Lula Cafe — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Lula Cafe has been my go-to spot since I moved to Chicago two years ago—easily one of the best dinner places I’ve found. I always bring visitors or anyone new to the city here, and it never disappoints. Recently, I came around 4 PM on a Sunday (usually I go for brunch or dinner) and found out they have happy hour from 4:30 to 6 PM every day—even on weekends! Such a great find since weekday happy hours can be tough with work. Their menu changes seasonally, but their signature dishes stay, which keeps things exciting.

Food Highlights: Mains:

1. The Pasta Yiayia is a must-try. The flavors are bold, and I love that they use bucatini, always cooked perfectly al dente. Only wish it stayed warm longer, but still an easy 10/10.
2. The spaghetti was solid too, but if you have to pick one, go with the Pasta Yiayia (7.5/10).
3. The roast chicken is another standout—juicy, flavorful, and the bitter greens/panzanella underneath? So good! Perfect for sharing (9/10).
4. There was also a pasta I had back in January 2024 (second picture on my post) that I absolutely loved, but it’s not on the menu anymore—please bring it back!

Appetizers: My favorite is the fried mushrooms (also available on the happy hour menu). Least favorite is the chickpea frites—just not a big chickpea fan. Also, the cheese plate (on the happy hour menu) is great, especially the berry jam and crackers!

Dessert: The pecorino cake is next-level. I don’t usually crave sweets, but this one is so good I actually crave it. The cherry, olive oil ice cream, and pistachio combo? Perfection. We also tried the extra chocolate ice cream with nibbles and red wine—10/10!!

Overall - amazing food, every time. Cozy, inviting atmosphere, I love the open kitchen and how the everybody dresses casually, like they’re cooking at home. It feels warm and welcoming.

Also- thoughtful service! when my friend celebrated a birthday, they printed Happy Birthday on the menu, gave us a great table, AND a complimentary ice cream with a candle!!

But definitely make a reservation, especially on weekends, because the wait can get long. Parking is easy though, lots of street parking (both free and paid).

Lula Cafe never misses. Already looking forward to...

I came here a couple of weeks ago for breakfast. Whether you’re looking for something simple, or very something fairly experimental, Lulu’s Cafe will accommodate you! I was between ordering a large, relatively fancy breakfast plate involving some combination of chickpea panisse, cauliflower, and a micro-green salad topped with hazelnut vinaigrette, but for financial reasons I chose to instead order two sides: sautéed kale, with Parmesan, and a side poached eggs. Judging by the way in which these two items were cooked, I feel very confident saying that the chef/s here are very talented, and all their other items most likely come out just as good. From what I saw, they provide generous, typical american portions. So, while I wouldn’t judge their general portions from my small plate of two sides, I think the way they cooked them does indicate their approach to other entrees. Anyway, the sautéed kale was not drenched in oil, but carefully cooked with an appropriate amount of what I think was olive oil. As a cheese-lover, they could’ve been more generous with the Parmesan topping, and I’m sure if I had asked, they would have fulfilled the request, though overall the side was filling and delicious. I decided to top the salad with the perfectly poached eggs. As the waitress brought them to the table, I thought they were two dollops of a cream of some sort—the key thought that precedes one’s eating perfectly poached eggs. Truly, absolutely delicious. Two last things. First, they have really great coffee and strong espresso drinks, which might hurt your wallet, but I’d say it is completely worth it, if you’re about good, strong coffee. And the second and last thing is that the service was definitely above my expectations. Usually, I’m a bit wary of joints in which the employees are alternative, “hipsters,” because they sometimes can be a bit rude, but that was FAR from the case at Lulu’s. The host, waitresses, and general staff were attentive, friendly, and helpful, willing to be as accommodating...

Not that accolades really mean anything, but this place is currently Beard nominated for hospitality. That being said my server was very nice and pleasant, but unable to sense the bad experience and correct course. First of all we were stuffed in a tiny corner with three crammed tables, the table was not big enough to hold a bottle of wine, glasses, and a dish. Not a huge deal, but not an apex of hospitality, my bottle of wine was kept under my chair. The wine, a 2021 Chablis (village), from a prominent producer was showing signs of oxidation, which if I had to guess is probably from the restaurant storing it in a place that is too warm for wine storage. Wine was still good, but after doing a little research, should have been drinking crisp and clean. First dish, oysters, they were great and perfect with the Chablis. Focaccia with onion was good, not special. Everything after that actually sucked, wagyu carpaccio was fat on fat with zero acid and seasoning, chickpea tagine was so basic and under seasoned it wasn’t even worth eating. They also had 2-3 manger type people just kind of standing around like high school hall monitors? Neither the akward authority figures or our server engaged enough to find out how much we were not enjoying the food, which is whatever, but certainly is not worthy of a “hospitality award”. Finally dessert, beautiful piece of carrot cake that was good and a scoop of ice cream that tasted like playdo. Was not cheap which is fine, I’m totally cool with the auto 20% grat, life is expensive.

Overall the food just wasn’t good and the experience was underwhelming. Maybe it was an off day, but the food suffered from basic seasoning issues and possibly poor sourcing, just a lack of flavor. Sometimes having hype is a burden, really wish it was a...