Lucky Star Super Coffee

Good.
Based on other reviews, this place carries more traditional desserts that are hard to find. I came in around 3:00pm on a weekday and almost all of their baked goods were gone, so I don’t know if that is true. All that was out for display was their red bean pudding cakes (aka Put Chai Ko, aka But Zai Gou) that are made of rice flour, brown sugar, and red beans.
–Put Chai Ko (aka red bean pudding cake): okay. I was so happy when I saw these, because they are really hard to find anywhere. Even more so because they were prepared the old school way: in mini clay bowls. I seriously have not seen them made like this in about 30 years. Most of the ones I see nowadays are made in a small aluminum bowl because it is more convenient to sell to customers. Anyway, as far as the red bean pudding cakes, they had a nice smooth texture, and they were generous with the red beans. However I thought it lacked sweetness. I was a little disappointed, but I willing to give them a try again.
–Black Sesame Soup (aka Tong Sui, aka Zi Maa Wu): good. It’s really smooth and a little on the runnier side, and is lightly sweetened. I wish it was made with the same smoothness, but was thicker. My grandmother used to make this for me all the time, and I loved how thick and creamy it was. I also wish it was a pinch sweeter. So I guess it’s a matter of preference.
–Sweet Almond Soup: good. I liked this because you could really taste the almond flavor, and it was lightly sweetened. Like the black sesame soup, this is a bit on the runnier side. Again, I wish it was slightly thicker, but that’s a matter of preference.
If you happen to order both the black sesame soup and sweet almond soup, you should try mixing the two together. It’s a nice combination.
I don’t remember how much everything was, but my total was under $ 6.50 for all three items. I will for sure be back to try what I already ordered, and to try other items on the menu.
By the looks of where they store their tong suis (aka sweet soups), it looks like they carry about 6 different types of soups. I wish I could tell you the other flavors, but everything was in Chinese and I don’t know how to read it. I would have asked, but my Chinese is pretty limited. I ordered what I knew and called it a day.
This place is a total hole in the wall. They have maybe one or two tables in the back, and can maybe seat 4 – 6 people. I felt pretty cramped in there, and there was only two other customers inside with me. I mean you could technically/​physically get a stroller and/​or wheelchair inside, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I felt like I had little room to move just standing there.
They sell desserts, so obviously kid friendly in terms of the menu.
Based on the price point, I’m assuming this place is cash only.
FYI, the place is really small and can easily be missed. The inside is small, dark, and looks like a total dump. But don’t let all that prevent you from going in. The people working are really nice, and the desserts are promising.

I LOVE discovering hole in the wall places in good old Chinatown! Visited this place twice in three days because it’s so good! They sell everything from porridge, soups (both dessert and soups for meals) and also Cantonese pastries. They have a daily special dessert soup which is amazing! I tried their apple carrot dessert soup during my first visit and it was amazing! Craved for it again and went there for their red bean with orange peel soup and it reminded me of my mum’s cooking. Very traditional and authentic Cantonese style soup place, cash only and everything is wrapped to-​go. However, there are 2 – 3 small tables for you to sit and dine. Try their woon-​zai pastry is you have extra room in your belly!

Takeout only –
I’ve heard from my coworker that Lucky Star has really good Cantonese dessert for a really affordable price. It’s not your modern day pretty looking dessert but the old-​school sweetened red bean soup or green bean soup, those kind of dessert definitely brings back memories.
So I was curious about their breakfast, I got a large coffee and a small container of macaroni in soup with ham and carrots. The coffee was mediocre, the macaroni can definitely be better. The macaroni tasted stale, like it was sitting there overnight, the soup wasn’t hot enough. Although their dessert might be a good bargain, their breakfast seems to prove otherwise. But, the two ladies behind the counter were really sweet… too bad that didn’t make up for anything.

Selfishness is human nature. It is nothing to be ashamed of. That is if you are doing no harm to others. Like not sharing your chocolate with your co-​workers? Well, that’s because you ‘care’ about their sugar intake. Not telling your mother of a great sales in town? Mom needs to save up for her life insurance. See? Selfishness could be a good thing. How about not sharing information about an authentic restaurant or food store? For once, I did not want to review Lucky Star because this minuscule mom and pop ‘snack’ shop is like a secret personal rendezvous for me. It is the place where I eat my ‘forbidden’ snacks (tong sui, aka sweet soup), get my protein consumption from freshly grounded soy milk by the lovely ladies working the joint, and sometimes sweet Cantonese pastries for my mom. Of course, there are lots more on offer. Behind their small kitchen, the cooks probably wake up before dawn to make savory soups for Chinese workers who needed homey sustenance after long working hours, like breakfast on the go with their buns or something hearty like Chinese tamales/​congee/​noodles. Needed to quench your thirst? There is always red bean/​green bean ice, coffee/​tea, and herbal tea on stand. And if you are like me, wanted some ‘healthy’ dessert, go for the tong sui. They only make these flavors — red bean/​green bean/​black sesame/​almond/​taro and tapioca in coconut milk. And today, I just found out if you caught them in the act, they might have ‘cold’ ones on hand, probably due to the heat wave. Tong sui is best when hot, but with this triple digit temperature, it is smart business strategy to be savvy with your product. While the ladies are old, they are not outdated. My go to is always black sesame. Freshly grounded black sesame seeds are cooked down the soaked rice and rock sugar, then blended on high speed until it turns into a creamy consistency. The sweet soup resembles the color of midnight, but the velvety texture and smooth mouthfeel makes this darkness sensual and luscious. It is one of their most popular items. The almond milk is alright, if you like the taste of almond milk. You can mix and match two tong sui if you fancy. I have tried black sesame/​almond and black sesame/​red bean. I found their bean tong sui to be too watery and beans were too small, so now, I usually stand with the black sesame soup. As for their pastries, you can’t go wrong with the egg yolk pastries and glutinous cake (2/​$ 1.20) that are steamed in this adorable terra cotta mini bowls. Usually, you can get these brown sugar glutinous cake 2/​$ 1 at other bakeries, but they usually taste like pure sugar, with no red beans inside. The REAL deal always include some red beans, which Lucky Star does so well. Besides, since it is just pure starch and sugar, a little goes a long way and these are just the perfect bite as a sampler.
So I felt generous today and want to share my little secret place. But it is also because I wanted the ladies to do well and make money. It is hallmark, authentic businesses like these that are turning into dinosaur in all cosmopolitan cities. We have to keep them alive to preserve the integral essence of a multicultural cities and not just bombarded with chains and excessive avant garde restaurants. At the end of the day, most people just want to eat food from their childhood. That’s why we have comfort food.

