Downtown's Lucy Blue has bigger space, menu

Josh Tysinger of Claremont gets some slices at the buffet as owner Jim Thompson makes way for a fresh pie at Lucy Blue. (Credit: David Sorcher | Metromix)

If you occasionally find yourself out late, you may know Lucy Blue Pizza as a place to grab a meal after midnight.

But Lucy Blue isn't just open in the wee hours of the morning - and with a new Downtown location, the local pizza chain looks to satisfy your cravings (nearly) around the clock.

Visiting Lucy Blue's new Seventh Street restaurant, you quickly notice a couple of differences between it and the company's other spots in the region.

First, the space - formerly home to Gondola Pizza - is significantly bigger than Lucy Blue's Mount Lookout, Over-the-Rhine and MainStrasse Village locations, nearly three times as big, according to owner Jim Thompson.

Second, unlike the Over-the-Rhine location, which offers its lunch buffet only on Thursday, the Seventh Street location offers it from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. The buffet, which features soup, salad, a soft drink and all the pizza you can eat - is more expensive downtown ($7.50 vs. $7 in Over-the-Rhine), but you're paying for more service.

This Lucy Blue features a house and specialty soup - a potato and sausage in a cream broth the day my co-worker and I visited - as well as a Caesar, Greek and tossed salad daily. Pizza is available for $2.50-$3 by the slice or $18 for an entire gourmet pie. To get the most food for your dollar, the buffet's the way to go.

Be careful not to beat the crowd if you're going for the lunch buffet, though, as the restaurant is careful not to put out too many pies for too few customers. Once it fills up, you can find a variety of pizza for general consumption.

Cheese, veggie (topped with a sprinkle of parsley) and pepperoni with sausage are standard options. Also available are more exotic fare such as marguerite - olive oil, garlic, basil, Roma tomatoes and mozzarella - and Greek, which replaces the basil in favor of spinach, olives and feta cheese.

The pizza is ... pizza. It's not bad, it's not the best you can find, but it's a good value. And if you're looking for a place where you can eat to your heart's (and stomach's) content, Lucy Blue fills that bill.

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