Lola’s Latin Bistro
“Get the family style option, and make sure the cilantro chicken with coconut rice is included.”
“Lola is BYOB, which is great since Wine Chateau is right next door – no fuss, no frills, no apprehension.”
“One more great thing about this restaurant is that it is BYO and has the wine shop right next door called Wine Chateau.”
Lola’s Latin Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I had the cilantro citrus chicken with coconut rice and green onions. This was ok, the chicken wasn't that great, it was kind of plain honestly. I ate all my rice though and that citrus sauce was good but very acidic and actually burned my gums haha and it's still healing. I honestly wasn't impressed with this dish even though it's one of their most popular.
Spanish meatballs were ok, super soft and a little salty. Croquetas de yuca was probably the best thing I ate all night, they came with this chili lime ailoi and that was good. I loved the texure of this and it was basically like a mozzarella stick except with yucca in it haha.
It's BYOB, so we asked them to mix a white and red sangria, it was pretty good. But you're better off making your own.
Chocolate ganache cake was very rich and I liked the chocolate chip cookie on the bottom. Very good!
This place is cute, I like the ambience, great for group gatherings Tthe food was ok, the tapas portions were a little too tiny for me, I don't think I would go back though.
From a food point of view, it was a really good dinner. I enjoyed my Lola's Wedge and my Chicken dish over rice with fruit sauce. Both were excellent. In fact, everyone in our party enjoyed their food. My friends loved the raw tuna appetizer that I had recommended as well as their main courses.
However, the rest of the dining experience there was pretty meh. The tables were right on top of each other and people were hitting into my chair all night. Our server was handing me my dishes since he couldn't get around the table to place them down. This isn't acceptable.
Then you have the owner hanging out at various tables. I actually find this to be a nice touch but when your restaurant is so cramped, you are not helping the process by blocking narrow aisles. Sorry. Maybe it would have been a better idea to help the food carriers on this particular night.
As a result of the extremely cramped situation, the noise level was well beyond anything close to being acceptable.
When the waiter came to take our order, one of my friend's ordered the swordfish dish from the menu. The server explained that they didn't have the swordfish this night. Not that they were out of it but that they didn't have it. This info would have been more helpful when we were given the menus.
Finally, there was coffee in my hair. Maybe I should have said hair in my coffee but it was a rather large and long piece of hair.
Because the food was really good tonight, I am giving it 3 stars but some of the other things I mention are serious concerns going forward.
Lola's is another popular lunch spot for me to meet clients. Usually others sample the menu while I am always craving the coconut chicken before I even get to the parking lot!
The hot buns they give you in the vintage cigar box are a great touch. Be careful- they are HOT and ADDICTING!
I do wish that the service was a bit faster considering that many of the lunch patrons are on a tight schedule and only block out an hour or so for lunch.
I really wanted to love this place. I had been wanting to come here for months and we finally made an 8 o'clock reservation on Saturday night for 6 people. I guess they thought our reservation was for 7 because they sat us at a round table set for 7, brought out 7 waters, 7 wine glasses. It wasn't a big deal but it was cramped enough at the table so we eventually asked them to take away the seventh setting.
We brought our own wine so they could make us sangria. It was okay, but they don't serve the pitcher with a large wooden spoon like most places do, which makes it hard to get any fruit when you pour.
After ordering, it was a good 45 minutes before any appetizers came out. The bread they give you is really not good. It was very dry and took forever to chew. Wasn't a fan of the sundried tomato oil they provide for the bread either.
When we finally got appetizers they were pretty good. Fried calamari was well seasoned and the shrimp and lobster quesadilla was tasty.
It was 10 o'clock when our entrees finally came out. Our server was very apologetic the whole time so I'm guessing it was strictly a kitchen issue. I ordered the Mariscada (clams, muscles, calamari, in a red broth) and wasn't happy. The calamari was so overcooked it was like chewing on rubber. After a two hour wait for dinner, it's pretty disappointing when the food isn't even worth the wait.
