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Spring World Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
2109 S China Pl(between Princeton Ave & Wells St)
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown
(312) 326-9966
- Nearest Transit:
-
Cermak-Chinatown (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:30 am - 10:30 pm
Sun 10:30 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Minghin Cuisine specializes in authentic Cantonese style cooking, and Hong Kong style Dim Sum, especially with seafood and BBQ. We have a wide… read more »
58 reviews for Spring World Restaurant
Review Highlights
"This is the best hot and sour soup in Chicago."
(in 4 reviews)
"This is the only Yunnan restaurant in the Midwest."
(in 11 reviews)
"...the tea smoked duck, lamb with cumin, various stir-fried..."
(in 4 reviews)
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58 reviews in English
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Review from Dunping Y.
Chicago, IL
11/20/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Spring World is one of my go-to places in Chinatown. I want to say it has the best Niu Rou Mian (Spicy Beef Noodle Soup) in Chicago that I've tried. For around $7 you get a huge bowl of noodles in blood red spicy broth, with tender chunks of beef and pieces of spinach. I probably come here at least twice a month, there really is no competition. Appetizer bar is a great value for $5, always very authentic offerings.
The restaurant also has a lot of other choices, they are known for their mushroom dishes that are supposed to have health benefits. Thus, all the stir-fried mushroom dishes and the mushroom hotpots, etc. -
Review from Joanne C.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Gotta downgrade you, sadly.
Thursday's meal consisted of the spicy pigs' feet, green beans, beef with mushrooms, house scallops and the pick 3 appetizer.
Green beans and beef dishes were tasty, consistent with the other times we were here. This time the spicy tripe wasn't as good compared to the multitude of fimes I've had it before. Cucumbers weren't marinated long enough and the spicy pigs' intestines were neither spicy nor tasty.
Pigs' feet were like a completely different dish from last time. They were sticky. They literally stuck to my teeth with every bite i took. House scallops looked nothing like the picture, which showed stir fried scallops in a black bean sauce. We got scallops with pea pods swimming in a white sauce. There was a lot of sauce.
Waitress seemed real impatient with us. She sure spent a lot of time with the table next to us. Maybe because they spoke Mandarin. Not cool.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/23/2011
When our dad wants to eat spicy food, we always come here. Tonight's dinner was no exception. I… Read more »
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Review from Brian C.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2011
I have been going to this place for a while now, and I didn't know it had a yelp page because I always knew it by it's Chinese name, "Hong Tashan"
Some people on here complain about the service. I half agree, but the ladies who work here are super nice even though they don't speak English very well. If you need something, I don't think it's rude to look over at them and politely shout "excuse me" or "fu wu yuan!"
My other complaint might be that it is a little too salty and oily. But I often tell the waitress "easy on the salt and oil" and the food is fine that way.
Over all, this is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants in Chicago. Order the spicy boiled fish, ma po tofu, dry fried chicken with chili, over the bridge noodles, and be sure to get the cold appetizer. It is 4.99, and you can select three items from the buffet. Just tell the waitress you want the cold snacks, and follow her up to the counter.
Also, this place is BYOB. I asked the waitress if they had beer, and she just told me to go next door to the liquor store where they sell six packs of Asian beers from China, Japan and Taiwan.
Overall, I am extremely impressed by this place! And I do think the people who run the place are good people! -
Review from Chris L.
Naperville, IL
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
So I came back, but I can't remember where my other review went. So the service still sucks here, and the food is hit or miss. Each one in my party recommended a dish, and each one wasn't made the same as before, so inconsistency seems to be the recipe. Except for the service, it still sucks.
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Review from Howard L.
