North

Rave reviews from friends and Unilocalers alike really set the bar high for my first visit to North, so although the food was great, I still felt a little let down because I didn’t absolutely love it.
The restaurant is a tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall hid in a residential neighborhood, and our Über driver passed it by the first time around. Inside, there are only about five tables and a bar, so naturally, there was a 30 minute wait even on a Thursday evening.
The ambience was… probably hip, but to be honest it was just really dark and cramped, which I’m not a fan of. We sat at the bar to avoid an even longer wait time, and I was happily impressed by the friendliness and energy of the servers and bartenders. They were great about presenting the food and checking in on us.
The food itself was flavor-​packed and creative, but I found it in general to be too salty and overpowering. They went for the full-​on flavor punch rather than the subtle balance that makes authentic Asian food so good. My favorite dishes were the winter ramen, tiny ham biscuits, and crispy sweet potatoes. The ramen was the most balanced dish in my opinion, with rich chicken broth cut by pickled seaweed, creamy sweet potatoes, and lightly umami Asian meatballs. The noodles were also just how I like them — al dente but still elastic and chewy. The crunchy ham crumbles in the tiny ham biscuits were so yummy, and the fluffy biscuits themselves reminded me of Red Lobster’s. The crispy potatoes dish was basically a glorified sweet potato fry salad with pickled carrots and a lot of interesting spices. We also tried the beef hearts, which were pretty good but didn’t really stand out to me, the Dan Dan noodles, and the hidden oysters. The Dan Dan was too salty and goaty, but I did like the insanely tender calamari pieces and the unique choice of crisped rice cakes in place of noodles. The hidden oyster, which is kind of like a play on a spring roll, was tasty, but I felt that the pickled vegetables actually hid the flavor and texture of the oyster, which was barely discernible.
I had wanted to try dessert, but after all the food, we were just way too full. I also ended up feeling quite lethargic and thirsty for the rest of the night, which may have negatively colored my perception of the meal. Overall, I definitely think North is worth a try, as they did a top-​notch job of transforming traditional Asian favorites. The detail and thought they put into combining textures and flavors is really amazing. However, their food was just too salty and heavy for my personal taste.

LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
You will need to break your bank a bit if you want to get full at North –unless you order their noodle dish. But as someone who is gluten free, that is unlikely.
More than half of their menu is gluten free!!!
Delicious food! PLEASE GO!!!

If you seat at the bar and you are not friend with the bartenders the service is awful.

Came to North for the first time to celebrate my husband’s birthday and it was a great experience. After hearing from a fellow Unilocaler that a table here on the weekend was the hardest seat to get in town we formulated a battle plan that consisted of showing up half an hour before opening on a Saturday night and resisting the pull of cocktails at the nearby Avery while we waited. We were still behind two sets of couples but since we had a party of four that needed a booth we weren’t too worried about them being ahead of us. We got seated right at opening and the staff did not seem at all perturbed to have a huge line waiting outside the door at 5:30– I guess this is the deal on most busy nights.
The food and drink is divine, no two ways about it. I was delighted to find a drink with my name on the menu (the Laura B; a tequila cocktail which I ordered and thought tasted excellent) and all of my friends were pleased with their cocktails too. We ordered tiny ham biscuits and ramen and it was one of the best, most comforting meals you could imagine on a cold winter night. North lives up to the hype and is worth the wait no matter the weather.

This restaurant has amazing food, and very generous portions. We ordered four dishes for the two of us (assuming they would be small because of the low prices) and we would have definitely been fine with only three. All the dishes were so delicious it was just as well that we got to taste so many. The Brussels sprouts were particularly tasty. The server was also very nice and responsive. Highly recommended, and well worth the wait.

What a great find! SO unique and fun. Excellent, fresh, imaginative food and enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff. Loved it and can’t wait to go back!‘ Especially loved the little ham muffins!

Headed here after a few drinks across the street at The Avery. It looked promising and had decent reviews. The staff was friendly and helpful and got us seated the minute something opened up.
The menu had some very creative and tasty dishes on it, all of which I would recommend: Deep Winter Ramen v2.1, Tiny Ham Biscuits, and Crispy Sweet Potatoes with Shaved Winter Vegetables).
As for cocktails, it was hit or miss. I was hoping for the Bronson (gin, charred orange, Szech pepper, byrrh, and maple), but was told they were out and opted for the Leto (vermouth, ginger, pear shrub, seltzer, and thyme), which proved to be a tasty creation despite being a bit herby. The Mai Tai was sub par. They did have a decently stocked bar and it’s nice seeing places around here crafting cocktails.
This would have been a 4-​star experience were it not for two folks who appeared to be friends of the barstaff plunking themselves next to us, ordering water, and going on quite loudly about all their bad experiences that night. The negativity oozed out of their every orifice and kind of ruined the visit. We downed our drinks and left for The Eddy.

