LuLu's Gulf Shores — Restaurant in Gulf Shores

I am surprised this place manages to stay in business. Went there on a Tuesday night at 5pm. Were told it was a three hour wait. Ok. So we got on the wait list and went to the Track across the street. Two hours later I get the text. However we were currently in the middle of an activity which we had to finish. Apparently they only give you 10 minutes to present yourself or they give away your table. I even called, explained the situation and was told to hurry. So we get there and no table. However, they did some rearranging and did accommodate us. Points for that. So we get led to our table. The chairs are all raised. Extremely heavy. And they have this weird lip at the front which caught the back of my legs all wrong, causing me to lose circulation and my legs went to sleep from the knees down in about five minutes. We ordered the crab dip and crab claws. Do NOT order the claws! They were totally dry and overdone. And not much flavor. The dip was average. Points to the waitress for keeping our beverages full the entire time. My son said his chicken tacos were just ok. My daughter liked her jerk chicken sandwich. But since we are on the water, I opted for seafood. Big mistake!! The oysters were terrible. Chicken of the Sea brand out of a can are better. The corn meal fry batter made no improvement. I also got grilled shrimp. They were coated in an obnoxious salt that I couldn’t even scrape off. Again, overdone. Couldn’t hold a candle to Red Lobster even. I went for the blackened mahi vs grouper. Yet again, dry and overdone with highly salted coating. The coleslaw is shredded cabbage and mayo. Really? Up your game. The hush puppies were flavorless fried dough balls with bits of corn. The fries looked appetizing. But after just one bite, I couldn’t bring myself to consume more. The Gouda grits actually had good flavor and consistency but they were barely warm. And they were the first item I tried when the food came to the table. This restaurant should be embarrassed to serve food this poor. The live band was nothing impressive. The experience was NOT worth the hype. NOT worth the cost. And definitely NOT worth the wait. I definitely plan to return to the area in the future, but I will AVOID this restaurant entirely in the future and certainly do NOT recommend it to any unsuspecting traveler to the area. There has got to be decent seafood around here somewhere, but it most definitely is...

4 out of 5 people in my family have food allergies/food mediated disabilities. This restaurant clearly labels their items to accomodate most food allergies. I am rarely able to eat out in public due to cross contamination and minimal or no food options. This place offered several options I could chose from with at least 1 app, several entrees and sides, and 1 dessert. It's rare that I can find a full meal that can meet my dietary requirements. They offer gluten free, dairy free, seafood/shellfish free, egg free, peanut free, tree nut free. The food I had was flavorful. We went back a second time and the quality was just as wonderful as the first. They had delicious drink options. I love that the kids cups and drink/alcohol cups are all souvenir style to be taken home. Our camper now has a full set of glassware courtesy of lulus and will remind us to come back and eat here when we travel. No one got sick from the food we ate which tells me they take strict precautions with food handling and allergies. A supervisor comes out to take allergy orders and followd the food through tye kitchen to ensure no one is mishandling. They take allergies very seriously. I felt very safe eating here. They also have lots of activities-arcade, temporary tattoos, sand box, rapel tower, and more. They offered live music the first night we ate there which was great. It's an open air restaurant but they also have ac vents, with the ceiling fans going and breeze from the water its pretty cool. I would highly encourage anyone and everyone to eat here. It was such an enjoyable experience.

Edit to add: the Chips are cooked in a separate fryer with separate oil that is never filtered in house and is always replaced according to tye manager. So no risk for cross contamination for those with celiac disease. The to go ware they use is greenware and is made from wheat, they also had plastic. We ordered chips and salsa to go and they put the chips in the greenware after realizing it was wheat they remade and repackaged the chips. Studies in the US vs UK show that greenware may not be safe for people with Celiac disease when there is food added it can absorb enough gluten to test 30ppm. So just ask for plastic for to go ware if you have celiac disease or a wheat allergy. We went back for hair wraps and Dutch braids, my girls loved it and their hair looks so cool. There are just so...

My S.O. is a huge Jimmy Buffet fan, so on a recent trip to Alabama, we made a trip to LuLu's which is his daughter's restaurant. I am so glad we did! The Orange Beach area has numerous restaurants, most are seafood based. I love seafood, my other half, not so much. However, since I had to go gluten free, seafood restaurants have become a challenge since so much is fried after being dipped in some sort of flour batter or cooked in the same fryer as other flour coated food. LuLu's was a whole different world. When we asked if they had a gluten free menu, or if items on the menu were maked as GF, we had missed seeing the large surf board sign that said they had allergy free menus. I was blown away when I was handed a menu BOOK, with the items for each allegen free section done up just like the regular menu. And there were item from appetizers to desserts listed...multiple options. I really had choices!! Then came the unexpected shocker...my order was double checked by a manager, it was cooked in a separate allergen free kitchen, and delivered faster than the other meal my partner ordered!! LuLu's, you rock!! The food was delicious and filling. I had the slow cooked pork 🌮, and it came with a side of chips and guac. I ordered a small side salad as well, because the last time I had ordered 🌮 at a different restaurant, they were small and lightly filled. Not here. The corn taco shells were fried, held their shape (normally soft corn taco shells disintegrate and tear while eating them), and were stuffed to overflowing with ingredients. The salad was good, but then I was too full for the chips and salsa! I sampled them, and they were thin and crisp but could have used some salt. My partner said his cheeseburger and fries were really good as well from the non-gluten free kitchen. The atmosphere was relaxed, music was live, and Jacob, our waiter was a gracious southern host! There are other things to do at this location, great for families. You can get your hair braided, play at an arcade, do a rope course, or just shop at the souvenir store. It is not just a good meal, but a great destination to spend...