Lucky Bar

The Scene: Rambling and slightly grubby, Lucky Bar is known for two things: cheap beer and regular broadcasts of soccer games. Thursday nights are a destination for students, interns, bike messengers and other budget-minded folks, thanks to $2 Budweiser and Bud Light bottles and assorted rail drinks from 3 until close. They pack the narrow front room, cluster around the pool table and booths on the more spacious main floor, dodging the folks trying to dance, and climb a steep flight of stairs to reach a tiny room with additional bartenders. (Sidewalk tables are available when you need to cool down, though service out there can be iffy.) Lucky has long been a favorite of local soccer fans, who come out early on Saturdays and Sundays to watch games from the English, Spanish and American leagues on 25 televisions, including a huge projection screen.

In Your Glass: Skip the draft beers, which can occasionally be funky, and stick to bottles or the oft-strong cocktails.

Nice to Know: Lucky gets slammed on weekends, when a DJ spins (mostly hip-hop, retro pop or Britpop) and customers get down on a makeshift dance floor. There's no cover. On Mondays, free salsa lessons are followed by a dance party.

Price Points: Happy hour runs from 3 to 8 during the week -- much longer than most other bars offer their specials. Expect pints starting at $2.50, rail drinks from $3.50 and daily discounts like 25-cent wings (Tuesday) and half-price burgers (Wednesday).

-- Fritz Hahn (August 2006)