Lola

Had the beef check pierogis, then the pork chop and I was in heaven– ate at the at & the bartender was super nice & friendly. This place is a must visit

This was our first time at Lola. We loved the Bone Marrow Appitizer. Had a great bottle of wine and absolutely loved the Scallops. The steak was way too spicy for us, but the manager went to great lengths to make it right for us. Brittany, our server, was warm and engaging and made our dinner that much more special. Thank you, we will be back!

After reading great reviews, we made reservations for dinner the night before the NBA Finals (go Cavs!)
It is very dark inside. Weather was good so we chose to eat outside instead.
I had the lamb and it was PERFECT. My date had the fish and his was great too. Our server was very attentive and mid-​dinner a woman came to check on us as well (possibly the manager?).
I would love to come here again. One appetizer, two entrees and two drinks came out to $ 130.

If you are visiting Cleveland or are from the area and looking for a nice place for dinner, please please please check out Lola (but first make reservations).
I was in Cleveland for a Sunday night as a stop over en route to Chicago, and was looking for a nice place for dinner. Found Lola and Unilocal and decided to check it out.
When I checked in for my 7:30pm reservation on a Sunday night I was seated promptly, but the restaurant was packed.
I wish I remembered my servers name. If you are reading this review and remember me, thank you… your service was incredible and I am forever grateful on how kind you were to me.
Back to the review:
Was seated promptly and was given my menu. When my server arrived and introduced herself she also gave me an ipad which was also the wine list and cocktail list. This was one of the only things that was off putting. Lola is kept at candle lit setting, and being handed a bright screen was a little startling. The list was interactive (i.e. descriptions of cocktails, and well organized), but it was so bright. No fault of the staffs, it is nice to have something they can immediately update if something is out of stock, or they are offering/​featuring a new cocktail or wine. I digress.
The busser /​secondary server was also very attentive, filling my water without having me ask and politely checking on me without being overbearing. Again– if you are reading this, I am so sorry for not noting your name, but you were awesome!
My server made a couple of suggestions for cocktails or wine. I settled on a classic favorite of mine, an aviation cocktail.
To start, I ordered the spicy tomato bisque– soup du jour. Nice and rich, not overpowered by spice and flavorful.
For my main entrée, I ordered the smoked pork chop. Cooked perfectly, excellent portion size, and full of flavor without overpowering the integrity of the meat.
Service was impecible. The only (minor) complaint is that it took longer than it should have to get my entrée. My server acknowledged it was taking a while and apologized profusely. Again, she was incredible.
I visited Lola on May 22^nd. I left a note for my servers thanking them for their service with my check. I just wanted to say– thank you again for taking such good care of me. I had just found out I lost my friend very tragically and suddenly that day and your kindness and hospitality was more than any sympathy I could have asked for. Thank you so much.

Way over priced for average steak. You are paying the food network star for his fame not good food. So many better places to check out in Cleveland.

My husband and I brought three teenagers to town for a concert and while he took them to the concert, I treated myself to dinner at Lola. With a reservation for one being a tad awkward for me, to my delight they graciously seated me at the chef’s table overlooking the kitchen. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious! I would definitely recommend the Beef Cheek Pierogi for an appetizer. My entire experience from start to finish was easily 5-​star.

Lola is one of the best restaurants I have been to and an excellent date place if you want to take someone special for a fine dining experience. The servers know all of the items on the menu and can give you a quick rundown on what to order. I went with the hanger steak which is easily one of their most popular items on the menu and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened. Also, they have a good wine selection. All in all it was a really good experience dining at Lola.

Absolutely amazing!!! Our experience was perfect from the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out. The food is top quality, fresh, and delicious. The tomato bisque was smooth and flavorful. The steak and salmon melt in your mouth. The deserts are wonderful but I highly recommend the Tiramisu. Our server was very professional, attentive, and prompt. This is a must try if you’re in the city but be prepared to pay for this Iron Chef gem. Cheers!

