Right outside of Boston.... Not sure if I was more worried about my car being parked on a side street or if the food was going to be good. But I put my faith in YELP. The 4 and 5 star reviews are accurate. My chicken fingers were the best I've had in years, the scallion pancakes were good but not the best I've ever had (chinatown would be) General Gao's was good, pork fried dumplings damn good. As Bob Barker would say, the prices is right, food was plentiful, really good and hot Oh ya.. and have your dog and cat spade and neutered! I love hot food and I mean hot, not spicy hot, but temperature hot. I will definitely be back here. read more

This place hands down is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Boston area. This place is cash only so be prepared! Service is really quick. There are 3 tables for seating area, no waiter service. Food is fresh and mouth watering. I stay loyal to the BBQ Spareribs with Bok Choy and it's only $7! So so SOOOO GOOD. Also, they sometimes sell out of certain things on the menu, so make sure to get there before a few hours within closing. I always look forward to coming to this place. Only complaint I have is that I wish they were open later so I can enjoy it late at night. read more

Well, I wanted typical greasy chinese (huge fan!), so I ended up here via Yelp. It was pretty much just what I wanted and super cheap (bonus). But the dude did trick me on the menu and i specifically asked something and he told me it was ok then charged me extra. Could be lack of communication but I think not. I give it four stars because it was yummy, close and cheap but that secret extra charges drives me crazy. edit: I went there again randomly and the food was disgusting and he ripped me off again- what happened? read more

I always get the R1 combo with crispy pork. Food is really good and never disappoints. Just bring cash because they don't take cards.

I had Chinese yesterday (in case you just happen to think I'm important, hence you may need to know that) in Wellesley and had a craving for it again today! I've been to Lucky BBQ many times, for the money it's Excellent !! I had a few "cat/dog food" experiences in other Chinese restaurant's so I said self .. where would Asian people go for dinner? SO ... Dahhh, I asked a local Asian (non-Vietnamese) business owner where she goes to eat. She said "Fow' get abou going into Boston, everybody runs to Boston, too expensive and no-good, you try Luck BBQ Cafe on Dorchester Ave, owner use to be in Chinatown but got sick of Chinatown! You gonna like it and so so cheap & really fresh and really good food. (BBQ is actually in the name of the restaurant however, it's not noted on Yelp. Hmm?) She Was (Is) Right! SO I patronize her business too! NOTE: 1. Cash ONLY! & 2. **It Is Not Eat In & They Do Not Deliver**** Take-Out Only! I've picked up food many times and taken it to friends and so far each time everyone has raved about the quality, freshness & Cost (it is very inexpensive-comparatively speaking) A friend of mine that traveled for 10 yrs and lived in various parts of Asia said it's not traditional Chinese, he said it's a cross over of a few different cultures, he loves the place. read more

Finally they have a decent roast duck, pig and chicken restaurant in Dorchester. I alway go here for these items and don't have to go into Chinatown for it. The sad part is they only take cash. I wish they install a credit card machine in this restaurant than it would be perfect. The menu dishes are not bad either. Service is fast and good. read more

No doubt about it; this is a solid, and affordable Chinese take out choice in the Pleasant St. / Savin HIll Dorchester area. The people who work at Lucky's are friendly, and the business is well run, and nicely kept. The spicy tofu and pork dish is recommended, as well as any of the barbeque items. Don't let the 3 stars fool ya - it's good stuff - but it received 3, 'cause at the end of the day, it is take out - it won't change your culinary scale... read more

Amazing (: Lucky Cafe is my number one place for Chinese take out in Dorchester. I usually go with the combo plates, which are only $6 and consist of huge portions. The staff is really friendly and they speak Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. Overall, a good place when you're craving some cheap beef teriyaki or Chinese BBQ. read more

Their duck-chicken-pork dish (三宝饭) is the best in greater Boston area! I tried a Cantonese restaurant a Hong Kong friend highly recommended in Chinatown. But this one at Luck Cafe is way more mouth-watery than that one. Plus, the size of the dish can easily feed 2-3 people without any problem and costs only 8+ bucks. Can't beat this! Cash-only to me is expectable if I go to a Chinese restaurant. This is quite normal in downtown Chinatown so I have no problem with it. The only con is they are located too far away from downtown Boston and I have to take an 1h train for a lunch! read more

Lucky Cafe - Jumbo mouth-watery San Bao Fan! - Chinese Near Me - Dorchester, Massachusetts

