Lucky Luna
“Also have happy hour specials weekdays from 3-7pm, good cocktail specials.”
“had the duck confit bao, carnitas taco bowl and lou rou fan and loved every bite of everything.”
“I was skeptical of the idea of Thai and Oaxacan/general Mexican fusion, but I came away impressed.”
Lucky Luna
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
4 reviews
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My friend and I dropped by for a late dinner Saturday night, and Lucky Luna really is as good as it gets!
We each started out with drinks, and I ordered the Michelada. It seriously had the best spice mix that I have had out, and was appropriately combined with a can of Tecate- my Michelada beer of choice!
We then continued with shares of the chips and salsa, and sampled the red and the green salsas. Both were delicious, but I preferred the red. And the chips were among the best that I have had! Perfectly fried, they tasted as though they had also been lightly toasted, and we finished every last one. We also sampled Mom's cucumber salad, which was refreshing, and actually went well with the chips.
Next, we ordered two Peking Duck Confit Bao and wow. Wow. These were delectable. The duck almost melted in my mouth, and accompanied by just the right amount of scallions, hoisin mayo, and chicharrònes, was a flavor bomb! We would have ordered two more had we not been getting so full.
Finally, we ordered the special cold noodles with peanut sauce, which was delicious. They tasted as though a layer of peanut sauce had puffed over a thin layer of lemon, and was stuffed with noodles. Yum!
The service was also super-friendly, and the ambiance was filled with an eclectic mix of local works of art, providing an even more unique twist to the already unique concept of Taiwanese/Mexican fusion. They also try to source wholly, which probably is why everything seems to have an enhanced flavor. And they are gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan friendly, so there is something for everyone!
I can't quite put my finger on what struck me as off. The individual pieces were fine, but somehow it doesn't gel as a whole. I had the Sailing East cocktail (which was fruity & tasty) as well as the signature baos. My friend had the Oaxacan cocktail and the Lu Rou Fan. We split the guac & chips. Oddly I think the homemade chips were the best part. All were fine, but just didn't make me go wow. Fine for a neighborhood joint, but probably not worth a dedicated trip.
Did I miss something? Are potatoes really so prominent in Mexican or Taiwanese cuisine?
Apparently they think so at Lucky Luna, a Mexican/Taiwanese fusion spot in Greenpoint. I really wanted to check it out for dinner, to try the Duck Confit Buns and the Lu Fou Ran, but I tried brunch instead, which had different offerings that turned out to be quite disappointing:
– Chips and Salsa ($6)
This was a great start to the meal. Maybe it was in my head since I was in the fusion mindset, but these really tasted like those crispy noodles you get from Chinese takeout, but in chip form. They were quite thick and incredibly crispy. Though they were not at all warm, which is usually a requisite for good chips, they were still really great.
– Congee ($10)
Our waitress informed us that we ordered the last bowl they had, so I was excited to try it. This one actually was pretty tasty, especially knowing that congee is often pretty bland. This version contained a small amount of braised peanuts and shredded duck on top which added the bit of flavor. Unfortunately, it was served barely lukewarm, which is a big no-no for a hearty bowl of congee.
– Duck Confit Hash ($14)
I settled for this since they don't have the Duck Confit Buns at brunch, and this was a major letdown. Unlike most good hashes I've tried, this was served with large chunks of potatoes, which nothing really hashed up. The taste of the duck and the runny egg on top was good, but the dish was overwhelmed by the large quantity of potatoes, which just got pretty boring after a few bites.
– The Gran Torta ($15)
Ugh, more of these huge wedges of potatoes. I didn't realize these same duck fat fried potatoes would make up the majority of the hash dish, so this was a disappointment and we barely touched these. As for the sandwich, it was actually very tasty. It consisted of house-made chorizo, bean spread, cilantro, tomatoes and spicy sauce on a very soft pretzel bun. Again, a strange choice for Mexican/Taiwanese fusion with the pretzel bun, but this one at least tasted pretty good.
Willing to give dessert a try, I had my last bit of disappointment when they informed me that they were out of the Arroz con Dulce de Leche. I passed on the Mango Panna Cotta and we just got the check instead. As we waited, I overheard them letting other guests know that they were also sold out of a couple of the other entree options.
Service was great and very friendly, so I thought I might make a trip back to try the stuff I missed for dinner, but after the lackluster food, I don't think I would return, especially running the risk of coming out to Greenpoint only for them to tell me a number of things are not available. Not very lucky.
I was intrigued by a taiwanese and mexican fusion place so this has been on my bookmarks for a while. We had the duck bao, the pazole, and their two tacos. The food was good but not amazing. Their tacos (pork and shitake) were pretty good. It had good flavor. The parole had a lot of flavor and was very spicy. Not much meat or stuff in it. It's more like a soup. The duck boa was not good I thought. They have a pretty yummy margarita too (spicy blueberry).