Lucky Plaza Restaurant(Close)
(Close)

I'm not sure what all the low ratings are about -- the food here is very good and very authentic, and the many neighborhood regulars eating here seem to validate that. I don't normally write reviews, but I feel like its Yelp presence/reviews don't tell the full story so I wanted to give another perspective. If you are looking for solid, authentic homestyle Chinese food, this is a place to get it.All three of the dishes we ordered were excellent and generous portions:-- Chicken and mushroom clay pot rice, $7.25-- Tofu and fish casserole (not the fishhead one), ~$12-- Char siu, $5.50As background, we chose this restaurant because we saw many people going in and all the tables were full inside. This to me is the sign of an authentic Chinese restaurant -- not necessarily one that is highly rated on Yelp (a good indicator for restaurants in general, but not always sufficient/accurate because of reviewers' expectations and backgrounds). Instead, the tables here all looked like regulars eating at their neighborhood restaurant, like a Chinese version of a diner with solid cooking that people return for. And sometimes, you just want some solid diner food.There are a few things to note about this place: it's janky (not hole-in-the-wall janky, but typical Chinatown restuarant janky) and some of the prices are actually not that cheap. (In fact, I thought some items were way overpriced -- fried rice should not be $11 and beef and broccoli should not be $12.)I don't want to hype this place, so manage your expecations accordingly, but I would summarize the food here as solid and authentic. The 5 stars is not because the food is as good as a Michelin-rated restaurant (which we ate at on the same day, so take that as context), but because good, authentic Chinese food is hard to come by in a city with many generic Chinese restaurants, even (especially?) in Chinatown. Don't expect amazing food that will change your life, but if you are looking for authenticity and quality (as we were), this is a place you can find it.

Typical Cantonese restaurant. We used to go there a lot for quick weekend lunch right after there grand opening. But later found the food quality going down. Now, we only order take out.

We went to Lucky Plaza today because the place we normally meet at on Saturdays at 83 Chrystie street is being renovated (translation: going to be more expensive).Anyhow we went in and found the place to be clean and the waitstaff relatively friendly. Looking at the menu, I spotted my all-time favorite dish, roast duck lomein. I ordered it of course with the highest of expectations. Not a good move. When the lomein arrived, the noodles were cold and from the smell I would surmise were those dried noodles that are always on sale in Chinese supermarkets. The duck was likewise cold and there was a huge quality difference between the pieces on top and those underneath. Guess where the good pieces were! It is not very often that I do not finish a meal at a restaurant (I'm usually more likely to lick the plate clean), but I did not finish today.My friend had the scallion and ginger lomein and was similarly disappointed. No second chance for this place. The food was awful!

The real winners here are the specials written in Chinese on the walls in the back section of the restaurant. When you walk in, Lucky Plaza appears to be a typical BBQ Chinese quick/fast food joint but if you want a nice sit down meal, walk towards the back to be seated-it looks like a more casual banquet area. My parents work in the heart of Chinatown and I asked them why they decided to eat here. They stated that it's one of the places where they don't know a lot of people and can eat in peace. I thought it was hilarious. Anyway, two of the waiters looked familiar and we asked them if they worked in another restaurant and yes, of course they worked at a few restaurants that they would go to quite often. One other thing, when I asked my dad what his opinion was regarding the front seating and back seating area, my dad replied, "front seating less tips, back seating, you tip more, nicer."So back seating we went and they have a few lobster specials. We ordered 2 lobsters for about $18. They also had 2 lobsters for about $13 but they said those are smaller. One of the waiters grabbed a plastic bag and scooped up two lobsters from the tank and into the kitchen. After getting our other food which included, house special casserole (chinese sausage, smoked duck, pork over rice), walnut shrimp mayo broccoli (too much mayo-would have preferred the mayo on the side), chinese veggies with garlic, steamed tofu, fried flounder (delicious-brought me back to my childhood) we finally got the lobster!The lobster was so fresh and the meat was so easy to pull out of the shell! Excellent price!The reason I am giving Lucky Plaza 3 stars is because although they have great specials, I don't think their food is spectacular compared to other Chinese restaurants. This would not be my preferred place to do but it's definitely a place I would hit up once in awhile if my party wants lobster.Oh and I forgot to mention, my dad talked his way into getting free veggie soup. At the end you get complimentary oranges and sweet soup as well.