Hands down, my favorite place in providence! I’ve cocktails and dined many times at north. The wait is often 40+min for two of you go on a weekend evening. Hang at the Avery across the street to pass the time. It’s DEFINITELY worth the wait! The drink and food menus change with the seasons, but there are always the staples: the dan dan noodles, sesame noodles, tiny ham biscuits. Those three are my must haves at each visit. Then order whatever else you’re craving. (The only thing I haven’t enjoyed is the beef heart, otherwise you can’t go wrong here.) the staff and atmosphere are great. Don’t skip the cocktails! Well-​balanced and always changing. If you’re only in town for the night, go here!

Heard rave reviews about the place so me and my friends decided to give it a try. Got here just before 5:30pm on a Saturday night and there was already a line of people waiting outside to get in, so we ended up being the first group on a 1 hour waitlist BUT THE FOOD WAS WORTH THE WAIT.
Between the 4 of us, we ordered the lightly charred beets, seared beef heart, dan dan noodles, and roasted chicken ramen. NOTE: The portions were relatively small, so we ended up ordering another seared beef heart and dan dan noodle. It wasn’t a problem though because everything on the menu was priced affordably. No complaints about any of the food, only the highest praises. The ramen was not overwhelming and blended the flavor or chicken and pork very well without being greasy despite having a heavy pork broth. The dan dan noodles masked the taste of the lamb very well (even my gf who doesn’t like lamb thought it was delicious!), and the little korean rice cakes were a good substitute for actual noodles. The seared beef heart was super tender. Everything was amazing.
It was also really cool how the waiter explained every dish to us as it came out. The wait staff was friendly, and the atmosphere is pretty darn hip. The place is also small, so the service is quick and efficient. We didn’t have to wait long for anything, except to get a table. I would definitely come back, but maybe arrive around 5:00pm in ordered to be seated as soon as the restaurant opens.

As soon as I read the Unilocal reviews for North, I knew that we had to come. I figured that showing up after 9PM on a weeknight would allow us to be served without waiting. That was not literally true, but our wait was less than 15 minutes.
Before talking about the food, I should attempt to describe the set-​up. North is not far from Downtown Providence, but it lives in an area that seems to be primarily residential. Federal Hill reminded me of areas of Trenton that I’ve visited in search of the perfect tomato pie. Even after my phone told me «You have arrived at your destination,» it took me a moment to see that I really was in front of a place called «North». (The neon sign was a helpful indicator.) Entering the place, I felt like I was in an illegal private bar in a developing country. The big smiles from the bustling North staff convinced me that something wonderful was about to happen to us.
And indeed! I can start with the wine list, which seemed to consist of wines that I’d never heard of from places that I could barely identify. I wanted to try many of them, but I ended up getting a beer, the unique draft beer that was being poured at that moment. (Of course, this was not the draft beer that was listed on the menu. That would have been too simple!) The beer was delicious, and so was the rosé that C. R. ordered as her drink. By the way, the wine list had a category BUBB (for sparkling wine) and then a category LES. I couldn’t figure out the LES wines. It turns out that the two lists are one big list of BUBBLES wines. North has a lot of them!
The food: We shared six littleneck clams, a bowl of (tonkotsu?) ramen, and an order of dan dan noodles. Everything was delicious. My only regret is that we didn’t order the Tiny Ham Biscuits: a staff member at Gracie’s (which we tried two nights later) told me that the biscuits were de rigeur. Major fail!
I’d come back again in a heartbeat. Maybe an 11PM arrival time might be OK — when we left at 10:30, there was still a wait for tables. Note, however, that North won’t seat people after 11:30. They’re open until midnight, but people who arrive too late are asked to settle for takeout.

Tiny, quaint, warm food is very good, seasonal menu. Chicken Ramen noodle is very good, the mushrooms make this a hearty dish. Love the hot noodles always get that and it’s always delsih!

