I'm from Long Beach, Cali, and our gay scene, for the most part, are gay dive bars. Well after coming here, I can say that my gay dive bars are not true dive bars! This spot is a DIVE! Came on a weekday night and there was a decent crowd there. Bartender didn't seem to notice is for a while but once I interacted with him, I noticed he may have a diagnosis and I was super happy. In a past life, I worked in high school special education and finding jobs for my students was the most fulfilling part of my job. So glad they gave this kid a chance. Drinks weren't that strong but were fine. Music was great and took me back to high school. Lastly, as a Californian, it's always so weird to me to see smoking permitted inside of a business lol. read more

Real Luck Cafe - Gay Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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this place was so fun eric was a delightful bartender, the music was great and he really went the extra mile to make us feel welcome :) will be coming back next time i'm in Pittsburgh!! read more

Been here a few times, it is very trashy with a sketchy, elderly clientele which I usually enjoy but not at this place. The younger ones are often street people, drug addicted or otherwise risky. Make sure to bring small bills, if you hand over a $20 you most likely won't get change. I'm used to bars where you can leave a card or some cash on the bar and be billed correctly however crowded it gets. That's not the case here, every single time I did this I've had to chase the bartender who, by the time I get to her, has forgotten whose money was whose. I don't think it's deliberate but fair warning. Do not being laptops or valuables, if you do, hold onto them. read more

Been here before Enjoyed the vibe, the dance floor and the boys. Looking forward to having a great evening today.

Visiting Pittsburgh and was recommended to check this place. This dive bar is a dive. Cash only bar, very smoky, reasonable prices. The second floor dance, gogo boys bar is open at 10pm. The 2 lady bartenders are a joke. They are not attentive to customers and either look stressed when 3 or more customers are waiting. The also bicker between each other. The prices between both bars are 50cents to 75cents different. Either you pay less for faster service and less pour from 2nd floor bar or pay little more for normal pour with suffering service and not attentive strung out bartender's. Not gonna mention the names. Last night we were there, big fight with 2 customers, bottle throwing masculine guys. Didn't see any food to order, you probably would get food poisoning. They had chips available for sale. Maybe I'll return on the next visit. read more

Went on a Saturday. Came around 10:30. Left about 1:30. Had a great time with friends, but would feel comfortable enough being there alone. The drinks are simple and cheap. The service is fine. The nude dancers are fine, but having nice male dancers is great at lowering inhibitions throughout - and that is fun. After midnight the clientele was much more interesting than the strippers. Be aware, cash only, and smoking - which is a bit of shock at first. read more

Calling all Dive Bar Divas! I've been coming here for years with my friends and I have to say I have absolutely never had a bad time! I give it three stars because come on, it's a dive. Albeit a good one, but a dive nonetheless. Anything goes here because everyone is fun and easy-going. Just don't be an asshole. Prices are decent and (almost) everyone is pretty. Meow read more

True dive bar that accepts everyone! Great prices on bevies and friendly to a fault (P.S. I'm straight and never felt out of place). Give it a shot (which are cheap, $1.50 Jell-O shots!)! read more

Real Luck Cafe - Inside above bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The BEST and most inclusive gay bar in Pittsburgh hands down!! The bartenders are friendly, the people are fun, and the drinks are good. Cannot recommend enough read more

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** read more

The smoke is terrible. Surprised smoke is still allowed inside in Pa. The drink was fine. Sundays are dead.

I was in Pittsburgh and stumbled across Real Luck Cafe. I first went in and sat at the downstairs bar and was immediately greeted by the bartender and a couple customers- very friendly. The guy next to me said we should go to the upstairs bar and see the Go Go Guys. I didn't even realize there was a second floor, let alone GO GO BOYS. The whole place was HOT! Great dancers and a lot of great looking customers. Needless to say I kept wanting to leave to drive back to the Buffalo area, but just couldn't. Ended up closing the bar and I had to leave. AMAZING! A must go to place when in Pitt! Thanks for a wonderful night!!!! WOW!! read more

Really excited to go to this bar since it had reviews as a cool gay dive bar and my first time in Pittsburgh. Disappointed because I got there, not too many people, sat down and the lady working the bar just ignored my friend and I. People who showed up after was being served, and one person even let her know we were here before them and she just waved down her hand and said she is going around the bar. Pretty rude and unnecessary. We left without waiting for "our turn" around the bar. read more

One of the the most laid back, all inclusive, and no nonsense gay dive bars I have ever been too. Also truly the only gay bar left that has a dance floor with spectacular lighting and a great sound system. read more

Real Luck Cafe - Dance floor on the second floor - Gay Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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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. read more

Thank you for being there. As someone that is not from here, I feel so out of place. But, spending time here, and getting to know people, and them not really giving a "fcuk"where you are from is amazing. The staff is first class, they make you feel like you've been in the states, and a patron for 100 years. This place may look like a bit of a forgotten era. But I promise, it's not. It's every bit as relevant as the bars that are still under construction, if there are any due to this pandemic. This is a local place, with a local owner, that appreciates the business. If you're gonna help someone out right now why not a place named "Lucky's"? read more

Awesome bar. First time in it. Love the music and great people. Love the bartender also. The only problem was that I drink was watered down so much that all I tasted was pure water. I ordered vodka and cranberry juice. But what I received tasted like water and a little cap full of cranberry juice and lots of ice. Don't do people like that. I can drink watered down alcoholic beverages at home. Overall great bar read more

