Lola's

Today was our first wedding anniversary. My mother-in-law was shipped to Tulane for emergency surgery, so my husband and I were looking for a place where we could have our anniversary supper .. we were looking for a place that had some atmosphere and good food. We found it at Lola’s. We only ate tapas and dessert, and had two bottles of their house sangria. We had the antipasto plate, garlic shrimp, grilled calamari, and their veggie tapa special (which happened to be one of our favorite vegetables, Brussels sprouts). The antipasto plate came with chorizo, manchego, Gorgonzola, bread, olives, grapes, and ham — and was fabulous. The shrimp was excellent and cooked perfectly. The calamari may have been my favorite of the night...it was grilled to perfection and came with the most fabulous dipping sauce that I think had some horseradish and roasted peppers. The house sangria was a perfect blend of sweet and fruity. We had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. The wait staff were quite lovely and I really liked the small, yet tastefully decorated, dining room. I’d say the only downside was that it was a little warm. Definitely worth it!

“Well I'm not dumb but I can't understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my Lola la-la-la-la Lola la-la-la-la Lola…”

Woops. My bad, food lovers. I guess I was thinking of another Lola just now. But I can assure you of something...on Holy Saturday the only Lola on my mind was the quaint, little Spanish cuisine-serving establishment found along Esplanade in Bayou St. John

Just a short walk from the south end of City Park as well as the Fair Grounds Race Course, which serves as the location for the reputable New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Lola’s is located in a narrow, green-clad building camouflaged as a yet another shotgun-style residence. However, the bright neon sign bearing the restaurant’s name, as well as the large, inviting window on the sidewalk façade, manage to spoil the well-kept secret. Lola’s sits next door to the Terranova Brothers Superette and is across the street from a restaurant known as Santa Fe. A short distance away is the Ponce De Leon and Esplanade intersection which is home to a number of additional eateries and the Canseco Esplanade Market. This small cluster of business clearly forms a much-needed culinary oasis in a dessert of neighboring domiciles.

Like most small New Orleans restaurants, Lola’s makes good use of every inch of real estate at its disposal. The lot it sits on is considerably cramped, but there are still a few tables available for patrons desiring to dine outside, in addition to the number of seating options indoors. My party and I learned firsthand how quickly the restaurant reaches maximum capacity. Lola's only serves dinner, opening 5:30 sharp each day, and only for a few hours. If you don’t time things just right, obtaining a table is presumably quite difficult.

Fortunately, we arrived around 5:05, well before any additional diners, and merely lounged at two of the outside tables while waiting for the door to open like Dorothy and company at the gates of the Emerald City. Prior to officially opening, the host explained the reservation procedure and passed around a clipboard with a sheet of paper for those looking to secure a table. I felt privileged to have grabbed the top spot on the list. This isn't the sort of place that you grab a table at whenever you feel like it.

Once we made our way inside, we sat at a table to the right of the entrance. The restaurant is as small as you would imagine given the size and shape of the building housing it. However, the restaurant was well-designed, with a décor clearly a step above casual dining. The kitchen is in plain sight of each table and therefore results in an entertaining spectacle if tableside conversation begins to fade. The cooks busily assemble each dish with a remarkable fervor and energy and the rest of the staff is constantly attending to the diners.

We were informed by our server that if we chose to order a paella, it would take approximately 20-30 minutes to prepare the dish. Therefore, we made sure to place our order as quickly as possible so as to help expedite the process. The majority of the cooking staff’s aforementioned labors were undoubtedly dedicated to the construction of this labor intensive dish.

I ordered an individual seafood paella, while the rest of the table chose to share a large meat paella. The paellas are cooked with arborio rice rather than an angel hair pasta, as is the case with the fideaus. We also ordered the garlic mushrooms as an appetizer, which came highly recommended. And of course, my date and I each had a glass of Lola’s famous sangria.

The sangria arrived with a number of fruits bobbing in the wine glass, primarily pieces of apple, and was filled quite high when juxtaposed with most restaurant servings of wine. The beverage was delightfully nectarous but not too overwhelming. Anyone who desires an alcoholic beverage or specifically a sweet wine that does not possess an excessively inebriating taste would love a glass of this sangria. Each sip is nothing but pure satisfaction. The alcohol-soaked fruit also provides an enjoyable conclusion to the drink. I believe I guzzled my drink in less than ten minutes. It goes down exceptionally easy.

At $3 a glass, the sangria is a bargain. And at $13 a bottle, it’s a damn steal. Be sure to order a bottle, or two, for the table when you visit.

The garlic mushrooms, like most of the dishes, arrived in a sizzling cast iron skillet. I will concede that I have never thought highly of mushrooms. I regard them as nothing more than a filler for most entrees and I never found them to serve much of a purpose when attempting to enhance or accentuate a flavor. But, these mushrooms were fantastic. In my opinion, Lola’s managed to do about as much with a mushroom as is possible.

When our paellas arrived we were quite famished. The food was still cooking when the cast iron skillets of various sizes were placed on our table. If I were to offer any sort of advice when attempting to consume this dish, it would be to remove the food from the skillet as quickly as possible so as to mitigate the amount of rice sticking to the piping hot skillet.

