Lucky Chinese Restaurant

These comments and star rating apply _​just_​to the steam-​table buffet (the most visible feature of this restaurant, to walk-​in customers seeking a casual meal amid errands in the surrounding commercial complex). That’s how I’ve used the place in my visits. Buffet dishes I’ve tried have been adequate and satisfying (especially when hungry), like chain restaurants of this type in shopping-​mall food courts throughout California.
I know Lucky as a local chain with at least four locations in MV, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills (MV’s San-​Antonio site closed — part of that block’s big changes?) This one opened around 15 years ago.
Looking at a menu, I see that Lucky also offers a much wider range of dishes made to order. I should try those à-​la-​carte items, a suggestion made in other reviews here. Given the unusually low longterm Unilocal average (currently, 2 stars; most reasonably successful restaurants with high review counts tend toward 3.5 Unilocal stars, as diners’ opinions average out), I suspect many other Unilocalers, too, know this place only for its buffet, and that their impressions are like mine. Compare Little Chef
for another example of this genre in Mountain View — recent, and independent — whose cooking I found fresher and more interesting.

I trip out, the lady in there was trying to hustle me. I asked for a one choice from the hot entrée section because only one dish looked like it would taste good. Everything else looked like it was sitting there all day getting crispy and dry. So I ask if I could get an egg roll to substitute for the other choice I was not choosing, still had to pay $ 1.25. Then the lady asks me if I want sweet and sour soup because that comes free with the plate and refused to show me the other soup because that one costs 75 cents more. Then she gives me my total…$ 12?! Ok so I got a one choice plus an egg roll… whatever, I know I couldn’t ask for a detailed receipt because she didn’t speak English very well anyways. Never gonna order from the hot line again. When I ate the egg roll it was alright, I’ve had much better. The noodles were super mushy, fried rice was dry & lacking flavor, orange chicken was way spicy. I was surprised that the best tasting item was the one I was skeptical about accepting… the sweet sour soup.

I am surprised the low rating here. I am guessing it’s the to go plates. Not the order from the menu.
Food is always fresh, great tasting and a good value. Clean place to eat and tv if you want to watch.

the food is god awful– budda awful– allah awful– what ever you prefer. the place has been sold. good luck to new owners– you will need it.

Shocked by the 2 star overall rating, this place is much better than that.
It’s pretty good for Americanized Chinese takeout food. Slightly higher quality ingredients and less greasy than other comparable places. No MSG. If you want fresher food, order off the menu instead of the combo meals.
Super clean and nice interior, just remodeled last year.

I’ve been fighting off the flu for a week now. Trying to keep some kind of food in me, I ordered some wonton soup and white rice. I asked them to keep out the wontons and just give me the broth.
I think I just paid $ 7 for hot oily water. Absolutely inedible. There is no flavor in here at all. The steamed rice was also extremely oily.

I was SOOOOO hungry and decided to go hear with my boyfriend. I had chowmein, curry chicken, and green beans and chicken. :(The curry chicken sauce was BEYOND disgusting!!! My food was cold and I barely ate any of it. My boyfriend ended up letting me eat his beef and broccoli which was pretty good. But since its not a real restaurant I couldn’t have them take the food back and give me another. so i wasted about $ 9. I wasnt going to throw it away and i was gonna get new utensils to give to a homeless person but honestly they might have thrown it back at me. Very sad :(

Pretty good for $ 11 for three items. The tofu with black beans was really good, broccoli beef so so, watched the Warriors on their TV while waiting for my son to come back from a run. The mandatory rice as one of your items is a bummer but it does makes sense. It’s not expensive, fast and efficient and has one of the nicest bathrooms you will see around! LOL– I took pictures of the amazing facet and orchids in there! The hot and sour soup that came with the dinner was quite good as well! Hong Kong style American Chinese food!

First time here, food is ok nothing like wow,
I hade pepper chicken, rice and broccoli
beef. The beef is not really good. I don’t recommend test

This place is terrible. Try to find some chicken in the green bean chicken. You might find one or two tiny chunks. What a joke.
The people there are rude and the food is overpriced.
Go to Panda Express instead!!!

