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I wanted to like this restaurant. The photo ops are a dream for Instagram, but the food and service could not have been more of a nightmare. Good Fortune opened this past August in downtown St. Petersburg. The decor is fun and playful in the 6,000 square foot space. It has a small sushi bar and many tables, a bar, a cocktail lounge, a private karaoke room, and an outdoor patio. Neon signs, anime wallpaper, and fake bamboo adorn the dining room while a DJ blares pop remixes as diners try to converse while basically shouting over the music. The food is a mix of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese dishes, but none are quite accurate or tasty.
Anthony’s Take: Good Fortune did not leave me feeling lucky. The service was poor and the food has to be premade and reheated based on the fact that it reaches the tables within minutes of ordering. In our case and that of the neighboring table, food came long before drinks. The server rushed past and never once cleared an empty dish or asked how anything tasted. The vibe is fun. If you’re in your twenties, looking for something good to post on social media, and want to be seen, this is the place to be. If you’re looking for a meal you’ll savor, go elsewhere.
Decor & Vibe
As mentioned above, the design of this restaurant is lots of fun. Walls are adorned with anime wallpaper, neon signs, and other playful touches. The space is dark and loud. If you want to be able to hear those you’re dining with, good luck.
A DJ had the tunes cranked all the way up to the point where plates slightly rattled as remixes of 90s hits blasted through the dining room. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is a great song, but cranked to 11 while trying to swallow reheated food is not working.
I liked the wallpaper that covered the area near our table.
The fake bamboo provided good separation from other tables.
The bar has fake cherry blossoms covering every inch of its ceiling. It added interest to the space.
Signs around the restaurant try to evoke a sense of being in Asia…A Disney-fied, hipster Asia and nothing akin to real life.
Food
The menu has a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes. None of these feel traditional and they don’t seem like they were attempting some sort of fusion either. They’re mostly just poorly prepared, but plated well (again for the ‘gram).
There is also a sushi menu with some interesting rolls. We ordered our food and drinks. It all arrived at the table in under ten minutes. There was no coursing, no thought given to order of dishes, and chopsticks, soy sauce, etc. were not provided until asked. The food came so quickly that I find it impossible to believe that it was made to order. It tasted reheated and most dishes were dry (as if they were just pulled from the microwave). Drinks took 15-20 minutes to arrive (long after the food was delivered).
We had read rave reviews about the Milk Bread on Yelp, so we ordered it. What can I say? It tasted like something you could purchase in the supermarket. King’s Hawaiian makes better rolls. While it was soft and fluffy, it was nothing special. And, for $14, Good Fortune is making a fortune on this item.
The Dan Dan Noodles are dry, peppery, and just not good. This is not what this dish is supposed to taste like. Again, these had to have been reheated because there is no way this dish could be cooked in mere minutes.
The Szechuan Dumplings looked like they would be spicy and delicious. Instead, they were greasy and almost flavorless. This was probably the best dish and describing it as “greasy and almost flavorless” should tell you how much we enjoyed them.
The Bulgogi Egg Rolls were so dry and flavorless that it was like we were being punked. This is not what Bulgogi should taste like. These must have come out of the freezer after being in there for quite some time. I’m not even sure how they were prepared to reach this Saharan-level of dryness. We took a bite and pushed the plate to the side with the others that had not been cleared.
I love sushi and am always in the mood for rolls. These make me wish I would have not ordered them. Sad to say, but Whole Foods makes better sushi. These were akin to what you might purchase in a gas station (although I highly discourage buying sushi when you fill up). We tried the Big Buddha and the Tiger King. Flavors were muddled and the rice was hard and crunchy. Not what you would want in sushi rice. Our server never checked back once to see if we were liking our food. When I asked for the check, she asked if we would like anything to go. We said no (every plate was still half full). She did not inquire if there was any issue and was quick to hand me the credit card machine with preselected tip amounts of 20%, 30%, and more as choices.
Drinks
The drinks at Good Fortune are the bright spot. They arrived at the table about 15 minutes after our food, but the cocktails were tasty. My husband had the Kyoto & Lavender (which is essentially an espresso martini with lavender). I had a glass of Mumm Brut Rose. We also ordered a bottle of still water. It came to the table pre-poured over ice with half of the bottle on the tray. Why add ice to bottled water? We are also not sure if we actually got glasses of bottled water as they were pulled from the same tray as several others that were tap water for other tables.
Overall Impression:
I saw the photos on Instagram. They looked cute. We passed by another day and the vibe was great. Dining here is another story. The food is bad. Really bad. If it’s not being microwaved then this restaurant has the fastest line in the world because you can’t crank out dishes in a packed restaurant in under ten minutes. Further, the space is dark and loud. Service is indifferent and absent. Take luck into your own hands and steer clear because there is no Good Fortune to be found here.
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