Lucky Cat

"Food was not great, coming from a Japanese person. We ordered the karaage, lucky cat ramen, and mentaiko pasta. Karaage was not juicy and the chicken was a bit tough to chew through. Seasoning was mainly the lemon wedge and the salt pepper on the side. Ramen was ok but there are many better places in NYC (even random hole in the wall restaurants). Mentaiko pasta was on their special menu (I assume for the holidays) and it had barely any roe and tasted mainly of kewpie mayonnaise for $17. Small portion of noodles as well. Very overpowering mayo taste vs the usual carbonara creaminess from other restaurants that you would expect from the dish. Restaurant had a very Japanese street restaurant vibe which was cool, and service was ok. I left most of my dish uneaten and they did not inquire if the food was ok. No wait for us at all on a Saturday night at 6:30 pm. Would recommend you come, to stick with their tried and true or go elsewhere. Many better restaurants on the same block."

"Decor is fun, the food was great, and the service was great. I came here during lunch on a work week. I had the lucky cat ramen with a short rib and it was all great. They had a tv at the bar where they were playing studio ghibli movies. The overall experience was good and I’ll definitely be back"

"Really enjoyed the veggie ramen, age dashi tofu and the avocado salmon salad. Liked it so much I went back a few days later!"

"Ambiance (5/5): The décor is extremely busy with Japanese themed banners, cartoons, artwork, and human-sized cat in the back! This reminds me of the izakaya in Japan! Even the check was presented in a manga book! Service (4/5): The restaurant was bustling at 8pm and the staff worked quickly to get everyone what they needed. They were under-staffed and did very well. With an extra hand, I think their service would have slightly better. Food: Overall, the food was a letdown! Every dish was meh and the only thing it had going for them was the bustling surroundings. I noticed the picturesque volcanic hot pot dish at our nearby table which looked interesting to try. Crispy Pig Ear w Chili Oil (2/5): They weren't kidding that it was going to be hella crunchy! The ear bits are thin and the breading/fried nature of the pieces were beyond edible. The mayo dip helped soften the bites. Short rib kabob (2/5) $8: There's a sweet caramelized outer flavor to the beef but it was incredible chewy! Lucky Cat Ramen (2/5): While the broth was umami, the overall flavor lacked a punch. The 2 pork pieces were tiny and extremely fatty. The toppings were sparse. Negasaki Champon (2/5): The broth reminded me a ramen pack that I could make at home... There was nothing special about it. The pork belly pieces were sliced thin. The toppings seemed more generous than the lucky cat ramen."

"Very nice place. We love coming here. I ordered Set C it was delicious. Please try their pig ears if you like crunchy. Sushi were not bad. Will try next time their ramen."