9/5/2011 2 photos
We had a brunch here and tried quite a few of their Yunnan Province spicier offerings. All of the dishes were well prepared, tasty, and a bit on the spicy side with lots of use of chili peppers, but none were overly spicy. Not having knowingly tried Yunnan cooking in particular in the past, it seemed very similar to Northern Szechwan preparation. Amongst the servings:
spicy dumplings
chive dumplings
onion pancakes
spicy chicken with ginger
spicy chicken with rice cake
lamb with ginger (tasted like beef with a hint of lamb)
beef noodle soup (spiciest dish)
beef tendon
mixed mushrooms
peapod leaves
I enjoyed all the dishes except maybe the chicken with rice cake, as there were only small pieces of chicken, and the little rice cakes were like chewy cubes of dough. This place is easy to overlook as one walks by their unassuming exterior facade, but they do have high quality offerings. Water service was a bit lacking though as there was just the owner lady and a couple of other young servers, and the place was packed when we left. -
Review from Jillian L.
Destin, FL
I am not sure if I like this place better or the Lao Beijing.
We had the three Appz. combo that you order at the front and the Fish Fillet in Spicy Sauce. They both tasted very authentic. The numbing and spiciness is definitely not for the faint of heart!
However, if you like to drink ice water with your food, I would suggest to order something that pours out of a can. The hot tea and water tasted kind of funny to me. -
Review from Desiree anne A.
Ewa Beach, HI
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food here is really good. The service, eh, not so much. But hey, as long as either one is met, then I'm a fan.
The spicy stew fish filet is so good. It runs at around $15, much more expensive than Lao Sze Chuan, but oh so much better! The fish filets are huge and the stew its in is very good. We had left overs, and I can't wait to just use the left over stew and dress it over hot white rice, yum!
The cold appetizers are awesome. You choose 3 different kinds for $4.99. You have to go to the front and pick them there. Some of the things in the menu aren't all available, so that was a bummer. But you must try the beef slices and intestines. So unusually delicious. It goes well with the kelp side dish too.
The only flaw about spring world is their service. My cup of water tasted like dish soap and the waitress only came a few times around. They are not very attentive to costumers and won't come around refilling water. I also notice that there were a lot of fruit flies around our table, maybe from the plants? I don't know but it was annoying having to shoo them away constantly. Other than that, food is fantastic and they really know their spices. Will def come back to try others, but the fish filet is a standard for me and they hit the spot! :D -
Review from Jie S.
8/29/2011
One of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown. The only place has Yunan dishes. I loved their spicy dishes like Chili Chicken which you could get from any Sichuan restaurant. They offer "over-bridge noodle soup" and beef/fish with mixed mushroom which you could only get here and they are not spicy!
"Over-bridge noodle soup" comes with a huge bowl of rice noodle in a clear broth with chopped chives and cubed fired tofu on the top. The broth is flavorful yet very light. Rice noodles are soft and go well with thin sliced meat in the broth. It is my comfort dish for any crappy day.
Beef or fish with mixed mushroom is a heavier dish. There must have been seven or eight varieties of mushrooms, all of differing textures, and all of wonderful taste. Beef or fish are lighted breaded and tender. I could not have enough of it.
The services have never been great in Chinatown. This one is not anything better. You always have to ask if you need anything. -
Review from Emily C.
7/31/2011
This is my favorite restaurant in Chinatown, and my favorite Chinese restaurant in Chicago.
Spring World specializes in food from Yunnan Province, but I've enjoyed every dish I've tried on their menu.
A few of my favorites include: spicy cold noodles (mala liang mian), mapo tofu, lamb with cumin, shredded potatoes, and the greens in garlic sauce (either kong xin cai or Chinese broccoli).
The dishes range from spicy to savory to mild - basically, this restaurant has something for everyone. It's also in a prime location in the New Chinatown plaza, so you can go shopping at the little trinket shops or get a fruit smoothie after dinner. -
Review from Hans H.
5/18/2011
There's painful-going-in-AND-out spicy, and then there's fragrant delicious drink-the-hot-sauce spicy.
This place is the latter--really good hunan region chinese food with their fragrant chilis. You walk into the place and the smell is just wonderful.
Be sure to try their cold appetizers, and the dumplings in their hot oil. If you don't like spicy...well, there's a few non-spicy dishes too, but not that many, but they're also good. 4 of us ate here for $8 after tax and tip. Awesome! I'll be back. -
Review from Tom and Angie X.
