Lula Southern Cookhouse — Restaurant in Kansas City

First visit on Saturday, Jan 4, 2025. Wish I had more positive things to say as our party of two couples was very much looking forward to this dinner…Firstly, we had a 7:30 reservation for our party of four, but ended up waiting over 30 MINUTES to be seated. Little to no consideration seemed to be given to us (no updates, apologies, etc), nor was the host crew especially welcoming. The waiting area was congested and uncomfortably cold that day. There are drapes that could have been closed to block the draft from the front door…When I noticed that others were coming in without reservations and being seated before us, (also in parties of four) I was about to bring this up when we were finally seated. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to order, three entrees from the menu were sold out—two of which we were planning to order (Oxtails, meatloaf, turkey rolls). This is not a huge menu, which is fine when everything is available, but scaling it back by three entrees is significant and we were less enthusiastic about our remaining options. (It’s also disappointing that shrimp & grits is only offered on the lunch menu). We began with the Deviled Eggs, which were savory and mediocre, with its saltiness overshadowing the flavors of the other ingredients. Not a good value at a $3 breakdown for each small egg half…Entrees were descent, but nothing was exceptional. Friend seemed to enjoy the gumbo, other friend said pot roast was good, but she would have rather tried the meatloaf. Husband’s catfish entree was odd. The blackened fish is “grilled,” which we discussed as unusual, and did not provide a great deal of seasoning and flavor. Dirty rice was VERY salty! Collard greens were cooked well and the best part of that plate, but quite vinegary. Husband enjoyed them, and I ate them as well, (as I love all greens!) but they were a bit sharp for me. Chicken fried steak was the best thing we tried. Very tender, nicely breaded, and well-seasoned. But it was plated on top of the mashed potatoes, making the steak soggy on the bottom, losing the breading on top of the potatoes, which wasn’t very appetizing. The only sauce or gravy was a dark, mirapois-heavy, roux-type of gravy, which was chunky and tasty; there just wasn’t much of it, leaving the chunky mashed potatoes rather dry. Server was pleasant enough, but was very young and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Service felt more akin to what one would receive in a bar, not a restaurant of this caliber. Granted, place is casual & homey and fare is meant to be accessible & comforting, but for the prices charged, we would expect a more professional waitstaff experience. Rather, we were never offered dessert and were put off by the, (done in passing) “Oh yeah, we’re out of that too!” Two of us have restaurant/food service experience. We understand that issues happen, staff can be short, and food can run out. Not all flavors and techniques are going to thrill everyone. We’re hoping that the issues we encountered are temporary and we may return to give Lula another try at some point. There are many items on the menus that speak to our tastes, and we would love to try. Building and restaurant spaces are cool and inviting, and decor is attractive and warm. It wasn’t the food that left such a bad taste in our mouths, but the 30-minute wait. So, if you decide to try this spot on a weekend, expect to wait—with no explanation—whether you were trying to plan ahead or not. And by the time you’re seated, they may not have many entree...

Finally made it to Lula Southern Cookhouse today, and it was their first brunch. WOW!!!, Chef/Owner Bradley Gilmore named the restaurant as an homage to his grandmother Lula, and the hospitality truly felt like home town hospitality.

When eating simple food EXQUISITELY MADE, there is such immense joy! The quality of the ingredients and the execution of the dishes allows the flavors to intertwine like a well choreographed ballet in your mouth; southern cuisine at it’s finest. At the risk of sounding cliché, I will still say that “YOU CAN FEEL THE LOVE IN EACH BITE”. The flavors are complex and well balanced. Kc’s cocktail queen Matsumoto Mari never ceases to amaze me with her creativity; sis, you have MAD SKILLZZZ!

For drinks we had the:

• ORANGE JULIUS* Child!!!, let me tell you! It is like a naughty sunshine😜. Vanilla vodka, orange liquor, orange juice, cream married to perfection and topped with freshly whipped cream.

HURRICANE HANKERIN Cruzan light rum, Cruzan dark rum, pineapple juice, passion fruit purée, boozy cherry syrup, angostora mist.

CHATHAM COUNTY HIBISCUS Hibiscus infused Patron Silver, orange juice, lime juice, agave, soda water.

For Brunch we had the:

• ORANGE ROLL* love at first bite. Would totally wash dishes for it.😊

• CHIKEN AND WAFFLE* Let me gather myself before I go on. That chicken!!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ . As our server approached our table, my eyes rested upon 2 beautifully golden pieces of fried chicken graciously perched atop a crisp, fluffy Carolina rice flour waffle with honeycombed pockets filled with chili syrup and shorghum butter. As the aroma flirted with my nose; my mouth began to salivate at the anticipation. I sink my teeth into the golden flesh and the crunch of the skin was music to my ears; it held the promise pleasures to come. Juicy morsels shameless invaded every recess of my mouth. Heaven I thought! 😇

• COUNTRY BREAKFAST* While it appeased more subdued than the chicken and waffles, it took no prisoners. Those grits took me to church (I mean an old southern one with them old hymns and all) 😊 while the bacon made me sin! 😈 the eggs were buttery, fluffy, creamy without being runny.

*BISCUIT AND GRAVY It felt like a grandmother’s hug, or being wrapped in the family quilt that comforted generations after generations. I could have gone to confession after eating them 🤣 .

PEEL AND EAT SHRIMP They were delightful, and the dipping sauce perfumed with fresh horseradish packed a gentle punch!

The kids had such a blast! They ordered 2 rounds of sausage each, devoured chicken, whiffle’s and everything in between! they has a virgin Julius and a take on a Shirley Temple and felt grown! 😊...

This was my 2nd time at this establishment and I won't let this bad customer service make it my last. WILL the waiter for the area in the back where they sit customers w/no reservations at, was horrible.. He lacked communication skills w/ us as black women, was very aggressive and not willing to assist my sis in her eating style as being a Cancer survivor and plant base vegan (she did advise him of) she just wanted to be clear on some ingredients!!! Restaurant week they mentioned on the menu that their were vegan options w/the Jimbalaya.. However the 1st course salad had cheese she just wanted to know if she could substitute it and he just rudely kept saying restaurant week there is no substitutions, it is what it is. She asked if he could ask the chef if their was milk or dairy in all the options (he never asked) just came back and said it is what it is!!! That was one example but there are many!!! The mgr was brought out because I asked about the peach cobbler and he got irritated because he was telling us its only on the dinner menu!! I didn't even get a chance to say ok, he rudely says " Let me get the mgr". When the mgr came we tried to tell him that we didn't ask for him the waiter "WILL" did, and how rude and aggressive he has been and he the mgr act like he was scared of him!! We just asked for our ticket to pay and leave!!! The tip i gave was "UR ATTITUDE STINKS" Even the other guest that was visiting our city to see the Chiefs play agreed on how rude he was!!! The greeting as u enter was pleasant. N when we went back to advise them as we were leaving the older lady kept saying did we tell the mgr and kept jokingly laughing and saying sorry for his behavior!! I wanted to tell her nothing is funny due to a bad experience can go a long way versus a good experience but I just left it alone and told them that his behavior is uncalled for idc how his day is whatever problems he has need to be checked at the door!!! People spend money to be in a relaxed and comfortable environment no matter age, race or sex!!! He was out of pocket!! (WiLL) Now the real reason we went there food was good, temp of food was great, the wait on the food was both awesome and the waiters that bought the food out was pleasant and friendly!!! Maybe it was too cold for WILL to be nice to us!! Cuz he definitely was nice to other customers 😒 If you read the beginning you know...