Leong's Asian Diner

The Original Springfield Cashew chicken is still delicious and going strong. We all got cashew Chicken and it was fresh and tasty. The facility has seen better days, and if you are looking for authentic Chinese look elsewhere, but if you are looking for classic cashew chicken get some!

Springfield Cashew Chicken, an Americanized Chinese dish inspired by the culinary innovation of Chef David Leong. Leong’s is the only Chinese restaurant in Springfield MO that I have dined at, or ever will. My wife and I had meals at the original Leong’s many years ago, at its old location. Then, my introduction to the famous Springfield Cashew Chicken. It Is still one of my favorite meals. I have found the dish on the menus of Chinese restaurants across Missouri and Oklahoma. Each restaurant has a little different spin on the meal, but none as good as the original. My wife and I had the delicious meal again on this visit, with the best loaded hot and sour soup I have ever had. The meal came with unusually delicious fried rice and a choice of soups and sides. In addition to the hot and sour soup, we both had the Crab Rangoon. A wonderful meal! Check the pictures. It is a big spacious restaurant, with colorful Chinese decorations. Several walls are covered with newspaper and magazine articles about the life of Mr. Leong, and recognition for the restaurant’s food. Comfortable tables and booths. The restaurant can handle a crowd. The service is fast and efficient. If you have a few minutes, read about the life of this interesting Chinese American. You can find his life history summarized on the menu cover, but the better read is the newspaper articles posted near the entrance. The food is fabulous!

I’m new to town and everyone said to try the home of Cashew Chicken. We had a wonderful experience. Overall the food was very very good, but I can’t say it was “the best ever.” I’ve had equally as tasty Chinese food as many other places. The cashew chicken was perhaps talked up way too much by well-meaning friends because I found it to be mediocre at best, and those in my party agreed. It was just breaded chicken with a mediocre sauce. Don’t get me wrong, it was good and I’d definitely eat it again but I’m not going to rush over there any time soon either. Now, what DID blow my mind was the wonton soup. I was NOT prepared with how amazing it was. Easily the best wonton soup I’ve ever had, and that IS worth rushing back for.

The egg rolls were a nice size, but cold and tough, they also had a slight taste of peanut sauce which wasn’t bad but unusual tasting and cost $4.50 each. Our entrees were fresh and hot and tasted great. The service was very poor as the young man that was supposed to wait on us never came to our table. Another person noticed us and served us but it was obvious that she was multitasking and didn’t appear to be a waitress. We will go back as the entrees were very good , but won’t order the egg roll.

Great place for the famous Springfield Cashew Chicken!! It was a lovely place with lots of history. Well done Leong’s Asian Diner!!

This was the worst Asian take out I have ever experienced! Never going back and definitely would not recommend! First off, it took forever to get and we went through the drive thru. Second, they wanted an 18% tip which I normally have no problem giving but it’s a freaking drive thru! Third, they put our plates on their sides so it spilled everywhere and was not pleasant in the least. I was actually sooooo pissed about it. Fourth, the food was low key burnt! The rice was also not mixed all the way with way too many clumps of plain rice. Never going back there! If I could give absolutely no stars I would.

Omg the best I have ever had. Seriously. Thank God me and my family are moving down in this area and there is Leong's Asian food. They are huge portions. You will be fat when your leave and wanting more food in your face. If you leave hungry you didn't order from here. Potstickers are amazing, crab ragoon is to die for, the beef lo mein best I have had, everything we had on our table will not go to waste.

My brother and I loved this place. We’re pretty picky about our Chinese food. The potstickers were homemade absolutely delicious and sauce too. I had the honey walnut shrimp which were huge shrimp! The sauce was so good and was on a bed of crispy seaweed. My brother got the cashew chicken which was good chicken but the sauce was not seasoned enough almost like cream of chicken soup. Crab rangoons were light and crispy. Will definitely be back here!

