Bar Luca

Blame Canada burger: wagyu beef, poutine, maple bacon, maple aioli. «Why wouldn’t all that maple make it pretty sweet?» said the voice inside my head. I really should listen to that voice more often, but there was a louder voice booming «BUT ITS CANADA LIKE YOU!!!» while playing the South Park song in the background. And that voice won. That voice always wins.
I added on chips and 3 chicken wings for $ 6. Because when given the option to «add on» wings, you should always take it. That type of offering needs to be encouraged. And the wings were pretty good. No sauce (although I saw some bottles I could have grabbed), but nicely seasoned. More of a dry crumb than American style, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.
Atmosphere is loud. I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you wanted to hold a conversation with your date. Beer selection is a couple notches above average with some Stone & Wood mixed in with the Fat Yak.
Bar Luca is worth checking out, but you don’t need me to tell you that — you won’t be able to resist being drawn in by the mouth watering smoke wafting out onto the street.

Good (greasy) burgers, excellent fries. This place is super-​popular at lunch and from 5pm with the banker and lawyer crowd so get in early for lunch or reserve. Standard range of drinks, cheery if somewhat hurried service. Perfect if you’re battling a midweek hangover (not that I ever get those, of course …)

I was worried about the hype of this place since a lot of FBAS members swear by it, have to say while it’s no unicorn they do pretty good burgers here.
I had their special More Chilli and part of the Blame Canada, can say that while their bun looks dry it’s anything but.
Cheese is good, toppings are good, and bun went well. Downsides for me are the beef patty, it’s not really seasoned, but at least it was tender.
Pretty good all around burgers here, but I can’t say I get the OMG feeling from them.

Have heard good things about the burgers here! Arrived around 9pm and was told kitchen was closed! Noooooo!
The lovely bartender took pity on us and said if we ordered right then and there it should be ok! Of course we picked the most delicious thing on the menu!
Blame Canada is 200g of wagyu patty, American cheddar cheese, maple glazed streaky bacon, poutine and maple aioli!
Holy Fricken Moly! This shiz is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! (Insert joke)
The beef was so juicy, the cheese gooey and that sauce! Hot dam I was in burger heaven! Soo savoury with a hint of sweet!
This burger is at the top my list! (Prob better than Mary’s! Gasp!)
Blame Canada and Bar Luca you have top shelf on my food mantlepiece!

Sizzle your evening at the rejuvenated space with a bistro/​diner feel, ideal for groups and satisfying your burger munchies.
The festive Viva La France burger created especially for Bastille Day was quite tasty although the soft brioche bun which was a little overpowering in comparison to the amount of filling including a wagyu pattie, roast portebella mushroom, vintage cheese, french onion aioli, bacon and topped with a cheese beinget popper. It’s also a good idea to choose sides such as crispy fried chicken and shoestring fries of course!

BURGERS!
Bar Luca has absolutely insane burgers and are definitely worth a visit if you’re on the prowl for a good one. I suggest the Blame Canada burger.
The onion rings were a little greasy, but the shoestring fries were also tasty. But you must, must, MUST try a burger or two.
The chicken karaage burger came out with a huge tan and I thought it might’ve been burnt, but it wasn’t…tasted greaaaaaatttttttt.

Went in for breakfast. After an hour had to walk up to staff to ask to order breakfast. It wasn’t worth waiting for. Understaffed, very ordinary breakfast food and very average coffee.

I used to drink here when I worked as a young Mad Men-​esque pup up on Macquarie St. I was a Pete Campbell type — slick. Slimy. Brylcreemed. Which probably explains why I liked Luca so much.
Revisited it last night after a decade away and it was like slipping back into a comfortable pair of socks. I kind of miss having locals to go to for work now that I’m not in the CBD anymore.
Does $ 5 pints (!) of Pure Blonde and Carlton during happy hour. What a deal!

8.30 pm on a Friday in the CBD seems to be the time that bars would be absolutely hopping with young professionals out to celebrate the weekend and young not-​so-​professionals getting their drink on for the night ahead. So why is Bar Luca so quiet?
When some friends and I pay a visit one Friday night, there’s a large group of what appears to be tourists eating, a few out of towners who are clearly having a good time… and us. It’s strange, given that every we’ve walked past to be here is going off!
Regardless, we sit down at the bar tables, and get some drinks. At $ 7 for a tall vodka sunrise, it’s feeling affordable. The food is also affordable, although I can’t vouch for how it tastes.
The venue itself is a little bit dated, and could probably do with a quick reno; the toilets are shared with another venue, and finding them is no mean feat, while the carpet and décor is a little bit dead.
The staff are friendly when they pour our drinks, and seem to enjoy a bit of a flirt.