Lucky Belly

RANDOMLY stumbled in here one night and was blown away… food is so insanely good and the vibe was so neat. Really, truly a rarity…

So, me and my family go eat there one Monday afternoon with a large party, and they weren’t able to seat us at one table. I sit at another table with my daughter and nephews. Ali was my waitress and Rachel served my families table. Let’s just start out by saying when we left we were not very happy. A few of my family members are elder, and the servers did not come back and refill their waters. The severs (Ali and Rachel) did not offer us a discount or another meal after they got one of our orders wrong. I ordered a certain type of sushi but they brought me the sushi that I didn’t order. Also, my grandmother’s meal was wrong, and they did not do anything about it. Rachel just apologized. that’s it. If a paying customer isn’t happy then correct it! — don’t just apologize. Throughout the night, I over heard the two servers whispering to each other and laughing really loud as well as cussing. They yelled at the others servers, too. It was extremely rude and unnecessary. I’ve never been so offended and distraught coming out to eat before in my entire life. My 9 year old daughter could do a better job serving. Let’s just say that I won’t be going back there.

I’ve been here several times, and I’ve found that while the Asian fusion menu is pretty standard, the burger menu is great.
Speaking as a vegetarian, I’ve had plenty of subpar veggie burgers. Lucky Belly’s are beyond the average, and I appreciate the nod to the non-​meat eaters among us. The bean & beet burger has a toasted bun, specialty toppings like tomato-​onion jam, and flavorful bean patty (too bad it fell apart a couple bites in; it’s just a lot of food).
To tell the truth, I only really come here for the fries. The seasoning is unique and addictive. The soy sauce-​garlic edamame (an appetizer) is also hard to stop eating.
Decent atmosphere, good/​fast service, average dinner prices for its kind. Would also recommend to Vanderbilt students since it is part of the Taste of Nashville program (pay with Meal Money).

Food — ⁴⁄₅. the food here is more asian fusion than authentic asian.
I highly recommend the Japanese fried chicken sandwich — it has such a good blend of american and asian flavors. I say asian instead of Japanese because the sandwich has kimchi, spicy sauce, and fried egg. The chicken piece is average however. What I am really impressed is the FRIES that go with this dish. Taste nothing like fries I had in the past — there is a mix of cinnamon-​like sweet and salty flavor to it. I pretty much overdosed on carb because of those fries.
Vibe/​ambience — ³⁄₅. Interiors dont match with the food theme. Except for the pictures of random asian people on the wall, the interiors look like a typical pub/​bar. I think they can do better than this to improve the dining experience.
Service — ⁴⁄₅. Ok, nothing to complain or rave about.
Overall, i give this a ⁴⁄₅. Maybe I will come back if I am in the area and crave some truly good FRIES (seriously order the sandwiches to get a taste of those fries)

It’s been weeks since I went to lucky belly and I’m STILL thinking about the Japanese fried chicken burger! ABSOLUTELY amazing! The food took a little long coming out, but it was worth it! If you have business at Vanderbilt, it’s just around the corner and is also on the student card!

As someone who doesn’t eat seafood, I was a bit hesitant to try a sushi/​burger concept. But I’m glad I did — the Truck Stop burger was one of the best burgers I’ve had in recent memory. Everything from the bun to the secret sauce was near perfect. Hands down it is one of the best burgers in Nashville — and I’ve had a lot since moving here. The fries were incredible as well. They had a sweet, barbecue-​like seasoning that gave them a slightly sweet yet savory taste. The edamame and hot chicken egg rolls were also very good as a pre-​game for the main course. The service was quick and friendly. I can’t wait to go back.

The chef from Zumi’s must have left because the food quality has definitely declined. The miso soup tastes like it had a cup of vinegar in it and when we asked about it, the only response we got was «that’s how it’s made here».
The beet and bean burgers were 70% bun and pretty flavorless and the fries were slightly sweet — which the menu gave no indication of.
Overall disappointed and not planning to return.

Had a friend join me to help check out this place… we meet monthly for sushi and I had heard about Lucky Belly. We sat outside and our server was really pleasant and helpful when we told her that we were «first-​timers.» We usually try the signature items on a restaurant’s menu as the yardstick… I mean, if you are going to put your «signature» on it, it’s probably your best! We both ordered the House Salad (House Carrot-​Dressing Salad.) Meh, the dressing did have an unusual flavor – not sure, but I’d say it was a weird kind of ginger dressing). She had the L.B.C. (Tempura shrimp, crab stick, avocado, sesame seeds, chives, eel sauce, spicy mayo) and I had the Mango Tango (Tempura shrimp, spicy crab stick, avocado, topped with mango, tuna, coconut ginger sauce). They were both okay — not bad, not great, but okay – edible. We got our tabs and both felt like they were a tad high for what we had, but that’s what was on the menu so we knew it was coming. To our surprise, the server came back to tell us that the bills were too high and several dollars were shaved off of each! Honesty is always appreciated. Not planning to return for sushi, but may give the burgers a try – I hear they are pretty good and my husband and I are always looking for a good burger!

