Lucy’s

Another NYC gem. I don’t know how this place hangs around what with all the crazy rents in that part of town, but Lucy’s is a solid dive bar in a neighborhood that’s seen many things come and go. Man, what a place. Come here if you want a solid drink and want to hang out in an unpretentious environment where people can be people. You will be in good company here.

I didnt have high hopes for lucys, but it was still pretty disappointing. Lucy who was lazily sitting on the other side of the bar made her way around to the tap to poor me my goose island, which she proceeded to poor ice cubes into. 7 $, tasted terrible. Tap lines likely needed some love.
As if that wasnt enough, a friend of mine who regularly goes there was asked to leave by Lucy for having a «sick hand». (His arm was broken). She made a real scene about it.
My experience here was terrible.
If you are looking for a better dive bar I would recommend Sly Fox on 2^nd ave, or B-​side on avenue B.

The day had been long, tiring and pretty disappointing. It had transitioned to an anxious afternoon and a mellow cold Thursday evening, as the #1 train chugged its way downtown to 59^th street. 2 friends and I picked up a colleague from Columbus Circle and made our way down to Alphabet city where the F line dropped us off at 2^nd Avenue. I was ravenous and beer might as well have been good enough food if not for the 99c pizza that I devoured later.
We walked in, to the red and white hue that filled the space between the bar and the pool table. As a friend of mine ordered drinks, I realized it was pretty empty for a bar in alphabet city with a pretty bartender, 2 pool tables and (what seemed like) 24 year olds occupying the stools and the tables. We paid the $ 1 for the table and commenced a doubles game. As 2 middle aged men walked in and started a friendly game against our (rather forgettable) neighbours, I realized I was being challenged with friendly glances as I took my shots. The 2 middle aged men were the typical dad-​bod 30 year olds who simply wanted to wash away another work day with a few rounds of pool and beer, highlighting the week with the 6 ball run. Their partners, however, never had the practice to give them enough of a competition, and frankly neither did I, but it was a bad enough day for me to concentrate on the pool instead of jolly company.
As the evening went on — and by this I mean 10 minutes past 8 or 8:30, I looked around to find myself in a very different bar than when I had entered. 2 middle-​aged women had walked in and were eyeing us as well and the bar was full of college students who’d just received their license after turning 21. For them, this was becoming their spot, where the bar was nothing flashy, but perfect enough to keep the attention to the conversation and company, where the bartender was pretty enough to talk to but not to break the first rule of going to a bar, and where good food surrounded you 24/​7, if ever the pangs of hunger came calling to your appetite.
As our neighbors left the 2 middle-​aged men to play their game (and we’d finished ours by that point), another man in yellow flannel came to rack the balls and play them next. As I wandered over to squeeze my way in and enjoy some competition, I was met with a stern rejection from the yellow flannel directing me away, for in fact I had tried to trespass on a solo performance.
Dejected, I decided it was time for my hunger to console me, and I walked a few blocks south to order a medium cheese pizza for $ 6.49 (looked rather large to be honest) and continued to the park with my friends to devour most of the freshly baked pie. I was told we had to return to the bar to kick it back with Lucy herself; however, to our disappointment, she was not coming in that day. We did head back however, and 2 of my friends gave the Goose Island beer a go, and as the clock struck 12, I realized it was time for me to traverse back through the city and comfortably settle into my bed for the night.
Surely, one might catch me another good-​pool-​day/​bad-​university-​day, vying for Lucy’s pool table championship reputation…

This is the diviest place I’ve ever been. I walked on on New Year’s Eve after 11pm and was handed a top hat on arrival. It was fairly empty with only around 15 people there. We grabbed draft beers, which were $ 6.50 a pop (not sure if this was because it was NYE) and sat down to wait for the ball to drop.
People were selecting music from the jukebox the entire time, but it wasn’t too loud. How nice to have a conversation over a drink! They gave us champagne at midnight. I would definitely come back! Hopefully with cheaper drinks.

Lucy’s is great to go to for a group as it’s pretty big and doesn’t get crowded til later in the night. Super cheap drinks (for the area), but not that strong (if that’s what you’re into).
If Lucy is there, take the chance to talk to her, she’s hilarious! Wish I still lived around the corner, but like everyone I’ve been priced out… I hope it doesn’t happen to Lucy’s!

My friend and I were looking for a bar to dance & this place definitely played the best music. From hip-​hop to house, the DJ played all the right jams.
No one was dancing when we initially arrived but later in the night everyone joined us! Service was cool & the bar tenders were great!

My favorite dive bar. Less bro-​y than Doc Holidays, with still a cheap drink menu. Also a good pool spot.

Take it from a bartender… this is the best bar in NYC. Lucy is a legend. The jukebox is full of classics, the bar is full of history. i would say don’t go here just to keep it empty, but it deserves your business. The day this bar closes i’m moving to
Oregon, because NYC will have lost all of its charm.

I’ve been meaning to come here for years, and I finally stumbled in on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. I have this awful habit of going to new bars on holiday weekends, when there’s no way to gauge how the place usually functions. But I can’t help but adore it based on my one experience.
I was with a friend and we were escaping the bridge and tunnel crowd that seemed to overtake this other dive we were at. Awhile ago he had told me he couldn’t come here because he got kicked out, and now he has no recollection of saying any such thing, so we have no idea what, if anything happened here. We had talked about this that night, and then BOOM, like a beacon in the night Lucy’s gaping reddish entrance called to me. I dragged him inside.
It was delightfully dead. A few creeps around the edges, a couple of guys playing pool on one of the two tables. And no music.
You ever go into a dive bar on a Sunday at 2am and enter into silence? I had no idea how to feel. During my first beer I kind of wanted to leave. I saw there was a jukebox, and I saw it was turned off, and figured someone wanted it that way. I powered through, and by the second beer I was able to focus more on our drunk conversation, and came to really enjoy the silence. I had somewhere to be at 3 so I only stayed for two beers, but I’ll be back.
ETA: Walked by on a Saturday night around 10 or 11pm– it was jam packed like every other bar in the area.