Our server was good though. Friendly and apologetic. He was able to comp an appetizer to make up for the wait which was appreciated.
Maybe it was just a one-night fluke, since I've heard so many good things about Lola's, but based on the long wait and food, I don't think I'll be hurrying back to try it again.
Had dinner with the family here Friday night. Food was OK, nothing spectacular. Service was slow. BYOB.
This place was wonderful!
I love tapas, I love family style eating and this place was on point. I wish there was nice weather when we visited because the outdoor patio area looks great. We sat by the window and there was 16 of us and we loved it.
The service was great and the owner is so personable, I loved it there. The food was phenomenal. We were so surprised because the appetizers seemed like a meal to us, most of us stuffed out faces with salad, potatoes, and so much more. I wish I had written this review right after eating there because I can't remember all the wonderful dishes!!! I remember the salad being INCREDIBLE, I was shocked at how delicious the dressing turned out to be. We realized a few minutes later there would also be an entree portion to our meals! WOAH. When they brought out some of the seafood dishes it was covered in other meats, they were nice enough to make a new one without any beef/pork so I could try it – YAY.
The desserts were brought out with all different kinds of slices of cakes and cheesecales.. WIN! BYOB but there is a liquor store right next to it so woo hoo.
I can not wait to go back to this place and sit outside when the weather is nice. It's a great first date, date night, or let's just go have dinner spot. Definitely try this place out.
When traveling, I like to ask for suggestions on where to eat. Who knows the neighborhood better than a local, right?
On a recent trip, I had planned on heading to the coast for dinner. During the day, I asked around for suggestions and had a great list of places to try. Unfortunately, thanks to New Jersey traffic, my "short" trip to the coast would have taken over an hour, and if wasn't about to wait that long to eat.
Luckily I had my handy dandy Yelp app and quickly found a few places nearby that we're highly rated on Yelp. One of them was Lola. The food looked good, the BYO beer/wine appealed to me big time, and there was a liquor store right next door according to other reviews. I was sold!
When we arrived, we stopped next door for a bottle of wine and walked into Lola's. We wanted to sit outside, but it was late enough in the evening that we would have gotten cold. I thought it was nice they had an outdoor fire pit but odd that they didn't have heaters.
Sitting inside was perfectly fine with us, and we were greeted after a few seconds by our server who opened the wine and left glasses for us. We looked over the menu, trying to decide between tapas or entrees. The first time our server came over, we had to ask for more time. When we were finally ready, she was no where to be found. We finally flagged her down and places our order. Tapas for my friend and veggie quesadillas for me.
Our food came out reasonably fast. The tapas was in individual crocks and looked really good. I had food envy until I bit into mine and was very happy with my choice.
When we were finished, we had to flag our server down again for the checks and the had to chase her down with our payment in order to finally leave. I don't know if this normal, but it seemed odd to me.
Each of our checks came to $10 each, plus $5 each for the bottle of wine. A $15 dinner is rare these days, especially with wine. A great value and hidden gem!
Lola Latin Bistro is a very nice addition to the Metuchen retail-commercial area. We didn't know before coming here, but it's a BYOB; before you sit down, drop in at the wine store that's right next door.
Inside, it's a really chill sort of setup with candlelit dinner tables and beautiful wall paintings. This is the perfect location for a date night, but just as well for a nice family dinner. I came here on a weeknight and it wasn't too busy, which was good because the wait staff were patient and didn't rush us at all. It was cold when I went, but otherwise it would have been nice to sit outside by the fireplace.
As for the food, it's very delicious. I ordered the veal which was served with an exceptional jalapeño sauce and had a real kick to it – an absolute treat, indeed. If you can handle a good amount of spice, I'd recommend it.
I'll definitely be coming back here soon. It's very nice to have a BYO restaurant in the area, and especially one with a nicer ambiance and a tasty menu, too.