Lucky Fortune Cookery Review
Lucky Fortune Cookery is a counter service restaurant in Disney California Adventure’s Pacific Wharf at Disneyland Resort. This review features photos of the food and ambiance, plus my thoughts on this restaurant.
The menu is very basic, consisting solely of made-to-order Asian rice bowls. You start by choosing a protein: chicken, beef, and tofu. Then you choose a sauce: Mandarin Orange, Spicy Korean, Thai Coconut Curry, or Teriyaki.
Much like the entire Pacific Wharf “land”, the restaurant here is also very simple. It’s an outdoor ordering area with limited seating adjacent to the restaurant plus a ton more in the middle of the restaurant area. Think of it as a glorified mall food court.
As far as Disney California Adventure dining goes, Pacific Wharf is often overlooked. Despite the limited menu here, Lucky Fortune Cookery is actually a bit of a hidden gem…
The biggest reason why you have to give Lucky Fortune Cookery props is because it carries on the time-honored tradition of pun-based names at Disney California Adventure. While classics such as Maliburritos, Sam Andreas Shakes, and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream have all gone to Yesterland, Lucky Fortune Cookery carries on the legacy.
There’s really nothing else to focus on in terms of ambiance and theme. Besides a few lanterns in the limited seating area and some various other touches, there’s nothing. I’m always hesitant to eat at any of the Pacific Wharf restaurants because of this. Pacific Wharf is a neat concept with some potential, but it’s one of many Disney California Adventure 1.0 things that were really phoned in, with minimal effort being put into execution. Pacific Wharf is sort of locked into what it is now because of its location. Short of eliminating a couple restaurants and expanding what remains, not a whole lot can be done to fix it.
If you can set aside the lack of theming, and the mall food court vibe to the place, there are some decently good options in terms of cuisine at Pacific Wharf, with Lucky Fortune Cookery being my favorite of the bunch.
I don’t view tofu as food, so my options here are limited to the chicken and beef in terms of protein for the rice bowls. My absolute favorite option here is the Chicken with Thai Coconut Curry.
This sauce is seriously good: mild, but has a nice, creamy flavor that is light enough for a day of touring the parks, but rich enough to give the meal a delicious flavor. I can’t fully articulate why that sauce is so delicious, but just writing about it now is making my mouth water. This is one of those things that–if you’re anything like me–you’ll end up craving.
The beef is pretty good, and I usually skew towards beef over chicken, but I’m not wild about how beef is prepared for bowls like this (in general, not just at Disney California Adventure) as it’s not typically the most tender, so I tend to opt for the chicken.
The beef is still a good option, but the chicken is typically tender and goes really well with that curry sauce (I also like Mandarin Orange for an even lighter option). The bowl is rounded out with some vegetables and (obviously) rice, and is a very sizable portion for the ~$11 price.
This turns out to be the biggest selling point of Lucky Fortune Cookery for me, and why it’s a favorite spot of mine: the value for money is exceptional. The bowl is large, tasty, and filling, all without breaking the bank. Much like everything at Pacific Wharf, it’s not exactly authentic Asian food, but it’s more interesting than standard theme park fare.
Overall, Lucky Fortune Cookery is a restaurant that doesn’t receive a lot of attention. That’s probably due to its basic menu and location among the sea of restaurants in Pacific Wharf. Despite all of these restaurants being dramatically different in terms of cuisine, none of them really do much to differentiate themselves from one another in terms of ambiance or theme. While Lucky Fortune Cookery may not exactly draw people in, it cannot be overlooked as a great place to grab a filling and satisfying meal. The “Asian” food here is the epitome of tame, but tame should not be conflated for bland here, as these rice bowls really do have good flavor…it’s just not what you’d expect from authentic Asian cuisine. You can do much better if you want a themed restaurant–and it loses points here for the blatant disregard of theming–but as far as food and value for money go, Lucky Fortune Cookery is a place that should be considered for a quick meal.
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Your Thoughts…
What do you think of Lucky Fortune Cookery? Do you have a favorite meat and sauce combination here? Had you even heard of it before this review? Share your thoughts in the comments!
I was really disappointed with the food. Rice was mushy.
I was disappointed to. I was expecting something tasty. Chicken and veggies were tasty but rice was beyond mushy. I have had a better rice bowl at jack in the box.
The tofu is worth trying. While I’m not a vegetarian anymore, I will often get the tofu as it’s such a nice texture in these tone-down Asian dishes. I think of it like a mild cheese, making it similar to paneer or other in-dish curd foods. It’s lighter than the chicken or beef, which is nice after a few days of Disney gluttony.
This is actually really good to know. There are days in the park when this sounds like it would be perfect. I guess I will have to give it a try. Thanks!
I don’t find the pacific wharf to be the most incredible place to eat as far as theming goes, but the entire location pretty much blows away anything Hollywood Studios has on offer when it comes to quick service dining and ambiance. We enjoyed the lucky fortune cookery quite a bit for the reasons you stated: sizable portions of delicious food at reasonable prices =)
Well, beating the food at DHS really isn’t much of an accomplishment. The problem (if you want to call it that), is that DCA has some solid dining options. Flo’s (although it’s gone downhill recently), Paradise Garden Grill, BoardWalk Pizza & Pasta (also has gone downhill, but still good), Corn Dog Castle, and then a few of the spots in Pacific Wharf–and that’s just counter service.
Oh, and we cannot forget the true all-star of DCA dining: Award Weiners. Just kidding…OR AM I?! 😉
Love this place, but you’re right, the teeming could be better. It does give off the Hollywood & dine vibe.
Thank you for that: it’s on my “must eat there next time” list!
I agree with your eval of the Wharf: but I do like it there to decompress as well. Not so over stimulating/open concept.
It’s also worth mentioning that Pacific Wharf has improved thematically in the last few years. They’ve repainted the buildings to give them more depth and a classic vibe, and made other little improvements (like the car outside Boudin). It’s still not the greatest, but it’s nice to see these improvements quietly being made.
Loved that place – and loved the coconut curry! I think it’s also worth mentioning that it’s one of your healthier options.
Yeah, as far as Disney dining goes, it’s not bad…although I’m betting the coconut curry sauce isn’t the healthiest option on the menu! 🙂