Tucked in a vibrant Uptown cottage, Luvi serves a fresh fusion of Chinese and Japanese dishes alongside inventive cocktails in a lively, colorful setting.
"Chef Hao Gong elevates everything he touches to another level. While his mastery with sashimi is Luvi’s calling card, his Chinese dishes, both hot and cold, are fantastic. The menu changes often but usually features heavenly curried favor dumplings — beef and caramelized onions wrapped in the featherweight dough and swimming in a lightly curried broth — as well as bang bang chicken and spicy dan dan noodles." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell
"Remaining one of the most exciting restaurants in New Orleans since opening in 2018, Luvi is a petite Uptown cottage where chef Hao Gong wows with his mastery of Japanese and Chinese cuisines. Gong, who worked for years at Sake Cafe, nails dishes of raw and nearly raw fish paired with the likes of cucumber and yuzu vinegar and pink dragon fruit, as well as Shanghai comfort food like dumplings, dan dan noodles, and crispy panko chicken with sweet chili sauce." - Clair Lorell
"A former donut shop, LUVI is a small, lovely restaurant with bespoke woodwork and pops of bold colors and patterns. The pan-Asian menu, not common in NOLA, includes Japanese dishes, plus some favorites from the chef’s hometown of Shanghai. Try the Lion’s Head, a savory crab-and-pork meatball in bone broth; the Mala Holla, spicy slices of beef; and Chef Hao’s Mama’s Dumplings (his actual mama’s recipe). The raw bar turns out innovative sashimi and a great ceviche. The staff copes with the bustle and spatial restrictions of a small, busy restaurant. But if you need some pointers with the menu, your server won’t be too harried to help." - Paul Oswell
"Luvi is located on a busy Tchoupitoulas Street corner, so you might be surprised to see such a calm-looking cottage and even calmer restaurant beyond the blue door. This is the sort of place where you’ll happily lose count of what you order, as you get plate after plate of the Shanghainese and Japanese dishes, many of which are small but easily shared. Try anything from their raw bar, like cuts of seared tuna and salmon, but don’t skip the spicy dan dan noodles, which come swimming in housemade bone broth and get their heat from a touch of ghost pepper chili oil." - chelsea brasted, zella palmer, carlo mantuano, megan braden perry
"Dine at LUVI’s chef counter and watch chef Hao Gong’s mastery of seafood in a range of preparations, from the many raw bar options to double fried yellowtail collar. While the menu covers Japanese and Chinese noodle and soup specialties, Gong especially nails dishes of raw and nearly raw fish — try the Monkey Snack, a salmon and sesame encrusted banana, and the Feed me a la Carte off the raw bar menu for the full experience (as well as any specials)." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell
