Lui Lui Restaurant

Used to be one of my favorite restaurants but the menu has been pared down and something has happened to the service. Last time I was in, it was very slow to get drinks and our orders. We had our baby with us and it was taking forever and she began fussing. You know the easiest way to keep a baby from crying in a restaurant is to bring food or snacks. After finally putting our order in, and waiting about 10 minutes, the owner came out and told us that there was a very large party just ahead of us and it would be another 40 minutes before they could get to our order. We were wondering of this was a way to get us and our baby out of the restaurant? It worked. I think the food that is still on the menu is still pretty good, maybe 4 stars, but it might be a couple years before I go back.

After reading the reviews about the slow service, I was a little hesitant to come here, but we were down for my brother’s graduation and he chose this place. Luckily, it turned out to be a great choice!
We showed up early to our reservation, and the wait staff were very friendly and seated us quickly. The menu had a pretty decent offering, and I ordered the three onion soup and the the General Tsos. The soup was really good, basically the same as a French onion soup, and after I finished I was definitely wanting more. The General Tsos came out soon after. It was pretty good, better than most places but not the best I had. The rice it came with was white, but I wish it was fried rice (I’m not sure if fried rice could have been requested instead, so that might be my fault for not asking).
I also tried the Ahi tuna that they had, and it was incredible. I would have definitely ordered that instead if I could go back (plus, it’s healthier!)
All in all, I recommend this to anyone who wants some upscale Asian inspired food. The service and t as bad as the reviews make it seem, but maybe that was because we went over graduation weekend. Our waitress was also very nice as well.

I’ve loved everything I’ve ever had here. The teriyaki chicken pizza is my favorite. Between that and the jasmine rice, I would eat there every day.

Usually I discount other reviewers when they talk about delays and indifferent service. In this case they are spot on. We were seated promptly, waited more than 80 minutes for food. The nice waiter was apologetic, the manager said basically that «we are busy».
The food was ok. I had chicken meatballs in curry, which was good but two of them had bone/​gristle in them (mechanically separated meat ?). She had the Thai noodles which was too spicy for her, no asking what spice level she wanted. Ah well. Live and learn.

The service was less than I expected from such an expensive restaurant. They ran out of the kind of iced tea I ordered, after refilling once I had to switch to something else. The music was so loud in there I could not even hear my girlfriend across the table from me. It took over an hour to receive our entrees after the appetizers.
Their dessert is the only reason they’ve received two stars from me. Their crème brûlée is to die for.

We go to Athens fairly often, as my partner is an OU graduate. We were forced to go here by my partner’s friend who does not negotiate about any plans. We should have fought this one. The service was average, I had some steak special and the partner had tofu something. We each got a spring roll. Those were tiny and over priced but at least they were hot. My partner liked her food, but it was cold. My steak had all the gristle from the whole cow crammed into a cold steak, served with equally ice cold vegetables. Thank God I was able to get Jackie O’s Mystic Mama IPA. It was not ice cold. I could have gone to Casa. I could have gone to O Betty’s or even B Dubs. Or McDonalds for all that. Save your time and money.

Those of you who have lived in Athens for a while are aware that we’re short on fine dining type places. I think Lui Lui wants to fill that niche, but I’m not sure that it stands up to the challenge. I finally ate here a couple of months ago and I had no complaints… our server was prompt and polite, my vegan friend was accommodated (warning though: very few choices on the menu), and i had no complaints about my dish. I ordered the Thai chicken pizza; the toppings and sauce were very tasty but the crust could have been a lot crispier. It was on par in terms of quality with a similar pizza I’ve had at the California Pizza Kitchen chain, so I was expecting a bit more.
I know that the restaurant has a special sushi night and I’d consider coming back for that. Based on the meal I had here, I’m not in any particular rush to return. It was a truly «okay» meal – nothing stood out for good or bad reasons.

Very disappointed, the service was ridiculous! The server was more concerned with taking care of a table of friends and a group of sorority girls then our table. It took over ten minutes for us to even get him to come to our table and he was very rude. He brought me soup and said he would be right back with a spoon and he never came back but instead was attending to the table of girls with my soup sat there and got cold. Even the manager was rude she came and «apologized» about the soup and said she would take it off the bill then turned back around and said rudely unless you want another bowl. She was also very rude about the other soup my friend ordered that was so horribly inedible she and wanted taken away. The food tasted like it was straight out of a freezer and so greasy it made me feel sick. Also was told they only sold sushi on Thursdays even though it is on their regular menu. Also we were offered wine and when I told him my friend was not yet 21 he said he wouldn’t tell anyone if we didn’t!!! This place is pathetic and bet they are selling alcohol to under age college students with how he was trying to push us to buy alcohol!

I’ve been here probably four or five times — enough to note that the service is hit or miss. The food can be as well but surprisingly, considering where Athens is, the seafood has been pretty solid. I think they may suffer because they try to do too many different cuisines.

