**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024
I'd recently heard that a place near and dear to my heart was up for sale and would be closing its doors; Lucky's Breakfast. From the first time I set foot thru those doors back in 2008, Lucky's has been a sentimental favorite of mine. Beyond the old-school breakfast, it was the owner, jack of all trades, who took your order, bussed the tables, served the food, and cooked everything, Lucky that was the reason I visited. Even though I used to drop by every so often, I'd do a post about every five years it seems. But, I hadn't visited since before Covid, and when I did drop by, usually on weekends, the place would be pretty busy, so I'd just wait. It seems that various social media outlets had made Lucky quite popular. Though, having been a customer for over 15 years, I know Lucky would never change.
Having a weekday off and having heard the news, I headed on over…..
And the place wasn't busy, so I had a seat.
Looking at my old photos, I guess I always sit in the same spot here? I always take a few minutes to appreciate the kitschy beauty of the place….it reminds of diners from my "small kid time". As I've said and repeated on all my posts on Lucky's "I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls" here.
Of course, there are changes. Of course, breakfasts are no longer $4-$6, but the prices are quite inexpensive for the area.
And of course, that calendar keeps moving. Lucky does look older now, he moves a bit slower, and maybe should take a "second" retirement (his "first" retirement was when the place went from a Chinese restaurant to only serving breakfast).
But there are those things that hold steady; Lucky's always trying to refill your coffee, he hates waste (one of the hipsters left a piece of toast and Lucky wrapped it for him to take with him), and while things move a bit slower these days there's the ever present wit.
I heard the classic "Lucky line", which I've heard many times during my visit to here. When a "mature" woman would order coffee, Lucky would tell them the classic line I heard on my very first visit; "you too young for coffee, it will stunt your growth!"
As for my breakfast…..
It did the trick. And at $9 bucks, this is bargain these days!
As for Lucky selling? Well, I'd heard that the listing was pulled. I thought of asking, but really didn't want to be nosy and the place was filling up. I just wanted to enjoy my visit and take in the "atmosphere".
And of course, Lucky makes sure you get some fortune cookies…..
And in this case; I'll let Lucky's Fortune Cookie have the last word!
Lucky’s Breakfast
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 715am – Noon
"Sounds of Success". presented by 
Unsure about this float, but the 'spotter' in front is easy to see, as is the 'driver' near the back (with the ToR safety evaluator seated next to him). You can see the slot where the Spotter looks out in the above float photo. 
Also unknown is this float, with an intricate 'skeleton' which may have some interesting mechanics attached.
Well. Of course we stopped. 
The walls and ceiling are covered with nostalgia. After ordering and paying, we got our beverages and found a nice, clean table. Our food was brought to us. 
The breakfast menu is pretty simple. The complete menu at the Drive Thru has me wanting to return.
Realizing I haven't had a breakfast sandwich in a very long time, I jumped at the chance to try a sausage breakfast sandwich on rye ($8.99). flat omelet style eggs on toasted, thick slices of rye with four skin-on breakfast sausages, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise…just a wonderful sandwich.
The Breakfast plate with a hamburger patty, three eggs (over easy) and real hash browns ($9.99) was The Mister's choice. Oh, we both really appreciate the char broiling of a patty and the seasoned grill here produces a wonderful flavored burger.. The eggs were perfectly over easy and the soft boiled potatoes, crisp fried on a flat top grill were just wonderful. Of course The Mister also chose rye toast-an excellent bread, filled with rye seeds.
What caught my eye, on the counter were these 
The Mister and I made the trek West, to Old Town, a few months ago, so that I could have the breakfast I was craving and He could fulfill His cravings.
His order was F10- the Italian sausage frittata ($15.99). A simple baked (in cast iron; thicker than an omelet) egg dish of Italian sausage, tomatoes and mixed cheese. A nice, mild sausage, fresh tomatoes and plenty of cheese and eggs…filling and tasty.
Instead of toast, He chose biscuits and gravy- house made, fluffy inside with a crisp crust covered by a creamy, breakfast sausage filled gravy.
Also part of the meal were hash browns. Nice and crisp.
Here's my Fish and egg meal ($16.99)-cod fish, lightly floured and pan fried, two (properly) poached eggs and crisp Home fries. The fish was served with the appropriate condiments of tartar sauce and lemon. 
Instead of bread, I chose the muffin of the day (blueberry). It's light and cake-like and filled with fresh, plump blueberries.
