The story of Lucky Wong and his legendary one-man diner in San Diego

In 1975, Lucky's Breakfast, also known as Lucky's Golden Phenix, opened in North Park with a few U-shaped booths, a short-order griddle and a man named Lucky Wong at the helm. Well into his 80s, Lucky worked as a one-man show: He took every order from memory, cooked and served every plate and made every customer feel like family.

"Everybody thought they were special to him," said Ruth Kramer, a longtime patron. "I don't know how he did it, but you knew he cared about you."

The no-frills diner outlasted neighborhood changes, the pandemic and even a viral TikTok surge that brought lines down the block. When Lucky closed his doors in 2024 and later passed away, the loss was felt far beyond San Diego. 

" I felt like a family member had passed and it was sad," said Jerry Rickett of Corbin, Kentucky, who visited every other year.

In his honor, the city renamed the block of Grim Avenue where the diner stood "Lucky Lane." Through stories from family, regulars and friends, this episode remembers the man who poured the coffee, cracked the eggs — and the jokes — and quietly built a community, one breakfast at a time.

Guests:

• June Wong
• Matt Lyons, Tribute Pizza
• Brian Foxworth, Jr., Mom's Chicken and Waffles
• August Wang
• Dan Anderson
• Colleen Haynes
• Douglas Saboe
• Lesley Fong
• Gail Higgins, The Girl Can't Help It
• Ana Christina
• Ruth Kramer
• Thursday Garreau
• Jerry Rickett
• Omid Golchehreh
• Hannah Sweet

Sources:

• r/FoodSanDiego/ (Reddit, 2014-present)
• Lucky's diner viral TikTok video (@domexican1, TikTok, 2022)
• Lucky's Golden Phenix (Petite Films,YouTube, 2021)
• Lucky's Breakfast in North Park goes viral (Ciara Encinas, ABC 10 News, 2022)
• More Closures: Lucky's Breakfast & Wildwood Flour Bakery (Reddit, 2024)
• Lucky's Breakfast Owner has Passed Away at Age 86.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}