Chicago, IL
Want authentic chinese food? look no further. I can't believe I have walked past this place so many times and have never tried it until now. The menu is extensive could be somewhat overwhelming.
The dishes served range anything from the traditional americanized to authentic chinese. If you feel adventurous, try some of the uncommonly found dishes such as the pig ears, kidneys, etc. etc.
- Kidneys in garlic sauce: wonderful, very tender and spiced just right.
- The pick 3 appetizers deal: you walk right up to the front counter and there's a display of the daily selection. According to the waitress the choices change daily so go look for yourself. The choices range from bamboo shoots to spicy seaweed to pig ears and intestines. You get quite abit of food for the $5 pricetag, well worth it.
- The noodles: all of them look great. Tried the traditional yunnan dish (don't remember the english name but something loosely translated as crossing bridge rice noodles). It came in a variety of pieces including broth, noodles, and condiments which the waitress mixed all together tableside for us.
Overall this place deserves alot of praise for the quality of food but sadly they no longer have the stinky tofu. Apparently the smell of it scared away customers, go figure. -
Review from Gina S.
12/31/2010 4 photos
Nothing is better than good Chinese. In a sea of Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, how does one choose? I was drawn in by the bright, beautiful decor.
We ordered hot and sour soup, spicy pork dumplings, and sesame chicken. We made sure to steer clear of the frog and pig intestine dishes, I'm not very adventurous.
The hot and sour had a nice balance of hot pepper zip and sour zing of black vinegar. The texture was a little bit thicker than broth and was a nice blend of tofu and other vegetables...not over done. It warmed up my taste buds. The pork dumplings were good, but swimming in a pool of hot chili and oil. Spicy enough to make my nose sweat. I love, LOVED the sesame chicken. The outside was very crispy and crunchy while the inside was so tender. That sesame sauce was rockin'.
Only downer was my stomach was doing summersaults for hours after. Too much oil. -
Review from Jack P.
1/25/2011
You know you are in an authentic Chinese restaurant when the menu is a little shorter than the last novel you read and the words "gizzard," "fungus," and "stomach" pop up frequently. A friend and I made the big trip down to Chinatown with the promise of the $4 lunch. First off, there is no $4 lunch. It has morphed into a $4.95 lunch, or if you want something premium, like Mongolian Beef, it's $5.25. Still a wonderful deal. That comes with tea, hot/sour soup, and a generous entree portion. And still a nice array of choices.
We added an egg roll order, and chose the aforemeontioned Mongolian Beef and the Szechuan or Emperor's Chicken. Both were fantastic. My beef was tender. It was accompanied by lot's of rice, and I managed to eat the whole thing. Egg rolls were OK, but nothing to write home about. And even though we didn't venture into the authentic stuff or take a walk on the culinary wild side, our Gringo Chinese dishes were delicious and a great value. Gracious service and a very attractive and inviting dining room. Highly recommend it (even with the 25% price bump.) -
Review from Jinna H.
Chicago, IL
10/17/2010
Delish.
Pan fried tofu comes with a ton of spinach. Veggie fried rice is more than plenty on a plate. Egg rolls are also tasty, and good for veggies since they have no meat. The servers aren't the most attentive, I'll agree. If you're a sweet, fruity tea fan like myself, don't drink what they put on the table (but it's typical Chinese place). -
Review from Amy T.
Chicago, IL
9/2/2011
For ages on end, my friend introduced me to this place because of the broth and fresh noodles they make. Sure enough, she came in with me (along with two other friends). It was a semi busy dinner hour. One big table was occupied, along with three of those couplet tables.
For a good laugh, we get SOAPY tasting plastic glasses of water. Since were were given tea first. If you're Chinese, you'll get tea (love the stereotypes here... sure enough we were all Chinese/ Asian looking). They just lashed at us with their Mandarin. My friend did all the ordering while we amused ourselves with the menu full of error (Vogetable, ever tried any anyone? Do I see a hand? Oh no, it's not vegetable... it's VOGETABLE. Might be something genetically altered from vegetables! And you won't be getting chicken.. they make sure of that. It's COCK SOUP. Hmmm... I wonder if it's another word for rooster or the phallus? AKA penis? Rooster penis? Cow penis? Deer penis? Horse penis? Hmmmm)
By this time, two fruit flies decided to take a bath in my cup of tea. And the "dinner soup" came. It was given a special and unasked protein boost of another five fruit flies.
