Mike L.
Yelp
It sucks to admit, but I haven't had much luck when it comes to finding good boba in Chinatown. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that the area is entirely devoid of any; it's just that the few I've tried thus far were less than stellar. Which is actually why I was so hopeful when I first came across Lady Luck Cafe. It's not exactly hidden away (it's in the middle of a block on Grant Avenue), but I can't say I had ever recalled seeing this place before. However, based on the look of the place, as well as their menu, they looked super promising! Such a bummer that it only made my experiences here that much more disappointing...
Like with so many other places in Chinatown, Lady Luck Cafe really isn't all that big. There's nothing to speak of with regards to seats or tables and there's just enough space for a few folks to wait in line to order and/or to pick up their drinks. That being said, the menu seems like it's actually grown since the first time I came here, which is just as surprising as it is impressive, given their limited confines. Not only do they have a solid selection of milk teas, fruit teas, teas/tea lattes, espressos, and Italian sodas, but they have both hot and cold versions as well (except for the Italian sodas).
-- BLACK MILK TEA with BOBA ...$5 (16 oz)
(https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/lady-luck-cafe-san-francisco?select=0YdDUS6MEXha-WSLll-0xg)
Ehh. I ordered this 50% sweet, so it makes sense that this could've been sweeter, but I wish it was a bit creamier and that the taste of the tea was stronger (it's not like anything was overpowering it). As for the boba (+$.50), most were cooked fine, but there were some that felt overcooked.
-- STRAWBERRY MATCHA LATTE...$6.50 (24 oz)
(https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/lady-luck-cafe-san-francisco?select=6oZN-1XGev4FskxNlOgMbw)
I was pretty hopeful for this one, as it looked great, but it left me with mixed feelings. On the plus side, the strawberry portion at the bottom was so good - delicious and too sweet. On the other, the matcha tasted a little chalky (had to stir it before every sip).
Along with the two drinks that I've tried here, I also had a couple of sips of my gf's PASSION FRUIT GREEN TEA with GRASS JELLY with only 50% sweetness ($5 + $.50). Given how little I tried (didn't even get any of the grass jelly), I can't say much about it, but she seemed to think it was fine (neither loved it nor hated it). As far as service goes, all of the workers have actually been really nice, which makes it even more unfortunate that the drinks have underwhelmed. If they were just a bit better, I very well might have rounded up from TWO AND A HALF STARS. If/when I come back, perhaps things will be better, but I'd be lying if I said they were more of a three than two for me at this point. Sorry.