Lucky Buns DC: Menu, Prices and Locations (2026)

Lucky Buns DC is chef Alex McCoy’s burger restaurant: thin Creekstone Farms patties griddled in beef tallow, sesame-brioche buns, and toppings lifted from Britain, Australia and Southeast Asia. As of October 9, 2026, the official site lists three locations. The flagship is in Adams Morgan at 2000 18th St NW, there is a counter inside Union Market at 1309 5th St NE, and a third spot sits near the B gates at Reagan National Airport (DCA). The Wharf location closed by April 7, 2025. Start with the El Jefe or the Alfie’s Bun. Few burgers in Washington look anything like them.

Who owns Lucky Buns in DC? Chef Alex McCoy

Alex McCoy founded Lucky Buns and is still its chef and owner. Washingtonian described him that way when the Wharf location opened in 2023, and so did The Baltimore Banner when it covered the Baltimore outpost.

He was flipping burgers long before Lucky Buns had a sign. According to Washingtonian’s 2016 report, McCoy created the “Proper Burger” at Duke’s Grocery, ran the diner-style Crisp Kitchen + Bar, then launched Alfie’s, a Thai pop-up. British pub food, the American diner, Thai heat: all three show up on today’s menu.

Alex McCoy’s “global burger” philosophy

McCoy’s position is that America does not own the burger. “Americans think that we have ownership over the burger, but the reality is there are many other places in the world” making excellent ones, he told Washingtonian in 2017. The same piece notes his British family and the pull London’s burger scene had on him. To see what he meant, our guide to the best burgers in London maps that scene spot by spot.

What Alex McCoy is doing in 2026

McCoy still runs Lucky Buns and has new projects underway. On April 25, 2026, he cooked as “Alex McCoy (Lucky Buns)” at New Kitchens on the Block, held at Mess Hall in Brookland (WTOP, Axios). He is also developing Alfie’s as a Northern Thai restaurant with Justin Ahn of Incheon, built around local ingredients. I could not confirm whether it has opened, so I am not giving a date.

Lucky Buns timeline: from pop-up to airport counter

Lucky Buns began as a Sunday pop-up in 2016 and opened its permanent Adams Morgan restaurant in November 2017. Since then it has opened, and sometimes closed, locations across the region. Many listings give 2016 as the opening year. That is the pop-up, not the restaurant.

Lucky Buns timeline, 2016 to 2026: the Park View pop-up, then Adams Morgan, Union Market and DCA, which are still open, and Baltimore and The Wharf, which closed. Bar lengths are approximate where the press gives no exact date. (Chart: Burger Breton, rendered with QuickChart, data from Washingtonian, Washington City Paper, The Baltimore Banner, DCist and PoPville)

Lucky Buns locations in 2026: Adams Morgan, Union Market and DCA

Three Lucky Buns locations are open in 2026: Adams Morgan, Union Market and Reagan National Airport. That is what the official Lucky Buns site listed on October 9, 2026, with no closure notice for any of them. I could not find opening hours from an official source, so check the site or the restaurant’s social accounts before you go.

Map of Lucky Buns locations in Washington, D.C. as of October 2026: Adams Morgan (2000 18th St NW), Union Market (1309 5th St NE) and Reagan National Airport, plus the closed Wharf location (675 Wharf St SW). (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

Lucky Buns Adams Morgan (the flagship)

The flagship is at 2000 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, in the former L’Enfant Cafe space, and it has been home base since November 20, 2017. This is the room Washingtonian put among the city’s 100 best restaurants in 2019.

The 18th Street, Florida Avenue and U Street intersection at the south end of Adams Morgan, close to the Lucky Buns flagship at 2000 18th St NW (photo from 2010, before Lucky Buns opened). (Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:18th\_Street\_-\_Florida\_Avenue\_-\_U\_Street.JPG))

Lucky Buns Union Market

The Union Market counter is at 1309 5th St NE, inside the food hall, in the stall Philly Wing Fry used to occupy. It was announced in December 2019 on a five-year lease, right beside McCoy’s Thai counter, Som Tam (Washington City Paper). The lease term has passed. Still, the official site lists the counter and its delivery menu is live, so I treat it as open as of October 2026.

