Beloved East Village dive bar Lucy's reopens on Avenue A

Classic East Village dive bar Lucy’s reopened Tuesday after closing more than a year ago due to a reported rent hike from the new building owners.

The bar was bailed out by one of its former regulars – Jon Neidich, the nightlife impresario and CEO of Golden Age Hospitality who is behind downtown hotspots like Le Dive, The Nines, ACME and more.

Neidich lived in the apartment just above Lucy’s in his 20’s, his lawyer Max Bookman told the local community board during a liquor license hearing in August. Its then-owner (and omnipresent bartender) Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius would refer to Neidich as her “other grandson,” Bookman said.

After learning of the bar’s financial troubles, Neidich and his business partners ran the numbers and decided to take over, while pledging to change as little as possible about the bar’s operations or vibe. Their proposed renovations included extra soundproofing and accessibility upgrades for the bathroom. On Tuesday, the bar was accepting credit cards, a change from its previous iteration, which was cash-only.

Lucy’s reopening was first reported by EV Grieve, a local news outlet that attended a private party at the renovated bar last week.

“We are so excited to welcome back all of our regulars so as a thank you we are offering 2006 pricing all week long!” the bar posted on its Instagram account.

That means $2 domestic beers, $3 domestic spirits, $6 well drinks, and $10 martinis.

Mickevicius, now in her 80s, worked the bar before buying the operation in 1997. She told Eater she’ll still appear behind the bar when she’s available.