Pretty standard fare and prices, Amazing wonton soup, that you assembly yourself. read more

Rude customer service. Cash only is very inconvenient Food is a B at best and their always sold out of menu items. I will be taking my business elsewhere. read more

So freaking good the duck as amazing and such a great price reminded me of china town in NY city

Owner is always a little stressed but that is because he produces one of the best fast order houses in Boston. Dumplings, Gao, Shrimp is always fresh. Wish he would put more soups on the menu. Wish he would stay open later. Phone orders are always perfect and he stuffs the containers with as much rice as possible. That good eating! read more

Yellow sign with red letters or red sign with yellow letters, either way you know it's gonna be a hole-in-the-wall Chinese food joint. The food was pretty bland and tasteless. It's cash only which is not a problem, just felt like mentioning it so you know they don't take American Express. I usually lower myself to Hong Kong Chef if I'm in the mood for Dot Ave Chinese food but I ended up over in Savin Hill and this place was in the crosshairs so that's how it happened. The guy behind the counter had a winning attitude and a smile that would warm the hearts of children everywhere. But I think it's because I went in there 10 minutes before they closed and he was just psyched on leaving work soon. Can't blame him. 0 stars for the food, 1 star for the atmosphere and I'll toss another star in for Chef Joe's charm. Good luck in all your future endeavors buddy, you deserve it. read more

3.5 stars I love Chinese food, but am very picky about it. We all know that there is a very broad spectrum of Chinese food in terms of quality. I've had the worst (Great Wok) and the best (Golden Temple) and although Lucky Cafe is somewhere in between, it's pretty great food for the price, freshness and efficiency. You can literally see a woman chopping up chickens in there, so you know everything is freshly-made...well, at least the chicken dishes. They have everything ready so quickly and it tastes pretty good. Chinese food isn't something I seek out often, but when I'm craving it, this place is a good choice. read more

I don't live too far away from Lucky Cafe so my family's been getting our hainan chicken, bbq pork, and roasted duck from here for as long as I can remember. From the outside Lucky Cafe looks like any other Chinese restaurant but don't be fooled because they serve some real authentic/fresh food (pretty much the ones I listed above). Other than that, they do serve the typical Americanized Chinese food if that's what you're looking for. I've gotten that too such as the kung pao chicken and the general gau's chicken. Both were alright. My favorite thing to get here is the combination plates where they give you rice, veggies, and the meats/poultry of your choice. For about $7-$8 it's really filling and serves as a quick and delicious lunch. The owner is super friendly and he's trilingual. I've seen him speak Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. Overall, Lucky Cafe is a hidden gem in Dorchester. 10/10 would recommend! read more

I have to say I'm impressed with this place. I've only so far had the wonton soup, but it was freaking awesome! I'm not used to paying $6-7 for wonton soup but this was certainly worth it. The broth and wontons came separately packed, which is greatly appreciated. Not only that, but they also threw in some steamed baby bok choy - nice. When I got back and assembled everything, it was still hot so I didn't have to reheat it, just threw it all together in a bowl. This is not a soup for one person to eat in one setting. I have a bunch leftover still. The dumplings are so tasty! Obviously a pork/shrimp dumpling, hand made and soooo delicious. This place smells amazing. I watched the butcher guy hack up some seriously yummy looking meats for other people's orders. Definitely going to put this in my rotation for sure. read more

I am new to Dorchester, and so it has been very exciting to try all the wonderful restaurants and pubs on Dorchester Avenue. I have driven by Lucky Cafe several times, and each and everytime the carcuses in the window of perfectly barbecued duck and pig have caught my attention. I decided to try the Lo Mein with Roasted Duck, and it was very flavorful and filled with nice pieces of moist duck, scallions, and very flavorful noodles that were just perfectly cooked! I am looking forward to trying other recommnedations from the readers especially some of the mixed barbecue offerings. Great local find! read more

I've only ordered the ginger lo mein. I asked for them to add some heat to it and it was delicious! Huge portion is $7, so for one person plan on leftovers. Very friendly service, therefore I will be back to try more of the menu. Update: I tried a rice plate with Szechwan chicken. I did not care for that dish at all. Extremely salty, and bland. NOT Szechwan! The menu is huge, so I will try again after my body purges all that salt! read more

I came here sometime since there is only this Chinese restaurant in Dorchester. Every time is same, rude customer service! You would never see his smile! This is a second time I asked to have a soy sauces since I bought a half chicken, he said he already put in there, but NO! If I know that the price is going up but you still have to pay with Cash Only! I will never come back here read more

