Lucky Yu

I can’t recommend this place enough❗️ As a big foodie who’s fortunate enough to try new restaurants weekly, claiming this as my number one pick for 2025 is a huge deal. The flavours blend perfectly, every single dish is absolutely mind-blowing, and the portions are ideal for sharing. The atmosphere is vibrant yet cosy, and the customer service is simply exceptional. If you’re looking for a dining experience that truly stands out, this is the place to go!

I’m not sure where they learned to make Karrage (Japanese fried chicken) but what they served would make anyone who’s had average to proper Karrage shake their heads… (I’d recommend a Karrage food truck near Fountain-bridge but they’d closed sadly). The fried chicken is supposed to be “lightly coated” instead of this thick, charcoal like coating… I mean you can simply tell by the colour that it’s executed poorly. The chicken itself is supposed to be juicy, tender, savoury yet sweet because of the marinade… instead you get this chewy, dry… borderline inedible meat. It’s the opposite of doing the ingredient justice. The rest of the dishes were disastrous as well saved for the Baos and short ribs (which were both outrageously overpriced). Would not recommend until they significantly improve and deliver dishes with quality that match the price point. Until then, it’s a total disappointment and a rip off. I expect more from an Asian fusion restaurant. The two stars are for the friendly service and nice decor.

We went for lunch and tried the three dishes for £20 deal, which was a nice way to sample multiple items. I really enjoyed the potatoes and aubergine as well as the prawn crackers, which I would highly recommend. The dumplings were good too. We also ordered the bao bun, though that was not as much of a favourite compared to the other dishes. The vibe is really nice and they have done a great job with the aesthetic of the building. The mocktail menu was tasty as well. Service was friendly, although a little slow and needed a couple of follow ups. Overall I would recommend going, but probably only once unless they update the menu regularly.

We were so disappointed with Lucky Yu. After exploring the city, we saved up our appetite to taste the restaurant as it came highly recommended from two places! My friend is Taiwanese, and I’m Chinese American, and we were so excited to see what Lucky Yu brought to the table in terms of an Asian fusion experience. The service was so sweet and the neon interior reminded me of a night market. The restaurant was quite busy even on a Tuesday night! We ordered the gyoza, bao, and eggplant off the vegetarian section, and all of it was disappointing. We wouldn’t recommend one thing. - Gyoza: soggy filling, oily, no crunchy bottom. The worst dumplings I’ve ever had. - Eggplant: slathered in miso sauce and so salty it was inedible. We ended up eating the inside of the bao and then stuffing the bao with the eggplant - Bao: was fine but the bun (rou jia mo) lacked the typical sweet flavor that is characteristic of the bread. Not only were we disappointed, but we were slightly offended that this was how Asian food was being represented. Neither taste nor texture came through, and we will not be recommending this place (and actually see this more of a horror story) to any of our friends. Hopefully this was just a one off, but we felt so disappointed to end our last day in the city on such a low note.

Underwhelming and overpriced. I’m glad a lot of other people had such positive experiences and it’s clear someone is doing an impeccable job in the kitchen - the meat was cooked to perfection and the homemade soda was delightful. But overall the dishes were not that great. I got three meat dishes and a salad but for such beautifully cooked pieces the meat was doused in too much sauce. It really took away from it something awful. Similarly the fried chicken felt very underseasoned. I ordered a cucumber carrot and courgette salad - even asked the waitress about the courgettes but the dish I got was just cucumber and a few strings of carrot and for some reason radish (?) it was okay in flavour but honestly not at all what I ordered. I think it wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the whole experience wasn’t so meh. Overall come in to get the soda 10/10. Did not have cocktails so cannot comment but the menu looked enticing. The restaurant does recommend 3-4 plates per person and I think you won’t come away hungry if you follow this guideline. I’m just miffed at how much I paid for such a subpar experience.