Union Market at 1309 5th St NE, the food hall in Northeast Washington that houses the Lucky Buns counter next to Som Tam (photo from 2017). (Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union\_Market\_DC\_12.jpg))

Lucky Buns at DCA (Reagan National Airport)

Yes, Reagan National has a Lucky Buns, near the B gates. It arrived with the airport’s expanded concessions program (DCist, Axios). If you are flying out of B, it is the most interesting burger near the gate.

A Terminal 2 concourse at Reagan National Airport (DCA). Lucky Buns has a counter near the B gates (photo from 2014). (Photo: Fletcher6, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ronald\_Reagan\_National\_Airport\_Concourse\_.jpg))

Closed: The Wharf and Baltimore

Lucky Buns at the Wharf (675 Wharf St SW) closed by April 7, 2025, and JINYA Ramen Bar is taking over the space (PoPville). It had opened on April 25, 2023, as the third D.C. location and the first built from the ground up, with a menu that added Chesapeake crab rangoon dip and braai-spiced wings from McCoy’s grandfather’s recipe (Washingtonian). Baltimore was shorter-lived. The Fells Point location opened in 2022 and suspended operations within months, which McCoy blamed on low foot traffic (The Baltimore Banner).

What makes Lucky Buns burgers different: beef, buns and tallow

Lucky Buns griddles thin, diner-style Creekstone Farms patties in beef tallow for a crisp crust and serves them on locally baked sesame-brioche buns (Washingtonian). At the 2017 opening the beef was ground in-house and the buns came from Lyon Bakery (Washingtonian). The method sits close to a smash burger. What sets it apart is what goes on top: chili sauce, XO jam, pickled beetroot and Cotija, a long way from the classic American diner counter.

Lucky Buns menu: the signature burgers to order

Four burgers keep coming up: the OG, the El Jefe, the Alfie’s and the Bogan, plus the Mumbo Bun chicken sandwich. InsideHook singles out the OG, the Alfie’s and the Bogan. Here is what goes on each.

El Jefe Bun

The El Jefe is a Mexican-leaning double cheeseburger. Two Creekstone patties, Gouda, Cotija crema, spicy mustard, green chile relish, shredded lettuce (the menu calls it “shrettuce”), red onion and Gordy’s pickles, all on a toasted sesame brioche bun. It is on the current Union Market menu (Uber Eats).

Alfie’s Bun: the Aussie burger with beetroot and pineapple

The Alfie’s Bun is McCoy’s take on the Aussie burger: grilled pineapple, pickled beetroot, chili sauce and a runny egg. He modeled it on the burgers served in Australian-run expat bars in Southeast Asia (Washingtonian, GW Hatchet). On paper, this is the burger that best explains Lucky Buns. It is sweet, sour, hot and messy, and no other D.C. menu I know of has anything like it.

Bogan Bun

On the 2017 menu, the Bogan Bun came with smoked cheddar, bacon-XO jam, chili sauce, grilled onion and arugula (Washingtonian). “Bogan” is Australian slang, and the jam borrows from Cantonese XO sauce. That build dates from opening day, so check the current menu.

OG Bun and the Mumbo Bun chicken sandwich

The OG Bun is the house classic, and InsideHook ranks it among the standouts. On the chicken side, the Mumbo Bun is a fried thigh tossed in a spicy Thai chili mumbo sauce with dill pickles and ranch mayo. It is a nod to mumbo sauce, D.C.’s own condiment (The Infatuation, August 2024). The Union Market menu now adds a second chicken sandwich, the Hot Tiger Bun.

A bottle of mumbo sauce, the sweet-tangy red condiment from Washington, D.C. that Lucky Buns gives a Thai chili twist in its Mumbo Bun chicken sandwich. (Photo: justgrimes, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mumbo\_sauce.jpg))

How much does a burger cost at Lucky Buns?

On the Union Market delivery menu, the El Jefe and the OG Bun cost $17.60 each and the Hot Tiger chicken bun $15.40, as of October 9, 2026 (Uber Eats). Delivery apps often add a markup. I could not get the in-store menu prices, so treat these as an upper bound.

