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Lucky Yu

From the owners behind Bodega, the new Japanese-inspired restaurant ‘Lucky Yu’ has now opened its doors to the public. They’re currently open Thursday-Sunday and specialise in all things bao buns, dumplings, sandos and yakitori alongside cocktails, sake, beer and wine. 

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the interior and also a taste of some dishes/cocktails you will find on the menu. You’ll find them on Broughton Street, just a short walk from both the St James Quarter and Omni Centre — they’re hard to miss with their navy blue and neon pink exteriors. As you walk in there is limited seating available in the main area of the restaurant but fear not…if you continue on and walk down the stairs you will find plenty of extra seating including a beautiful private dining section. 

Front entrance to Lucky Yu
Entrance to Lucky Yu
Interior of Lucky Yu
Inside bottom dining area

First up I want to shine a light on the bar, the bar staff and the beautiful cocktails they were whipping up. Throughout the night there were many different cocktails being served and I ended up trying three of these. It wasn’t clear which one was what but the two pictured below were the Hidden QI (this almost tasted like an alcoholic plum soda) and the Soul Thai (a spicy tequila and grapefruit cocktail). All of these were beautifully balanced so if you do drink I’d highly suggest trying one of their cocktails from the menu — all priced from £8.50-£9.50. 

Cocktail in front of neon sign at Lucky Yu
Cocktail in front of neon 'Lucky Yu' sign
Miso glazed aubergine and kimchi gyoza from Lucky Yu
Miso glazed aubergine and kimchi gyoza

To be clear, this is not a full review as these snippets of the restaurant were from a launch event and I can’t comment on the full dining experience. With that being said, I was still able to preview some of Lucky Yu’s dishes which can be found on the main menu so if those are anything to go by you won’t want to skip this place if you love Asian cuisine. The beef brisket bao buns were jam-packed with flavour and were easily my favourite dish I tried. The miso glazed aubergine and kimchi gyoza both also deserve some recognition too!

Chicken wings on a small plate from Lucky Yu
Karaage chicken
Plum cocktail from Lucky Yu
Plum cocktail

I’m truly excited that Lucky Yu is back in the Edinburgh food scene serving up great Japanese-inspired dishes and cocktails. I can already tell it’s quickly going to become a favourite that will have locals and tourists making their way over to Broughton street in no time! 

Disclaimer: I was invited to this event with no obligation to post.

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