I’ve had take out (via doorstep delivery) from this place but it was great to fully experience it! I had such a wonderful time at Lucky Belly! My friend reserved the karaōke room for her birthday. It was a $ 350 minimum which is pretty easy to hit with about 10 or more guest. I ordered a couple of mules … Swapped the vodka for whiskey :) I had the spicy tuna roll & the Korean wings. So yummy !!! The Tuna roll was a little spicy but I washed it down with water & a mule lol. I had a couple of fries from the person next to me. They had a sweet & salty combo … Delicious also ! I def recommend this place for a fun date night of group outing ! We did karaōke allll night ! It was a blast. Thanks to our lovely server … She was awesome & attentive.

I went on a Wednesday evening. I was pretty optimistic due to all the rave reviews. The place was pretty slow so I took a seat at the outside bar. The bartender was pleasant and attentive with out hovering. It’s a pretty little place. They have a promo running for free edamame, so I got the soy garlic edamame, the yellowtail jalapeño roll and the LBC roll with a small sake. The house sake was pretty good, and the edamame was tasty. The sushi, however, left much to be desired. The yellowtail jalapeño had a pretty generous looking amount of seasoning on top, but despite that it was pretty bland. The yellowtail itself tasted fresh and sweet, however there was no heat and very little other flavoring. The LBC was pretty good. But for both rolls the rice was pretty hard, like it was under cooked. It was pretty disappointing for sushi that got such great reviews.
They had a few things on the menu that looked tasty, and I would perhaps stop in again with friends if we were in the area, but in my opinion there are much better places for sushi in Nashville.

My girlfriend had her birthday upstairs! You can book it for a private event and you only have to spend $ 350 together!
I loved the karaōke bar upstairs. My girlfriends and I had a great time! I’m so glad we had a good waiter too because some of the girls had way too much to drink but she didn’t get annoyed with them or inpatient.
Their food is fine, it’s just a little over priced. I didn’t think their food was anything special other than it was expensive.
I’ve been here a few times before and I always felt the same about it. The food is alright which is why I always think it’s overpriced.
Parking on a busy day is hard to find so allot time for that when coming here!

I really hate having to give Lucky Belly a 3 star, but when it comes down to a restaurant review, it’s all about the FOOD. I had my 30^th birthday party here. We had a living social deal for 2 °F upstairs. I loved the privacy and karaōke! We had such a blast in our own private area. I loved the patio and string lights, where we had dinner. Our host was amazing as well, but the food not so much. I have never not finished a burger. This was a first for me. I ordered the jalapeño burger, and it was just smothered in sauce, overpowering everything. We ordered all of the appetizers to share with our guests, and the tuna devlied eggs was the best thing I ate. The korean wings were way too sweet and the hot chicken springs rolls was just not good, at all. I can’t say I will go back because I was so disappointed in the food. But I may go back to sing a song or two.

Not only did they not include my soup in my To Go order, but the edamame wasn’t cooked enough, the sushi was falling apart & my «Crunch + Shrimp» roll was nothing but a sliver of avocado wrapped in rice.
When I called to let them know & to complain about my order, the only help they could provide was an apology & when I asked if I could get another sushi roll (on a different day, as I had already taken my lunch & could not return that day), I was told they could probably do that, but only if I brought the sushi roll back.
I will definitely not be back & don’t recommend The Lucky Belly — especially if you are getting your food to-​go.

Atmosphere:
It’s located in Hillsboro Village. If you’re familiar with the area then you can expect this place to blend in with the neighborhood. Parking can be an issue if you don’t know where to look.
Food:
We started dinner off with an order of Hot Chicken Spring Rolls… and let me tell you… I could’ve eaten a meal of just these. Just the combination of flavors in this spring roll takes you back.
We ordered two sushi rolls an one entrée just out of curiosity.
The two rolls we ordered were the Spicy Tuna and Mango Tango. The Spicy Tuna was just so-​so but my girlfriend loved the mango tango.
Our entrée was the Japanese Fried Chicken Sandwich. I’m not a big fan of kimchi but I wanted to try out this dish. I’m still not a fan of kimchi. They seem to be a bit generous when it came to the spicy sauce and just made the entire sandwich a mess.
We capped off the night with a Chocolate Elvis. They were not stingy with the bourbon and my girlfriend who hates bourbon loved this drink.
Service:
I made a reservation in advance and we were seated as soon as we arrived. We didn’t have a single issue with our waiter however the table behind us made it known that they were not happy with him or the bartender because the drinks weren’t strong enough.
Overall:
Would I recommend it for sushi? Probably not. Would I recommend it for curious eaters? Absolutely. I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it again though.