Lucky Buns burger prices: $9 for a single and $13 for a double at the 2017 Adams Morgan opening, against $17.60 (OG, El Jefe) and $15.40 (Hot Tiger) on the Union Market Uber Eats menu in October 2026. Delivery prices may include a markup. (Chart: Burger Breton, rendered with QuickChart, data from Washingtonian (2017) and Uber Eats (October 9, 2026))

The 2016 and 2017 prices are history. They show how far prices have moved, but don’t budget with them.

Is Lucky Buns one of the best burgers in Washington, D.C.?

Yes. Lucky Buns belongs on any serious list of the best burgers in Washington, D.C., and the local press has said so for years. Washingtonian ranked it #84 in its 100 Very Best Restaurants in 2019 and put it on its Cheap Eats lists in 2018 and 2019. Its 2019 line: “Best burger in DC is a contentious title, but let’s agree for now: Alex McCoy’s Adams Morgan patty place reigns supreme” (Washingtonian). InsideHook’s best-burger list includes it too.

My take: go to Lucky Buns for the toppings, not for a purist’s cheeseburger. Tallow-crisped thin patties are a solid base. The reason to cross town is the Alfie’s Bun and the El Jefe. The catch is price. At $17.60 on delivery apps, this is no longer the Cheap Eats pick it was in 2019. For the opposite approach, see our Five Guys cheeseburger copycat recipe. Five Guys, the other burger name born in the D.C. area, sticks to the American classic that Lucky Buns deliberately moves away from.

How I put this profile together

I have not given Lucky Buns a score. This profile draws on the official site, dated press coverage (Washingtonian, Washington City Paper, WTOP, PoPville, The Baltimore Banner, The Infatuation, DCist, Axios, InsideHook, GW Hatchet), the SEC filing and the live Uber Eats menu, all checked on October 9, 2026. I left out any claim only one source could support, and I left out opening hours because no official source gave them.

More chef-driven burgers in Washington and the region

Lucky Buns is one stop in our Washington, D.C. burger guide, which groups the city’s burger restaurants by neighborhood. For another chef-driven burger in the mid-Atlantic, read our profile of The Roosevelt in Richmond, VA, about two hours south. Or browse every city on the Burger Breton restaurants hub.

Lucky Buns DC: FAQ

Who owns Lucky Buns in DC? Chef Alex McCoy founded and owns Lucky Buns. He started it as a pop-up in 2016 and opened the Adams Morgan restaurant in 2017.

Is Lucky Buns at the Wharf still open? No. The Wharf location at 675 Wharf St SW closed by April 7, 2025, and JINYA Ramen Bar is taking over the space.

What is the best burger at Lucky Buns? The Alfie’s Bun (beetroot, grilled pineapple, chili sauce, runny egg) is the most distinctive, and the El Jefe is the pick for a double cheeseburger. InsideHook also names the OG and the Bogan as standouts.

What is an Alfie’s Bun? McCoy’s version of the Aussie burger: grilled pineapple, pickled beetroot, chili sauce and a runny egg. It is inspired by the burgers served in Australian-run expat bars in Southeast Asia.

How much is a burger at Lucky Buns? The El Jefe and the OG Bun are $17.60 each on the Union Market Uber Eats menu as of October 2026. Delivery prices may include a markup over in-store prices.

Is there a Lucky Buns at Reagan National Airport? Yes. Lucky Buns has a location near the B gates at DCA, and the official site lists it alongside Adams Morgan and Union Market.

What beef and buns does Lucky Buns use? Thin Creekstone Farms patties griddled in tallow, on locally baked sesame-brioche buns. At the 2017 opening, the beef was ground in-house and the buns came from Lyon Bakery.

What happened to Lucky Buns in Baltimore? The Fells Point location at 918 1/2 S Wolfe St opened in 2022 and suspended operations within months. McCoy blamed low foot traffic.

Does Lucky Buns serve chicken sandwiches? Yes. The Mumbo Bun is a fried chicken thigh in Thai chili mumbo sauce, and the current menu also lists the Hot Tiger Bun.