The only problem with North is that it isn’t bigger! I can’t think of enough positive adjectives to describe this restaurant: unpretentious, unexpected, and special don’t even begin to cover it.
I got here at 5:20 and there was already a line stretching down the block. There are only 7 tables and they don’t take reservations, so we had to wait for the second seating about an hour later. Luckily there’s a fun, quirky bar (the Avery) right across the street, but beware because that filled up quickly too.
Once we finally got to sit down in this tiny wonderland, the food started coming out hard and fast. To start, the tiny ham biscuits were a perfect little burst of salt and fat. The accommodating waiter offered to adapt the typical serving of 3 for my group of 4.
The oysters, served with a lime and horseradish mignonette, lemon, and hot sauce, were the best I’ve ever had. I’m not a huge fan of oysters and I usually kind of gulp them down, but I really wanted to savor these because they were so fresh and delicious. And at $ 12 for 6, these shellfish won’t set you back too many clams.
The dan dan noodles with squid were piled high with cilantro and shredded mutton. I wasn’t expecting the noodles – they were thick, short, and chewy to the point of being crunchy, and they helped soak up the flavorful sauce.
Even if you don’t think you’ll be a fan of beef heart, try it: it’s so thinly sliced that it’s almost like a flank steak with a bit more meaty kick. Another less conventional protein, the bluefish, had the perfect crispy skin, and the oiliness of the fish was cut by a mixture of cucumber chunks, salsa verde, greens, and husk cherries.
I would definitely recommend North to vegetarians – the vegetable dishes competed with the meat dishes in both taste and originality. The hot and sour bok choy had a great char on it, and the bread and butter cauliflower was a crazy combination of sour, sweet, and smoky flavors that I’ve never tasted before.
I’m not sure if I would order dessert again; the sorbet was kind of watery, and I didn’t get much five spice from the five spice cider donut. I’d rather grab my sweets at North Bakery!
Since most dishes are $ 8-​$ 13, it ended up being about $ 30 per person for a TON of food, including dessert. I left feeling stuffed, but not in a gross way because of how varied and fresh the ingredients are. I can’t wait to go back, and I’ll have to stop myself from ordering everything on the menu!

I really wanted to love North. This is an experimental restaurant, and I am usually up for anything, but I just didn’t find anything that ‘wowed’ me. I went with a small group, one of which has been to North several times and raves about it so I was very excited. We started with the oysters which come with two sauces and were fresh. The Ham Biscuits were not what us new comers expected. The ham is shredded and there is a mustard sauce on the biscuit. They were gobbled up.
The beets were a disappointment to all of us. The taste of popcorn with beets just didn’t appeal to any of us. The cauliflower tasted of vinegar that over powered anything else in the dish.
The entrees are served as they are ready, not all at once, so be prepared for that. The chicken raman dish has seaweed which made the dish very salty. Didn’t expect the chicken to taste like the ocean. As I said this is an experimental restaurant, so be ready for anything.
The ingredients are fresh, the drinks strong, and the wait staff extremely attentive and helpful. If you are looking for a unique experience, I definitely recommend you give North a try. I think I’ll give them another try myself.

I feel like I need to get real with this review. First of all, I didn’t have a BAD experience at North. Not at all. In fact, we had a fairly decent meal and our waitress was decent. BUT, for all the hoopla I’d heard about this place, I guess I just expected a little more.
That’s vague. So let me be more specific. I ordered about half the menu since everything sounded very «interesting» and I wanted to see how they were executed. At some point, I realized: «Oh man. They’re trying to be different… just to be different.» Not to say that that’s a bad thing, but what North lacks is that full concept arc that would really tie dishes together.
Also. Service. Hmm. I don’t know… with «hipster+cool» places, there’s usually a sense of slouched nonchalance that accompanies the ironic tees of their employees. But here, where you’re spending a good deal of money for some pretty small plates, I’d have hoped for a little bit more – PARTICULARLY with seating. The place is cramped, but they could definitely do a better job of navigating seating, especially when tables and drinks are being knocked around.
My suggestion: don’t count on this for your dinner. I’d probably come in for drinks and split two plates and try some Providence pizza for dinner.

Ok from the outside this place looked like nothing and didn’t seem to be in the best area but WOW was this food delicious. I had one awesome dinner there last night.
I tried four dishes and they were all delicious, a modern twist on Asian food would be the best way I can describe it but that doesn’t do it near justice.
The Tiny Ham Biscuits were definitely my favorite but the Hidden Oysters, Crispy Fried Ver2.4 came in a very close second.
As for entrees I had the Roasted Chicken Ramen and the Dan Dan Noodles I liked the Ramen better but the Dan Dan Noodles were delicious as well I had not eaten quite like those before definitely worth a try.
The atmosphere of this place is really cool hard to describe but definitely small maybe 8 tables and 6 – 7 seats at the bar which is where I sat.
They also had delicious house specialty drinks definitely suggest trying a couple of those as well.