We walk by Lucky Belly so often and always thought it looked cool, so decided to give dinner a try. On a weekday night it’s not really crowded, so not sure if that is a good or bad sign. Ordered the korean chicken wings were pretty decent, just a little salty and syrupy for my taste. I wanted to try the sushi so got a veggie roll and a salmon roll. Neither were great, they were borderline too warm and lacked freshness.
The service was also lackluster — maybe our waitress was having a bad day but she seemed extremely bored and like she was trying to get us out quickly. Overall, might go back for a drink but definitely not for the food. Could be that we need to know what to order, but doubtful.

This is Zumi’s, but they added burgers and called it Lucky Belly. It is ok at best.

Loved this place! What a surprise – don’t get me wrong, I just wasn’t expecting it to be anything super memorable based on my experience at its predecessor, Zumi. That being said, the LB burger was «one of the best» my boyfriend has ever had. We stopped in here for a weekday lunch and loved it.
Great service, lots of options. Surprisingly the sushi choices we went with were so-​so… not bad, nothing stand-​out though (we got a California roll and a jalapeño tuna something or other) Great lunch special for $ 12 – two rolls and a salad.
Street parking, large patio area. We’ll definitely be back. Convenient location in the heart of Hillsboro Village.

Of course I went on Unilocal to look up reviews before I decided to go here. The main thing I saw as a downfall was bad service, so as my friends and I were driving over there we were mentally prepared for bad service. Luckily, it was just the opposite. Our server was very friendly and attentive. It was pretty slow, so maybe the service is worse when it is busy?
I liked the sushi resturant that was in this location before, so I was happy to know it was close to the same menu, however my favorite item from when it was Zumi’s was no longer on the menu… the Ahi Poke. (Please get that on the menu Lucky Belly, I will come there all the time and eat it!!) Anyways, I was leaning towards sushi, but it was a little over priced in my opinion. My friends got the veggie burger, so I decided to get the regular burger. It tasted great, nothing special but it was a good burger.
We all split a spiked milkshake as well. It was so hard deciding which one to get, but we settled on The Smores and it was great!

Lucky Belly has a unique menu. They serve burgers and shakes with interesting variations, and you can add booze to your shake to make it a tasty adult beverage. They combine with this very American theme an Asian flare, serving sushi and a few appetizers such as soy garlic braised edamame, spicy tuna on top of deviled eggs, and Korean style chicken wings. I tried those three appetizers and enjoyed them. The wings were a bit overcooked, but I still liked the flavor of the sauce. The deviled eggs were my favorite, served over sliced avocado.
I also tried the miso soup, which was better than the standard miso you’ll find in most casual restaurants. I had the yellowtail nigiri, which tasted fresh.
All in all, I enjoyed my meal and will likely go back.

Decent sushi, shakes, and hamburgers, poor service. The mix of foods may sound weird, but it actually does cater well to a group of people who want different types of foods for lunch or dinner. The spiked shakes are super yummy. The biggest issue I’ve had is the slow service. Furthermore, I’ve come several times when they’ve been out of house wines and forgotten to bring out appetizers. Hopefully they improve as they become a more seasoned business.

I had very high expectations for Lucky Belly, as I’m a big fan of Two Ten Jack. I was quite entertained by the confusion I overheard from some college kids discussing the menu, «It’s japanese… burgers?»
The décor is super trendy, complete with servers in flannel shirts, faux graffiti, and a fireplace painted to look like a giant happy robot. The menu is, of all things, entertaining. Ever wanted to play Russian roulette with your sushi? Now you can. They have a Dare Devil roll, in which ONE random piece is loaded with Habanero Bullseye sauce.
My tuna burger was topped with pickled onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and… Wasabi mayo. I got the mayo on the side because I don’t handle spicy very well, but trust me when I say it’s not hot at all, just delightful. I’m not big on fries, but the fries here are actually fantastic. The meal was wonderful. My friend ordered a cheeseburger with a jalapeño aioli and she really enjoyed her meal too and said she will be bringing more friends back soon.
I also grabbed a side of eel nigiri because I wanted to try the sushi. Unfortunately, the sushi didn’t quite measure up for me. The eel was just a little rubbery and dry and really light on the sauce. It’s the only reason this isn’t a five star review.
Some might find the menu of Japanese inspired burgers, sushi, and spiked milkshakes confusing, but I personally found it delightful and am glad to have found this place!