(212) 477-0280

138 Ludlow St
New York, NY 10002 40.7203 -73.988

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Neighborhoods: Lower East Side, Downtown

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Labor Unions, Sports Bars, Loans, Bars & Pubs, Neighborhood Bars, Bars & Clubs, Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Bar & Pub Special Features:

Happy Hour

Restaurant Special Features:

Happy Hour

What People Are Saying About Local 138

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – The wood-encased interior is minimally decorated to give Local a more contemporary edge than some others on Ludlow. Clean, geometric lines snake around the bar and two small alcoves facing the street on either side of the entrance serve almost as separate rooms, so patrons can socialize in semi-privacy. – – The Draw – Local proves to be a somewhat more subdued stop on the old bar-hopping trail, as well as a cool spot to catch Knicks games.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The alcoves in the front are each roomy enough for a small group; the bar & table area has great atmosphere; the back room's minimalist design makes a great setting for a private party, and the layout of the place allows easy traffic from front to back.”
  2. “no attitude, great music, great atmosphere, mixed crowd.”
  3. “Good atmosphere, staff and prices -- a rare combination”
  4. “All the bartenders are great and fun.”
  5. “This bar typically has a relaxing atmosphere, good music (nothing cheesy, indie rock is a possibility), reasonable prices, decent lighting so you can actually see your friends, and pleasant bartenders.”
  6. “appreciated the mix of punk-grunge-rock of my youth playing at a decent level, but what really made this place worth it was the roomy booth at the front of the bar that we snagged, without much competition, which afforded us near-panoramic views of the ”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The bar boasts decent happy hour specials with effectively strong mixed drinks and a chocolate stout that served as dinner and dessert.”
drinks
92.8600025177002% positive
  1. “This bar typically has a relaxing atmosphere, good music (nothing cheesy, indie rock is a possibility), reasonable prices, decent lighting so you can actually see your friends, and pleasant bartenders.”
  2. “Prices are very reasonalble for NYC and a great beer and booze selection with lots of top shelf scotch whiskey and tequila you can't find elsewhere.”
  3. “should you be looking for more, this is the perfect bar for the first or last drink of the night.”
  4. “The bar was great.”
  5. “For most people, this is a good place to spend the early evening on weekend nights, or go after work, to get away and have a drink.”
  6. “appreciated the mix of punk-grunge-rock of my youth playing at a decent level, but what really made this place worth it was the roomy booth at the front of the bar that we snagged, without much competition, which afforded us near-panoramic views of the ”
  7. “great bar for a drink”
  8. “It is, however, a great place to go for a drink.”
  9. “The drinks were nice and strong too, and we didn't have to wait long to get a table big enough for all of 6 of us.”
  10. “The bar boasts decent happy hour specials with effectively strong mixed drinks and a chocolate stout that served as dinner and dessert.”
  11. “The alcoves in the front are each roomy enough for a small group; the bar & table area has great atmosphere; the back room's minimalist design makes a great setting for a private party, and the layout of the place allows easy traffic from front to back.”
  12. “Nice beer selection, with some of your usual english ales, all of which taste fresh, and not like the stale stuff which is typical of many bars in ny.”
  13. “This bar is by far my favorite place on the Lower East Side these days.”
  14. “great, normal neighborhood bar for times when you're in the area with friends looking for a drink and not in the mood for the dark, loud lounge down the block.”
food quality
0.0% positive
  1. “Nice beer selection, with some of your usual english ales, all of which taste fresh, and not like the stale stuff which is typical of many bars in ny.”
menu variety
50.0% positive
  1. “Prices are very reasonalble for NYC and a great beer and booze selection with lots of top shelf scotch whiskey and tequila you can't find elsewhere.”
  2. “Nice beer selection, with some of your usual english ales, all of which taste fresh, and not like the stale stuff which is typical of many bars in ny.”
overall
92.8600025177002% positive
  1. “What a great place”
  2. “For most people, this is a good place to spend the early evening on weekend nights, or go after work, to get away and have a drink.”
  3. “If you are looking for good service in NYC this is the place to go.”
  4. “It is, however, a great place to go for a drink.”
  5. “The alcoves in the front are each roomy enough for a small group; the bar & table area has great atmosphere; the back room's minimalist design makes a great setting for a private party, and the layout of the place allows easy traffic from front to back.”
  6. “great place to kick off a night or wind down and chat at the end.”
  7. “on a nice little sound systems, unlike some other bars and lounges that sound like mud, playing some funky underground hip hop, no cheese, and the bartender was very cute and friendly, though my scotch on the rocks seemed like it could have been a bit mor”
service
87.88000106811523% positive
  1. “Good atmosphere, staff and prices -- a rare combination”
  2. “they play good music, bartender was really nice and friendly.”
  3. “Don't know what willis is talking about -- this place has a great crowd, super-friendly bartenders, and is hardly boring.”
  4. “on a nice little sound systems, unlike some other bars and lounges that sound like mud, playing some funky underground hip hop, no cheese, and the bartender was very cute and friendly, though my scotch on the rocks seemed like it could have been a bit mor”
  5. “For most people, this is a good place to spend the early evening on weekend nights, or go after work, to get away and have a drink.”
  6. “not a bad place, decent crowd and bartenders, but it sure is boring.”
  7. “All the bartenders are great and fun.”
  8. “The staff is always cool and the front booths are awesome for semi-big groups.”
  9. “This bar typically has a relaxing atmosphere, good music (nothing cheesy, indie rock is a possibility), reasonable prices, decent lighting so you can actually see your friends, and pleasant bartenders.”
  10. “If you are looking for good service in NYC this is the place to go.”
  11. “This lower east side pub is low key and has interesting people watching.”
value
90.0% positive
  1. “Drink prices are very reasonable you can even get shots for 4.00”
  2. “This bar typically has a relaxing atmosphere, good music (nothing cheesy, indie rock is a possibility), reasonable prices, decent lighting so you can actually see your friends, and pleasant bartenders.”
  3. “Good atmosphere, staff and prices -- a rare combination”
  4. “appreciated the mix of punk-grunge-rock of my youth playing at a decent level, but what really made this place worth it was the roomy booth at the front of the bar that we snagged, without much competition, which afforded us near-panoramic views of the ”
  5. “on a nice little sound systems, unlike some other bars and lounges that sound like mud, playing some funky underground hip hop, no cheese, and the bartender was very cute and friendly, though my scotch on the rocks seemed like it could have been a bit mor”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “The drinks were nice and strong too, and we didn't have to wait long to get a table big enough for all of 6 of us.”
3 Star Rating: Average