Although the bbq items are pretty good, this place is pretty unreliable as they only open whenever they feel like it. Despite what the store hours says online or on the door, they close whenever it rains and on random days and never pick up phone calls even when they are open. read more

I bought their Kung Pao chicken and dumplings. At first I was a little disappointed they would not take my card but what really got me was how bad their food was. The chicken tasted like it got fried in oil that was 5 days old and their dumplings were just plain out bad with something hard that did not seem like food. Never again, nor would I recommend this to anyone that values their health and time. Rice was ok read more

The food is fantastic. As a rule off thumb when dining on ethnic cuisine different from your own. When people of their own ethnic group eats there too, then it's a sure enough sign that food is authentic and delicious. read more

Cox liked the food. Cox liked the salt n pepper calamari. Cox liked the ducks in the window. Cox doesn't believe in leftovers so he ate the whole dam thing read more

I used to like this place, and I have been buying ducks, chicken, and roasted pork from this place since they started business right on Dorchester Ave. However, I am really disappointed with the attitude that the guy has been giving to his customers. The duck, chicken, and roasted pork here are okay compare to Hong Kong Eatery in Chinatown. But, I really do not care about that right now. I am seriously frustrated with the customer service that I am receiving from this place, especially from the guy behind the counter who is probably the owner himself. My roommate friend called in to order $20 or less of roasted pork, but the person speaking on the phone kept insisting that the total will be a "little" over $20. Well, let me tell you something, they always do this. You would want only $20 or less of something, but if you don't tell them that you ONLY want max $20 or less, they will add more and then your total would be about $7 dollars more. It is frustrating when they only take cash, and you have exactly what you wanted, but then get turned away because you don't have $27 in cash for them. That is not it; because this happened so much to my roommates and I, one of my roommates called in and order the same thing for a small dinner and a whole duck, and again they told my her it will cost more than what she actually wants. It took my friend 7 patience minutes to get the message across to the person on the phone that she only wants what she needed. And then, when I went to Lucky Cafe to pick up the order for my roommate and paid, the guy who is always there behind the counter roughly threw the bagged order on the counter, and he had an ugly attitude on his face too. I felt insulted and so I talked to my roommates about it, and their parents who came for dinner said that they have also experienced similar situations. Another thing is that I am half Chinese so I can understand Chinese too. I don't speak it much because I am not fluent when speaking, but I can understand conversations. I have heard this guy say a lot of things to workers when they are chopping up orders, but I'll leave it for someone else who might also know what I am talking about, and let them review about it. I am going to restrain myself from coming here to buy anything unless someone important like my grandma or someone who is coming abruptly then I will order from here. read more

This is the place to go for Chinese bbq in Dorchester. One dish can easily feed two people, but get two (at around $7 per dish) and you'll be set for lunch the next day. The mixed bbq dish is a great intro to the world of Chinese bbq as you get chicken, duck, and pork served with rice and bok choy. Located directly next door to Shanti, the block is quickly becoming a vibrant dining destination. read more

I get food here every once in awhile, usually would not have any problem with it. However, today, at 1pm, I ordered the rice plate with char siu, roasted duck and chicken to go. The chicken smell horribly bad once I opened the box. I don't think they use fresh ingredients to even start with. Charsiu, duck and rice looks ok to me. But the rotten chicken smell caught me. Never again. read more

This is definitely one of the better American-Chinese fast foods places I have been too. They have a huge menu from peking duck, seafood, and poultry, and noodle soup. It was my first time there so I just ordered chicken lo-mein and crab ragoons. The lo-mein was not too oily which was great since I did not feel that heavy feeling in my stomach you get when eating some Chinese food. The noodles were also skinnier than other lo-meins, more like Japanese ramen. It also had shredded chicken that they pulled off the bone so it was tasty. The ragoons were $6 which I thought was pricey, but turns out they give you 14! They were okay, I like mine with more crab meat then cream cheese but if you prefer creamier ones than Lucky Cafe has them. It was clean and the food came out quickly, I will definitely be by again. Only down side is that they do NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS! read more

Ordered over $400 worth of duck, chicken, and pork at this establishment for a party, and one of my orders had majority bones! I'm totally aware that when you order these that there will be bones attached to the meat but one entire order had literally ALL bones with NO meat attached to them. The owner was super rude and claims there was no bones. Owner is a liar and I had to throw out an entire tray because it was inedible. Do not do business here if you want catering for your party. They will charge you a ton for food you cannot eat. read more

