Real Luck Cafe

Definitely an experience. Definitely divey. Definitely a little sleazy. Definitely smokey. Will all of that said, I’d say that I’d definitely stop in again sometime.

WARNING: This post is about racial issues, so if your choosing to stay oblivious you may want to keep scrolling
Last night I was denied service at the Real Luck bar in Pittsburgh completely based on my skin color.
I was stranded in an unfamiliar part of Pittsburgh, and my phone was died at 1 am. I enter this bar to charge my phone because it was the only thing open in the area. A woman claiming to be the manger asked me what I was doing in there, then told me I couldn’t charge my phone because «they don’t do that kind of thing» and told me to get out. My usual response of sas was dimmed by overwhelming fear because of the look of hate in her eyes. I had to walk almost a mile in the middle of the night to the next open establishment.

Stumbled in while on a weekend trip to the area. We were in a happy place having danced at Cavo but the vibe there was too young and drunk for my tastes. When we walked in, we were both welcomed and judged. Once we ignored the one or two «wtf are you doing here» stare downs, we were welcomed by the bartender with open arms. Yes, this place is divey. I love a god dive bar. And what I mean by dive bar is a place that may not be aesthetically pleasing for most… hell, it could be falling apart, but the people you meet within these walls are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet. That’s what I feel constitutes a dive bar and this most certainly is one of them.
We made friends with our bar neighbors and they told us to check out the upstairs for a truly authentic experience. So yes, we saw the strippers and like many reviewers say, they’re making a living. I felt kind of out of place, but that’s how I feel at any strip club. Yeah, I am prude. But the music was excellent.
I have to say Real Luck Café gave us the greatest memories of our trip. Love this place. And yes, CASH ONLY.

After 150 check ins here I think it is time for an update. With that let me delve into why I visit this «White Trash Bar» so often.
I started to come here because it was an easy stop after work with coworkers. What ended up happening was me making some great friends in here. It has come to be my hangout away from home. When I was feeling bored and needed some social interaction I would come here and sure enough the friends I made would be here to chew the fat with. These friends have turned into some of the best people I have met in the city thus far.
I know what some of you people are thinking about this place and it’s all about perception. Yes, there are dancers on the one floor and if that’s your thing have at it. I do not come here for that particular reason. One thing you have to remember is that they are there making a living. You may perceive it as a low standard place to go, but other perceive it as a good establishment to frequent.
The DJs have established nights that they work and that sets the mood for the night you are there. I suggest going Friday, Saturday or Sunday to hear DJ Tyler. Great mixes and up to date hits. These mixes are probably going to be things you haven’t heard but that doesn’t mean that it’s not good music. Listen to the beat of the song and then the words, you might find something new to listen too. Requests are taken and if you are there to celebrate an occasion the DJ will gladly make an announcement (tips encouraged).
Special events happen during the holidays. Balloon drop for New Year’s Eve. Costume contest for Halloween. They are even open on Christmas if Santa wasn’t good to you that year. This is also a pet friendly establishment and I believe that they has a specific night where you can bring your pooch along to imbibe.
Certain nights there is a small buffet set up in the downstairs bar. Some food is served from the kitchen during the earlier hours (I have never been there at that time to partake). The downstairs bar is a different vibe altogether. It’s your typical sit down bar with a jukebox. People sit around and chat down here, something that you can’t do upstairs very well. This is a multilevel bar and it is wheelchair accessible only to the first floor, or if you find people kind enough they will carry you up to the second floor, chair and all.
Be careful of the stairs people. Stepping and drinking don’t mix well. As for the dancefloor, that’s a whole other story. It wobbles on its own. New colored lights have been added upstairs for the dancefloor and all three disco balls now rotate.
Yes, this is a divey bar that has «strippers:» that’s what most people see and maybe one of the only things they remember. But it is also a microcosm of our city. Where people gather to have fun and hang out. Stop by one night, if only to take in the first floor, you might like it. And as always, tip your bartenders!
**CASH ONLY, ATM LOCATED ON FIRST FLOOR**

Definitely the best bar in Pittsburgh! If you like lewdness and depravity like I do, you will love this place. It has everything: hobos, stray dogs, grabby patrons that aren’t afraid to check things out from the adjacent urinal… I definitely plan on having my birthday there in 2015. Friendly strippers, strong/​cheap drinks and Nancy keeping (dis)order with an iron fist is recipe for a great night. Btw, no strippers on Monday or Tuesday

Yes, I’m reviewing a strip club. Yes, I’m giving it four stars. Hear me out! Lucky’s is probably the most divey gay bar in the city. From the cigarette smoke to the 1980s style booths, don’t expect to order a fancy drink here. The bar itself is two and a half floors. First floor is the typical bar setting with both stools and booth to sit. They also have a pretty awesome jukebox machine. The «half»
floor is just a little dingy lounge. Then the third floor is where you see the naked men, a second bar and the dance floor. We’ll get to that later.
There are two things I love about this place. One being the drinks, or should I say price of them. You’re not going to pay over $ 4 for your basic drink or beer.
The second thing I love is their dance floor. It may not be fancy like other dance clubs nearby in the strip, but it’s easily the most fun! The DJs are always super friendly and have no problem playing your requests (and super fast!) Everybody there is just there to have fun. It’s not that big, but you can definitely boogie down!
Now just next to the dance floor is the… yes, strippers. Don’t except Chippendales, ladies and gays. Just keep that in mind. To be honest (and I’m not just saying this to make myself look better), but I don’t think I’ve ever looked more than 30 seconds at them.
Whether you start or end your night here, you’ll always have a good time!

