The Lucky Lure in Ivanhoe Village
This past Saturday, I visited the Lucky Lure, a whimsical theme bar nestled in the outskirts of Downtown Orlando. I was apprehensive when first approaching the bar given its unusual construction: the small building lacks windows and has two doorless entrances, leaving it fully exposed to the open air. Naturally, this means that it gets warm very quickly, and there are only two fans to stave off the heat. I did notice that there appear to be shutters that can be lowered over the openings in the outer wall, but they remained up during my entire stay and are presumably reserved for shutting out severe weather or protecting the establishment when it is closed.
The Lucky Lure features a very relaxed environment where patrons can come dressed as they are, whether covered in paint stains or piercings. Customers run the gamut from grizzled old men to the young and the casual, but the bar definitely caters primarily to an older crowd. The music is audible, but not overbearing, so visitors can easily enjoy a nice conversation during their stay. Selections from the soft rock genre (with a bit of hip-hop and alternative thrown in occasionally) were the standard fare until about 7:30, at which time the staff switched over to reggae and R&B.
The walls and ceilings are adorned with numerous decorations that fit with the bar’s bayside theme, including novelty fish, assorted boat parts, and of course, various lures hanging from above. A pool table and a foosball table available for use by those patrons who wish to challenge one another in a friendly game, and four televisions to display whatever channels the patrons might wish to watch (though only two were on during my stay).
It is possible that the service is standard for a bar of this nature, but I felt that it left something to be desired. If you are not able to get to the bar, you cannot get a drink, as there are no servers to take orders for you. Even at the bar, the bartenders tend not to check on you unless you directly call for their attention even when demand is low, but at least they are very personable when you finally do get their attention. The bar boasts a wide assortment of alcoholic beverages, but no signature drinks or anything out of the ordinary.
The Lucky Lure is located in the Lake Ivanhoe area at 1427 N. Orange Avenue and is currently in soft-opening mode, with the grand opening scheduled to occur sometime in August. It is a decent place to go if you’re in the area and looking for a calm place to have a drink or two with a few friends, but is not the ideal choice for someone looking for excitement.
Ill have to check this place out!
You must have went when they first opened. There are two doors for the entrances, they are just always open. The TVs have always been on surfing or other extreme sports videos when I’ve gone. I have been both during happy hour and busy weekend nights and it is definitely busy at night with a lot of excitement. As far as specialty drinks go, there is a full drink menu displayed throughout the bar. I don’t know when this was written but its not accurate for where the bar is at now whatsoever.
@Justin: The bar was in soft opening mode when I went, so it is indeed very possible that some of the features they have now were not in effect when I visited. I’m glad to hear that the Lucky Lure is doing well, though! Maybe I’ll stop by a second time before too long.