Bites Nearby: Lucky Key Chinese & Fuji Ya Japanese Restaurant

Located mere minutes from Northlake Mall, Lucky Key Chinese & Fuji Ya Japanese restaurant is a spilt personality dining experience.

As you enter the ornately decorated and rather spacious restaurant you are asked whether you would like hibachi or sushi - hibachi diners are led to a side room with four large grills, sushi diners are seated in the main dining room. Those hungry for traditional Chinese cuisine can enter on the Lucky Key side of the restaurant which has its own main door and lobby.

If you decide to eat on either side of this restaurant for lunch be prepared for the lunchtime rush. This place is quite popular with the worker bees in the Northlake area and while I didn't experience a real wait time, I did notice that I needed to be decisive about what I wanted to eat in order to be seated quickly. (For those of you menu browsers out there who take 10 to 15 minutes to decide your order, try to browse the menu posted outside first.)

Like most Hibachi restaurants seating is family style around a large grill with the chef in the center. This makes for a great lunch or dinner atmosphere with family or friends; solo diners may be more comfortable eating inside the main restaurant area or heading next door to Lucky Key.

The waitstaff is very quick and occassionally makes attempts at humor but can also be a bit overenthusiatic. As the chef was placing heapfuls of rice onto our plates he flicked his wrist with too much emphasis and rice landed on the lap of one diner. What Fuji Ya may lack in grace they more than make up for in delicious food.

Hibachi menu highlights were the chicken & steak and the shrimp & salmon - you can order singular options of these combinations. The portions are generous (many of the diners left with doggie bags) and be sure to ask for extra helpings of "yum yum" sauce, a creamy white sauce with a slightly sweet consistency.

Fuji Ya also has a daily sushi happy hour with all sushi rolls priced at $1.00 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Thursdays sushi rolls are a dollar all day; they serve traditional rolls such as California, crab, avocado and spicy tuna.

Lucky Key Chinese and Fuji Ya Japanese Restaurant is located at 4135 LaVista Rd., Tucker, GA 30084. Lunch: Mon - Fri, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Sat, Sun, noon - 3 p.m. Dinner: Mon - Thu, 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Fri, Sat, 3 p.m. - 11 p.m. Menu items range from $6.95 to $12.95.