Northern China Eatery’s classic Chinese cuisine feels at home on the Beltline
Is the food the same?
That was always going to be the first, and most important, question about Northern China Eatery’s new location on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail.
Fans of the humble Buford Highway original will be thrilled to know that the answer is a resounding yes.
The setting of Northern China Eatery’s second location could not be more different from the original, a small space in an older Buford Highway building, around back and partially below ground. The restaurant’s new Beltline address fronts one of the busiest sections of the walking path, next to a property that recently sold for an eye-popping $210 million.
The new space is a glow-up in every sense. Even in literal terms, the restaurant’s decorative wall cladding is layered to look like the mountains of northern China and inset with glowing, multicolored light. The rectangular space wraps around a central bar that can open to the exterior in good weather, and a pleasant patio sits just off the main walking trail, like many of the other posh restaurants on this stretch of Beltline.
In another departure from the original, the new Northern China Eatery will begin serving alcohol this month, though its liquor license had not come through at the time of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s review.
Northern China Eatery’s bet on the Beltline crowd appears to have paid off so far; the place was bustling both times I visited. But the restaurant can become too busy at times, negatively affecting the experience. Diners can do themselves a favor by showing up with a game plan.
A team approach works best when tackling the menu at Northern China Eatery. The menu is long, and dishes are delivered as they’re ready, so it makes sense to order family-style. There’s nothing to stop an individual from ordering their own entree, but there’s also no telling when it might arrive.
My best experience came when my table of four placed our order in full, starting with the cold dishes at the beginning of the menu. The tiger salad was the most well-rounded cold dish I tried, a nicely balanced mixture of slightly spicy green peppers and cucumber batons in a savory dressing.
Scallion pancakes and shumai were both solidly executed, though the crab rangoons, folded into triangular envelope shapes, were a little light on the cream cheese filling.
No one should visit Northern China Eatery without ordering dumplings, though they seemed to take the longest of any dish to prepare. The $1 upcharge to get a dumpling order “hand-fried,” as it says on the menu, is well worth it. The technique results in dumplings with crispy bottoms, adding a welcome layer of texture. And not all of the restaurant’s dumplings are created equal: The shrimp, pork and chive flavor stands above the rest.
Among the restaurant’s larger dishes, your mileage may vary. The meat in some dishes, like the spicy beef with celery and the chong ching spicy chicken, can verge into overcooked territory, resulting in some tougher morsels. Both of those dishes also happen to be very spicy, so those with sensitive palates should tread with care. The chong ching chicken, especially, is teeming with hidden Sichuan peppercorns.
The fully vegetarian mapo tofu is also spicy, though the heat level is more controlled. Without the usual minced pork, the dish pairs well with one of the restaurant’s hefty fried rice options.
It’s hard to view Northern China Eatery’s foray onto the Beltline as anything but a success. The modern restaurant space is attractive and inviting, but it retains its beating heart: the faithfully executed, scratch-made, intensely flavored Chinese cuisine that brought so much recognition to the Buford Highway original.
Northern China Eatery - Beltline
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: Chinese
Service: seems dependent on the kitchen
Noise level: moderate to loud
Recommended dishes: tiger salad; shangxi cold noodle salad; spicy cold noodle; scallion pancake; shumai; Yang Zhou veggie fried rice; xiaolongbao soup dumplings; pork and cabbage dumplings; shrimp, pork and chive dumplings; veggie dumplings; spicy beef with celery; twice-cooked pork; mapo tofu; chong ching spicy chicken
Vegetarian dishes: salted mixed veggies, shredded tofu salad, shangxi cold noodle, wood ear mushroom salad, scallion pancake, hot and sour soup, egg drop soup, tofu hot pot, Yang Zhou veggie fried rice, veggie stir-fried thick noodles, veggie stir-fried vermicelli noodles, veggie dumplings, black mushroom with bok choy, homestyle tofu, mapo tofu, Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, sweet and sour lotus root, four-flavored cucumber, stir-fried water spinach, stir-fried corn with pine nuts
Alcohol: not available at time of review
Price range: less than $25-$50 per person, excluding drinks
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays
Accessibility: fully ADA accessible from Beltline
Parking: paid lot available at SPX Alley
Nearest MARTA station: about three-quarters of a mile from both King Memorial and Inman Park/Reynoldstown stations
Reservations: not taken
Outdoor dining: yes
Takeout: yes
Address, phone: 665 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. 229-258-8832
Website: northernchinaeatery.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
About the Author
Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
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