The Skinny
Lola’s Mexican Cuisine
2030 E. 4th Street (Across from the Art Theater!)
Long Beach, CA
Hours: 11:00 AM -10:00 PM
Parking: On the street- be sure to read the signs to avoid a street sweeping ticket!
Lola’s is an unordinary Mexican restaurant with an adventurous menu. The kitchen keeps with traditional flavors but isn’t afraid to bust open the flavor piñata. And don’t be surprised if the staff makes you feel like you’re part of the family!
The Fat
Walking into Lola’s you’d think we’d been there thirty times before. Seriously, it was great to walk into a restaurant and be greeted by four different people on the way to our seats. We grabbed a booth in the back and took a look around. The space is bright and decorated like a fiesta! Eclectic Dia de los Muertos art and cool Mexican-inspired posters pepper the walls. Before we got the chance to yank something down and shove it in Rachel’s purse a sassy little waitress was at our table offering us drinks. They serve Dos Equis Amber on tap and to us that’s the equivalent to, “you had me at hello.” The tough question wasn’t to get a beer or not, but to get the 16- or 20-ounce size.
Their menu isn’t a standard list of “combos” you would expect from a traditional Mexican restaurant. They cover the whole enchilada; from moles, to tilapia in a garlic wine sauce to tasty looking potato taquitos. We loved that even the menu is helpful! A collection of symbols guided us to what was caliente, vegetarian or a house favorite. Their entrée prices range from $6 to $15, we got away with a $40 bill after two beers and entrees.
So there we are dipping tortilla chips in two different types of salsa unable to decide on what to order. We needed some professional help; our waitress arrived not a moment too soon. She seemed trustworthy plus she had a leopard print apron on which, in Rachel’s opinion, is an instant seal of approval!
Rachel was sold on the Enchiladas Suizas, a “true Lola’s specialty”, two corn tortillas filled with cheese and covered with creamy spicy green salsa (pictured at right). It was topped with sour cream and fresh sliced avocado, a vegetarian delight! A little spicy, but it was expected thanks to the little chili icon. The avocado was fresh and ripe, the beans were flavorful and the portions were generous. I was not into the excessive garnish, but I managed to pull through. As much as I loved it, next time I would go with something different. Mushroom and zucchini tacos? Sounds crazy enough to be delicious! I was happy there were so many vegetarian choices. Fellow veggies can relate to being stuck with one or two options. Lola’s offers over 10 items that are vegetarian, more if you ask nicely.
Aaron ordered the Tamatillo Steak. A large piece of carne asada topped with grilled onions, tomatillo, bacon, and jack cheese. Wait, bacon? Yes. Fantastic. The tangy tomatillo and smooth jack cheese went great with the salty bacon. It came with a side of rice and beans and I chose flour tortillas. I really enjoyed my asada. It wasn’t dried out or too thin and none of the flavors over-powered the others. Besides the bacon body slamming the asada the most surprising thing was the beans. They were refried but not re-boring, there was actually flavor to them and were not like any refried beans I’ve had before, I can’t wait to go back and get their Mole Poblano, at nineteen varieties of chilies I can only think of one answer, si!
Keep your elbows off the table and happy eating!
Tamatillo steak