Lucille’s, a New Bar, Opens on Second Avenue

Feb. 1 marked the soft-opening of one of the Upper East Side’s newest bars, Lucille’s, at 1415 Second Avenue (corner of 74th Street). The new establishment has replaced Workshop, a long-running bar which closed its doors last month.

Last night, we had the chance to sit down for a drink with Lucille’s owner, Alex Pfaffenbach, who named the bar after his dog and calls it a “cocktail dive.” Pfaffenbach, an Upper East Sider, has worked in the industry for years, having helped open Chez Zou in Midtown and the NoMad Hotel and Brookfield Place bars. He’s always wanted to open up a spot of his own, and when he found out Workshop was closing, he saw his opportunity.

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“We want to be an approachable neighborhood cocktail bar,” Pfaffenbach shared. “We started with the idea of a dive bar, but it’s become more elevated.” Having lived downtown before moving to the Upper East Side, it was also important to Pfaffenbach that the space “have a ‘downtown feel’ so downtown transplants who have moved uptown feel at home.”

Lucille’s menu (currently in progress) offers cocktails for $14-16, draft beer for $9, wine for $14-$15, and bottled and canned beers and ciders for $10-$12. Cocktails on the current list include Negronis, Manhattans, Whiskey Sours, Cosmos, Moscow Mules and Margaritas.

Small bar bites are on the way, but until then, patrons are encouraged to bring takeout.

The space (it’s pretty small) is currently being stripped and painted (during off hours) and new lighting and plants are on the way.

In his free time, Pfaffenbach enjoys exploring the city’s various bars and restaurants and spending time with his family. In fact, he described Lucille’s as a family affair. His three-year-old daughter sometimes accompanies him to the space and helps him clean the windows.

Lucille’s is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday-Monday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.