Horrible service, waited over 2 hours for our food. When we complained to the manager she said you just don’t under stand. This is a small town. You can’t just show up with a party of 14 and expect to get service.
The thing was that we called ahead and asked if they could accommodate us and they said yes. The manager also told one from our party that he just doesn’t understand business. Little did she know that the man she told that too works as a quality control specialist at food processing company. As we were checking out the manager proceeded to argue with us and when I asked her for the name of the owner she stated it was her. That explains a lot about our bad service. I told her I just wanted her to be sympathetic to our bad experience and not try to defend the bad service by degrading us as customers so then she proceeded to sarcastically apologize while rolling her eyes and laughing under her breath. Overall it was the worst treatment I have ever received as a customer at any resturant.

Went for lunch and it was good, was really impressed. Just got their pizza for takeout. It’s not good :(They might want to try their own pizza, I hope I caught them on a bad night. I will go back for their Asian cuisine tho

All of my reviews are solely intended for visitors seeking vegetarian, vegan, and, (my preference), plant based, whole foods.
What’s really special to me about Lui Lui’s is their CHIP meal you have to ask for. CHIP is a local health improvement program that promotes a plant based diet, whole grain options. While other restaurants in the area participate in the program, Lui Lui has the broadest selection available, and even the locals, (including CHIP graduates).
The only reason I didn’t given them five stars, is that in the four or five times I have ordered off the CHIP menu, not all of the servers were completely up to speed on the program. Not a really big deal, but I have had to send back white rice and request brown rice. Nice wine selection, and I thought the prices were very reasonable. (Full disclosure: The CHIP program does not advocate the wine portion)

Went here for valentines day a couple weeks ago and it was delicious. Although the menu looks huge, I felt like there was a little bit of everything. They had salads, pasta, an excellent fish menu, classy wines, and all the above.
The waitress was very nice and quick.
The salmon was cooked to perfection.
You very rarely have a perfect dining experience, but I cannot think of a single flaw whatsoever. GREAT SERVICE!

Small little unassuming strip mall restaurant. We sat in the semi-​private upstairs since we were a larger party.
Carrot ginger soup– I gave an extra star based on this soup! Dairy free since it is made with coconut milk. A lot of ginger gave this great flavor. When I got the bowl, thought it was huge, was ready to lick the bowl at the end. ;)
Also had the spicy tuna roll. Wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, wasn’t the worst. Wasn’t the most flavorful, slightly above grocery store sushi. Other diners really liked the crab cakes. Wish I could’ve tasted for comparison. They also had a vegan carrot cake I would’ve loved to try, but too full from soup!

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Athens. The menu is large and some of the items are misses but the vast majority of the food is great.

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!
It’s quaint and cute and has a million choices for entrees! I got a little bit of everything. I started with Tom Yum Soup, it was a little different than I was used to, but spicy and delicious!
We also got the sampler platter for appetizers, and I do remember that the Spring Rolls and Coconut Shrimp were really amazing. I don’t even really like Shrimp that much, but these– oh mama! They were delicious.
My salad was good, but hey, it’s salad. Not much you can do there. The bread was also great. I debated on entrees for a long time but settled on Thai Chicken Pasta. I’m glad I got it, because it was super tasty.
Pasta was well cooked, the chicken was tender and the peanut sauce it came in was super yummy!
The service was great, the server joked around with us a lot, since we were there for a bachelorette party. We were seated in our own little room because we had a large party. The drinks were kept flowing and the atmosphere was very nice.
I will definitely want to come back to this place the next time I’m visiting Athens. I can’t believe I didn’t discover it during my OU days, but it is probably best that I didn’t…I was a poor college kid– and well, I never really made it too far off Court Street. ;)

I accidentally posted this under another user’s page because I was stupid enough not to check the log-​in, but I wanted to put it in under my account regardless. Also, I am going back to Athens in a month for Ohio Brew Week, and can’t wait to eat here! For the price and selection, this is the best food in Athens. I graduated from Ohio University in 1999, but had to come back this weekend and ended up eating here again. It was my favorite restaurant back then and today I remembered why. The fusion of Italian and Thai is genius and they do it perfectly. Everything I tried tasted so fresh with genuine flavor. I wish they would franchise in Cleveland because I am sure I would go there at least once a week if they did

Lui Lui’s is pretty middling. The chicken lo mein is ok. The general tso’s is some of the most bland I’ve ever hard. It was neither spicy nor sweet. It tasted mostly of salty soyness.
The menu had a lot more variety than I’ve seen at most similar restaurants, so you may find something you like.

Lui Lui! I love this place. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly, the restaurant and restroom both are clean, and the prices are very decent. We used to come here every Tuesday for Sushi Night, and that was always a blast.
My only complaint is when you come with a large group. This is where my husband and I had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding, and the staff couldn’t handle our group. We’d made a reservation and everything, but they were just overwhelmed. Food was very slow to come out and many of the dishes had gone cold because of the wait.
Other than that, though, if you’re looking for a great place to get a really relaxing, delicious dining experience, you can’t beat Lui Lui. They also do catering — we had them cater a graduation luncheon for a group of my students, one year. Not sure what the price was, but the food was delicious and the service was very prompt. The students LOVED it.
I highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone (just not on a night when I’m going — I want my Lui Lui to myself!).