Food arrived soon after we "cleared the soup." Since we ordered the raw meats (fish, shrimp, and chicken) with "mi xian" (noodles made from rice with a silky texture). We were enjoying this while one of my friend was late.
He arrived around the time when we were already eating (this would be a good 20 minutes at this point). He ordered his food and at this point, Harry Potter and his accomplices put a spell at the place! The place was magically packed. All tables were filled. The waitress came by once to check on us. No water was filled even though it needed filling.
Then a group of Chinese people (heavy accented from the southern province, maybe even some relatives of the boss?) sat down on the left of our table (close to the counters/ cashier).... stared at us (boy, I loved the attention!) And talked to the boss or something because they made a reservation and they didn't get their table. The boss came over to us because the new customers were situated close enough to "take over" our quads of tables.
We told him we were still waiting for food and he seemed unconvinced so what he did was started taking the utensils, dishes, and bowls from our tables, dragged one of the tables over to the group of people who made a reservation but didn't get a table. They were about a party of 7 too! And the round table in the restaurant were there even longer than us (who were White/Italian/Irish/etc etc).
My friend who arrived late, ended up having to pack his noodles to go UNTOUCHED. But got a chance to enjoy the technical atmosphere of hostility with a personal touch from the BOSS.
The waitress came over to give our "leftovers" and silently apologized to us saying how the boss was in a bad mood. For not being able to kick us out early enough? On time? Because you didn't reserve the table because you miscalculated I was slow at eating??
I vowed to never go back. And for the word, I really wish all the non-Chinese speaking folks to know, it's such a hostile experience I've ever experienced in my life. And I'm a quiet Chinese by the way :D -
Review from Sam K.
Chicago, IL
5/10/2010
I didn't really appreciate Spring World until I started wandering to other Sichuan places. A Chinese friend of mine brought me here in 2008 and told me it's his favorite place to eat in Chicago. He told me that the food here was very similar to what he ate at home.
The moment I tasted their Mapo Tofu I was hooked. It was the first time I had tried something with mala (I think that's what it's called) which is a very unique kind of spiciness that's signature for Sichuan cuisine. It's not just spicy in the sense of red chili spicy (though there's certainly some of that) - there's a certain sort of dry numbing action which takes place on your tongue, topped by a layer of soft oil. It's complex and unique and amazing. I had their fried fish and scallion cakes too, which were good, but it's really the Mapo Tofu that impressed me. They also make it vegetarian.
From then on, I ordered Mapo Tofu whenever I saw it on the menu anywhere else. And guess what? It's not the same anywhere else. That complex numbing spiciness I described? They don't have it in most places. I've been spoiled by having the best the very first time.
So I came back, and still order from them often.
Minus a star for
1. Only being friendly when I'm with my Chinese friends
2. After two years of having me as a regular and faithful customer with an almost identical order each time, having absolutely zero recognition of me. I mean zero. Each time I go in it's the same staff and they look at me like it's the first time they've met me. They ask me what I want and they ask for my name and then they ask me to spell my name. Not even a spark of familiarity. I can't explain it.
Still highly recommended.Listed in: Vegetarianism in Chicago
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Review from Carl G.
IL
9/27/2010
Real nice Clark.
I think they specialize in Yunnan cuisine, which I have only tried once before, in Shanghai. I liked it there, and I like it here. I have ordered the Yunnan style fish, the Ziran Yangrou, and the mushroom+beef (104?). Everything has been really good, and similar to what i had in Beijing and Shanghai. Maybe if you went to Kunming or Chengdu it might not be the same as what you're getting here, however.
Service is good whether you are Yazhou de or Laowai de. I speak Chinese but I havent' had to use it except once to ask for some huajiao to give to my dining companion. That stuff is weird. -
Review from Jon L.
