Lúc Lắc is a counter service style Vietnamese restaurant co-owned by Adam and Alan Ho.[2][3] The restaurant opened in November 2011,[4] following Pho PDX's rebranding and relocation.[5][6] Menu options include crispy rolls,[7]mussels, pho,[2] steak rolls, and sugarcane shrimp.[8] The "Sassy Sour" is the restaurant's best selling drink.[9] Ca Phe Cola is also on the drink menu.[10] Lúc Lắc has been described as a "cozy Vietnamese sandwich shop/cocktail bar".[11]
In 2012, Willamette Week's Kelly Clarke said of the Vietnamese restaurant's interior: "The decor ... is as delightfully baroque as its drink ingredients. A horseshoe of tall-backed, red-leather banquettes surround a huge oval-shaped wood bar painted bright teal. One entire wall is devoted to a stunning, graffiti-ish mural of capering Chinese dragon heads while a flock of pink parasols hang from the high ceiling. It's a fun, fabulous place to eat and drink, like a long lost Asian set piece from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg."[12] According to Michael Russell of The Oregonian, "Happy hour is more relaxed, with inexpensive Vietnamese appetizers and inventive cocktails served under the pink parasols hanging from the ceiling."[13] Lúc Lắc began participating in Amazon's Prime Now service in 2015.[14]
The restaurant won in the "Best Pho" category in Willamette Week's annual "Best of Portland Readers' Poll" in 2015; Lúc Lắc also received "honorable mention" in the "Best Baguette" category.[15]The Oregonian's Michael Russell ranked Lúc Lắc number 26 on his 2016 list of "Portland's best late-night eats".[16] In 2017, readers ranked Lúc Lắc number five in The Oregonian's list of the city's "best inexpensive restaurants".[17]
In 2018, Eater Portland's Nick Woo has described Lúc Lắc as "hip and loud", and included the restaurant in his list of "14 Soul-Soothing Noodle Soups in Portland".[2]Thrillist called the restaurant a "late-night pho oasis".[18] In 2019, Willamette Week included the restaurant in its list of "Five Places to Eat Cheap After Hours", saying: "Luc Lac is one of the very few spots where you can stuff your drunken craw with delightful, heaping takes on Vietnamese classics in the wee hours of the morn."[19] The business was included in Eater Portland's 2022 overview of "Where to Eat and Drink in Downtown Portland".[20]