If you are in Springfield, you are in Cashew chicken country. Do not confuse this with Chicken with cashew nuts, a Cantonese dish. You can get Cashew Chicken on almost any street corner but Leong's is the original. I can make a pretty good imitation at home, but it's not quite the same. We recently got a huge to go order. Picked up conveniently at the drive thru. Nicely packaged with the sauce on the side. You put it together at home. We fed 14 adults and 4kids for less than $150 with enough leftovers to last the week. Tastes like home

Springfield Cashew Chicken, an Americanized Chinese dish inspired by the culinary innovation of Chef David Leong. Leong's is the only Chinese restaurant in Springfield MO that I have dined at, or ever will. My wife and I had meals at the original Leong's many years ago, at its old location. Then, my introduction to the famous Springfield Cashew Chicken. It Is still one of my favorite meals. I have found the dish on the menus of Chinese restaurants across Missouri and Oklahoma. Each restaurant has a little different spin on the meal, but none as good as the original. My wife and I had the delicious meal again on this visit, with the best loaded hot and sour soup I have ever had. The meal came with unusually delicious fried rice and a choice of soups and sides. In addition to the hot and sour soup, we both had the Crab Rangoon. A wonderful meal! Check the pictures. It is a big spacious restaurant, with colorful Chinese decorations. Several walls are covered with newspaper and magazine articles about the life of Mr. Leong, and recognition for the restaurant's food. Comfortable tables and booths. The restaurant can handle a crowd. The service is fast and efficient. If you have a few minutes, read about the life of this interesting Chinese American. You can find his life history summarized on the menu cover, but the better read is the newspaper articles posted near the entrance. The food is fabulous!

This restaurant has been around Springfield a long time the cashew chicken was amazing. The portions were large and they even offer sauces in jars to take with you. The pictures of the history around the restaurant is worth taking in. If ever in Springfield, I recommend you give them a try.

The originator of the Spfd Style Cashew Chicken - let's give them 5 stars! Sweet & Sour pork tonight, was really good. Sauce is a bit on the citrus zingy side - but it is good. Egg drop soup: About as good as it gets in taste. Asian ribs: These can get in the undercooked side at times - but they have a great flavor profile to them. Service here is always fast and efficient. Atmosphere is laid back and comfortable. And clean it always is too....

Have visited Leong's many times since moving to southwest Missouri! It is by far my favorite Asian restaurant to dine in! I've always had great service, great food and very reasonable prices! It is worthy of my 5 star review!

I'm not sure why I've never tried this place before?! Met my girlfriends here for our monthly night out and was beyond impressed. Service was impeccable! Everything we ordered from drinks to our main courses were excellent.

Soggy chicken served with a tasteless brown chicken sauce with just chicken stock flavor and salt. The fried rice no flavor "Americanized" with vegetables and over cooked mushy rice. Such a disappointing dish. I have had better cashew chicken at other restaurants. This is definitely the bottom of the list for cashew chicken. Sad, Leong's is supposed to be the original and the best. Definitely missing the mark. I guess you could come for the nostalgia of it and say you tried it.

Still our favorite Chinese food anywhere. Service was friendly and quick. Dining area has table seating and a small bar area. They were very busy tonight. Food was spectacular. Love the General Chicken! Can't wait to return.

Lots of places have their local food specialty. In Chicago, deep dish pizza. In New York, thin crust pizza. In Maryland, crab cakes. In Boston, lobstah rolls. In Charlotte, it's pulled pork. You get the idea? In Springfield, it's Cashew Chicken. Yes, it was made popular here in the 1960's by chef David Leong who was simply looking to make something from the local fried chicken. The place is super busy and yes, on a Saturday night there was a 45 minute wait. No seating at the bar, unfortunately. I put my name on the list and spent the time in the van. When I returned, there was a table for one right behind the hostess stand. My waitress took my order and dinner didn't take long. It's hard to go wrong with "David's Special" and I had it with the egg roll and wonton soup. All arrived at the same time. The chicken was very good, though it could have been crisper and hotter. Great flavor and the sauce was delicious. The egg roll was nice and hot. The rice was perfect texture. I can understand why people go so crazy for it. This was delicious. [Review 19765 overall - 242 in Missouri - 737 of 2023.]

