Brooklyn Beer Bar Guide: Lucky Dog
Lucky Dog is a special, wonderful place that combines two of your favorite things: good beer and puppies. If you’re looking for a bar that’s unpretentious, friendly and most of all, extremely dog-friendly, head south on Bedford Avenue and turn left at the sign with the painted dog on it. Here’s why we like it so much, after the jump.
Number of Taps: They have a rotating tap list of about twenty beers, with a wide range of choices, from your standard Guinness pints to more adventurous offerings like the Ithaca Flower Power IPA and Abita Strawberry. The tap list changes often, so it’s safe to say that the pint you enjoyed last weekend might not be on the blackboard the next time you’re there, but hey, all the more reason to keep coming back, right?
Number of Bottles: There’s nothing too fancy by the bottle, so expect the usual Brooklyn dive bar selection of old standbys like Miller Highlife and PBR.
Vibes: During the day, this place is on the quiet side, a nice place to get a drink if you’re “working” from your home office, or happen to be enjoying the glory that is the summer Friday. If you happen to stumble in during happy hour, or any time on a nice weekend day, when the sun is out, you better hope that your friends have been there for a little while before you, because getting a seat in the spacious patio will be tricky.
Music: Bartender’s choice, but sometimes they have live music of the ilk that you’d expect out of a bar that caters to “the neighborhood”. The Picker Family Reunion just ended a monthly residency there, so if twang(the good kind)is your thing, that’s the kind of music you can expect.
Price: Reasonable! Most pints fall in the $5-$7 range, and they even do pitchers, which is great. More bars should do pitchers.
Seating: If you want to sit inside, you can pull up a stool at the bar, but the best bet here is to head outside to the patio which is really, really lovely.
Typical Crowd: This bar is removed enough from the two block radius of European tourists and teens that emanates outwards from the Bedford Ave Stop on the L, so the mix is neighborhood regulars and people just coming in off the street. Everyone’s nice, though, which is good.
Outdoor Space: This is where the magic happens, as they say. The patio has plenty of seating, but fills up quickly, so on sunny days, get there wary and settle in.
Dogs Allowed: Dogs are welcome, both inside and outside of the bar, and they are abundant. If you really want a dog, but think that sitting at a picnic table just outside of a dog park and watching is creepy, then come sit int he backyard of Lucky Dog, where you can pet all the puppies and drink a beer at the same time, in a socially acceptable space.