The menu board has a good selection, with beverages, smoothies, fruit bowls, breakfasts (bowls and toasts), salads, sandwiches and flatbreads.
The Healthy Bowl ($8.99) was a great choice- turkey, steamed eggs, spinach, tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella, avocado and a pesto topping. The warm turkey and soft eggs were plentiful and complimented the (also warm) vegetables, cheese and pesto. Flavors, textures and deliciousness. 
The Elmisa Toast ($8.99) on an excellent 'artisan sourdough' was topped with avocado spread, hard boiled egg slices, Feta, tomato, cucumber, dry mint and extra virgin olive oil. So many flavors, wonderfully combined in each bite!
A large (20 oz) cup of coffee ($3), by Lavazza was fresh and very good.
There was quite a bit of interesting street art in the area. There was a place named Holybelly that was the subject of one of the 
Then again, the interior decor is unique and focused on types of 'money'.
Walk up, order and pay. You are given a number and find a seat. 
Here is a close up of the menu.
"The Mess" ($9.10) Eggs, cheese, hash browns, bell pepper, onion, ham, bacon, sausage and toast. Everything in every bite. A lot of food, a lot of flavor, a lot of texture. Should be enough for anyone.
Chili Cheese omelette ($8.90) Three eggs filled with house made chili (no beans) and topped with a slice of American cheese. A slab of crispy hash browns and toast. Again a lot of food. A bowl of chili will be a nice meal when the weather cools down. 
We decided to share a side and since it was our first time, a Combo Plate ($6) was ordered. Fries (not too many; a nice surprise), onion rings (whole onion, not diced), zucchini fingers and mushrooms. This large platter was served with two large cups of house made Ranch (you can order more for 50¢). Excellent, fresh, proper fry (even the potatoes were nice and crisp) and leftovers.
A "3 x 3" burger ($6.60) was one order. Three charred beefy patties, three slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion on a toasted bun. Excellent, fresh and, of course, large.
The Chicken Breast Sandwich ($7.75) was a great choice. Served on a lightly toasted Squaw Roll, the grilled chicken breast has a slight char and is moist and flavorful. Lettuce and tomato is all that was needed to compliment this sandwich. 
We decided to share a banana milkshake ($4.50) and it was great! 
A remnant from the vault is now part of the decor.
This time the crepe was delivered with a fork and knife. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy chicken in a crepe, but it wasn't bad at all. Actually, the bite of tangy-sour heat from the sauces/salsa really made it enjoyable to my palate. The sweetness was tempered and the cheese really helped to balance out the flavors. I do think this could have used a bit more salt. And heck, even more spicy too!
I'm glad I tried Hola Paris. While it's not something I crave, Benjamin and Gabby are so nice and friendly. I really enjoyed chatting with Benjamin about Paris.
Park in the fairly large parking lot in front of this building and step inside. It's open to the public. The Pro Shop is to the left, the restaurant to the right and straight ahead is the Nine Hole Golf Course, which opened in 1955 and was re-designed in 1981.
It's a challenging course that you get to walk twice. 
The restaurant has seating inside and outdoors. Menus are on each table, in the condiment rack. Many people walk in to 'Grab and Go' food and beverages for the course, or just to take home. A local place.
Breakfast here is pretty basic. Coffee is $1.86. It's a good coffee.
The Meat Lovers Omelette was listed on the black board as a special this day ($12.95) and was made with three eggs, bacon, ham and sausage and topped with cheddar. Quite large. It was accompanied by toast and fried potato squares. A very tasty and filling breakfast. 
The French Toast Combo ($12.75) was just the right size for me- one slice of thick French Toast: crisp on the exterior; fluffy interior. It was served with two eggs (poached) and a choice of two bacon, two link sausage or one sausage patty- which was excellent in flavor. 
We came back for lunch one Friday, hoping to try the Friday ONLY Special of Fish & Chips, but the fryer would not be ready until about 1 p.m.. 
The Chowder of Clam- we each had a cup (the photo is deceptive; it's a deep cup and filled with many clam pieces, potato and celery). An excellent New England style clam chowder.
I had ordered a half sandwich and soup ($10.50) and the sandwich was tuna salad-mostly tuna, very light mayonnaise and great quality-on toasted rye with lettuce and tomato and a pickle spear. Quite enough food. 
The Mister chose the Grilled Fish Plate ($15.95). Seasoned white fish served with rice pilaf and mixed "Normandy" vegetables. This was a very unexpectedly great meal! A very large, thick piece of fish, nicely char-grilled and kind of fancy. 