This past weekend, I went with a group of friends to Lucky Cheng’s which is located at Yotel New York Times Square whose address is 570 Tenth Avenue at 42nd Street on the 4th floor. Lucky Cheng’s originally opened in 1993 in the East Village as the first Chinese Restaurant & Bar where all the staff were Asian Drag Queens and transgendered women. The restaurant was named after former busboy and later co-owner Mi Ching Cheng who was a star character going from table to table each night speaking with every guest and offering shot of liquor if they were celebrating an occasion.

As shared on the web site, “Lucky Cheng’s made the spotlight in 1994 when Prince Albert of Monaco came in for a drag dining experience and liked it so much that he asked for two Asian Drag Queens to serve for his table. Suddenly, Lucky Cheng’s became an overnight sensation attracting celebrities, musicians, and artists through the years such as talk show host Joan Rivers, Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous), Ivana and Ivanka Trump, Jerry Springer, Mary McFadden, Patrick McMullan, Grace Jones, Luther Vandross, Gary Coleman, Elvira, Boy George, The B52s, Bananarama, Britney Spears, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Taylor Dayne, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah Michelle Geller, The Cast of All My Children, Jack Wagner, Heather Locklear, Kelly Ripa, Leonardo DiCaprio, Danny Bonaduce, Stephen Baldwin, Bernadette Peters, Amy Irving, Sam Harris, RuPaul, Lady Gaga, and many more.”

In was in 2012 that Lucky Cheng’s moved out of it’s East Village home and to Yotel New York Times Square. After the passing of its original owner Hayne Suthon in 2014, Lucky Cheng’s was taken over by her daughter but is now under the leadership of Gioconda Productions.

2026 marks the 33rd year of the Lucky Cheng’s being the longest drag dining experience in the USA! and it is fabulous!

Here are some images from the experience!

So if you want a lot of laughs and a lot of fun, check out Lucky Cheng’s! It won’t disappoint!