Nice staff. Clean restaurant. We had crab rangoons and each of us had the Cashew Chicken which David Leong created and is now known as the Springfield Cashew Chicken.

Best Springfield Cashew Chicken around. The "Original " Cashew chicken I might add Fast service with friendly wait staff.

Very disappointed in the cashew chicken. Chicken was breaded chicken nuggets rather than fried chicken-type pieces I've had at other restaurants. Sauce was rather bland and not flavorful.

Tried for the first time last night. Went through the drive thru which was faster than I would've thought and the woman was very nice. I got general chicken (4 star heat level) and crab rangoon and my wife got the chicken fried rice with an egg roll. With the exception of the egg roll which wasn't our favorite (it's subjective and many seem to love it), everything was outstanding. The general chicken was perfect. I've seen some complain about the vegetables, but they were sliced thin and cooked perfectly, and were a welcome addition to the sauce. The fried rice was amazing as well, with plenty of chicken and it even had bean sprouts, which we love. 10/10

I am reviewing the lettuce wraps which were not good. I have had lettuce wraps other places and they are always served with iceberg lettuce..these were not. Also the sauce was too thin to put on these lettuce leaves which was not for lettuce wraps. Just not something to order. The cashew chicken is what they are known for but don't order the lettuce c wraps.

My favorite Cashew Chicken Place. When I come into town I always stop in with a guest. I even have the sauce mailed for holidays. There are plenty of cashew chickenplaces as there are convience stores. But this is the best place.

Did my research on Springfield Cashew chicken and found Leong's who is the original creator. The hostess told us a bit about his story which was very interesting. Our waitress was exceptionally helpful. Based on what I ordered she recommended the special which saved me money and gave us more food. The cashew chicken was excellent. I didn't put any additional sauces on it to.preserve the original flavor. The hot and sour soup wasn't as spicy as some I've had but it had great flavor and was full of ingredients. The crab ragoons are some of the best I've ever had. They actually had lots of crab and cream cheese inside... not just a speck like most places. The eggroll had a peanut sauce inside which I knew going in. It was definitely different, like it had a little peanut butter inside. The General chicken had a sweet barbecue flavor versus being really spicy. Good flavor as well. If I lived in the area I would be hard pressed to go anywhere else for Chinese. It would be my go to.

Leong's Springfield Style Cashew Chicken...the food of the gods! David Leong created this version of the Chinese takeout staple in 1963...not long before I was born. I always felt like this dish was made for me. Leong's original Restaurant and Tea House, which opened in 1963, was located on Sunshine street and was a place we went to for special occasions like birthdays and graduations. Knowing it was my favorite place to go, my Dad would take me if we were out and about running errands. Lots of memories were made there. Then...they closed in 1997 after David Leong's wife passed away. At about that time, I moved away from Springfield. When I was home, I'd have cashew chicken from many of the imitators out there. The dish has become a staple of every local (and not so local) Chinese takeout, but none are as good as the OG. In 2010 the restaurant re-emerged on Republic Road. While it's a much smaller place than the original building, the food has not changed at all. David and his sons Wing Yee and Wing Ling have kept the original recipe and their famous Cantonese dishes alive for close to 60 years. My go-to order is the "David's Special" that includes soup (I get wonton), an appetizer (I get their eggroll which is a specialty here, made with peanut butter...yes...try it...), cashew chicken, and rice (I pay extra for the fried rice). Of course, I have to have hot tea along with this meal. It's filling and wonderful. Don't miss out on the spareribs...it was always an extra treat to get these too. Everything I've ever had at Leong's has been wonderful. Until his death at age 99 in 2020, David Leong would show up at the restaurant and often sit in a booth in the dining area. He was an icon and he has left quite a legacy. He made sure the restaurant ran well and that customers were pleased. I have never had a bad experience at Leong's. The staff is always personable and attentive. The restaurant is clean and there continues to be a steady stream of customers. I have since moved away from Springfield, but Leong's is often the first place I visit after getting into town and I usually visit a couple of times during my stay there. I try to make the dish myself but it is never the same. If the cashew chicken isn't your thing, try any of the other dishes there. You won't be disappointed.

