Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles — Restaurant in Phoenix

I may be tardy for the review party but I just COULD NOT hold onto this review any longer! During a business trip October 30, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona, I did my research of Great Black Businesses (as I Always do!) to support and stumbled upon this Beautiful Gem: LoLo's Chicken & Waffles. Ya'll...Let...Me...Tell...YOU!! Food, Service, Atmosphere were All BEYOND! I walked into an atmosphere of nothing but my childhood from the Ali pics on the wall to the tv looping James Brown performances, Sanford & Sons, The Jeffersons, What's Happening, and many, many more nostalgic shows as well as the back-in-the-day Kool-Aid commercials from the 1900's, yup, I said it! Also, the music was BOMB! Walking in and immediately snapping my fingers and singing to Troupe and then get hit with some Parliament and Fresh Prince had my body popping, snaking, and prepping (dances, in case ya'll youngin's don't know 🤭). I have a video of myself rapping The Entire "Parents Just Don't Understand" and sent it to my friends but, even though we cool, Google Companions, I care not to upload and share, LOL. Now, I read some reviews prior to my visit regarding wait times and such but I did not experience this at all. And if I did, LoLo's is definitely worth the wait. If it's a wait, it's a good wait, Trust me 😉. Maybe because it was the middle of the week and about an hour before closing? Who knows but I did not leave disappointed at all with anything: wait, food, nothing. The Young Lady, Kat, who provided service, hipped me to game and knew the menu well. She also provided great suggestions when I was indecisive. I started with a Henny Drop, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Deviled Eggs with Fried Shrimp that were atop a nice spring mix (gotta get the veggies in). That Fried Green Tomato aioli is Superb...used it to also dunk my fries! The Deviled Eggs with Fried Shrimp came with a sweet heat type of sauce that I also used as the syrup for my waffle. I could have smashed all the tomatoes and the deviled eggs (one of my all-time favorite food groups) but I knew I needed room to at least sample my main course as well as get another drink. Of course I got the chicken and waffles (3pc), fries, and that melt in your mouth cornbread muffin, which I normally don't care for but LoLo's changed my mind. I took a bite out of everything to give my compliments to the chef in person. More than one person kept coming out to check on me, which made me feel Way Too Special and Welcome 😊. I packed my remaining morsels to-go for some midnight / 2am grubbing (after a nice nap...keep reading to see why 😏) and ordered one more drink, the Georgia on My Mind, so I could sip on it as I waited on a rideshare. But, let me tell you (again), one Young Fella (sorry, Boo, forgot your name and I do not even want to mess it up) opted to make my drink personally but said he would make it to-go because he wanted to make sure he brewed me some fresh tea; even put it in a cute to-go pouch for me and suggested I wait until I got home. He knew I needed to drink that in the comforts of my own hotel room because it was "turn-up juice"...well at my age now, "nightcap juice" in these older, club-less years I now enjoy! Folks, his Granny had to have given up the family sweet tea recipe locked in a vault somewhere because it was Dee-Li-Shush and it being spiked was EVEN better! All in All this was one of the best experiences I have had while traveling. I talked about LoLo's so high, that my friends and I are planning to visit Phoenix again for a girl's trip vacation. LoLo's, see Ya'll soon and Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for being so Dope!! I shall spread the word every time I...

Lo Los is supose to have a staple in the best chicken and waffles. I am disspointed.

Lemonade. Fresh lemonade they say. I cant gurantee by taste but 8/10 for lemonade.

Shrimp and grits- 5/10 I was most dissapointed by this $26 version of this southern dish. The ingridients used are cheap to make, chopped bacon (over cooked but this improved the grits texture) green onions, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese on a bowl of grits. It was not bad, but its not delicious either, and this meal is not worth $26. Grits is already cheap, the grits had no flavor you had to slather it in butter to give it some grease. Grease can not be a flavor by itself. The shrimp.... sigh. I assume is the reasoning for the hike in price. 6 shrimps, good size, great flavor. Way overcooked. I thought they were pieces of tough pork at first. They could of been great if the chefs did not way-way overcook thier shrimp.

How to fix: you gave the meal a shake of some chillie, lime seasoning as a topping. Incorporate that in the grits or at the least add salt so that way the cheese and bacon are not the only things carrying the meal on thier small backs. Then the shrimps, again great, but use raw shrimps instead of already cooked shrimps and then dipping in batter and cooking again. I was quickly bored by the greasy grits, i let the K9 finish it for her dinner.

Chicken and waffles Might be a reacuring problem. No over cooked meat, thank goodness. But $17 for a chicken breast, wing, and one floppy waffle. It does not fit the price. Now i enjoy a floppy waffle, thats not the issue. Its just not unique. Waffle house makes better waffles. Thease are just normal. Thier Alright, needs syrup for flavor, but Nothing special. Then the chicken as well. Its sadly nothing special. Fair enough its better then walmart, but not by much. You can get so much better fry chicken that is salty, crunchy, and juicy from small mom and pop grocery stores up town. This is not bad, its just not great and not matching the fame or price the reasturant wishes to uphold. The buffalo sauce paird with the chicken was the best, even though its probably red hots poured out the bottle.

Please lower te prices to fit your skills, or make it worth...

How do you squeeze in eating at three restaurants within a 12-hour time span? Travel with me and my spouse! I actually had Mrs. White's Golden Rule Café bookmarked for our last layover meal in Phoenix but because they didn't open early enough, we ended up at Lo Lo's.

ATMOSPHERE: Established in 2002 by Larry White, the restaurant is located in a quiet but shady-feeling part of southern Phoenix. They proudly display their back-of-house operation with big windows along the sidewalk where you can see them making their biscuits. The space has a fun vibe with soul music pumping throughout. Brick walls and industrial décor made for a modern feel. Seating is plentiful with a mix of booths, low tops and protected outdoor tables.

MENU: It's huge! Southern-inspired breakfast selections, chicken & waffle combos, catfish, shrimp, grits, burgers, salads, desserts, kids menu.

FOOD: Lil Amadi This chicken & waffle combo came with a drumstick, a thigh and a waffle! What a deal!? The chicken was crispy, juicy and seasoned perfect. I'm thinking they do a dry batter as there wasn't that nasty undercooked film you sometimes find in wet-battered fried chicken. The waffle had a nice crunch and was moist inside but there was a hint of cinnamon coming from either the syrup or the waffle itself that I could've done without. Still, I'd totally order this again. Very tasty!

One Buttermilk Biscuit It was a hearty portion with great flavor and just the right amount of moistness. Comes with a dollop of butter and jam to the side.

Cheese Grits Talk about butter and oil overload. While it was tasty, there was way too much butter that crowned the bowl. The copious amount of cheese also left a big oil slick at the top. I understand that southern cuisine isn't healthy but they should be put on the side so one can regulate their cholesterol intake, LOL.

SERVICE: Amanda was our terrific, on-the-ball server. She was friendly, professional and checked on us often.

TIP: The entire menu is available from breakfast time, which is how they earned our biz!

OVERALL: The best chicken and waffles I've had yet. Lively ambiance, nice menu, great service. A...