Lola Restaurant

04/27/2008 Posted by idabean

At brunch, our service was terrible!! We asked numerous times for silverware, cream, etc. When the food arrived, we did not get steak knives, napkins, many items that we needed with our meal. We asked several people including our server to no avail. What up?? How can a server be walking by so frequently and not care period? Ridiculous!!! The sweet potatoes on our dish were literally raw and inedible. We asked to some to be prepared properly, but instead received little fried nuggets? Who knows? The bacon was deep fried! Again, no care from this restaurant's kitchen. Someone needs to really rethink what they are going after. If it's just selling booze then let it be know, but to keep hyping it up about the food, forget it. Anyhow, this is the last time we are going to LOLA. In the past we have put up with too much mediocre accross the board from them, but this is the last straw. Other brunch places, Lucille's, Devil's food, Cafe Bisque, Snooze, oh just too many to name that truly care.

04/17/2008 Posted by Fooooooooooooood

The service was great and the food was excellent. I got Salmon with a sort of olive saute beneath. My wife got albondigas, I think from lamb. The ceviche was good and the dessert was good too, although strange- it used something that seemed like pop rocks. I have been to La Riviera Maya in Mexico, and this is the closest to that style of food I have found in Denver. Good coastal Mexican!

03/24/2008 Posted by bagali

I went to Lola's after a friend recommended it to me. I usually eat at Il Posto or Potoger so I figured a new place wouldn't hurt. Boy, was I wrong. I ordered the table side guacamole and although it looked great, the guy added about a tbsp of salt before I dug into it - ruining the whole dish. I then ordered the "garlic" shrimp, which wasn't garlicky and certainly lived up to its name - shrimp. The tiny shrimps were skewered and half cooked over the grill. The worst part was that the sides it came with - beans, rice, and a salad - were so awful, I had to order corn tortillas just to swallow it down (the beans were way too salty, the rice undercooked and without salt oddly enough, and the salad was obviously left in the cooler overnight pre-dressed and soggy). To add insult to injury, the waiter brought me FRIED tortillas - yes, that's right - the 2 little tortillas came drenched in hot grease. I asked him to please get me two heated tortillas. The manager came to the table at last where I was able to communicate how incredulous I was at this $20 dish passing for "food" - her response was strange - the chef didn't taste the beans today, and the tortillas come fried because they are so tough, they are difficult to heat and serve. Well, if your chef can't bother to taste the 2 main side dishes - staples of simple Mexican cuisine - before plating them, perhaps he or she should rethink what they do for a living. And the tortillas? Give me a break - if they are too tough to warm on the griddle and serve to a patron, then don't serve them at all - call Candy's and cancel the order. The only saving grace of the evening was the margarita - it washed the sin of that awful food right down the hatch. In a nutshell, the place is over-priced inedible food. You get better beans and rice at a Chipotle.

Pros: Great waitress

Cons: Awful food and the lighting is too dark to see it!

02/03/2008 Posted by n_wilker

We dined there last night with friends who love to try new places. They had seen this one in 5280 and thought it sounded good. From reviews of others about the wait time, se decided to dine early. We called at 6pm (on a Saturday) and were told we needed to get there within 20 minutes because after that the computer deletes you name… We got there (10 -15 minutes later), approached the hostess desk and were sat immediately. Our waiter – Ben was great. He walked us thru the margarita menu, patiently described all the food currently waiting in the open kitchen, and gave his suggestions on dinner. We went with the table side guac and were happy with the results. Chips were replenished in a timely manner! The menu was short but lots of delicious items to choose from. My husband went with the smoked pork and shrimp albondigas asada – he was very pleased! I got a taste and thought it was very good as well. I and my friend’s husband went with the pan roasted cobia – wow! Such different flavors and so moist! My friend went with the tequila glazed char and she really enjoyed that. For desert we chose the mud cake and a caraf of decaf French press coffee! Mmmmmm! We had a great time, really enjoyed the food and drinks and our waiter was great.

