Submitted by Jimithyashford t3_10veoeu in springfieldMO
I am culinarily adventurous. I assume there must be some little hole in the wall places I've missed that are good.
I'll give you a couple of mine:
Corner 21
Rama Thai
​
So lay it on me, interesting and tasty and not normal Americana fare. Give me something I probably didn't grow up eating.
Thailand Station on E. Republic has some amazing basil fried rice and veggies! I get mine at Spice Level 3. 🤤
7th on walnut is a treat. Downtown SGF
That Lebanese Place, Cafe Cusco’s, Greek Belly, Van Goghs, Gaileys Place, El Poblanos, Triple Eights (ask for the special menu)
I second That Lebanese Place and Van Goghs! Commercial street is full of hidden gems
Mimi's Soul Food down town is pretty fire.
Bosky’s and everyday Thai
Best fried chicken I’ve ever had!
Pho Kim (Vietnamese) is great! Definitely worth a try
All of those c-street places are really good. Cafe Cusco is the only place in town that will make you a pisco sour (that I know of). Which is one of my favorite drinks.
Greek belly sound intriguing.
[deleted]
Jamaican Patty Co on S Campbell
Can confirm. Greek Belly is fantastic.
I went to Umi japenese restaurant recently, that was pretty good
I don't get why a resturant would have a special menu. why not just put it on the normal menu
Greek belly goes hard as fuck, and it's decently cheap. Might be my favorite restaurant in Springfield.
I don't go there much, but it's my favorite place to get spring rolls.
K Fried Chicken for Korean style fried chicken and other delicious Asian-American fare.
D'Vine Delicatessen for hot deli sandwiches, charcuterie, tapas and wine.
Tried both for the first time within the last two weeks and will definitely be returning to each. Both are on National between Battlefield and 65.
D'Vine would be great for a tasty lunch or a casual date night. K Fried Chicken is excellent comfort food.
Wheelhouse
I have always said that they were extremely fair in pricing for what you get!
Ive not been there to eat in a minute but Leslies is sort of an authentic hidden latin american gem imo, also Bombay Bazaar is good and unique to go indian street food but ive never had a smooth or totally positive experience with the ordering and wait for food, so go with that caveat.
I just had the bulgogi from K Fried Chicken and it was DELICIOUS
Sub Shop just off the northwest corner of Glenstone and Seminole. I love their sandwiches
I went with some friends and we ordered half a dozen different items to share and everything was fantastic. Can't wait to go back and try more.
Just start on one end of Commercial St. and work your way to the other. Take a quick side trip to Queen City Soul Food just around the corner and you'll hit soul food, Pizza House, Lebanese, Peruvian, Italian, Cuban, Dutch, and Ruthies for 'Whatever Joe wants to make' night. Joe makes some weird stuff sometimes, but it always looks good. Lindberg's has great burgers and often will have an exotic burger of some sort on the menu. (gator tail about 80% of the time)
Also come spring Millsap Farm pizza club will be back in session. It's a farm out N Glenstone near Fellows Lake. They have clay wood fired pizza ovens and they do buffet style all you can eat pizza outdoors with a live band on Thursday nights in spring and summer. Uses ingredients they grow on the farm. I realize it's technically American fare, but some of their flavor combos are unique. A very tasty white sauce pizza with sliced white grapes stands out in my memory.
If you watch craigslist or facebook marketplace or look for ads at some of the local Mexican restaurants you can find a lot of people selling homemade tamales. Sometimes they're really good.
MSU has Carrie's Cafe and I think OTC has an equivalent. They're the restaurants run by culinary students. I remember Andrew Zimmer going to the SOTO one in Branson and raving about it. I confess that although I work here, I've never been to Carries. Something I have to fix this year. Their season starts in about a week and this is the menu:
My favorite go to for a quick meal in my neighborhood is Misaki (formerly Little Tokyo). Think Nakato's but a lot more casual, cheaper version of it. Tasty hibachi for cheap.
FYI if you watch for them you can catch international cultural events a few times a year. Different groups represented in Spfd will cook their native dishes. They just had one at the Oasis, sometimes they have International nights at the Morris Center (MSU) downtown that coincide with artwalks. I missed a Brazilian food sampling night there last Friday.
Bambu, get a Bun (vermicelli) dish
Second this Ruthie’s recommendation. We recently went for the first time and Joe was great. We originally planned to go to Cusco but decided to give Joe’s daily special (Salisbury steak) a try. It was great! Just show up before it gets too late as he has limited quantities of the specials at times.
I would say that same thing applies to Lindberg's Sunday brunches. They get really unique and the good ones can sell out fast. Have to pay attention to their facebook page to know what they're serving.
[deleted]
D'vine is a place I tried recently that was great! https://www.dvinedeliandwine.com/
Try Tong’s as well for a nicer sit down Thai restaurant
Greek Belly is my favorite place in town
Asia Express closed several months ago, not sure what happened. That building is now El Cafecito which I have yet to try.
Rama Thai has been my go-to but recently tried Tong's and it was delicious. The best crispy duck I've ever had.
