Lucky House Chinese Restaurant

Lucky House fills a gap that downtown Toronto has felt since the Mandarin Buffet on Yonge and Eglinton closed: affordable, generous all-you-can-eat Chinese food right in the core. Located at 304 Richmond St W, the restaurant offers all-day dim sum alongside a full menu of Canadian-Chinese classics.

The late-night hours are the real draw — Lucky House stays open until 4 a.m. on weekends, making it a natural spot for post-bar eats in the Entertainment District. The space is straightforward and unfussy, and the portions are what you'd hope for from an AYCE spot.

It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's filling a specific need that downtown has lacked. Sometimes the best new opening is the one that gives a neighbourhood exactly what it was missing.