This is some of the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a more detailed review. Coworkers wanted Chinese food, but after learning our go-​to Chinese place in Mountain View has closed, we were left scrambling. We should have went somewhere else… anywhere else. The first clue was the two star average on Unilocal (that I didn’t see before eating here). The second clue was the fact that we came here at noon and it was virtually empty.
I got a four item plate. Half fried rice/​half white rice, beef and broccoli, green bean chicken, and sweet and sour pork. It also came with hot and sour soup. The soup was neither hot nor sour… and it had only a lukewarm temperature. The beef and broccoli and the green bean chicken were extremely salty and the veggies were pruned up like they’d been out all day. Wait a second… this place was only open for an hour… they served me leftovers. The sweet and sour pork was fresh (I saw them put out a fresh batch), but there was no flavor at all. If you blindfolded me and didn’t tell me what it was, I would have thought it was a plain chicken nugget with no sauce.
Old, disgusting food for a shade under $ 11. This place makes Panda Express seem like a Michelin star restaurant. And for less than the price of this place, I can go to Sweet Tomatoes and get all you can eat fresh food. Or I could go get Mongolian BBQ on Castro Street… or a pizza… or a steak from any nationwide casual dining chain. The only time I could see this place getting a repeat customer is if someone loses a bet and is punished by having to choke down this food. It’s safe to say that I won’t ever be back.

This place made me extremely sick. I really don’t recommend eating here. I question if their health codes are up to standard. It looks like the food just sits out all day and isn’t kept very warm at all. A breeding ground for bacteria.

I went against all my principles and gave in during a moment of desperate hunger. I persisted even upon seeing a couple of flies circling in the middle of the restaurant. Red flags ignored, I proceeded to order a one item combination plate: fried rice and chicken with string beans. And an egg roll on the side. My plate came with hot and sour soup. All items totaling $ 10. Fried rice was flavorless, and the chicken dish should have been called string beans with a side of string beans. The little chicken I did find was flavorless. The soup was one-​dimensional and too sour. The best thing was the egg roll but that’s because everything tastes good deep fried. It was not my Lucky day at Lucky Chinese. You’d be lucky if you got a decent dish. At the very least, service was prompt though. Needless to say, I will not be back.

This restaurant does have an excellent hot buffet bar for very good deal prices.
2 items combo for 7.95
3 items for.8.95
4 items 9.95
Tables inside or take out.
Combos includes a hot sour soup, but also for 0.50 you get miso soup.
Very nice and clean decoration. The restroom is the best cleanest and modern decorated one I have ever been in the Bay Area. No kidding and no exaggeration.
Service is kind, quick and very efficient.
You can’t beat this anywhere else.
Very recommended for people who are busy or just want a quick good quality meal for a reasonable price in a clean modern place.
BtW, Lot of parking and next to 99 Ranch and Nob Hill.

It is good place for Chinese food to go.
The tast is good.
The place is nice and elegant after decoration.
It is really a nice place worth you to come again.

I should have checked the Unilocal reviews before eating here. It’s like Panda Express where they have the food sitting out and they put it on a plate and you pay. When I said it was to eat there they warmed it
Up in the microwave! And it was still barely warm so I had them warm it up again. The food tasted fine but I didn’t eat much because I’m not sure what temperature they keep the food at, it’s definitely not being stored hot.
I was there for lunch at 1130 it’s not like they were about to close or anything.
Soup came with my meal and it was ok.
Won’t eat here again.

Not sure why others give only 2 stars. I ordered a $ 8.95 3 items combo, pepper chicken and fish (rice/​noodle is counted as one item), which tastes not bad. I’ll give it 4 star if it’s cheaper.

Heavy Chinese food. Heavy on the salt and MSG. Styrofoam carryouts and plastic bags. What is not to like?!? On some days, I’m absolutely craving this type of ‘soul’ food and the Whole Foods down the street just ain’t cutting it. Would I come here on my off day? Definitely not. Does this satisfy any immediate needs for Chinese food? Absolutely.

Oh Dear. I knew I stayed away from little take-​out Chinese Restaurants for a reason. I was so hungry, I was looking for Safeway (I wanted soup) and this is where I ended up instead.
Now, I have to explain that I am a HUGE believer in fate and so when I pulled up to this place, I quickly reprimanded myself for rolling my eyes and making a gagging sound to my reflection in the rear view mirror. I told myself to man up and just order and taste it. Heck, by the time I got in line I was so excited to possibly have just found the BEST Chinese take out place EVER!
UmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMmmmm…NO. NOT AT ALL.
NOT EVEN CLOSE. THANKS FOR NOTHING, FATE.
Beef was really old tasting, gummy, extra chewy, bad frozen flavor. I tasted the chicken, overly sweet and just… ughhhhh (gagging now). Fried rice, was edible, I will give them that! The meal comes with soup, I chose not to take them up on that offer.
I paid about $ 8. Not bad for «real» food right? Wrong. I will choose greasy fast food over this stuff any day.
Sorry, Lucky Chinese… You not so lucky after all.