My mom, who works nearby, swears by this place. And after years of following her here, I’ve began to go on my own even when I’m not with her.
The ladies here are super nice and the prices cannot be beat. Everything is so cheap! After Yuen Yuen closed, this is one of the only places in Chinatown where I can get freshly made ha fo cho (herbal tea). They offer it hot or cold too. Bottled versions that are sold in the supermarkets are convenient, but nothing beats a freshly made batch of ha fo cho. A medium cup of hot ha fo cho only costs me $ 1!
Around Chinese New Years, they sell a whole turnip cake for $ 9. For those of us without older folks at home to cook them around the holiday, the ladies at Lucky Star allow us to eat a food commonly eaten during the New Year.

It’s hard to get over how tiny this shop is. How much of a hole-​in-​the-​wall is this place? It took me (5’3″) 3 strides to walk past this shop. But for those of us who used our noses rather than our eyes, who braved the stereo-​types and language barriers, we were rewarded with the best of «mama’s home cooking» at its best. This shop offers a hodge-​podge of Chinese snacks and soups that have that homemade taste and effect. By effect, I mean that it gives me that warm cozy feeling from the memories of my childhood. Being an ABC, things like this are extra precious to me especially now that I am on my own and can’t cook very well. The pastries and buns are old-​school and exactly how I remembered them as a kid, if not better. The congee and herbal drinks (like sugar cane tea) further reminds me of dear old mom. The soups and congee flavors change daily. And from my experience, they sell pretty quickly. But my favorite are the tong shui and herbal drinks. They are not overly sweet, and most definitely not watered down. The food in general is yummy and healthy. Nothing is too sweet or too fatty. Other must-​try items are the tea-​eggs, the rice noodle wrap, and the sponge cakes. Oh, and in terms of language, Cantonese and Mandarin are obviously fine, but I found that English isn’t much of a problem either. As long as you confine your conversation to your order. In fact, I think one of the ladies even speaks a little Spanish. I guess this place truly is a gem in disguise.

It really doesn’t get more «hole in the wall» than Lucky Star Super Coffee (how fabulous is that name?!). We frequent Chinatown often but have walked by this place hundreds of times without noticing it. It wasn’t until the last time we walked by that my mom caught a sign for black sesame soup out of the corner of her eye that we decided to step in and give it a try.
Upon entering, we noticed that they offer some more traditional Chinese baos and desserts that are hard to find even in Chinatown. We opted for the half black sesame & half almond dessert soup. It was alright, but there was something very homey about the shop and food that makes me want to come back.
The small shop has seating for about 4 people, and the ladies behind the counter are friendly but definitely don’t speak English. Don’t be afraid to just smile and point!

It’s a tiny little hole-​in-​the-​wall, and I think it’s a family-​owned business. But everything is fresh and homemade. Despite being tiny (they have three two-​person tables), they always have at least one person sitting there enjoying their coffee and food.
The menu is quite large for a place of this size. It’s my favorite place to get a cheap breakfast. A pint of macaroni is $ 1.50, as is a pint of congee. Their congee flavors change every day. They also have a few flavors of tong sui everyday, as well as homemade soup. Their homemade soup changes everyday, but they’re all healthy. It’s like the soup my mom makes at home, but now that I dorm, I come here to get a replacement until I visit home! After work, I like to com here and pick up some snacks. They have different kinds of dim sum and bakery food. The food here is always cheap but yummy.
As for their drinks, they have a couple of herbal teas, but I’ve only had their coffee. Even if Lucky Star is out of the way, I try to come here for my coffee. For some reason, it’s stronger yet sweeter than any other coffee I’ve had in Chinatown. My guess is they use super strong coffee, then use condensed milk instead of milk and sugar. But it makes for an amazing cup of iced coffee.
For anybody not from around here, I’d suggest you come to try to soups. They’re what I would consider authentic, since I’ve been drinking soups like this since I was a baby. Chinese people love their soups (or is it just Cantonese)?

Hole in the wall, but local favorite with house made stuff