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    Spices 39

    4.1 (105 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    Recommended Reviews - Spices 39

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    Jooy C.

    Casual Chinese restaurant in the Heights with decent food! The place is beautifully decorated with the bar area downstairs and dining upstairs. We were promptly greeted and served. Our favorite dishes include the eggplant with string bean and the hot tango fish filet - the fish was well cooked and the sweet & spicy from these two dishes paired well together. Despite it being labeled as a spicy item, we thought it was it was pretty tolerable in terms of spicy level. The pork belly mound was slightly disappointing as the meat was dry and tough to eat. Overall a great experience. There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant.

    Honey Walnut Shrimp Crab Puff(4) Sesame Chicken Kung Pao
    Gabrielle C.

    We got take out so dining in may vary. Picking up was easy and quick. Decent sized parking lot for the heights. I love walnut shrimp and was disappointed with the end result since it's probably the most expensive walnut shrimp I've had- totaling $20 just for the single plate. It had a sweetness I wasn't a personal fan of. Crab puffs and sesame balls tasted like any other. Boyfriend got the kung pao chicken and said it was ok. Food itself was overall ok. Nothing was inedible or necessarily bad, but nothing we would go back for. We might give dining in a try and see if that changes anything, but take out wise it was all just ok.

    Jason Z.

    We came for lunch again after last visiting a few months ago. We came in to a very empty restaurant and saw the staff chilling on the iPad. We sat upstairs and proceeded to order. Their soup dumplings tasted lukewarm and were definitely just previously frozen and quickly reheated. The Dan Dan noodle sauce was not very on par and the noodles themselves didn't taste very Chinese; it almost reminded me of prepackaged spaghetti noodles. We ordered the squirrel fish, kung pao chicken, and mei cai kou rou for the entrees. The flavors did not come off as 100% authentic / to expectations; the kung pao chicken sauce wasn't quite right and the dish had brussel sprouts for some reason (not authentic to how they cook it in Northern China at all) and the pork belly tasted very bland and somewhat reheated/ re-steamed. The squirrel fish was good but its sauce was a bit overly sweet. Overall, this was a step down from when we came by when they first opened and replaced Peony and Crane at the same location. The menu lacked some dishes that they should've had and the items on the menu weren't cooked to par, especially compared with the many Sichuan spots now inside the loop.

    Ye J.

    Came here for lunch on a week day as we live in the Heights area. Similar to its predecessor Peony & Crane, the interior is full of Chinese element and the menu focus mostly on Sichuan cuisine. Aside from the two staffs on duty keeping us company, the restaurant was very empty. Now jumping to the food... Soup dumping 1/5 - lukewarm dumplings tasted obviously frozen and re-steamed, the wrapping is thick and doughy, one of the dumplings I had actually didn't heat all the way through and had a icy cold piece in the middle Dan Dan noodle 2/5 - not the typical flavor you'd expect and the noodle texture is close to over boiled soft spaghetti Mongolian beef 3.5/5 - doesn't taste like authentic Mongolian beef, but good flavor and nice tender beef Kung Pao Chicken 3/5 - I was definitely not expecting brussel sprouts in the dish, again, doesn't taste authentic, and overly sweet Mei Cai Kou Rou 2/5 - tasted like a re-steamed water down version of the typical dish Squirrel fish 3/5 - nice presentation and the batter was crispy, however the sauce is overly sweet Sad to say none of the dishes we tried tasted authentic. Given how many solid Sichuan options are in town, I would not come back or recommend this place.

    Menu
    David P.

    Nut allergy warning: Some dishes do have nuts but the ones I ordered came out fine with a notice to the waitress. We arrived the night before the storm (Sunday night) and it was pretty empty. What a shame, because the atmosphere here is so nice! Downstairs is a cozy bar and upstairs feels like you just walked into a dojo. I guess the storm made people stay inside. Order-To-Food: 13 Minutes for the soup and soup dumplings; 18-22 minutes for entrees. For 4 people, we ordered: Jasmine Tea (5/5): I'm not sure if this is charged per person or per kettle. I think it's per person. I originally got one myself and asked for some extra cups to share the kettle, but we got more kettles and eventually got charged for four teas. Chili Crispy Chicken (2/5) - Kind of more like funnel cake chicken. Some bites don't have any chicken at all, actually. The crispiness is there but it's also a little sweet, strangely. Maybe because of the rice cracker. It wasn't that spicy or flavorful, just the normal numbingness. We actually thought it was a bit sweet. Pork Belly Mound (4.5/5): Needs to be slightly more caramelized to be perfect, but it was deliciously tender and the small pork bites and vegetables complimented it in a delicious bao nicely. Pork Soup Bao (3.5/5): Two served broken. Nice that they provide tongs and the house sauce is some kind of soy sauce vinegar reduction. Pretty solid, but pricey. Sauteed String Beans (5/5): Perfect. Great with everything, or just rice. Hot Tango Fish Fillet (4.5/5): Lovely that it comes with vegetables and also goes great with rice. Jade Crab Soup (4/5): Needs to be served with pepper, or lime; but otherwise hits all the right parts of a crab wedding soup. Overall, a really solid Szechuan cuisine that we really enjoyed for the vegetable twist addition on most dishes.

    Shrimp fried rice
    Mel S.

    Wonderful place! Great ambiance, AMAZING staff and wonderful tasting food. Shrimp fried rice - Huge shrimp and lots of veggies stuffed in every spoonful. General tso tofu - robust pop flavors and crispy tofu complete this dish. Definitely support this new business.

