The Lucky Bee

I have a new favorite restaurant. When we first walked in and took in the atmosphere, I could only explain the vibe as Happy. A hip place with a very welcoming staff and exciting décor. A great atmosphere for dinner or just drinks. We were brought to our bar seats and invited to order from their adventurous cocktail menu. The restaurant gives $ 1 per drink to local honey charities and they highlight the local honey in their marquee drinks. I can’t remember the name of the drink I had but it was the bourbon honey one. It was delicious. We had the dumplings, fried chicken and curry dishes. All amazing, but the dumplings were above and beyond. Reminiscent of the flavor you get when you pour vinegar into a soup dumpling. This chef nailed it. I had 3 of the 6 but could’ve easily eaten the entire plate. In fact I could probably eat two entire plates. The fried chicken was extremely moist and the sauce, which had a fish sauce base was a welcomed change to standard fried chicken dishes I’ve had elsewhere. The cup of sauce could’ve been a little bigger so I could’ve lathered it all over the chicken. Finally the curry was complex and had great flavor. You could tell this was something created with care. The curry was HUGE. We couldn’t even finish it completely. The rice bowl was on the small side, but like I said, we couldn’t have eaten more anyways. I would love to have seen what the chef could have cooked up on the dessert front. But this is opening week, so I only see great things for the future of this menu and restaurant. I will be back again and again. A very welcome addition to the food scene that has been missing a hip asian food spot.

Great food & attentive service
The restaurant has a hip vibe, clean and relaxed feel. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with the charismatic owner and was served by the friendly staff. We started with the papaya salad that had a nice kick to it, along with Szechuan chicken (juicy and delicious). Had the winter melon soup and congee on the side for their Chinese New Year special, if your around that time it a must! For main course I had the curry lamb which was great with the rice. Compliments to the chefs and cooks along with the rest of the personable staff. I’ll definitely come back and recommend

Great stuff coming out of here. Started with 6 oysters which were delicious. Surprisingly the sauce they came with was super dope! (chili lime something??). Cucumber salad was on point amd super fresh. Finished off with the oversized chicken wings– a bit salty but amazing nonetheless. Service was impeccable. Will be interested to see additions to the menu and specials in the future. These aussies have something special here. I live on the block and gladly welcome this great addition!

The Lucky Bee is right on trend for many new spots in NY: a restaurant that is a colorful rendition of a regional cuisine. Most of the menu items are made with coconut milk, and most of the entrees in the opening week menu were a form of curry.
The smashed cucumber was well paired with coconut milk and an abundance of dill, but was extremely pricey for a cold vegetable dish ($ 11).
We also ordered steamed Pork and Sesame dumplings which were also overpriced for 6 medium dumplings that were no worse or better than the ones you eat for pennies in Chinatown ($ 13)
We ordered a Chicken dish in a light, soupy coconut curry that was pretty satisfying but also expensive at ($ 26)
The favorite of the night was the Mussaman Lamb Curry which was fatty, sweet, and very rich. ($ 28)
Both entrees came with a single bowl of rice– definitely a single person’s serving.
My friends opted for cocktails made with the restaurant’s locally-​sourced honey. Both were good, and I would not mind coming back here specifically for the drinks.
With a group of 5, we ordered two appetizers and two entrees. While this restaurant intends their dishes to be shared family style, the eventual price ended up being expensive for how hungry we were afterwards. (We ended up walking over to Chinatown)
Each person ended up paying $ 20 (tax + tip inc) for the food itself. It would be a reasonable price if everyone had their own entrée, but not for family style and super pricey appetizers.

This place is going to be huge! We got to preview the menu and had such a great time. The décor is delightfully offbeat and the music appropriately trendy. The oysters are amazing with a tangy authentic Thai dressing and some crunchy fried shallots. The pork dumplings with black vinegar and ginger sauce are super tasty if a bit awkward to eat with chopsticks. The chicken wings have an amazing, salty and peppery crunch that is absolutely mouth watering. The dressing is also wonderfully zippy, but be careful — a few too many of those tiny chiles and you’ll most definitely feel it! The tuna tartare is a sizable portion and the thai chili sauce has quite a unique flavor. Couldn’t stop eating it! The accompanying oyster crackers add a great crunch to the dish. I also tried the cucumber salad — so light, tasty and super fresh. For entrees we sampled the poached chicken — very similar to tom kha soup and wonderfully flavorful, but the standout was the lamb shoulder massaman curry. I’m not usually a lamb fan, but this was SO tender, rich, and delicious. Seriously, run, don’t walk.

Super fun and kitschy deco and attentive service. Best food I tried: Dumplings, papaya salad, cucumber salad, schezhuan chicken wings and red curry w king pawns. Fun tables and details on the straws that match the bar! Needs work: the music…

Went on opening night with a group of five friends. Started with the tuna tartare and dumplings. Tuna tartare was lovely except it could have used a hint more salt, or the shrimp crackers that accompanied the dish, should have been slightly salted. Overall though, the sweetness of the dish and the crispy, slightly salty shrimp cracker went well together. Everything was clean, fresh, and beautifully presented.
The pork dumplings were accompanied by a complex vinegary, black bean and cilantro sauce, however, the dumplings themselves, were not impressionable.
For the main course, we shared the red curry prawns and massaman lamb shoulder curry. The prawns were massive and fresh. The green tomatoes were under-​seasoned, but added a good color profile to the whole dish. The star dish of the night, had to be the massaman curry! The meat was so tender and well-​cooked. There was enough meat to have all five of us have a piece as well. I wish the potatoes were cooked a little more because they had a slight crunch to them. Overall, the curry was so tasty and well-​executed.
Lastly, the only reason why this Unilocal review doesn’t have a fifth star is because the most basic thing, which was the rice, that accompanied the two main dishes, was not fully cooked. I expected fragrant, fluffy jasmine rice, but we got bland, and undercooked rice. We asked for another bowl, but same thing happened with the bowl they brought us.
I would definitely go back and try some of their other dishes! Their drinks are also fun and delicious — ESP the spice-​rimmed margarita and the matcha-​vodka cocktail.