Chicago Restaurants

Lula Café

#5 of 830 things to do in Chicago

#86 of 19972 things to do in USA

2 reviews | Write a review

Good for: food, Solo Travellers, atmosphere, service

Not good for: service

  • Address
    • 2537 N Kedzie Ave
  • Transport
    • Blue Line to Logan Square
  • Phone
    • 773-489-9554
  • Price
    • mains $18-27
  • Hours
    • 9am-10pm Sun-Mon & Wed-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat, closed Tue

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Lonely Planet review for Lula Café

Funky, arty Lula led the way for Logan Square’s dining scene, and appreciative neighborhoodies still crowd in for the seasonal, locally sourced menu. Even the muffins here are something to drool over, and that goes double for lunch items like pasta yiayia (bucatini pasta with Moroccan cinnamon, feta and garlic) and dinners such as striped bass with pine-nut-peppered orzo. Mondays offer a prix fixe three-course Farm Dinner.

 

Traveller reviews for Lula Café (2)

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    Ah Lula, the good and the bad

    schnecken recommends this,

    We love Lula Cafe. We live here. We can walk there. The atmosphere is cool and hip, like a neighborhood secret even though it is a secret no more. The staff is aloof, rude, even half naked some days. Do we go to Lula? Yes! Do we recommend Lula? No! Why? Well, even though they use the freshest ingredients (which can be expensive) and mix them well (really well if you ask me), they don't seem to use enough of them (imagine tiny plates of delicious food) for the hungry masses. I love small food, but whenever we send friends, they complain about it. And although the atmosphere is hip, the word is out. The hip draw the hip, and the slightly less than hip, and the next thing you know you are waiting an hour for your morsel of food. So friends complain about that as well. So we sit in the bar, because we can go at 6pm when the bar is empty, and enjoy service from the bartender who personifies aloof. He recognizes us, and gives us the SLIGHTEST smile, and then leaves us alone. Fine by me. Even when it is crowded he will know you are there, and you will get your drink, when it is your turn. But when we send friends they complain, "the bartender is rude!" And so it goes. On and on. So we sneak off to Lula when we can, sit at the bar and eat our $10 plate of cheese (3 tiny pieces...but it is delicious). Or, we splurge and have one of the daily specials (fabulous), but we never send our friends. All they would do is complain, and we are tired of complaining.

    Good for: atmosphere, food, Solo Travellers

    Not good for: service

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    Fresh, delicious, adventurous, satisfying

    accipiter recommends this,

    Delicious food, prepared in a way that honors the food and pleases a rainbow of tastes, in a cozy, warm, hip setting. At dinner, the right side of the menu is classics, including tasty dishes at modest price points and ample choices for vegetarians; the left side is always daily specials with seasonal ingredients, often Illinois grown, always superb. The wine list is good too and also respects all wallets and tastes. A rather small and intimate main room; a couple of tables in the first room, where the bar is (don't sit at those tables if you can avoid it); in the summer, a few tables out on the sidewalk. This is our favorite neighborhood place, right on Logan Square, and also the place we take out-of-town visitors to show off how cool our neighborhood is becoming and, of course, to have an excellent dinner. For travelers, it is easy to find--about a 15-minute ride from the Blue Line's downtown Clark and Lake stop (or about 40 minutes from O'Hare), then straight across Logan Square past the eagle column and you're there.

    Good for: food, Solo Travellers, service

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