Doesn't meet up to the hype. Food was fair at best, although the service was good. Just disappointing overall.

Overall rating 2 stars, ordered through the drive thru.... Ordered General TSO Chicken spice level 4, Hot and Sour Soup. Two stars for the General TSO Chicken.... TSO chicken shouldn't have carrots, onions, red bell peppers and pea pods in the recipe. Watch the documentary! BTW Leong's was in the documentary so they should have a clue as to what TSO Chicken is. The flavor was good, and the spice level was excellent; the only fault was adding unnecessary vegetables. Hot and Sour Soup was 2 stars.,.. it was good, but I've had better. The price of the meal was a bit high, but you're paying a premium for the name, Leong. You have to go at least once to say you went, but there are better Chinese Restaurants in Springfield.

Leongs is a great local Chinese restaurant. It's the home of Springfield Cashew Chicken, a dish that is served locally now at every other restaurant. The service is good and it's a very clean place. I highly recommend eating here.

The food was good. The service was very good. The Springfield style cashew chicken is not what it used to be. Light on the sauce and just not as flavorful as it used to be but still good.

Food was good but we expected more in the way of taste. Had heard about how wonderful the food was so we went and did not find it to be our cup of tea. Service was great and it was busy.

I was in Springfield for a convention, and while out of town, I always like to try a place (or two...or three+) that is unique or is something that the town/city is known for. Cashew chicken it is! I got take out, ordered at the bar, everyone was friendly and the food was ready fast. Of course, I ordered the cashew chicken, and 2 orders of egg rolls. The food was awesome. The egg rolls had a hint of peanut butter which made them even better. Getting to try cashew chicken from the place it was born was the best! I will definitely be back next time I'm in town.

4.5 star Having learned about the history of cashew chicken originating from here, we had to come try it. We had the cashew chicken, general chicken, and the chicken lo mein. They were all good. They were all a good quantity. Yet, it was a bit over priced. Our waitress was very hurried and tried to press that into us. She was not rude, just rushing. Everyone else was very nice. Loved reading all the family history. Great story of the American dream of hard work paying off. I haven't tried all the cashew chicken places in town, but thus far, (IMO) this has the second best cashew chicken in town, but the atmosphere is better than that place.

The ambiance... good, and cheerful; the food is not worth the hype. Service was adequate. Only went there because we were in town, won't do it again. Sorry Springfield, I know you love this place, but not so much here.

One of the best Chinese places to eat at! The food was very fast. We went out with family, there was a total of 11 people. Our waiter tin nguyen was amazing at helping us when it was busy. Give that waiter a raise!

WOW! My husband and I used to eat here at least 35 years ago, it was one of our favorite places. Well, we were driving back from Joplin and thought we would see if they still existed. It did not disappoint!! Excellent today just like 35 years ago! Well done Leong's, well done. We will make this our new "old" favorite!

If you ever in a rush and wanted food to come out right away, you must come here. When I ordered the food, everything was out within 5-10 mins. It was the fastest service I ever had at any restaurant. Of course, I had to try the original cashew chicken at Leong. I thought it would taste like orange chicken, but surprisingly the sauce was more of a ginger flavor. The food wasn't anything spectacular but it was good to try .