Went to D'Vine for the first time on Saturday and sampled several items from their evening tapas menu. Delicious! Can't wait to go back for a sandwich or some charcuterie and wine.
[deleted]
Because the special menu is traditional Asian food that a lot of people don’t like so they keep it separate for the ones that enjoy it and know what it is. Things like beef noodle soup, black pepper beef, and hot sour noodle soup. It’s not your normal General Tso or sweet and sour chicken. But it is AMAZING! I highly recommend trying the special menu.
I don't know anyone who would be disgusted by beef noodle or hot sour being on the menu
Greek Belly, That Lebanese place, Cafe Cusco, Koriya, KFry(Korean Fried chicken)
skully’s, i love tacos, el champu
That Lebanese Place on commercial street
Ah damn. I haven't been there in awhile.
[deleted]
Golden Korea
The seafood place on Glenstone and Cheddars are 🔥
Taqueria Cachanilla
I can't believe no one has said Hong Yen yet! Authentic Vietnamese and definitely one of my faves!
I've got a couple of greasy spoons for you: Taylor's across from the Mosque (it's cash only) and College Street Cafe on College just west of Kansas Expressway. The downside is they've got limited hours. Taylor's is only open 11-2 M-F and the Cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat.
Omos japanese soulffood
Last year Carrie's had a Thai sauce they used for tater tots and I still think about it all the time. So good. They do a really great job, probably better than half the actual restaurants in Springfield
Sandwich Scene. Golden Girl. Riksha. Farmer’s Gastropub. Harvest. Prairie Pie (and the pizza place inside). Zayka. To name a few I haven’t seen much of in here.
Umm...that looks amazing. I'm gonna have to pop in there this week.
I used to buy sandwiches there back in the 80's. Very nice hippie couple took good care of us.
No one said anyone was disgusted by the special menu, it’s just that most people expect “traditional” Asian food such as General Tso’s or sweet and sour chicken. This menu is very Asian, not what you’d find at most Asian places here.
They’re great :) I didn’t know they’ve been around that long
Zayka Indian Cuisine! If your unfamiliar with Indian food, get the Butter chicken! You won't be disappointed! They have the best butter chicken in town!
Karai. Best ramen ever. I always wanted to try St. George. Also stripper steaks at Centerfolds. I can’t stand Cedars because their gravy is so floury. I love Dennys and iHop.
I'm just saying I don't get why it couldn't be part of the normal menu, even if it's not what people are used to.
I was looking at their menu for the year, some really interesting stuff on there with Vietnamese and Thai influence. I'm looking forward to trying them in a couple of weeks.
This place is amazing. We have not had a disappointing meal, and we are usually very full when we are done.
I love bulgogi, sounds like I have to try!
I'm pretty out of date (10+ years) but I always looked forward to Thursdays at St George's BBQ for fried chicken.
My favorite place in town, my wallet hates me for ordering it out so much
Traza just opened in Farmer’s Park!
Heck yeah, the pho and transparent noodle soups are amazing
Don’t forget the garlic naan.
We always order the fruit Naan, but garlic is pretty delicious too!
I also love the fresh spring rolls and chicken fried rice... but shrimp pho is my very fave!
Ooooo yeah i get those spring rolls every time 🤤
And downtown!
Best Crispy Duck in Town!!
Teamhj. Man. I literally went to Tong to get their Crispy Duck due to your recommendation but I was utterly underwhelmed (no offense). Even Ristorante Nicola’s Duck was better.
My favorite Thai Crispy Duck used to be at Thai Pepper, they had the best Bangkok Duck ever! I’ve even went to Thailand and nothing compared. But since they closed…
The best (Thai) crispy duck in Springfield is Thailand Station easily. Please go try and let me know what you think!
Love their Pork Belly Kimchi Fried Rice! 🤤
Cesar’s Old Mexico - Try their tacos! Best authentic tacos w a bit of flair in town. Must try their Lengua taco, it literally taste like Pho that melts in your mouth. If you aren’t adventurous, their Pastor taco is extremely flavorful with chopped pineapples inside them.
El Champu Food Truck - Best Birria tacos!! It literally like a meaty grilled cheese. 🔥
Dang it! I'm no expert, but when I went I felt Tong's crispy duck was more flavorful, tender and moist than others I've had. I'm bummed you didn't have the same positive experience, but you've inspired me to try some more options around town. I'll definitely put Thailand Station on the list.
No worries! I’m glad you actually referred it since I haven’t been to Tong’s in a minute. I’m happy to support other local businesses, the rest of our meal was great just as I remembered.
Ever since Thai Pepper closed. I literally seek the world, every nook and cranny to find that damn Crispy Duck. I love it!! I even went to Ozark and had Orange Duck Breast at The Finley, lol. But Thai Station is closest I found. Nicola’s is a bit pricey but it’s not bad either
the_honeyman t1_j7gzbzj wrote
Apparently they closed.
Go order off the traditional menu at Asia Express. You have to ask for it, it's different than the menu they default to handing out. The pho with tripe is delicious.