Lucky 8 Ponsonby

As someone who loves to try out new restaurants and cuisines, I was thrilled when my daughter surprised me and my wife with a visit to Lucky 8, an Asian-inspired tapas bar located in Ponsonby, Auckland. The restaurant prides itself on offering an extensive menu of small plates, all priced at $8.88, and a bottomless brunch for $88 per person that includes unlimited drinks and a selection of dishes from their menu.

As soon as we arrived, we were impressed by the restaurant’s modern decor and ambiance. The dim lighting, cosy seating, and lively music made for a perfect dining experience. After my daughter successfully stalling our departure from home, our friends had arrived ahead of us and were already seated upstairs. Due to the crowd, we didn’t even notice them until we shown where we will be seated, we were incredibly surprised to see our close friends gathered around a large table, hiding their faces on the small plates placed on the table.

After settling in and perusing the menu, we decided to order a variety of dishes to share. My daughter told us to grab anything and we had almost a couple of each on their menu, we ordered the Slow Cooked Black Pepper Beef Cheek, Banana Leaf Salmon with Thai Chili Sauce, Hao’s Chilli Chicken, Golden Crusted Shrimp with Mayo, Pork Belly Fries with Thai Sauce, Lucky Pork/Shrimp Dumplings (steamed), Lucky 8 Beef Dumplings (steamed), Spinach and Peanuts (VG), Aunty Hao’s Glass Noodles (VG), Hao’s Spicy Xinjiang Lamb Skewers (3pcs), and Teriyaki BBQ Chicken Thigh (2pcs).

The ordering process was quick and efficient, thanks to the QR code that directed us to their website. Our friends were able to order on their own and it all consolidated at the end, coming straight to our table. It was great to not have to worry about coordinating everyone’s orders, and we could just sit back and enjoy the company and conversation while our food was prepared.

Everything was priced at $8.88, which was not only affordable but also added to the fun and unique concept of the restaurant. To wash down our food, we ordered Asahi 5% by the litre (NZ$22.00), which was chilled to perfection and complemented our meals perfectly.

All the we ordered was great and here are my favourites in order, the Prawn, the Chilli Chicken and Beef, but as mentioned everything was faultless, it just happened that these three were phenomenal, simple food done in an amazing manner.

It was my daughter’s treat, and it turned out to be a surprise for me and my wife in celebration of our 23rd wedding anniversary. It was the first time in a while that I was actually surprised, and it was a pleasant one at that. The food was great, the drinks were flowing, and the company was fantastic. Lucky 8 definitely exceeded our expectations, and we left feeling happy, full, and satisfied.

Lucky 8
Address: 161 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, New Zealand
Phone: +64 21 978 396
Website: https://www.lucky8.co.nz/