Delicious food here! My mother is from Southern China and I grew up eating authentic Cantonese food in Hawaii. Lots of Chinese immigrants settled in Hawaii, if anyone is wondering. The won ton soup is on point. It's rich and flavorful. The vegetables are cooked just right, too. Not overcooked nor undercooked. The service was excellent, too. She was very efficient and knowledgeable about the menu. We will be back soon!

One of the best places for Springfield Cashew Chicken!!! My first stop whenever I'm in the area. Great service also.

Excellent cashew chicken and crab Rangoon! Love their sauce, definitely a Springfield tradition!

Went mid-afternoon on a Friday... Ordered the cashew chicken, and kung-pow shrimp, with an egg roll, and hot & sour and egg drop soups. Both soups were fantastic! Fresh and well spiced. Egg roll was average (no sauces). The kung-pow shrimp was fresh, and spicy . Really good! The cashew chicken, which is why we were there, was bland and unimpressive. Not sure why it's so popular. Not impressed. Service was average. We had everything we needed. Didn't feel neglected or smothered.

Great Chinese 'dine-in' ! Try the Tomato Beef ! Also, very best hot mustard sauce ever. Hot and Sour Soup is excellent!

Cashew chicken is the best. They need better to go containers leaked and spilled all over bag and drive thru also forgot drink. Kind of pricey compared to other Chinese places almost $17 for cashew chicken and fried rice.

Leong's is the OG of Springfield Chinese food. My parents would take me to the original location on W Sunshine in the mid 60s. It was always a treat to go there, and it still is. This is a terrific place... Everybody in Springfield needs to have Leong's on their rotation!

We walked in the side door and saw that there was a wait at the main door, so we just grabbed a couple of stools at the bar. I guess that wasn't ok, as it is at most any other restaurant. We waited a few minutes when a tall bearded guy walked by and asked if we seated ourselves. We replied that we had. He rudely pointed out that by the other door, there's a sign that says "wait to be seated". I said we came in the other door so didn't see it. He threw down a couple of menus and said he would find a server to help us. Linda came to us, with a smile and pleasantly took our order. We both had the cashew chicken. It was ok, but I wish I would have tried something else. My colleague enjoyed his cashew chicken. I will come back to try another dish, but our first impressions were not good.

Great food and great service! Egg drop soup is one of best we've had, great cashew chicken and pork noodle bowl!

This is what (Springfield) cashew chicken is supposed to taste like. The crab rangoons actually have crab and scallions in them. Super delicious little fried crabby treats. They have sauces to purchase if you aren't quite getting it right when you try at home. I picked up some General Tso's and Cashew Chicken jars. Not being from Springfield anymore this is a win in my book any day. Man, I wish this were closer to KC...

I love this type of Chinese food; order from the menu and slightly upscale. Egg Rolls were good but pricey. General's chicken (I got all white meat) was great. I had a beer so all around good outing.

We tried Leong's Asian Diner tonight for the first time with our daughter, son-in-law & 11 month old grandson. Daughter lives in Springfield & drives by the restaurant all the time says the parking lot is always busy. The place was busy when we arrived & we were immediately seated. We ordered 2 hot tea & 1 water to drink & shrimp lettuce wraps for appetizer. Placed orders for sweet & sour chicken (informed waiter of dairy allergy in case there was any concerns), pork fried rice, beef noodle bowl, mango chicken with fried rice & a cup of egg drop soup. At this time I ordered a sake flight. Service was slow & it took a long time for soup & appetizer to come out. We continued waiting for our entrees long after our appetizer was gone & several tables that arrived after we ordered & they received both their appetizer & meals before we did. Our order finally came out with the reason being the sweet & sour chicken had to be grilled due to dairy allergy, something could have been mentioned prior to now, especially with a hungry little man at the table waiting for something to eat. We waited well over an hour half after we ordered for our food to finally arrive & the restaurant was no longer busy. We never were offered tea refills & were charged for 3 teas when only 2 were asked for & I never received the sake. The shrimp lettuce wraps & beef ramen noodle bowl were tasty everything else was severely lacking. Mango chicken really didn't have much flavor & son-in-law was expecting a little heat with it which it didn't have. The sweet & sour chicken was not good, the chicken wasn't seasoned, sauce was runny & very pineapple-y the pork fried was not good either the pork was really fatty, the rice greasy just not good. We did ask for a small to-go container in order to bring the dogs the grilled chicken pieces. Needless to say we will not be coming back. Very disappointed.

