A Chinese immigrant named David Leong opened a tea house in 1963 and quickly realized that traditional Cantonese dishes were a tough sell in the Missouri Ozarks. To win over local palates, he created something new, frying chicken chunks until golden, then tossing them in a savory sauce with cashews and green onions.
The dish caught on, became known as Springfield-style cashew chicken, and eventually turned into a regional obsession. Leong’s Tea House closed in 1997, but the family reopened in 2010 as a diner run by his sons, keeping the original recipe alive.
The diner serves the same crispy, gravy-drenched cashew chicken that started it all, along with a full menu of Chinese-American classics. Locals still call it the original, and a stop here feels less like a meal and more like a taste of Missouri history.
1. Why This Place Sticks With You
The first thing I would tell you is that this place feels important without ever acting important, and that difference really matters when you are deciding where to eat in a city with strong local opinions. Leong’s Asian Diner has that easy confidence that usually comes from a restaurant knowing exactly what it is and never needing to prove itself…