A few friends and I stopped at Lucy’s on a late Saturday night. It was recommend as a place we could go to avoid the crowds and hordes of drunk young folks in the East Village. I’d say my friend was half-​right. Lucy’s was crowded, but the crowd wasn’t strictly young.
Lucy’s is a dive. Not a particularly clean one (the place smells a bit funky), either. But the five dollar beers and three dollar PBR cans are a nice break from the more expensive prices in the surrounding bars.
My friend and I played a couple games of pool in the back. The pool tables were easy to get onto, and the opponents ranged from guys-​who-​play-​here-​every-​night-​sober to falling-​over-​my-​cue-​and-​onto-​the-​table-​drunk. Hmm. The back wall really cut into the playing space on the back table (there was a half-​sized cue stick for when you needed to line up a shot against this well).
The staff at Lucy’s was friendly, including Lucy herself, a tiny woman who was seemingly everywhere in the bar at once — talking to patrons, grabbing cases of beer from the kitchen, tending the bar.
Still, though, I struggle to think about why I’d recommend Lucy’s to anyone looking for a place to stop on a weekend night. The prices are low, true, but I bet you could find a better dive in the East Village.

I wish I could have stayed for more than one drink last night, because this is my kind of place!
Cheap beer, friendly patrons — and best of all — i got to see Lucy choose a couple songs on the juke box: Billy Idol «Rebel Yell», Stevie Wonder «Superstitious», and the Beach Boys «Sloop John B»…really got the good vibe going in the little dark room!
Definitely on the top of my list for my next visit to NYC, in the «Dive Bars to Waste The Afternoon Away In» category!

I had a great time down here with some friends last night. The place had a great, old-​school East Village dive atmosphere, the ambience was very relaxed and laid-​back, the bottled beer selection was excellent, and Lucy herself was an absolute doll. Definitely a new destination to add to my list when I’m in the neighborhood.

My friend who brought me here assures me that they keep weird hours, which only draws me closer to its bosom.
Friendly bartender, complete graffitied bathroom and just a lovely patina of «hard drinking» covers this place.
Cool isn’t doled out, it’s earned. This place has cool to spare.

The dive-​y-​ist of dive, Lucy’s was a fascinating place to go for a post-​Christmas dinner drink.
When my friend and I arrived shortly after 7:00, we were the only two people there. My friend quickly connected with the Polish bartender in Polish, who later took our photo and gave us a free round of drinks.
We also enjoyed playing random songs on the jukebox, including ones by Joan Jett and Johnny Cash.

I’m always surprised that Lucy’s isn’t constantly swarmed by hipsters. For a long time it was a go-​to spot for friends of mine as we loved to drink a couple beers and play some pool. Since those friends now live a little closer, we don’t head down to the village quite as often, but I have fond memories of the place.
The bartender and owner is a little polish woman who putters around the place night after night, always smiling and helpful. The bar has a vibe of playing pool in your grandparent’s basement, especially since the TV is always tuned to TBS from my recollection.

Hardest working bartender I’ve ever met. She should be collecting social security by now but instead is educating the young folk on polish beer and playing random songs on her juke box. Loved this place
Divey– quirky-​awesomeness.

When I say I love a good dive bar, I really LOVE a good dive bar. Unfortunately Lucy’s was a bit too dank to hang out with a group of friends.
This crossed the line as a good dive as it was pretty dirty and had a semi-​major bug problem.

Cant think of a place to hole up in while you wait for reservations at yet-​another-​trendy-​restaurant in St. Marks? Have no fear. Another dive bar to the rescue. Yes, you wouldnt have figured that out from the exterior, would you? Lucy, mind you, runs the establishment… and you can see her scurrying along with her staff, night in and night out. How they do it is beyond me… bless her!
$ 5 beers on tap says it all. I also noticed PBR in can? lol, ok.
A couple of pool tables adorn the back for all to play. Mind the rules around hogging up the tables. A jukebox keeps rocking all night long, so long as someone remembers to queue up the next song. How about that? Would I go back again? Perhaps, if only to visit a friend who lives in Alphabet City. oh yeah, bring cash.

Why does Lucy put up with this shit?
Some moron with a screen printed David Lee Roth t-​shirt asked if I wanted to «throw down» because I was wearing a dress shirt. I know, man, you wish you’d been alive to rep the L.E.S. spirit during the Tompkins Square Park riots of 1988.
But I’m not going to fight an elfin teenaged version of Albert Hammond, Jr., just because I wore a collared shirt to attend an event and he wore something off the clearance rack at Urban Outfitters.
Get a load of this, though: they sell Pabst Blue Ribbon here. In cans! Damn right New York Fucking City is everything they said it’d be.
Dave Grohl apparently dropped by just after I left. That makes me really sad. For Dave Grohl.
This would be one star if I didn’t feel bad for Lucy for having to deal with the dregs of privileged collegiate society.

From one dive bar to another dive bar one night ending up at Lucy’s. I can’t really say anything too bad about the place, since it is a dive bar, but I also can’t say anything too great.
Since I don’t really want to write a whole review, here are just some words put together with some periods in between.
$ 3 PBR cans.
Lucy is an old woman.
Two pool tables.
Polak’s trying to play for money.
Lucy wears a terrible wig.
She also ID’s people randomly while walking around.
CASH ONLY.
I guess that’s all i could really remember. Whatever. I’m not coming back anyway. One time and it was fine, but second time, nahhhhh.