Whoa...amazing Chinese BBQ. The pork here is excellent, and it is not nuclear pink. The Peking raviolis are juicy, plump, and had just the right amount of pan-frying. The portions of meat in the combo were a touch skimpy, but we still had enough for leftovers, so that's OK; we had ample food to go around with everything else I'd ordered. The staff was really nice and walked me through the menu when I came in to order--always a plus. Even though I walked past it almost every day while they were renovating, it's not first on my Chinese-food list because they don't deliver, they close at 9pm, and they take cash only. But the food is so not-greasy, and flavorful, that we'll be ordering from here more often (weather permitting). read more

I don't understand how this place has such good reviews. I was truly disappointed with their chicken and broccoli. My roommate told me about this place and I decided to try it. However, I have yet to have a delicious meal here. The food is always stale and gross. I have given up on Chinese food in Dorchester. read more

More like Unlucky Cafe. The worst. I asked if they could make the pad thai vegetarian (a pretty normal request I think) and they said sure no problem. I got it and it was rice noodles. JUST rice noodles. I asked what the deal was and they looked at my like I was asking for a lot. Begrudgingly, they offered to put scallions in it. Just scallions. They seemed to be saying that they didn't have any other vegetables. After pressing, I finally got them to put broccoli and carrot slices in it. Scallion pancakes were awful - and I was operating on low expectations. They had forgotten to make them and I wish I hadn't reminded them on our way out. My cohort seemed to like their egg fu yung and shrimp something or another, but they are generally happy to cut the mold off of their bread and throw some boiled, canned vegetables on top of it, when eating at home. read more

Surprised to find paying with cash a big problem with most people. I won't let that affect my rating for the food. Good value for money. Chicken is a little dry but roasted duck is good standard. I've been to HK more than 10 times - so believe me. The price is reasonable for the quantity. read more

Lucky Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Dorchester, Massachusetts

Ordered delivery tonight: Beef Teriaki - I actually didn't mean to order this, but it was excellent! Tender and tasty. Hunan Spicy Chicken - It was pretty good (I asked for it hot, but it barely had a kick to it). Tofu with vegetables (it had a slightly different name on the menu) - tasty. Had to order white rice separately. Definitely a place I will order from again. read more

I am Chinese, and a huge fan of the Chinese style roast pork. I live in Los Angeles and we have plenty of Chinese restaurants here. However, I have to admit, Lucky Cafe serves up THE BEST roast pork that I've ever eaten! (I swear this on my life and my future kids' life!) The rest of the other food there are good, too, but when I travel to Boston area for work, I mostly go to Lucky Cafe for the roast pork. (I am making myself hungry now.) Oh yes...this part proves that the universe obeys the "six degrees of separation" law. The first time I was at Lucky Cafe, and this NOT a joke, I met my father's first cousin there (which makes her my great aunt)--one lady that I have never met before visiting Lucky Cafe. Our meeting was all by chance...I ate there, and she happened to be there. Indulge on that. =) read more

I came in right before it closed for the night and ordered the veggie lo mein. First off, there were no water chestnuts! Yay. I hate those. That is probably irrelevant to my review. There was, however, broccoli, bok choy, green beans, onions, and carrots. And good noodles. And it wasn't too greasy (lo mein needs a little oil!). The point is, it totally hit the spot. I'm not a meat eater, so I can't speak to its BBQ stuff, but that lo mein was great. read more

Once you overcome the ducks hanging in the window (which took a while for me) and try the food you'll be a regular. Great prices, great food...and lots of it so you're pretty much guaranteed to have left overs in the fridge when you get hungry at 3am. read more

What I love about Lucky cafe is the authentic Chinese flavors. It is the closest thing to a China town place without having to leave the hood. Unlike your traditional "Chinese eat in" Lucky's actually roasts their duck, chicken and pork. Being a chef, I am definitely a fan of Luck Cafe! read more

This is one of my favorite takeout places in dorchester. The crab rangoons and wonton are made fresh. I always get the beef chow foon or seafood noodles. Would definitely recommend. read more

Had some of the best chinese grilled meats today , ordered char su, roasted pork and duck along with Young Chow fried rice that has boat loads of meat and veggies, (its a white fried rice not brown ) most deffinatly worth it , chinese brother at the counter is most deffinatly a cool guy and a humble greeter read more