After 20+ years in Springfield, I finally made my way to Leong's for the original Cashew Chicken. I only regret that we didn't come here sooner! The staff were very friendly and attentive despite being short staffed (gee, thanks Pandemic!) We were seated quickly and the waitress got our drinks started while we waited for the rest of our party. I ordered the Cashew Chicken special (all-white meat of course) with the crab ragoon. We got our soup immediately, and the rest of the food came out not long after. It is my decided opinion that they have the best crab ragoon in town! My husband got the Cashew Chicken also, and my daughter ordered Bourbon Chicken with steamed rice. She really enjoyed it! Everything was so delicious. Don't wait 2 decades like I did... get your booty over to Leong's for the best Cashew Chicken in SW Missouri!

Some of the Best cashew chicken and crab Rangoon in the greater Springfield area moving next week and this is one of the places I'll miss the most being away

Our first time at Leong's in years and it did not disappoint. We both got the Cashew Chicken, egg roll and soup. More than enough food and all was prepared close to perfection! We will return!!

Absolutely fantastic Chinese food! The almond chicken was great and the shrimp was very light and crisp. We did the $39.99 shared meal and truly enjoyed it. Don't skip the hot and sour soup- it's definitely top notch.

I knew once I moved to Springfield I had to try Cashew Chicken from the original and sadly I was left wanting more. The chicken was okay but not very stand out. The restaurant is clean and the service is friendly!

So had to give Leong's a try when I heard that cashew chicken originated there. Had to be good, right? Yup, not so much. While we arrived at lunch hours it was cheaper to order some of the dinner plates. The lunch plates do not come with any side items. Everything was an additional charge. We ordered the David's dinner special which came with soup, fried rice, and choice of crab rangoon or egg roll for $10.79. We tried the famous cashew chicken and sweet and sour chicken. So the cashew chicken is hard chunks of white and dark meat (yes, all white meat was extra charge) covered in sauce that tasted like brown country gravy. I was instantly done after one bite. The sweet and sour was not much better. The crab ragoons were also so tough I only ate the centers. Fresh from the freezer? The egg drop soup was edible, but if I closed my eyes I would have sworn I was eating chicken noodle soup with veggies mixed in. It is very rare that I leave a restaurant without cleaning my plate... but it just happened. How cashew chicken made its way outta springfield I'll never know!

Springfield style cashew chicken has been a staple in my diet for over 30 years. Now we live in the St. Louis area and there are some close versions, however, there is nothing like the authentic Springfield style meal. Leong's has been recommended by numerous friends that live here and that have been back for a visit. So, this was our first time here. Service was excellent! The atmosphere was great! The restaurant is very clean so it's not the stereo typical "Chinese Restaurant" that one might imagine. I ordered the traditional Cashew Chicken lunch with crab rangoon. My wife ordered the gluten free version. Both were excellent. I didn't give them 5 stars as the amount of oyster sauce was a little light and the crab rangoon was just okay. In St. Louis we normally eat at Green China and their crab rangoon is amazing. And there version cashew chicken is slightly different as the chicken is batter fried and they serve it with a brown sauce. I would still highly recommend Leong's Asian diner. And as a bonus I got to meet Mr. David Leong, the man who invented Springfield style cashew chicken.

I ordered a gluten free meal for my wife and before she was done eating it she was sick. Not the place to if you have to eat gluten free even though they advertise they have a gluten free option.

My favorite Chinese restaurant around. Very unique flavors that are well crafted and delicious. Not your generic run of the mill Chinese food. Never disappoints!