Every visit to Lucky’s starts with a welcome shot (including an N/A option), which kind of makes the whole place feel even more like the friendly neighborhood bar on East 11th Street that it is. There’s a loose dog theme to the whole bar—mostly in the sense that a lot of the drinks are named after pups (including some of the staffs’), but there’s also something fitting about the Chihuahua Valhalla coming out ablaze with a flaming orange wheel that helps it mimic its namesake’s demeanor. Over on the food menu, expect to find a vaguely Mexican-Asian-fusion leaning menu, which means you’ll see dishes like kimchidillas, soba noodle bowls, and steaks served with salsa macha. Head here when you want great cocktails and light bites without fighting a crowd of millennials in Hawaiian shirts to place an order at Nickel City down the street.

photo credit: Holly Dirks