Chicago, IL
5/15/2010
Growing up in the Chicago area in the 1980s, I was always under the impression the Chinatown was the capital of gloppy Amero-Cantonese food and C- dim sum. Developing a taste for regional Chinese food after several years on the West Coast, I was worried to return to Chicago, the retrograde land of chop suey. Luckily, the scene is looking up in Chicago and Spring World is leading the way in terms of deftly-prepared authentic dishes suited to those whose tastes have progressed beyond egg rolls and General Tso's chicken.
Far inland from imperial Beijing, sophisticated Shanghai, and busting Guangzhou, Yunnan is one of China's least developed and most ethnically diverse regions, and its cuisine is a distant cousin to the more refined traditions of the south and east. However, peasant foods are usually pretty delicious, and the cuisine's meat-flecked, vegetable-laden, greasy stir fries and other dishes do not disappoint. A few selections from neighboring provinces in western China, like Sichuan preparations and cumin-scented lamb from Xinjiang, round out the menu.
Spring World's menu is brimming with photos, so ordering is not generally a problem, even for the uninitiated. Although some reviewers have complained about the service and of potential racial bias, this Jewish-American has visited frequetly and received nothing other than perfunctory Chinese restaurant service, if not slightly better than average to boot. But then again, chances are I'm not ordering the moo shoo pork or the sesame chicken. Other diners would be wise to do the same. -
Review from Jenny z.
Logan Square, Chicago, IL
8/4/2009 ROTD 9/4/2009
Even if you are stone cold broke, you deserve a treat every now and then. Spring World's overly generous $4.00 lunch is just the thing for the under-employed set.
Here is what $4.00 gets you: a bowl of soup (their choice, if you are lucky it is the amazing hot and sour), a choice from menu A and a choice from menu B, rice and tea. Yes, TWO entrees, meaning you can actually get 2 or 3 meals out of this tasty splurge.
Even the Americanized Chinese is pretty decent here, but I'd suggest sticking with more authentic offerings such as the ethereal Szechuan Tofu (although I'll admit that I'm a sucker for their Kung Pao chicken and the husbands eternal General Tsao's chicken is not as odious here as at other places).
I have no idea how they stay in business with this lunch special, but I'm not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth, heck no! Keep in mind, you may have to ask for the lunch menu as they do not automatically give it to you, perhaps for the aforementioned reason.
Hands down, the best lunch special in Chicago.Listed in: Poverty is HIGHLY overrated
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Review from Tiffany L.
Waukegan, IL
9/9/2010
One dish that I really really loved here was a stir fried pork/bean curd/mushroom/leek dish. I have no idea what it is called, but there is a picture in the menu, and when I saw it I thought "my mom used to cook this and I love it!" so I had to order it. It was delicious and I would definitely come back just to order that dish.
Other things we got were all right: the salt pepper seafood was standard, and the noodles were oddly bitter, as if the black beans were overcooked and burnt. My friend said the last time she came and got them, it was much better.
Anyway it's a clean place, and the bathroom cracks me up, because it's un-matchy fancy, just how a typical Chinese person would decorate. You'll see. And get that pork dish. -
Review from Mike K.
1/12/2008
Whenever I try out a new Chinese restaurant, there are a few things I look for. One of them is how well the place does its hot and sour soup. I'm a big soup fan and I just happen to like spicy things so I think this is a natural selection in how I determine the quality of a given place.
This is the best hot and sour soup in Chicago. Well, OK - depending on when you read this review and what other restaurants may come up after this review is written, maybe I should write the last statement this way:
This is the best hot and sour soup in Chicago so far.
Not only is the soup spicy but it has an extra kick on the sour side which works really well together. Some restaurants get lazy w/ this soup and is either just hot or sour or worse yet, neither of both.
You will not be having that problem here. The soup is excellent. My only complaint about this soup is that it only comes in one size (small) so if you're in love w/ this soup like I am, you'll need to order multiple small orders. I've not yet had success in having them give me a bigger container of the soup and have them charge me appropriately.
Maybe if we can gather some momentum behind the popularity of the soup, they may create the option to order a LARGE. That'd be a dream come true.
