Plaza features many dining and shopping destinations, including an H-Mart.