The only minor complaint I had about the paella was that it was so fresh, and consequently hot, that I burned my tongue several times due to my impatience. Be sure to transport your serving to a plate and patiently wait about a minute for it to cool.

The seafood paella was remarkable. The assortment of shrimp, fish, calamari, scallops, and mussels are well-suited for any seafood lover. And the trio of garlic, saffron, and herbs forged a formidable, wide-ranging sapidity.

The meat paella was also quite tasty, but I preferred my seafood option due to the wider range of meats incorporated into the dish.

We did have one critic at the table who regarded the paella as nothing more than a glorified Creole jambalaya with slightly less flavor. Considering that she ordered the meat option, I can understand her opinion. A meat paella and Creole jambalaya are, at least on paper, quite comparable in terms of primary ingredients. However, as someone who has resided in Louisiana for their entire life, I have to disagree in regards to the resemblance of flavors for the respective Spanish and Creole dishes. To the naked eye they might seem like trans-Atlantic cousins, but one bite of each will clearly reveal the differing taste. In particular, the utilization of saffron helps differentiate the two. 

I do wish that we would have ordered the ceviche…as well as several other dishes. The menu can become pricey if you allow it, but, as I mentioned before, this is not the sort of place you eat at on just any old night.

Lola’s is a nice change of pace for those who are tired of standard Mexican fare or the middling variations of Southern seafood. It offers ethnic cuisine that is not too foreign to residents of a city once occupied by the Spanish, and a number of distinct dishes exclusive to its menu. Plus, it’s a perfect date night option if you are looking to impress your significant other with a borderline hole in the wall dining spot that offers some cheap, classy, and tasty booze.

Now if you will excuse me…“La-la-la-la Lola la-la-la-la Lola. Lola la-la-la-la Lola la-la-la-la Lola.”

Taste: 9/10

Cost: 7/10

Dining Area/Decor: 9/10

Customer Service: 8/10

Location: 9/10

Excellent sangria!! Great paella!!

What a treat. We stopped here for dinner last night after Ales and Tails at the fairgrounds, full of many craft beers but starving. The first time ever at Lola's that we were seated right away (!) and right by the kitchen, which is my favorite spot here. Had a Very small cup of the Mariscos soup, an unusual smoky broth, loved it, could have eaten a giant bowl of it. Also had the ceviche with tiny cubes of white fish, shrimp and I think, calamari. It was OK, not great. Then came the Seafood Fideueas (sp?) (like Paella but with pasta). It was so incredible. Cooked right in the pan, and the best part was the amazing crunchy little bits of seafood and pasta stuck to the bottom of the pan. Service was a little brusque, but they were crazy busy. Great end to a fun night.

Loved it!. Everything was delicious! We had Sangria for drinks, the calamari for an appetizer, plus the shrimp and pasta, the pork tenderloin and a chicken dish for our entrees. Tasted like a great 5 star joint but the prices were comparable to a mediocre chain restaurant. It was great!

GARLIC MUSHROOM HEAVEN. I have yet to try the actual entrees but we just got and shared a bunch of small plates and it was a great idea!

Here's what our meal for 2 was:

*HOUSE MADE SANGRIA-- very good! I typically prefer more fruit in mine, but it was sweet and tasty.

*GARLIC MUSHROOMS- best mushrooms you'll ever have... ever. served in a little cast iron skillet, drenched in garlic and herbs.. so flavorful and delicious!
*ANTIPASTO-- cheese, meats, etc. it was a great thing to share, comes w/ warm bread (you can order extra bread for like $0.50 or something.. we ended up getting like 4 rounds of extra bread.)
*CEVICHE-- very good ceviche, with calamari and white fish. fresh and tasty, and a great contrast to the mushrooms.

*DESSERT TRIO-- YES. Flan, Almond Nougat, and Chuflan (dense chocolatey heaven).. so glad we saved room to get all 3.. i loved each of them but the almond nougat particularly!

Overall very good. The service was sort of slow when we went but it was a pretty busy Friday night. It's a great spot to go for a nice night out.. cute atmosphere, unique flavors.

Excellent. Excellent food and wine. The rack of lamb was tender and juicy. The rainbow trout was expertly seasoned. The duck with fig sauce was inspiring and perfectly sweet and savory. The paella was truly over the top.

We were Lola's around 9pm but they served for us. I'm the first time here, so I asked customer for what is you favorite food in here? 90 % people said "Paella". I ordered Vegetables 🥘 Paella and finished even though that was big pot. 😅

Great experience! Ambience = Romantic; Food = delicious (We had the Seafood Paella, add vegetables for our main course); Service = great! Additionally, we met the owners mom from Houston. She was so sweet and down to earth. We will definitely be back!

We had a great time here. Servers were polite, fun and knowledgeable, and made great suggestions. The Paella was amazing, cooked to perfection. The hubs and I enjoyed the antipasto board with a cocktail, while waiting for the paella to cook.

Lola's was absolutely one of the best restaurants here in New Orleans. I have nothing to complain about. Every dish that was served was amazing. The staff was extraordinary. The food does take a while to be prepared and serve but this just give you more time for good conversation, hand crafted drinks and people watching. If you're in New Orleans for just a split of a second and in need of a amazing Spanish experience without leaving the country; give Lola's a try.