As for the remaining items on the menu, they seem to be catered towards the spicier end of the spectrum. If you enjoy spicy Chinese food and are especially craving a phenomenal hot and sour soup, this is where you need to be. -
Review from Edward H.
Chicago, IL
7/25/2008
Spring World has gotten a lot better since it got a face lift. In the past, the food was consistently inconsistent. But the final tally would put this place under more bad trips than good. That, however, is no longer the case! It's cleaner and brighter... dare I say spiffier? The odd thing is they've 2 menus that are polar opposites of each other - one is mild & bland and the other, hot & spicy. Make up your mind people!
They have good deals on appetizers ($3.95 you pick them) - not necessarily the stuff off their menu. They also have this awesome dish that has chicken stir fried with bits of dough (not unlike Chinese gnocchi) that is drowned in pepper. It's funny that this dish is a surprise with every visit. It can be sweeter one day and spicy enough to warrant FDA warnings another. Go and give it a try... if you're feeling lucky.
Oh, and don't bother ordering the steamed dumplings. The 999999999999 times I've asked for it, they've said they didn't have it. Oh they *could* cross it off their menu... but I suspect they get their Pavlovian jollies watching me come in to ask for it only to be denied time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time. -
Review from Dee W.
12/23/2005 3 photos
This place is great because they offer $3.95 lunches! It is such a great deal - Included in the lunch is a selection from list A - meat dishes, one from list B - veggies/tofu but served in equal quanity, tea and soup. Their stinky tofu is absolutely delish! Also, their spicy food is what this place is known for - it's really great - the different types of spices.
See my pictures for some of the samples of the food - YUM!Listed in: Delish Asian Food, Preferred Chinese Restaurants, Cheap Eats
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Review from Ben E.
12/12/2008
So many of the previous reviewers seem to have no conception of what Spring World actually is, that I'm not sure where to begin. Yeah, if you want egg rolls and bland faux-Chinese garbage, you probably won't be so happy. Big deal. If you want that shit then you can find plenty of places that'll happily cater to you.
Instead, do your homework. Try the tea smoked duck, lamb with cumin, various stir-fried greens, and any number of other fantastic and very authentic dishes. Every meal starts off with amazing spicy cabbage salad, somewhat like kimchee but not thoroughly pickled. You'll get an incredible meal here if you focus on the restaurant's specialties. This is not Panda Express and if you want that kind of food, go elsewhere. -
Review from Stacey P.
7/21/2010
I came to spring world with a bunch of good high school friends. We had a great experience. I ordered the tong tsai, dan dan noodle, beef chow fun, and cashew chicken. One of the girls with us hasn't had as much chinese food, so we couldn't get some of the spicier or more authentic dishes... however, I was still impressed with their more Americanized dishes! I can't wait to go back and get some of the dishes that made my mouth water just looking at them.
I was very impressed with the service, especially after reading reviews that the service is poor. Our food came out right away, piping hot and fresh (at least it seemed fresh!). Everything was delicious, even the cashew chicken (and I'm usually not a huge fan of such dishes). Yeah, we had to call them over to give us our check but what else is new. The staff was never rude to us and was always available.
I'll definitely be back :) -
Review from Nana h.
Chicago, IL
6/11/2008
We came here with my brother this past weekend and had a HORRIBLE meal. I dont know if it was our fault for ordering such a generic meal or what....maybe I made the mistake of allowing my boyfriend to order food here. He likes to think of himself has an expert asian diner, but alas he is not and I tried to save it by letting my brother order some dim sum dishes, but even those were, disappointing.
UGH, I was so mad I even had to pay for it.
The dishes were small, we got the 3 delight, general tso chicken, eggrolls, beef, potato cakes, mushroom tofu, and bean dumplings.
I dont understand how this place could have such a shitty eggroll, they came out with PACKETS of sweet and sour sauce, that we had to open and squeeze out ourselves. WTF.
Also the bean dumplings had beef in them?
The general tso chicken was also very shitty, too much breading, over fried and the chicken was fatty?
The 3 delight was small, and just regular, nothing special but for a 14 dollar dish, I expected just alittle something extra.
