Restaurant Review: Lucky's Last Chance

Restaurant: Address: 4421 Main St., Manayunk 19127
Rating: (out of 5 stars): ★★★1/2
Style: Bar and burger joint
Food: Creative burger menu, wide variety of fries and a killer selection of craft beers.
Atmosphere: Dimly lit bar with circus posters
Parking: Metered street parking
Service: Friendly and casual
Price Range: Most items are under $10
Unique Feature: Complimentary non-alcoholic drinks for designated drivers.

When I’ve had an intense workout at the gym, I want a burger. When it’s cold and rainy outside, I want a burger. When I’m in a beautiful sunny park grilling with friends, I want a burger. Basically, I can come up with any number of excuses to eat a burger. Lucky’s Last Chance takes the all-American burger to a whole new level. The menu abounds with numerous burger options and the list of specials adds even more creative options.

On a recent cold and rainy evening a group of girlfriends and I headed to the recently opened Lucky’s Last Chance on Main Street. Our heads spinning with indecision we started off with a basket of onion strings. These, dare I say light, onion strings featured long and thin strips of onion fried delicately in a gossamer batter that was quite crisp. These addictive strands of slightly sweet onion married well with the subtly spicy remoulade dipping sauce. The mayonnaise-based sauce had notes of red pepper, a kick of vinegar and was wonderfully seasoned. It would be a welcome addition to anything edible.

We decided on the bacon and egg burger, the boy blue and the “passion of the cheese." The first selection had a fried egg, strips of salty bacon and one beef patty (diners are given the option of one or two patties much like at 5 Guys). I felt like I was eating breakfast. While it wasn’t bad or similar to what I am used to seeing in restaurants, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fried egg, bacon and ground beef flavor combination. However, my dining companions loved the breakfast/lunch burger.

The boy blue with blue cheese crumbles, diced tomato and fried onions strings was very good. I opted for the double patties and I enjoyed the striking sharp contrast of the rich blue cheese crumbles against the juicy tomato and hearty beef. I would wager that this burger tastes even better in the summer when tomatoes are actually in season. The fried onion strings added a nice crunch and sweetness to each bite. While I usually add ketchup to my burger, this didn’t need it at all.

The “passion of the cheese” can only be described as an exercise in gluttony. Rather than settle for plain burger buns, this burger is sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Each bite comes from four slices of bread, four slices of cheese and two beef patties. I could feel my arteries clogging with each bite. Was it delicious? It’s hard to say as each bite was just so darn rich. The amount of cheese was overwhelming. My dining companion was beyond thrilled at her menu choice and not only ate her entire “passion of the cheese” burger but also finished the bacon and egg burger… This burger is not recommended for the faint of heart…

There’s more than just regular or Cajun fries at this bar and burger joint. There are Old Bay and garlic butter fries rounding out the list. All the French fries were expertly fried and not the least bit greasy. The Old Bay fries taste like French fries dusted with Old Bay seasoning. The garlic butter fries were doused with garlic and Parmesan cheese with very little actual butter making an appearance. The Cajun fries had a hint of spice but weren’t hot by any means.

Our server was casual but professional. He understood our indecision and was patient in answering our dozens of questions and knew exactly when to check back in with us. The beer selection here is crazy and all three of us got to try new and exciting brews. My personal favorite was the Eliot Ness by the Great Lakes brewery. This amber ale is simply fantastic. Plenty of fruity notes make it an ideal pairing for the rich and heavy burgers. I can’t wait to come back here.

Click here for the website.