    Hot n sour soup
    Thuy P.

    Saw this place on IG and the fruity buns brought me here We were here during lunch and surprisingly no one else was there except us. That's weird. Maybe they should advertise more. Everything we ordered we love it. Food was good and the restaurant ambiance is nice. They have the lunch menu for like $10-$15 that's amazing these days for that price. I surely would come back. If you are in the area , you should give them a try.

    Double Double Lobster
    Jacob D.

    New Chinese food restaurant with new menu and new ownership, this is not the previous concept that was here. The layout is still the same, you a guided upstairs to the seating area that it is modern with lots of natural light. The bar is still downstairs when you walk in. Our server was able to answer any questions we had, the menu is pretty big so kudos. The food has a good mix of American familiar favorites like general Tso's, orange, fried rice, and noodle dishes. I'd stay away from those. 1 they weren't that memorable, 2 the more authentic dishes here are way more flavorful and exciting Things like the squirrel fish and pork belly mound were great ideas that struggled getting things 100% right. Fish was slightly chewy, and the pork belly flavor wasn't my favorite. I've had better Kung pao chicken at other places, it could've been spicier and crispier I think. Everything was still good and enjoyed trying all different options that I have only seen available here. Really good selection here and the prices aren't too insane. This is probably the best Chinese restaurant in this local neighborhood.

    Sandra K.

    Got take out from here and it was ready early and everything was steaming how. Crab Rangoon pretty good. Fried rice that came with our orange chicken was a little undercooked. Rice had that crunch. Sad day. The orange chicken however was absolutely amazing. It had slices of garlic in there and a ton of orange peel and even closed a large orange wedge to squeeze on. The chicken was hot and fresh and not some weird meat part of the chicken like some places. The assorted lo mein was good. Felt like it was missing something. Maybe more sauce and flavor? Overall pretty good. Willing to try again. I can really only blame myself because I ordered the most Americanized Chinese dishes ever.

    Mango pomelo sago
    Jackie C.

    Was excited for another Chinese place to open in the neighborhood. Spices 39 is not bad but not standout either. Food 3.5/5 The food here is pretty standard Chinese restaurant fare. We ordered pork soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, broccoli beef, cabbage, the mixed fruit buns, and the mango pomelo sago for dessert. The pork soup dumplings were a bit bland in flavor and the scallion pancakes a bit tough. The menu said the mixed fruit buns were a must try so we got them. And while they were super cute, they were only ok flavor-wise so I didn't really understand why they were a must try. The mango pomelo sago was disappointing - it didn't have nearly enough sago. Service 5/5 No complaints with the service. Upon entering, someone came to greet us and took us upstairs. Our waitress was very nice and very attentive throughout our meal. The food all came out in a timely manner. Ambiance 2/5 While they've painted some walls and the mural on one side of the wall is beautiful, they could do more to spruce the place up, starting with replacing the stools with chairs. It looks like they just took the same tables and stools the last restaurant in this building had, which I had complained about then too. The stools just aren't very comfortable to sit on and, for women, there's nowhere to hang or put your purse. Normally I'd just put my purse behind me in the chair or hang it off the back of my chair but that wasn't an option here. We ended up stealing a stool from another table to put our purses on but that wouldn't work if the restaurant was busy and the tables around us were all taken. The stools also give the dining area a more stark look. Overall I'd say the food here needs to stand out more. They serve mostly the same dishes as a lot of other Chinese places inside the loop and they don't do it as well. They'd either need to really up their game flavor-wise or serve some different things that you can't find elsewhere inside the loop.

    Menu
    Lauren R.

    Wanted to try out a new place near us so we came here last Friday evening. It was about 6:15pm so it was easy to find parking in the lot. The inside is pretty cool, but I did find it odd with the upstairs seating, it was smaller inside than I imagined. The service was fast and nice. I ordered wonton soup which was pretty good, and general tso chicken with fried rice. The chicken had a great flavor. I probably wouldn't pay extra for the fried rice next time. Prices were decent too.

    Orange Chicken with Strawberry Soju
    Meagon L.

    We were guided upstairs to sit. It's small but a nice setup. The water tasted weird. I tried the wonton soup, and that was a 5 out of 10. I won't order again. Tried the crab puffs and they were tasty. 7 out of 10. The main dish was orange chicken and it was good. 7 out of 10. I also tasted the Walnut Honey Shrimp . It was tasty but cold. It was sent back to be reheated. 6 out of 10. I enjoyed sitting near the window and able to see a wide range. I'll definitely go back to try more. Make sure you bring a light sweater, it was cold for all of us. The restrooms are downstairs, in case you're looking. The host was kind. The waiter was attentive.

    Wonton Soup

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    We have dined in and ordered from Spice 39 and really enjoy their food. Would recommend the kung pao chicken and beef special.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Spices 39

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    Bamboo House - Twice Cooked Pork Belly

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    I have heard great feedback about Bambok House and and their authentic Chinese Cuisine. The first…read moretime I visited I planned it to the T and when I visited their bar was not operational any longer, and that was apart of my planning. So I left. The second time I visited, I had the Hong Shao Rou with mushrooms (Braised Pork Belly) to-go, not a huge fan of takeout and this didn't disappoint and it was good. The takeout team member was pleasant enough. They feature an open kitchen with two tops closer to the wall/glass and larger tables more toward the middle of the restaurant. From the outside it features the traditional Chinese architecture with western building base. I look forward to yaksying the rest of the menu this year.

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    Spices 39 - bars - Updated May 2026

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