Cheap drinks. Nude male dancers. Dancing. Dive bar atmosphere. Smoke filled rooms. Lucky’s is one of the ‘best’ gay bars in PGH (in my opinion). It’s fun with friends to go dancing. You can get really cheap drinks upstairs. The insides are very 80s looking and dirty however it shouldn’t matter if you’re drunk. *cash only* there’s an ATM inside though.

It’s dive-​y. It’s cheap. It’s everything you think «ehh… maybe not» about when you’re looking into a new bar. But if you’re like me, and you want a good time on the cheap at a laid-​back bar, Real Luck is your place.
The bartenders are friendly. The dancers aren’t half bad looking. Drinks are good and cheap, food is good and cheap, it’s just a neat little bar. I think the only downside is the ridiculously small bathrooms– going when you’re hammered is hard enough in a normal size bathroom. All in all, though, Real Luck is a nice bar.

Filthy, dilapidated bathrooms, very smoky, unfriendly bar staff who seem to think they are doing you a favor
Free popcorn.
4 dancers, all attractive and personable.
I wish they were smoke free and took credit cards.
I never trust cash only. They don’t report income

It’s a crappy dive bar, the strippers need rhythm & dance lessons. I usually only come here if my friends from out of town insist on going here, I just can’t stomach it anymore.
Tried to go to Jitter’s last night with some friends (Jitter’s & Lucky’s are both owned by the same miserable owner & have the same address), and was turned away at the door. We were told that this was a «members only party, by invitation only and a private party» and they refused to let us in. I have been to Jitter’s too many times to count, and have NEVER had a problem getting in. But last night was also the first time I didn’t walk in with any of my white friends. Those same white friends were actually in Jitter’s WAITING for us, and they were NOT told the same excuse abt it being «members only». They showed their ID, paid the cover and walked right in. So this was obvisiously a blatent example of racial discrimination. They should be lucky that anybody even wanted to go into their hole-​in-​the-​wall bar (that is literally the basement of some raggedy old house) underneath a bridge. It’s not really my scene anyway because their is always too many underage-​looking kids in their openly sniffing coke, but I’ve had fun there only because it’s the only thing left thats open & nobody is ready to go home yet.
I wish there was a NEGATIVE star rating that I could give this place, soley based off the way that we were treated last night. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised since I have had similar problems in going to Lucky’s & they are owned by the same people. No type of minorities are welcome at these spots, UNLESS you have some white friends with you… they WON’T let you in. Don’t even waste your time.

Interesting spot in he strip. Something is slightly DL about this place because you enter through a side door. Cost of a draft is $ 2.75. LIT (long island iced teas) on Sunday nights for HH. No one in here cares who you are or why you are here. My husband and I came in here for a beer and to play photo hunt. No one bugged us… there is an upstairs but we never went up. Recommended dive gay bar. I may have been the only girl up in this piece tonight…

Disclaimer: I LOVE dive bars. I don’t have the patience for pretentious «blah blah blah look how pretty we all are» bars. If you want that crap, this isn’t the place for you.
Lucky’s is my happy place. I mean… good lord. When you walk in downstairs, you’ll wonder where the party is. The group downstairs will point to a door and say «You want to go upstairs.»
1. Naked dancers on the bar. Is this legal?! I mean… it feels so wrong. But wow.
2. Strong cheap drinks.
3. DJ and a dancefloor.
4. No cover.
What more do you people want?!
Ok, one complaint: it’s a bit smoky.

Cheap. Gay. Great jute box. Happy hour everyday. Manly and mullet and gay guys. Id come here for the bears. Super retro. Up there in dive bars. Free food daily.

Found this interesting dive off the strip district on the way to meet some family at the Asian markets down the road. I literally had just stepped off the plane, took a shuttle into the area and started looking up the gay bars. This was the first one I had checked out. The bartender was smoking a cigarette and leered at me telling me it was a gay bar. I told him I knew that and was only stopping in for a drink. Interesting. Dirty, but people seemed friendly. Got into a good conversation. Walked in during happy hour and drinks were crazy cheap. Music blared from the jukebox and the news was on the screen.

Really !!! People like this place.
I was told to come here because of how similar it is to The Corner Pocket in NOLA… well to be honest. It’s NOTHING like the Corner Pocket in my mind. The Corner Pocket was fun, trashy (in an attractive way), and left a little to the imagination.
Real Luck is gross, trashy (as in the building might fall at any moment), and left NOTHING to your imagination (which to be honest from the ugliness of the dancers is fine… because i’m sure my imagination would have been worse)
Drinks were cheap. Staff was sketch. Dancers looked like they were on a number of hallucinogens