01/02/2008 Posted by lowsh

After reading many of the less than stellar reviews, I was pleasantly surprised. We expereinced great service. We ate dinner at the bar, the bartender was very knowledgable about both the tequila and the food. She was friendly and poured us three tequilas to taste before we decided what we wanted. The atmosphere was great, we ordered the avocado fondue, the tomato soup, the scallops, and the pork and shrimp albondigas (spicy!). Can't wait to go back!

Pros: great margaritas

11/14/2007 Posted by o_grandao

While I like the type and style of Lolas, I am very upset with the overall service. We waited for over 3 and a half hours for a table, checked every 15 to 20 minutes with the hostesses and still left without ever being seated. While they may have quite an exhaustive collection of tequilas, making a serviceable margarita should be the only goal. With the international feel they are striving for, I would have thought they'd know how to correctly make both mojitos and caipirinhas, but I was very disappointed.

Pros: Ambiance

Cons: restaurant service and inexperienced/unknowledgeable bar staff

09/18/2007 Posted by phillycmc

Creative, interesting menu. Lots of authentic Mexican ingredients used in a ways not experienced before (at least in the northeast). Dinner began with a roasted orange seafood appetizer, which was a whole orange with the flesh scooped out bursting with shrimp, calamari, mussel, clams and jalapenos. Entrees were pork and shrimp which significant latent heat and too much salt. The pork was very smoky. All in all, it was a good dish. The other entree was corvina (sea bass) with enchiladas. Sitting outside on the deck with the downtown skylight view was delightful. The only disappoint were the margaritas.

Pros: Interesting ingredients, good service, good view, nice decor

Cons: maragritas, food a little too salty

08/08/2007 Posted by livinginthecity

First off I must say that Lola's is a bit overrated. I was told that the Sangria was a must a not being a big fan I was surprised on the effervescense and taste of it. It was refreshing and very tasty.. The service really wasn't bad at all our server was prompt and nice. But if you like to be greeted with a warm smile and a hello do not go here! The hostesses were too busy gabbing away to notice me and my friend, and when I warmly said hello they acted as if it was a huge burden that I interrupted their conversation. I left to ask my friend who was standing outside if this is where she wanted to go and when I came back they ignored me. I finally had to interrupt them yet again and ask if I could sit outside on the patio. The girl simply exclaimed "yes" and carried on with her other hostess friends. I don't think I liked the sangria that much to deal with rude, impersonable, and immature 17-year-old girls. You could get better service for a cheaper price at D'Corazon.

06/23/2007 Posted by denvereater22

we arrived with a reservation in the peak of dinner. we were immediately seated in a small table very close to the open kitchen. the restaurant was packed and the noise from the patrons and the kitchen were far to loud to have a reasonable conversation. the drinks were served quickly, and they were of very good quality. we ordered some guacamole from the guac cart, and when we asked them to spice it up a lot, we got an incredibly bland, far too lumpy to be easily eaten on a chip pile of avocados. it was not nearly spicy or flavorful enough. apparently they get too many out of town midwesterners to know what "spice it up" means. we finally decided on the porkchop and shrimp platter and the buttered escolar. the porkchop and shrimp was good, but nothing special, but the escolar was fantastic. the fish was tender and mild, and the sauce, although mostly butter, was light and subtle enough to not ruin the delicate flavor. we skipped desert, because of the generous portions. overall, a good experience with fantastic views of the city. p.s. the bathrooms are cool: they are made of sea glass.

Pros: hip, great view, good food, great drinks

Cons: loud and crowded, hard to get into without reservation, not up-to-hype

05/16/2007 Posted by eyeball13

I tried Lola because I had heard the buzz around town about it. I called ahead and we arrived early because I was warned of the potential wait time. The host staff was busy talking with eachother and patrons and not paying attention to the people who where waiting to be sat. That was annoying. But, once sat, the service was excellent and the food was thrilling. We sat on the patio and had a friuty drink with our morning meal. The ambiance is like a tropical get away, and the crowd seemed hip and fun. As we where leaving, an hour later, the line had formed and the host staff was lacking in organization. I'd go back!