02/17/10

Chill LES bar

by Evanismo , Citysearch Contributor

Though nearly empty save a single patron at the bar when we walked in, Local 138 was well worth the stop on a recent weeknight. Walking down Ludlow, we were looking for a happy hour joint and decided it would work for us. The bar boasts decent happy hour specials with effectively strong mixed drinks and a chocolate stout that served as dinner and dessert. I appreciated the mix of punk-grunge-rock of my youth playing at a decent level, but what really made this place worth it was the roomy booth at the front of the bar that we snagged, without much competition, which afforded us near-panoramic views of the street – always interesting in the LES.

  • Pros: Not too crowded
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/09/08

great happy hour

by alxx

good selection of draughts; the special: two booths with a view of neighborhood life, casual atmosphere. happy hour till 9pm.

  • Pros: great atmosphere
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/22/06

Good atmosphere, staff and prices -- a rare combination

by mikelewis

This bar typically has a relaxing atmosphere, good music (nothing cheesy, indie rock is a possibility), reasonable prices, decent lighting so you can actually see your friends, and pleasant bartenders. They were very accomodating about reserving the back room for me on a Saturday night (10/1/05) at no charge. It's good for maybe 15 people or so. The bar, overall, is small, but when I was there on a Saturday it never got too crowded for me.

  • Pros: Ambience, music, bartenders
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/20/06

coziest at the lower east side

by fatbeaver

looking for a place to chill?

this is the place!

cheap drink, not as crowded and totally not pretentious!

they play good music, bartender was really nice and friendly.

  • Pros: inexpensive, football/soccer, not crowded
  • Cons: not crowded, soundsystem
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/18/05

great music

by ekitel

on a nice little sound systems, unlike some other bars and lounges that sound like mud, playing some funky underground hip hop, no cheese, and the bartender was very cute and friendly, though my scotch on the rocks seemed like it could have been a bit more generous, this was the only place on the block I walked into, every place else seemed really obnoxious

  • Pros: music, bartender, tv
  • Cons: small drink

The Details on Local 138

Place Categories:

  • great place
  • really nice superfriendly bartenders
  • great music
  • good drink prices
  • great atmosphere
  • great bar
  • nice drinks
  • good staff
  • great setting
  • great happy hour
  • decent level
  • not bad bartenders
  • decent lighting
  • great beer
  • good service
  • decent happy hour specials
  • nice little sound systems
  • big enough
  • interesting people
  • best spot
  • awful women
  • good rare combination
  • great back
  • decent crowd
  • cool ceiling fans
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