Spring Cafe — Restaurant in New York

I've walked by this place tons of times, since it's literally right next to the Canal Street subway station, and I've been meaning to try it at some point. (Un)luckily for me, my regular train wasn't running today, so I finally decided to pop in for a quick takeout dinner.

Everything on the menu is vegan, so that's great for people who can't eat meat or choose not to eat meat for health reasons. Personally, I do eat meat, but it's not like I can't live without meat everyday, so having a more healthy option available for dinner is always good. It's just unfortunate that many vegan places are priced higher than your regular non-vegan joints, which makes it harder to consciously choose to eat healthy.

The store is a narrow space, but it has plenty of chairs inside as well as outside if you wanted to eat your food right away. It wasn't too busy when I came in, and they already had my food ready for me for pickup.

I ordered the Spicy Impossible Burger Combo, with original fries and a pineapple green tea.

Spicy Impossible Burger: My first time trying a plant-based "meat" patty, I was a little apprehensive about it. I heard it tastes very similar to meat, but it's supposedly more healthy for you (opinions wildly vary about this) since it's not an animal product. When I first bit into it, it very obviously didn't taste like meat to me. However, it has a similar mouth feel to normal meat, so I can see why these are becoming popular. The taste is hard to describe, but it lacked the distinct umami that characterizes meat products. It wasn't offensive, but there was nothing special about the flavor of the patty, it's just there to fill you up, not to wow you. What I did like was the toppings. The burger came with a spicy watery sauce, avocado, vegan cheese, tomato and a very appetizing looking piece of green lettuce. This is what a burger should look like, screaming Eat Me!. Sadly, the bun had sesame seeds on it, and I have never been a fan of sesame seeded buns, because they're often low quality. The size was just right for me, and I was quite full after finishing it. Was it the best burger I've had? No. But it was a decent burger, and I appreciate that I didn't feel heavy after eating it, like I normally do after a burger. You know that sluggish feeling of not wanting to move after a large meal? This burger doesn't do that to me, so I wouldn't mind getting it again, despite its taste being not particularly memorable. 3.5/5

Original Fries: I think these are air-fried french fries because they're not as greasy as the traditionally fries ones. Very crisp and nicely golden, with no limp or burnt fries. I liked the spicy vegan mayo. It's more of a relish (on the liquid side) than mayo, which works great for me because I dislike pure mayo, which is too heavy and thick. This was a good sauce, which I believe was the same sauce on my burger. The fries could have been seasoned a bit more, but they're fine as they are when paired with the sauce. 4/5

Pineapple Green Tea: My least favorite item. The chunks of fresh pineapple work as a concept to substitute for something unhealthy such as tapioca bubbles, but I found the actual product is not appealing to me. Pineapple is a fibrous fruit, and drinking chunks of it with each sip ruins the experience. I don't want to chew so thoroughly on my first sip before I can drink some more, it's more work for my mouth. The flavor was nothing special. I tasted only pineapple, pineapple, pineapple. There was no hint of lime (even though I can see the sliced lime) or jasmine green tea. It wasn't sweet, so that was the one good point about it. But unless you love pineapple, perhaps a different drink would be a better option. 2.5/5

I would say the portions here are good for the price. It is still a bit more expensive than a non-vegan joint, but not overly so, and you won't be still hungry afterwards in your efforts to be more health-conscious about what you eat. I'd love to stop by and try the other things they have to see what...

2025 update:

Today I was feeling in the mood for healthy food so I went here for some vegetarian food. During the lunch rush, they were super busy and I barely managed to get a seat at their counter style seating. I went with their salt and pepper chicken bento box and a hibiscus tea. Despite the lunch crowd, I didn't have to wait too long before my food was ready. They were pushing out orders really efficiently. If you spend over $10, get a stamp card! It's 1 stamp per $10 spent.

I liked how everything was packed up in a bag which made it easy to take leftovers home. The soup had pieces of tofu and mushrooms. It was quite thick and tasted like maybe hot and sour soup. In the bento box, there was broccoli with sesame oil, fried tofu and vegetable curry soup, 4 pieces of salt and pepper imitation chicken, fresh salad and a large portion of white rice with some tofu bean curd. The chicken's outer coating was very crispy and I was surprised at how similar the texture was to chicken. I also enjoyed the fried tofu pieces in the curry as it soaked up the curry flavor. It was a very filling meal as even hours later I still felt quite full.

2023: I can't believe I've never really noticed this spot! Definitely feels like a little hole in the wall despite being right next to the Canal St station entrance.

I got the bao combo which contained the vegan bbq pork bao, mushroom bao and hibiscus tea. I paid extra to add on the salt pepper fried mushrooms. Everything was packaged nicely in a to-go bag for me which ensured nothing spilled or leaked on my commute home. Utensils and the straws were compostable which is a nice touch.

The baos were a bit messy to eat but really delicious. Two baos were enough to fill me up. I really liked the sauce of the vegan bbq pork bao. The salt and pepper fried mushrooms were crispy and full of umami flavor but probably not the healthiest dish for the arteries. Definitely a once in a while snack. Surprisingly I really enjoyed the hibiscus tea! I've never been a fan of floral teas but this one...

Unlike their photo depiction, which makes this all vegan establishment appear much larger, there are only single, high seats and two high bar tables, along either side of the restaurant and with a few seated and several waiting for and placing their order, the place is TINY.

By itself that would be okay but on a suffocating, 95° day the place with an ac (I use that term liberally) that you couldn't feel at all, was A LOT hotter than outside!! It was so unbearable, I didn't even check over my bag of hot food and couldn't leave quickly enough. I'm wondering if they have heat in the winter...

The ordering process is simple and straightforward, with clear, bright photos on their hand, wall and internet menus including 4 fun Bento boxes, 16 Burgers, 6 Multigrain Sammies, 4 BUNS, 6 Salads and Bowls, 5 Fresh Brewed Tea, 4 Matcha, 10 Coffee, 5 Smoothies, 5 Fresh Juice Drinks, Several Desserts, Appetizers and Sides

We took advantage of their Zhajiang Noodle Special with Braised Minced Pork and Tofu, Red Cabbage, Cilantro, Cucumber and Crushed Peanuts. We also ordered Tater Tots, the BBQ Pork Bun with Iceberg and Cucumber, the Braised Tofu Skin with Pickled Greens Bento Box with Tofu Curry, Sesame Broccoli and White Rice with Braised Minced Pork and Tofu and Soup.

The White Rice, satisfying in stickiness was average in flavor. I ordered extra of the Zhajiang Noodle soy based sauce and it was yummy on the Noodles, Braised Tofu and White Rice. We enjoyed the Bao Bun and the heaping portion of crispy Tator Tots were definitely above average. The accompanying ketchup was strange, vinegary and watery but the Spicy Mayo, you'll need to order a lot more of was perfect!

The Sesame Broccoli was fresh and tasty! The Hot & Sour Soup was delicious but mostly broth. The Curry Tofu was tasty but disappointingly largely Potato, included a few Chickpeas, with a scant amount of watery sauce. Portions and cost is reasonable. Lily's Vegan Pantry and Vegan-friendly Tyger Restaurant are...