So i dont know- Maybe we just ordered all the wrong dishes.... everyone else seemed to like the place. I just had the worst chinese-american meal in my life here though. -
Review from Jesse K.
Wheaton, IL
5/8/2009
Been coming here for 4 years, and each time it is fantastic. We always get the meal for two, and are never even slightly unhappy. I have eaten almost everywhere in Chinatown, and Spring World is The Best.
We had some delicious marinated tripe here too.
My favourite. -
Review from Hiroko S.
Pleasant Prairie, WI
10/12/2011
The service is not exactly friendly but the food is really good. If you are there for lunch ask for the lunch menu or they will stick you with the dinner menu and the higher prices. Great food. Great Yunan mushroom specialties. They remodeled and the bathrooms are pretty clean by Chinatown standards.
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Review from Agnes F.
Chicago, IL
7/20/2010
I have always enjoyed the food at Spring World, been going there sicne it opened many years ago.. but I can see why some people are not happy about the place because of the service.
Well, since i can read and speak Chinese i never ran into problems there but i noticed the staff do not speak English very well and therefore are less helpful to non Asian customers.
I love the twice cooked pork, smoked duck, Chengdu dumplings there but i absolutely love the spicy pork stomach and tripe there as well.
Their special menu with mushrooms are wonderful as well. -
Review from Claire T.
Dallas, TX
7/18/2009
I've been to Spring World twice while visiting Chicago. The menu is a little overwhelming, but they have some great dishes.
The tofu skin dish (I think with chives?) is delicious. I also like the dish with chicken and stir fried sticky rice cakes. This has such a unique flavor and texture. Also, the fish in spicy oil is good. I like the bamboo pieces floating in the oil, but be careful--they can slip out of your chopsticks quite easily! That was sad... I am not a huge bitter melon fan, but they have a bitter melon dish that I like (which is saying a lot). It is stirfried with sesame oil and some other flavors. However, the last time we went, they served us water spinach that was too chewy. That was the only disappointing dish.
Also, the atmosphere and service are good for a place with such good food. Those elements rarely coincide in really good, authentic Chinese restaurants. Spring World is great if you want authentic Sichuan/Yunnan cuisine. -
Review from seth p.
Brooklyn, NY
12/16/2009
I've been coming to this place since it opened, I'm guessing, and eating here is like a constant exploration of a culinary new world...
This time we had the spicy kelp appetizer (delish!), the mushroom and Chinese okra soup (with some other unindentifiable, fresh, crispy delicious ingredient), the spicy pork with eggplant (always a winner) and the spicy lamb with cumin and bell peppers (man oh man that's good). I'm guessing that the last dish comes from the Turkic Xinjiang region of western China. Spring World is, I think, the only Chinese place I've been to that prominently features lamb on the menu. We also had the salt and pepper shrimp, which didn't do much for me, but everybody else seemed to gobble it up.
On to dessert! I grew up going to Chinatown on a regular basis (lucky me), and I've eaten sweets in the bakeries, but it's never occurred to me to order dessert at a Chinese restaurant. At Spring World, DO IT. We had the fried rice pudding with bean paste, and what really sent me was the crispy sweet potato, which turned out to be little hot baked delights filled with sweet potato and (mung?) bean paste. WHAT A COMBINATION! I could do it every day but I'd be OBESE!Listed in: Out South
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Review from panda z.
Manhattan, NY
3/5/2007
THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE "HOT POT".
The hot pot ($15.95/person) is AWFUL here. I was so disgusted by the quality of the meat (brown spots on the beef) and the fact that they had SPAM (wtf?!), that I really only ate some tofu and napa cabbage and hardly touched anythign else. We opted for half mild/half spicy broth split, and the spicy mixture was all oil and chili peppers--highly unsavory. Suffice it to say, I was extremely disappointed and will NEVER come here again for hot pot. I'll be sticking with Lao Sze Chuan for hot pot, definitely.
Again, this review was FOR THE HOT POT, but if the browning beef is of any indication, this restaurant is probably not the greatest, period. -
Review from Christine J.