Who says strip mall take-​away has to be lousy? You’re in luck with Lucky Chinese.
Aii feerring moh stahs mainry foh barrance hatahs rebiews! Dammm Mongorriannnz!
We’re up all night ’til the sun
We’re up all night to get some
We’re up all night for CHOW FUN
We’re up all night to get LUCKY
(o u no i jes hadd 2 do dat!!!)
:PPPPP
Located in the Nob Hill shopping center, just to the right of Nob Hill Market, is a kitchen that cooks up some solid basic take-​out. If you need food fast, cheap and to-​go, this will work.
Beef and broccoli, Green beans with prawns, Black bean fish, Sweet and Sour pork, and more of your greatest hits menu items. Three– or Four– item plates at a nice price. How does less than ten bux each sound?
Granted, it’s Chinese food, and my face feels like a grease pool after chowing down on chow mein or chow fun. This I don’t like, so I wish they’d use a different cooking oil. But vegetables were fresh, the seafood and beef, decent too. Has it gone downhill. eh, seemed okay to me.
Lucky touts ‘no MSG’, which I applaud. At least, my taste buds didn’t find anything too salty. Oh, with one exception: Mongolian Beef was wack; sodiumed over the max. So don’t order that. (Again, doze pesky Mongohhrrrians!)
Each plate order comes with a cup of Hot and Sour soup, which tasted fine. Another big plus? Brown rice can be substituted for white rice. Makes me feel slightly, if delusionally, healthier about eating take-​out.
So you see, no need for Panda Express or P.F. Chang’s when you can get Lucky. You’ll likely spend less, too.

I’ve been going here for a number of years and have been holding off on writing a review. But after my last experience …
As others have noted, prices are up, quality and quantity are down. I suppose this is the signs of the time. The hot and sour soup has fewer ingredients and is almost tasteless. Chow fun was the same. I ordered off the menu and for 3 items, the total was over $ 28.
What really bothers me are the staff. Are they being forced to work here? Its like talking to a cardboard cutout. I couldn’t tell if they wanted to take my order or listening when I did. Are they being held here against their will?

This is located very close to El Camino Hospital. Hubby & I came here after church w/​a friend. I was a bit disappointed because it’s typical chinese buffet fare but the difference is you pay by plate or # of items — kind of like Pandao Express except the food isn’t as fresh. They then reheat the food in a microwave before giving it to you. I did however enjoy their Walnut Prawns — which were pretty tasty but cold. I would probably come here again however based on quality/​freshness to price — I’m giving it 2 stars.

This place has been around since I was a little kid. It used to be fresh, hot, and tasty but man has it gone down hill!
Most of the food tastes extremely greasy, old, stale, and yucky. Like some other Unilocalers mentioned, I happen to think microwaving the items is simply disgusting! Many of the trays of items appear as if they have been sitting for hours or days. The lunch special is a rip off for the quality you receive. I expect more than a huge scoop of greasy noodles and two tinny scoops of what I actually want and paid for.
The meats in the soups are gross! They have a uniform texture, which just doesn’t look appetizing.

Great Chinese To-​Go food. Don’t compare this to Mr. Chows or some other lame nasty BS… Lucky Express got it going. I mean the place was clean from the start. It’s located in a nice shopping center, the food on display looked clean and not messy/​splashed all around, etc. I ordered chow mein which wasn’t oily. There was a great amount of meat and veggies mixed in. It wasn’t soggy either! It had that nice cooked texture to it like if it were just newly placed on. I ordered the broccoli beef. The meat was tender and the sauce was just ok. It wasn’t fresh but hey, for a place like this? It was good. The price for my 2 item came to $ 7 at most.
I’d come back here but the only problem is that they don’t stash your box. It’s just the right amount. I actually wish they gave more :/​that’s why I like Wok’s On in Sunnyvale!