Lucky Rabbit Noodles
Restaurant · DUMBO ·
Pan-Asian recipes with inventive twists, matzo ball dumplings
Pan-Asian recipes with inventive twists, matzo ball dumplings
"Lucky Rabbit is just a tiny room with a few tables and an open kitchen. But there’s something special going on here, even beyond the matzo ball soup dumplings or rice with buffalo sauce on the menu. Get some braised beef noodles or a soup with both dumplings and noodles for a low-key dinner or a great takeout meal." - willa moore, bryan kim, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick, carina finn koeppicus, hannah albertine
"Unlike a lot of the Pinterest-appropriate restaurants around Dumbo, this convenient little noodle bar is refreshingly DIY—though it's moved from what was essentially a stairwell under the Manhattan Bridge to a larger space in a warren-like building on Front Street. Lucky Rabbit might not be much more than a couple of tables and an open kitchen with big vats on the other side, but it's got something special going on. We realized this the second we slurped our first dill-topped matzo ball soup dumpling, next to a photo of the (sadly deceased) pet rabbit that inspired the name. Whether you're down for inventive dishes—like those dumplings or rice with buffalo sauce—or not, Lucky Rabbit is simply an incredible takeout option for doughy, soupy things in the area. And it's a cool spot to impress someone who’s visiting town and has recently enjoyed viewing the undersides of NYC's finest bridges. Food Rundown Matzo Ball Soup Dumpling They work. Ground chicken and matzo taste surprisingly good inside a droopy dumpling, served conveniently in what looks like a mini muffin wrapper. photo credit: Sonal Shah Lil’ Swimmers Dumpling Soup A noodle soup with dumplings, too, also known as the best of both worlds. The broth is gingery and deep, the dumplings are soft, and the noodles (procured from Chinatown in Sunset Park) are nice and chewy. photo credit: Sonal Shah Braised Beef & Noodles This heartier dish hits the spot every time, even when it's a little greasy. Thick noodles tangle with 12-hour braised beef, in a broth that's studded with scallions, fried shallots, and other aromatics. photo credit: Sonal Shah Send Noods If you can look past the name, these are some pretty good peanut noodles, with a sauce as creamy as good lipstick. Pineapple Chef Rice There’s more to Lucky Rabbit than noodles and dumplings. Like this rice, which is full of good stuff like pineapple, tofu (or chicken), ginger, carrots and celery. photo credit: Sonal Shah" - Sonal Shah
"Lucky Rabbit Noodles takes up approximately 300 square feet of Dumbo almost directly beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The food is totally untraditional and straight-up good: There’s matzoh ball soup dumplings, Buffalo chicken fried rice, and braised beef noodles, said to be influenced by Taiwanese beef noodle soup." - Eater Staff
"Tucked beneath the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, the roughly 300-square-foot Lucky Rabbit Noodles has cherry-red walls plastered with photos of every dish, a neon noodle-bowl sign, a handful of IKEA stools, and one employee — chef-owner Jeremy Dean. I watched Dean, a Mexican-Salvadoran who opened the space as a vegan corner deli called Vodega early in the pandemic before switching it into Lucky Rabbit in 2021, cook everything himself on a portable induction burner and a plug-in griddle in a kitchen with no walk-in, no gas, and no help. His signature “beef noods” is a gonzo riff on Taiwanese beef noodles: brisket braised overnight in chicken stock and mirepoix, the fat blended into the braising liquid to make a hyper-luxurious brown gravy seasoned with mushroom seasoning and Maggi, ginger and five-spice, sugar, and vinegar, then wok-finished with Thai basil and fat, chewy noodles from Chinatown that slurp up the sauce; he finishes it with a drizzle of garlic butter, ginger-scallion sauce, fried shallots, scallions, and pickled ginger — $22 for two pounds. Other inventive plates I encountered — some still vegan — include orange chicken made by simmering and blending whole mandarins, mushroom and sweet potato dumplings rolled into tubes, and thin springy noodles bathing in vegan garlic butter. It’s not trying to be an iconic Chinatown shop or strictly “authentic,” but its playful, off-kilter approach and big, untraditional flavors feel refreshingly honest." - Daniel Meyer
"I saw owner Jeremy Dean relaunch the former Vodega concept as Lucky Rabbit Noodles, named after his recently deceased bunny, with half the menu still devoted to vegan dishes." - Luke Fortney