The food is still fantastic, but during my last visit a few months ago I saw some of the worst service ever.
The lines here are always pretty long. This is not really their fault since they are small and do not take reservations. But on this night, while waiting in line, an elderly man came in who appeared to have been across the street at the Avery waiting for a table to open up, and asked home much longer the wait would be. They will call you when a table opens up, but he seemed confused and was checking in.
He was very nice about it, but was obviously quite elderly and hard of hearing. The hostess was soooo nasty to him, yelling at him angrily in front of the customers. And then when he just turned around and left (I would have done the same) instead of helping me, the next person in line, she just turned around and starting complaining to a co-​worker about him.
The food is great, but not worth the wait if the hostess is going to be mean about it.

We arrived to North at 6pm. The place was a little hard to find, no big sign, and no obvious indication of a business in the area. (Subtle/​underground/​hipster) and it didn’t help that the pin was wrong on the Unilocal App — Don’t worry I’ve submitted it for a correction. 50 minute wait. People after us had to wait close to 2 hours.
Everything I ate here was so amazing. Very flavourful, from the Cauliflower&Crispy Pork, to the Bok Choy, and by for my favourite, the Dan Dan noodles. Thick chicky blocks of noodles (kinda like korean teokbokki) that are panfried to give it some crunch.
My only demise is that they don’t serve white rice (or any rice) as a side which would have been great with the Cauliflower and Bok Choy. Maybe I’m being too asian, but everything together was probably a little too salty. At least rice would have helped me to appreciate the flavours in each bite.

I went to North for a major milestone in my life, my five year anniversary of marriage to my husband. I was a little nervous at first not being able to make a reservation but we took advice of Unilocalers and went when they first opened.
The environment was casual, yet intimate. We received our menus and I ordered a tasty craft cocktail. The food menu was small but everything sounded delicious. Lots of seafood, meat and noodle dishes. Not too many dishes were veggie/​vegan friendly but that was ok by us. We ordered about five of the small plates including the tiny ham biscuits, scallops, dan dan noodles, and squid salad. Everything was amazing and for the price we both left stuffed. That doesn’t always happen at other high end or tapas restaurants.
I was very impressed by the quality of the food, drink and service. It was a perfect place to celebrate our relationship. I typically don’t review after the first experience but it was really that good.

North is probably what I am going to miss the most as I depart the West End needing a reprieve from the stresses of dealing with four year tourists terrorizing me with violent assaults on my senses and belongings.
North is something you’re really not sure what to make of at first. Looks like they took the extras from a museum pirate ship exhibit and used to to decorate, then the radio is stuck on a 90/​00s rap station, the bathroom takes a nod from the Fez with its skull (ok, yes the fez is more straight up taxidermy, but still, close enough). The food looks like its sort of all over the place, Asian, some veggie almost Grange worthy food, and then fried chicken.
The Dan Dan noodles are crazy good, perfect squid, perfect spice, and lamb. Sounds like the kitchen sink in a bowl, it is, but its amazing. The Crispy cauliflower and pork, is everything you could dream of, apple butter and spicy greens create an item that is sugar and spice and everything nice.
The drinks are incredibly eclectic and awesome as well. The True blood contains bett juice that stains it a nice dark hue, and provides an earthy tone to the drink.

I can’t say enough good things about North. It’s easily one of the best restaurants in Providence.
The scene is perfect for those who like off-​the-​beaten-​path, dark and cozy atmospheres. From the outside the restaurant appears to be someone’s apartment, but for the neon «North» sign that gives it away. They don’t take reservations, but you can put your name on the list and pop across the street to the Avery for a drink (they’ll call your cell when a table is ready). There are 6 or so tables, plus the bar. It’s worth the wait!
The menu is full of eclectic combinations and fresh, local ingredients. I’ve never been one to dive into sliced beef heart, but I TOTALLY did, and it was TOTALLY delicious. My favorite dish was the «Crispy sweet potatoes with building heat.» I’ve had dreams about the sweet potatoes, they were that good. The Dan Dan noodles are also an amazing dish, made with goat and squid – it’s not the average PF Chang’s style Dan Dan.
Additionally, the portion sizes are completely reasonable for the price, especially when compared to restaurants of equal quality. PLEASE DON’T CHANGE, NORTH.
I recently took a friend there who was visiting from DC. He said: 1) «If I lived here, this would be, like, MY place» and 2) «This is easily in my top five restaurants experiences… ever.» Boom. Awesome.