Lola's Beach Cantina — Restaurant in Norfolk

I really wanted to like this place especially since I heard so many great things about it. Our experience wasn't all bad but the important factors won't persuade me to return. First, I ordered a Paloma and it tasted like pure limeade/lemonade. Very little tequila or grapefruit. Our spectacular waitress kept checking on us and even brought me a side of grapefruit soda to add which helped a little but I still didn't finish my drink. We ordered the chips and salsa which were just okay. I don't know why they charge you for it when it tastes average and our salsa was served lukewarm which we thought was odd. It's more of a peppery type salsa with little to no cilantro or acidity to it. I can understand room temperature salsa but the warmness was off-putting for us. My friend ordered the vegan tacos which he said was fine and I ordered a shrimp dish with a creamy lime sauce. The sauce on the shrimp was the best part of my meal flavor wise. I am disappointed with the general portion sizes and offerings with most of the entrees. I received one puny ball of rice, a few cucumbers and 2 pieces of garlic bread. The garlic bread was delicious and I felt plentiful since 2 slices were served but I can't help but feel that was intentional since bread is cheap. I would have preferred more rice and a side of beans. Cucumbers were plain with no vinegar or sauce of any kind on it. For dessert we ordered the flan which was good. Overall, I think this place is appealing for some and very clearly not for others. This was a one and done for us since we didn't feel the food quality matched the prices. I am giving this restaurant 3 stars instead of 2 simply because of our waitress who was friendly and kept checking on us. She could tell we weren't happy with our drinks/food and did her best to alleviate our experience which I absolutely...

Absolutely Horrible Experience – Never Coming Back to Lola’s

If I could give zero stars, I would. My experience at Lola's was hands down one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. From the moment we walked in, it was clear this place had no concept of customer service. We were seated quickly, which was the only thing that went remotely smoothly. After that, it was an absolute disaster.

We sat at our table for over an HOUR — yes, a full hour — without getting any food. We were barely acknowledged. The server came by once to take our order, and then it was like we were completely invisible. No updates, no refills, no apology, nothing. Just a whole lot of waiting while watching other tables that came in after us get served and leave.

When we finally flagged someone down to ask what was going on, we got a half-hearted shrug and some vague excuse about the kitchen being “a little backed up.” A little? Try completely nonfunctional. At that point, we had lost our appetite, our patience, and any remaining respect for the place.

The worst part? The food NEVER came. Not even an appetizer. We wasted an hour of our lives sitting there hungry and frustrated, and ultimately walked out without eating a single bite. Management didn’t care, the server seemed annoyed that we were even asking questions, and there was zero effort made to correct the situation or offer compensation.

Lola’s might have a cute name, but don’t let it fool you. This place is a mess. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless you enjoy waiting endlessly, being ignored, and leaving hangry. Total...

I believe can't I stumble on this gem of a restaurant. On my way back to TN, my brother in law and I decided to stop to eat since it was lunchtime. On our route we stop at Lola's because it had outdoor seating and it was a nice day. But we decided to sit indoors anyways because the interior design of the place caught our eye when we waited at the hostess stand.

Not only was the design of restaurant great, but the food and service was even better. I started off with the Spinach Chorizo and Crab Dip and man let me tell you something I didn't know what to expect because of the combination but this will be one of my go-to when I visit again, it was that good. Since they were still serving brunch I decided to try their Huevos Rancheros and it was almost as good as Wife's.

And now the service, Lydia our server was amazing, she checked on us to ensure we were good and not the type of checking on us every second where you felt suffocated. The owners Alex and Mario, made us feel at home as they brought out our food and introduced themselves to us. They even wanted our honest opinion on the food and flavoring as they found out we eat homemade Hispanic food a lot. And as you can see from the previous paragraph their food was as close to what I have from home as it could be.

Just found a new spot for date night with my Wife. I'll definitely be back, I just wished I had taken some...