Uncle Lou 快樂人
Cantonese restaurant · Chinatown ·
Cantonese village cooking with 200+ dishes, including crispy garlic chicken
Cantonese village cooking with 200+ dishes, including crispy garlic chicken
"Uncle Lou is one of several restaurants remaking Cantonese food in Chinatown, taking traditional recipes and kicking them up a notch — served on big round tables with turntables in the middle for easy sharing. Chef’s specials are called lo wah kiu (“the old timers”) and include steak cooked with chives, vegetarian tofu skin wraps, and homestyle chenpi duck, with an unusual sun-dried mandarin-orange-peel sauce." - Eater Staff
"Uncle Lou channels the neighborhood's old-school Cantonese spots, with a hint of neon and a bit of fake foliage. Open since 2021, the place stays packed with groups going to town on family-style portions, and it nails just about everything on its enormous menu. The garlic chicken is essential, and you should pair it with some bacon fried rice, chow mei fun, and perfectly silky wontons. Reservations are only available for parties of six or more, so keep Uncle Lou in mind for your next birthday party." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman
"A Chinatown spot offering classic Cantonese fare done to perfection with homestyle dishes." - Edward Barsamian
"One of the newer spots on Chinatown's Mulberry Street, this Cantonese restaurant has a lively dining room decorated with neon, hanging lanterns, and fake foliage—and it's crowded every night. That's because Uncle Lou does so many things well—from silky wontons and hefty siu mai to chow mei fun with scallops and crispy fried bits of cuttlefish. The portions are large, so bring a group and try to snag a round table with a lazy susan in the middle. (You can make a reservation for parties of six or more.) Split a bottle of wine, and don’t miss out on the juicy garlic chicken with crackly skin." - neha talreja, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, willa moore
"Uncle Lou debuted late in 2021 and has drawn crowds since, showcasing Cantonese village cuisine from the middle of the last century with refined ingredients, including such dishes as homestyle Chenpi roast duck and beef sauteed with garlic chives." - Robert Sietsema