Chicago, IL
1/31/2011
This place is consistently good. I love that I can get food here that I can't get anywhere else. I usually stick to the Yunnanese specialties, but I've tried some of their americanized fare on their huge menu, and they're pretty good too. My favorite dishes are the chili noodles and the dry mushrooms with chives. Their menu has pictures of some of the food, which was helpful in choosing. Stay away from the tea, their tea cups always taste like dish soap.
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Review from Jesse M.
Copperas Cove, TX
2/1/2011
Good Chinese, cheap! They don't speak english though. The menues have good pictures, just point & eat!
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Review from Laila C.
8/31/2009 1 photo
I actually like this place more than Lao Sze Chuan, ever since that place became super popular.
Start with the appetizer platter, you can go up to the counter and pick 3 or 4 different apps for like $5. I love the pig's ear and the tofu skin
They also give you a seaweed salad as soon as you sit down that's super addictive! Sour and a little bit spicy!
Come here over Lao Sze Chuan if you want a less crowded, slightly cheaper and super authentic meal!
Also I think they validate parkingListed in: Trust me, I Know Good Asian…, Chinatown!
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Review from Amy X.
12/7/2010
this is one of my favorite restaurants in chinatown. here's what you do:
1. byob.
2. go up to the counter and ask for an appetizer sampler. $5 for three selections behind the glass window. choose something spicy, something with meat, and the pickled cucumbers. the bamboo is good, and i usually like the pig ears. it's hard to go wrong with this -- just close your eyes and point.
3. if you're here, you better be okay with eating spicy food. the water cooked pork/fish/beef (all are delicious, but it just depends on what protein you are craving today) is a staple for me. the meat sits in a pool of garlicky red oil with sichuan peppercorns and celery and leeks and chinese cabbage. there are a lot of vegetables, so sometimes i think of it as a salad -- a salad that has the privilege of being drenched in red garlic oil. hey, you can't digest vegetables without a bit of fat.
4. order some of the small "snacks." i've tried nearly everything on the page -- homestyle tender tofu, rice noodles szechwan style, chengdu rice flour jelly, dan dan noodles. instead of ordering another dish, get two of these snacks to maximize the variety without ordering too much food. or...just order too much food.
5. make friends with the ladies. they will start to recognize you if you come more than twice, and their recommendations are spot on. once i brought friends here and asked our waitress which one of two dishes was better. "order the fried shrimp," she said. "good for making sure you don't get to drunk."
one of my true staples in chinatown. -
Review from S Z.
Newfane, VT
6/9/2008
Spring world has interesting menu items that we continue to enjoy. Stay away from the "usual" Chinese food fare and opt for the stews/casseroles - lamb and fish is outstanding - the steamed fish, or for the more adventurous, the pork tongue appetizer (which was delicious).
Only bad dish we had there was with a friend who insisted on ordering vegetarian chow mein.
Each time we go we try to order something we haven't tried before - this past time it was leeks with bean curd skin - which was pretty good but a little salty for our tastebuds. We noticed they have a weekend buffet, but did not try it this time. -
Review from Andy R.
Chicago, IL
11/21/2010
This is an easy 5 star place for me. believe the hype.
get the $5 cold appetizer plate (you choose from the counter) for starters
everything for entrees i've had was wonderful--try the cuminy lamb dishes or the soups. -
Review from Tony C.
2/6/2007
gets no love while gweilos continue to flock to Joy Yee. sad.
Yunnan Cuisine is what you need to know. The over-the-bridge noodles is 1 sample, others include: spicy ginger chicken, pig's feet, yunnan ham, fish and lamb stew, etc.
and there are the lunches... holy cow. the "chilled 3 strings" is my fave from list B. and... if you're TRULY in the cut, you'd know the waitresses, offer them cash only, include a bigger tip and not pay tax. -
Review from Justin H.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2008
hands down the best food in China town. I usually would not give 5 stars to a place with service that leaves a bit to be desired, but I think that it's the best in the area. There are no places that specialize in Hunan cuisine and that is the specialty if Spring World. Using unique spices to create one of a kind food.