Great bar music was fabulous the The service was great The people were super friendly And their food was pretty good

Disappointing. Plastic cups, no water allowed, no Irish ales, out of the way and the owner was personally hassling people to buy more drinks

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

I've been hearing about Lucky's for a long time but never got the chance to go until last night when my friend suggested it. I had no expectations at all going in, I just knew it was a gay bar and that was it. Walking in, my first impression was that it was a total dive bar which was fine with me. It came complete with little shamrocks on the walls and of course, a pride flag. We took a seat at the bar and the bartender was pretty busy but she made sure that we knew she was coming to us next. The bar is smoking and cash only which others have pointed out. To put things simply, they definitely pour heavy here. Drinks are relatively cheap too, especially for more top tier alcohols like Crown Apple. We sat at the bar for awhile and then my friend suggested we go upstairs. I had no idea there was even an upstairs. Going up there, the atmosphere completely changes and I mean, completely. It was a full on dance/strip club, complete with naked men dancing on the bar. I was not prepared at all. But honestly it was a lot of fun up there. Everyone had good vibes and I enjoyed the music they were playing. The only reason I'm giving the place four stars is because the women's bathroom was out of order and the men's room didn't lock! read more

Real Luck Cafe - Cute decorations and pride flag! - Gay Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This place is definitely a dive bar. We walked by and the vintage shamrock outside intrigued us and we decided to come back later. We looked it up on Yelp and that's the reason we found out it was listed as "gay bar." This place is almost two places in one. The downstairs was your typical dive bar feel. Dark, dank, country music played. Shamrocks all around. Then the upstairs opened, and you were transported to a dance club with naked male dancers above the patrons. Thank God, my Dad and mom didn't join us (the shamrock is a little misleading). There was a small dance floor located behind the dancers. Drinks were very reasonable and the staff was very friendly, welcoming, etc. Also, you can smoke in the bar. read more

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 read more

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. read more

Real Luck cafe doesn't even deserve one star, only reason the got it is because you can not submit a review without at least one star... The pace is just awful, employees treat customers like crap, its filthy, restrooms have no locks on doors, music is not very good, upstairs floor feels like it is going to cave in at any moment, There appears to be drugs being exchanged and sold in restrooms... employees assaulting and pushing customers... Wow, what a horrid, nightmare of a business, I honestly don't know how they stay in business. read more

$3.50 drinks. $1 shots. Came here to celebrate a friend's engagement and it was a lot of fun. Everyone is very friendly. Only cons are the smoking and they only accept cash. Also naked male dancers upstairs I mean NAKED NAKED. read more

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 read more

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. read more

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Couldn't say one better thing about Dana! She let us in when she was opening and served us! Great Pittsburg experience, will probably come back tonight! Thanks Dana ya babe!! read more

My name is allen, Back in early 1990's I had the pleasure of working at The Real Luck Cafe for the owners Nancy and Lucky. I worked there for 4 years as a bartender and the owners and customers became a part of my family, I was 18 when I started working there (legal at the time) and to this day I have the most amazing memories of good times and friendships. I have lived in florida now for 6 years, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss walking into 1519 Penn Avenue. I recomend it to anyone who has the opportunity to stop in there, and I hope that if you even get a little bit of the kind of memories that I have graced with I am happy that I was able to help. I miss all the patrons, and miss you too Nancy, Go check out the club everyone, there's no place like home. allen read more

Let me just say that I am humbled by the thighs in this fine establishment. The downstairs is a classic grimy, smoky dive with an ATM and cig machine. Upstairs, you will find an oasis of nude adonises dancing on the bar and an 80's dance floor. Cum open minded and with lots of ones! read more

WARNING! Don't use the ATM here. It's a scam. Somehow it scanned my cards and then someone went to Walmart with two different card numbers. Over $500 spent. Now I know why wasn't able to get cash on cards that were supposed to work. So now I have the mess of reporting my cards stolen and then disputing the charges. What a trashy place. Honestly, every time I come here I regret it. The drinks are the second floor are fine but for some reason, the drinks on the first floor always taste like dirty guns/mixers are being used. Whatever you do, don't use the ATM. It's not worth drinking here on a Sunday night. Just stay home. Really. read more

Nude male dancers upstairs if you're into that kind of thing. Our posse didn't venture upstairs. We were on a mission for to go beer because PA stops selling way too early and we needed fuel for the night ahead of us at nearby Hot Mass. We were successful here. The bar was nice with an excellent outdoor area in the back. It was fairly busy for a gay dive bar, and the crowd was fairly mixed. Gay, lesbian, straight, male, female and everything in between. We only stayed for a drink but it seems like a fun enough spot. read more

..well that was an experience. I came here last night with my friend since neither of us had been to a guy strip club and I knew he'd like it. I've been to the bar downstairs but never upstairs. I pictured magic mike in my head ya know with a stage and stuff. But it wasn't. Lol it was at the bar in your face. It was fun and we will deff be back. Unfortunately we didn't stay long.. Maybe 15-20min. I was completely sober and it wasn't busy due to Superbowl. I think it'll be more fun buzzed and with a bigger crowd so all the attention isn't on us the second that we come in lol read more

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... read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more