Each corner of the world represents themselves with their own dialect, traditions, and most importantly food. Generally,
Poland is famous for their Pierogis; Italy is know for their pasta;England prides themselves on Fish n’ Chips, and Ireland makes a mean potato. When you think of America and the proverbial melting pot, it is seemingly impossible to classify any type of fare as ‘American,’ but when a restaurant offers selections from every corner of America, you get
Lucy’s American Tavern.
Lucy’s American Tavern represents all that is good and right with American History and more importantly American food and drink.
The joint actually gets the name from an American Icon, Lucy Stone, who was a women’s rights activist who live in Dorchester’s Pope Hill during the late 1800’s. Lucy’s boasts a huge, open space where you can saddle up at the huge rectangle bar and watch one of the many large screen TV’s that are visible from throughout the restaurant or cozy up in one of their many booths. Lucy’s is a great place to grab some drinks with some friends, but is also definitely acceptable for children and families. It is truly a melting pot.
I would definitely recommend perusing their cocktail and beer menu first as you might be a little overwhelmed at the amount of offerings they present. If you a beer guy or gal, they have 27 beers on draught and you can order a pint or a flight of four for tasting. The standout section of the drink menu is their Signature Cocktails. I typically shy away from these types of drinks, but even I had to jump in head first to the ‘Backdoor Lemonade’ which they describe as what you would drink if you lived in Kentucky for the Summer. Some other options included a ‘Root Beer Old Fashioned,’ ‘Lucy’s Spiked Seltzer’ and the ‘New England Mule-ish.’
Onto the food….continuing with the melting pot theme, I recommend starting with a selection from their array of appetizers. Lucy’s menu offers anything from Mexican Street Nachos, to Fatman’s Fried Pickles, to Smokey Poutine all the way to a Burrata dish. It’s almost as if they chose one dish from every region of the country and put their twist on it for you to enjoy.
The dinner menu doesn’t narrow down to one genre of food either. If you prefer a little roughage with your dinner, they offer some great salad options from a Steak + Avocado Salad, a Southern Chopped Salad or the classic, a Wedge Salad. As with any ‘American’ restaurant, they offer some killer sandwiches from a class Burger Royale or my personal favorite the Brisket Sandwich.
The entrees Lucy’s offer continue to keep you guessing as the first item on the menu is a Bolognese dish, but the last item on the menu is Fish Tacos with Chicken + Waffles in the middle. Watching the food come out as I wait to order usually puts me in a bind as everything looks so good, so I usually go with the BBQ Board which samples the sausage, ribs and the brisket. Throw in your traditional BBQ sides like collard greens, brussel sprouts, tots, beans or even the maple sweet potato puree and you got yourself a full stomach. As I’ve sampled everything from the Brisket sandwich to the Chicken + Waffles, anything you select off the menu should satisfy any hunger pang that is striking you at the time.
Lucy’s might as well be considered Ellis Island in Dorchester. The variety of food and drinks Lucy’s is offering is just as diverse as the neighborhood it sits in and just like the neighborhood it sits in, it always keeps you coming back for more!
Look for Lucy’s bright orange sign located at 13 Granite Avenue in Dorchester, right across from the McDonald’s with the golden arches. Lucy’s is open Monday to Friday from 11:30 AM – 1:00 AM and they are open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM. The patio is also opened for the season!
Image via Lucy’s Instagram
