LUCKY Courtenay Place is a Wellington fried chicken shop on the city's busiest strip, peddling what it proudly calls 'real fast food'. The menu is deliberately short — a handful of burgers and a bites list — so wait times stay short too, with free-range chicken and eggs frying from late morning until well into the night, seven days a week.
The line-up centres on the Bombers: free-range fried chicken thighs in a bun with slaw, pickles and the house-made spiced mayonnaise known as Lucky Sauce. The Winner loads chicken poppers with cheddar, chicken stuffing, onion jam and gravy, while the Happy swaps in fried halloumi with hot honey for vegetarians. On the Bites side, crinkle-cut fries come under vegetarian gravy or loaded with chopped chicken, cheese sauce and jalapeño relish, plus truffled mash for full comfort-food effect.
You'll find the shop at 105 Courtenay Place in Te Aro, keeping late hours — until 10pm Sunday to Wednesday, 11pm on Thursdays and 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Pick-up and delivery from this store runs through Delivereasy, packaging is 100% home compostable, and gift vouchers and merch are available in store. Note there are no phone lines: questions go through [email protected].
Tucked onto Wellington's liveliest strip, LUCKY Courtenay Place is the kind of place locals struggle to keep quiet about — and fail. The shop calls itself 'Wellington's worst kept secret', and after one visit it's easy to see why: crisp free-range fried chicken, crinkle-cut fries under vegetarian gravy, and a short menu built to get hot food into your hands fast. If you've walked Courtenay Place on a Friday night, chances are you've already smelled it.
LUCKY describe themselves as peddlers of 'real fast food', and the approach backs it up. The menu is deliberately short — a handful of burgers and a bites list — so wait times stay short too, something the team is upfront about: 'we know you're busy.' What there is, is made properly. The chicken and eggs are free range, the focus is local, and the fryers run from late morning until well into the night, seven days a week.
Nearly everything is built around the fried chicken itself: thighs, a seasoned coating, and Lucky Sauce — a house-made spiced mayonnaise that appears across the menu. It's simple food done with a bit of obsession, which is exactly what a good fried chicken shop should be.
The Single Bomber is the purist's pick: one fried chicken thigh with slaw, pickles and Lucky Sauce in a bun. The Double Bomber doubles up on thighs for the properly hungry. The Winner takes fried chicken poppers and loads them with cheddar, chicken stuffing, onion jam and gravy — a fully loaded affair. For vegetarians, the Happy swaps in fried halloumi with hot honey, and the Jackpot pairs halloumi and chicken in one bun for the best of both.
The Bites half of the menu is where things get creative. Poppers — fried chicken bites with pickles and Lucky Sauce — come in two sizes for sharing (or not). Swiss Army Fries pile chopped chicken, gravy, cheese sauce and jalapeño relish onto crinkle cuts, while the Monster Mash tops truffled potato mash with chicken, gravy and creamy coleslaw; note that it contains nuts. Even the simpler sides play the same tune — Gravy Fries and the P&G (truffled mash with gravy) are vegetarian, because the gravy itself is vegetarian and gluten free.
The hours say a lot about who this place is for. Sunday to Wednesday, doors are open 11am to 10pm; Thursday stretches to 11pm; and on Friday and Saturday LUCKY fries until 1.30am, making it a natural last stop for the Courtenay Place crowd. If you'd rather eat at home, pick-up and delivery from the Courtenay Place store runs through Delivereasy.
Dietary information is handled honestly. Burger buns, the chicken and the halloumi patties contain gluten; the fries are gluten free but cooked in oil that also cooks gluten-containing items; and everything is deep fried in oil that may also have cooked dairy, gluten and meat products. The chicken recipe includes dairy, and Lucky Sauce contains pasteurised egg. A detailed allergen chart is available on the website for anyone who needs the full breakdown.
There's a sustainability streak, too — packaging is 100% home compostable and biodegradable. If you're a convert, gift vouchers are available in store with a $20 minimum, and there's a range of Lucky merch for regulars who want to wear their allegiance.
One thing to know before you try to ring: there are no phone lines in the stores. Questions and feedback go through email — the Courtenay Place shop is reachable at [email protected] — and the team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Whether you're a regular pacing the pavement waiting on a Bomber, a vegetarian after that hot-honey halloumi, or a night owl in need of gravy fries at half past midnight, LUCKY does what the best fast food does: a short menu, done right, at whatever hour you need it. Come get LUCKY, as they say, and see what all the fuss is about.