Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse adds a bar
“Beer goes so well with barbecue, so we’ve been thinking about doing this for a while,” says Jim Higgins, who, with wife and chef Brooke Higgins, launched the Northeast counter-service spot in 2005
The all-you-can-eat Monday night buffet at Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse (7500 State Rd., 215-333-9663) just got a little juicier. After nine years as a BYOB, the Holmesburg barbecue joint has nabbed a liquor license.
"Beer goes so well with barbecue, so we've been thinking about doing this for a while," says Jim Higgins, who, with wife and chef Brooke Higgins, launched the Northeast counter-service spot in 2005.
Opening beer list includes 20 or so bottles, in styles that range from regular domestics (Miller Lite, etc) for $3.50 to local crafts for $5 or $6. A few bottled ciders are also on the menu, along with a handful smoke-friendly wines, priced from $4.50-$7 by the glass. Six-packs are available for takeout.
Regular drink specials haven't yet been pinned down — "It's our first bar, so we're just finding out what works," Higgins notes — but expect Monday night deals like $2.50 Miller Lites, $3 PBC Fleur de Lehighs and $3 Twisted Teas.
Although the small bar was intended to be walk-up only, customers like to congregate around it, says Higgins, so three stools now line the wood-slab counter, and more are on their way. Sit at one of them and you can order food directly from the bartender, instead of picking it up at the window.
Sweet Lucy's was an outgrowth of the Higgins' popular food truck, and despite its out-of-the-way location in an industrial warehouse along Delaware Avenue, the spot has been a success. In his initial Inquirer review, Craig LaBan awarded it two bells, lauding the chicken as tops in the city, and it perennially tops Zagat's list of best BBQ restaurants in Philadelphia.
For now, hours for the bar are the same as for the restaurant: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m daily. Look for later hours on Friday and Saturdays after the new year.
Drink list is here.