Lula Restaurant Distillery — Restaurant in New Orleans

As my fiancé and I plan our wedding in New Orleans next year, we wanted to host a welcome party for our out-of-town guests that would set the tone for an unforgettable celebration. After much searching, we found that Lula Restaurant Distillery was the ideal venue for our event, and our recent visit confirmed it beyond our expectations.

From the moment I reached out to their private dining manager, Erin, she was warm, accommodating, and eager to help us create a truly memorable experience. Erin walked us through the entire venue, giving us a personalized tour of the distillery’s beautiful spaces and helping us envision how our welcome dinner would unfold. Her attention to detail was incredible, and her knowledge of the space and event planning made the entire process smooth and stress-free.

The venue itself is stunning, located on the iconic St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans' Garden District. The main dining area and private barrel rooms are beautifully themed, with oak liquor barrels, vaulted ceilings, and rustic touches that perfectly encapsulate the distillery vibe. Whether you're dining in the main space or hosting a private event in the barrel room, the atmosphere is welcoming, cozy, and filled with character.

During our visit, we also had the opportunity to sample the full catering menu, and it was an absolute treat. Every dish was expertly crafted and packed with flavor, making it incredibly difficult to narrow down our choices for the welcome dinner. The highlights from the food menu included the locally grown fried Mirliton pickles, which were crispy and tangy, the Lump Crab & Avocado Dip, which was fresh and flavorful, and the comforting Shrimp & Grits, which was a perfect blend of Southern soul food with a sophisticated twist.

As for the cocktails, Lula’s on-site distilled spirits are a real standout. The Cucumber Vodka Collins was light and refreshing, while the Cuban Daiquiri, made with their own rum, was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Both drinks were expertly crafted and offered a unique, signature taste that you can’t find anywhere else.

If you're looking for a place to host a private event in New Orleans or simply want a great spot for drinks and a meal, I cannot recommend Lula Restaurant Distillery enough. From the gorgeous setting and impeccable service to the outstanding food and cocktails, it’s the perfect spot for any occasion. We’re beyond excited to host our welcome party here next year and can’t wait for our guests to experience this...

Jess the owner is simply magnificent. Totally a gracious, kind hearted 100% customer service orientated owner. And for that this place gets an automatic pass for me. I watched home work the room and visit table by table by table to greet his guests. Almost like he was home hosting a party. At first I didn't know who he was, but as I watched, I made the correct assumption.

Brittany was our server and she was also just as pleasant and accommodating. She advised of specials on the menu. She gave restaurant history. She was VERY patient as we decided on drink choices as there was an LSU Drink Special going on & then there were regular specials; we had choices & important decisions to make. We decided on the one-price all you can drink vodka bar, while I know that's not the name, you get the point. The vodka bar had all the fixings for whatever stimulated your palette. From blood Mary's to screw drivers... Garnishment overload was the name of the game. And while I might be biased, I think the bloody Mary mix ranks up there with some of the local award winning mixes.

The decor indoor was very modern and trendy; totally my kind of place. Open and free for people watching, a favorite sport of mine; and just being a general lookey-lou. High bar chairs at the dining friendly bar, or there is seating in the bar area that is kinda first come first serve or you can wait for a table in the main dining room... Any option is a good one.

And the food was delicioussssssss. Perfectly prepared. Temperature was accurate and Brittany did advised me of the hot-to-touch mini skillet with my mac-n-cheese on it and I heeded the warning. The burger was seasoned absolutely perfect and while well done as requested it was not dry; totally a perfect combination.

This is a great place for a dining experience; I hear there's a brunch special that I need to return to...

I came here for my birthday. My waiter was rude and pushy. He would not take the drink order I wanted, just kept pushing their house liquors. I finally ordered their rum punch, good and very strong.

I ordered the lump crab and avacado dip for an appetizer and it had very little crab in it. I actually thought they forgot the crab altogether until my husband showed me a very small "peice". I could not taste it. We also ordered the the Sugar Cane Pork Skewers. Those were good and come with a good vinegar based coleslaw.

I then ordered the fried hen meal because the sides sounded good (dirty rice and coleslaw. Well the hen was divine, although slightly over seasoned. The sides however were a disaster. The dirty rice although having the appearance of dirty rice was more like regular rice (ultra bland) and the coleslaw was different than what was on the pork skewer appetizer. It was mayonnaise or cream based and unsavory.

I tried to get the waiter to try and chang out the sides for vegatables, or anything else and he was nowhere to be found. It was not busy and I saw several other waiters more than attentive to thei tables. By the tine he returned, the time had passed for me to enjoy my meal.

My husband ordered the lamb chops meal and it was good. I know because we shared it after my failed meal. Our waiter was really pushy on his order as well telling him not to order his chops more than medium rare. My husband told him medium and the waiter still tried to argue my husband down about it. The only reason we did not get up pay for the appetizers and drink and leave at that moment is because it was my birthday and had not made a reservation anywhere else.

Unfortunately, I will not...