EverSpring Modern Chinese — Restaurant in Tustin

EverSpring Modern Cuisine brings an automated twist to American-Chinese favorites like Panda Express to the Tustin Marketplace.

The place is clean and on the smaller end with 8 or so tables and some outdoor seating available. Ordering is a bit confusing. You can order by QR code, on a giant tablet, or directly with the cashier. You'll be asked to tip, but service and cooking are mostly reliant on automation so it's unclear who the tip goes to. You should expect to spend at least $15-20 per person for a mid to small portion of food.

The folks working the register, automated woks, and the robot "server" are friendly though a bit frazzled. For example, the robot delivered cold string beans to us. When we let a human server know, they seemed confused/concerned but brought us warm string beans anyway. It seems like they may still be working out process kinks, but they were very courteous.

How is the food? Reviews are mixed dependent on what you're looking for:

The signature Crispy Beef was fairly sweet, very crispy, and the meat to fried breading ratio was very heavy toward breading. The flavor was decent and the beef had a nice chew.

The Stir-Fried String Beans were pretty good. With a ton of garlic and peppers, this was flavorful but on the oily side without the crispness I typically enjoy with string bean dishes. With that said, most would likely enjoy the flavors on this dish.

For the Mapo Tofu, you are more likely to enjoy it if you enjoy numbing spices. The sauce was more oil than sauce, but the tofu itself had a nice texture.

Last and, in this case, the most, the Egg Yolk Sesame Balls. These balls with a chewy and almost gooey (more runny) sweet yolky filling were the tastiest bites of the night. This would be the dish for which I could see myself dropping by next time.

Having replaced Whealthy (a build-your-own-bowl "healthy" Asian joint), I do miss the healthier Asian options. While I may not be the target audience, EverSpring offers fans of crispy Chinese-American fare a warm and quick-served meal. Fun points for the robot, which let's you know (after you press the button to send it back) that it is...

I will preface my review and say that the best thing I can say is that the food itself is great! If you’re looking for a good meal irrespective of price look no further — the food was legitimately delicious!

As a “fast casual” this place is kind of a confusing entry to the local restaurant space… don’t be misled by food influencers with ring lights who are getting their meals comped and freshly made just for them.

The biggest issue with this place is the prices compared to the cost cutting measures and how sterile feeling it ends up. When a beef entree costs $18 — you should not be paying $1 extra for rice. And it should not all come on disposable dishes.

The price of this restaurant is that of Sichuan Impression or Seven Grams but both of those are actual restaurants with real servers that serve you on actual dishes and have a good ambience. Another example, when you order take away from S.I. you receive a nicely wrapped package in a paper bag with your food — not like from here where it’s the cheapest take away packages they could find.

This place with its paper plates, automation, and current set-up feels more in line with Pick-up-sticks, Panda Express, or Hong Kong Express. And at $50 for 2 people, you could get a feast at those places.

Lastly, if there’s a robot server and automated woks — is my tip actually going to back staff and people that are working there or is it going...

This place offers a huge variety of delicious dishes with incredibly generous portions. If you're hungry, this place will definitely leave you full and happy.

Entrées include meat-forward favorites like: Orange Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken – $14.95 Mongolian Beef – $16.95, Mongolian Chicken – $15.95 Crispy Beef – $17.95 Rainbow Shrimp – $18.95 Dry Chili Chicken – $15.95 Sweet Chili Garlic Pork / Chicken / Eggplant – $15.95 / $15.95 / $14.95 Beef or Chicken with Broccoli – $16.95 / $15.95

Vegetarian and spicy options are also available: Mapo Tofu – $14.95 Stir-Fried Vegetables and Tofu, String Beans – $14.95

Appetizers are varied and tasty: Dumplings (Pork or Chicken) – $8.95–$9.95 Wontons (Chili Pork or Chicken) – $8.95–$9.95 Veggie or Pork Potstickers – $7.95 / $9.95 Veggie Spring Rolls, Cream Cheese Rangoons – $6.95

Sides include: Steamed Rice – $1.95 House Special Chili Oil – $0.95 Cucumber Salad – $5.95

Soups: Hot and Sour or Creamy Corn Egg Drop – $5.95

Main dishes like Chow Mein and Fried Rice start at $12.95 and can be customized with proteins (+$2 to $3.50 depending on choice).

We were impressed by how much food it comes with: rice, main entrée, veggies, and sides. The meat portion is huge, everything was flavorful, and nothing felt skimped. Definitely worth the price and perfect for a hearty...