damnlines.comdamnlines.comCarroll Gardens' 30-seat, cash-only, BYOB pizzeria that takes no reservations — the line is the price of admission.
The mechanics are fixed and public. Lucali has 30 seats, is cash only, and takes no reservations. The shop's own site says it starts taking names for the waitlist at 4pm; doors open at 5pm. The line forms well before that — The Infatuation reports it building 'as early as 2pm,' sometimes with a few professional line-sitters parked in lawn chairs at the front. A hostess works the front of the line with a thick black notebook (Time Out), writing you in and handing back a table time, not an immediate seat.
The catch is that the time you're given is not when you eat. A Time Out reviewer who arrived at 3:30pm on a Sunday found roughly 60 people already ahead of her, was written down for a 10pm table she talked down to 9:30pm, then still waited about 30 minutes past that time before being seated. So the real wait has two parts: the afternoon spent claiming a slot, and the gap between your slot and an open table. How long the whole thing runs depends mostly on how late you're willing to eat.
That flexibility is the only real lever. Per Time Out, locking in an early seating (before 7pm) means arriving around 2pm, while diners happy to eat late — near 10pm — can end up waiting under an hour. Takeout is the escape hatch: Lucali's site says orders can be placed by phone or in person starting at 4pm the day of, generally a shorter wait than the dining room. Closed Tuesdays. BYOB is encouraged, so most of the line is holding wine from a nearby bodega.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
Golden Diner · 46 min walkclosedLucinda's · 68 min walkclosedBreakfast by Salt's Cure · 72 min walkclosedIt varies with how late you'll eat. Time Out describes arriving at 3:30pm and being seated around 9:30pm, so the full afternoon-to-table stretch can run several hours; diners flexible enough to take a ~10pm slot can wait under an hour, per Time Out. We don't have a camera here, so these are reported figures, not a live count.
No. Lucali's own site states 'No Reservations' and 'First Come, First Served.' A hostess starts taking names for the waitlist at 4pm and assigns table times in order.
For an early-dinner table (before 7pm), Time Out says to arrive around 2pm. The Infatuation reports the line forming as early as 2pm, sometimes with professional line-sitters holding spots. Names go into the waitlist starting at 4pm.
Takeout is the shortcut. Lucali's site says orders can be placed by phone or in person starting at 4pm the day of, which generally beats the dining-room wait. Note the restaurant is cash only.
Yes to both. Time Out notes BYOB is encouraged and the restaurant is cash only, so bring wine and cash.