Let me begin by saying I have eaten at Lola twice before, both times were probably 8.5 overall rating on my scale. That’s a pretty darn good rating coming from me. I have eaten at fine restaurants from NYC to San Fran, the big easy, Boston, Austin, La and most places north and south.
Tonight was an embarrassment to fine dining. We had a party of 10 and dinner at 9:30 on Friday so the deck was stacked against us.
2 chicken, 1 lamb, 2 strip, 4 salmon. 1halibut,
And 1 Cippino
Apps were bone marrow, beef cheek perogies, and a couple orders of summary squash soup.
5 Lola fries a couple asparagus orders.
We had a couple 3 bottles of wine.
So we are talking one hefty bill.
Nothing would rate above a 6 except the perogies. The Cippino was like cambells soup with some mussels and a piece of last week’s sausage thrown in. The steaks were dry and tasteless, the salmon could have been from any grocery stores prepared section and the lamb tasted like hmmmmm still can’t figure that out. Tell me why would anyone deep fry bone marrow. If you were going to wouldn’t you say that on the menu.
Well Chef Simon, I can say you lost me as a customer with this meal. I felt like we got robbed when we handed over the 1500 plus for that meal that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Oh wait I forgot, the bread was quite good.
For the record the service was a 6.75 at best.
Hope your proud of that slop.

We went to Lola and we were not disappointed. We try to stop at a well known chef (not always main stream) restaurant in each city we visit. The presentation was very simplistic, which was very refreshing. The smell was impeccable and the taste of everything we had was amazing and full of flavor, there was no need for condiments here! Would dine again if ever back in Cleveland

Lola is located on East 4^th St. which is loaded with other restaurants and bars. After spending a week in Cleveland I decided to give Lola a try on my final night as a kind of last hurrah on my business trip. The place is a bit more upscale than the surrounding establishments and of course a bit pricer too. The ambiance and staff attitude definitely met my expectations.
The food and drink selection is more than adequate especially if you are a wine drinker. I had steak for dinner which was seasoned and cooked to perfection. This is the type of restaurant I would trust to cook a meal that requires proper technique and special attention to detail. My hat comes off to the chef that cooked my steak as well as the rest of the staff. Next time I am in Cleveland I will be paying Lola a visit.

Lola is fancy. As someone visiting Cleveland for the first time and spending a sum total of 24 hours in the city, strolling down the (relatively short block of) E 4^th street on which Lola is located is a charming treat. These Midwestern, Rust Belt cities have some beautiful brick buildings which go into good effect at creating a romantic, steampunk 1800s atmosphere.
I had a great bourbon cocktails served with a spiced, dried apricot garnish which is known as the Gunslinger. I had a fine Italian wine from the wines by the glass list. Unfortunately for you, the reader of this review, I boringly ordered a flank steak with french fries which was very good, but likely wasn’t the dish to order if I really wanted to understand what Lola has to offer.
It was booked from 5 – 9:30pm so I arrived at 5:00 and grabbed one of the 10 or so seats at the bar. Those all filled up by 6:00pm if not earlier, so make reservations.

This was my first time in Cleveland and I heard that experiencing the Michael Symon restaurant was a must. My boyfriend and I walked in for an early dinner around 5pm, Saturday, and we were able to be seated immediately.
Service: the service is perfect here. This deserves 5 stars and more. Our waitress was attentive and informative. Checked up on us at the perfect intervals and our glasses were never empty.
Drinks: I ordered a normal Moscow mule. (No copper cups though). Tasted great! Boyfriend got a Heineken, can’t go wrong there.
Food: I’ll give 4 stars.
We ordered the beef cheek pierogi bc it was a «must». Texture was great, nice and crispy on outside and tender on the inside. I just wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce or maybe I was expecting the taste to be completely different and amazing from the reviews I read about it.
Hangar steak: I ordered this one. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The meat is very tender and is topped with a pickled garnish and garlic. It was a very tasty combination. I wish there were more garnish for the large portion for more of that crunch texture. I’m definitely not a slow eater, but within 10 minutes or so, each piece of steak I ate had become cold. The hangar steak came with skinny fries and they were so good!
Strip steak: my boyfriend ordered this. The presentation was fabulous and cooked perfectly. The exterior of the steak had a really nice crust from the sear, it was great texture. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to eat as the meat was kind of tough and chewy. We had to cut small pieces to eat it.
6am special: we ordered this for dessert. This was probably the best thing we ordered. The French toast was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The ice cream had a strong maple, smoky bacon taste! I typically don’t like bacon, but the pairing of the toast, ice cream, and apples, were really yummy.
Good experience overall. I guess the food was just not what I was expecting so I’ll have to try other stuff next time!

I can honestly say that I haven’t had the privilege of dining here because I’m in Virginia. But here I am singing their praises. Why? Because a dear friend had surgery in your fine city and she missed out on so much during her surgeries journey.
Knowing this, hubby and I decided to help her celebrate by setting her concerns aside for an evening and setting up a date night for her and her husband before her return home. Any place that does this and sets it up for us to pay for their dining experience is #1 in my book. I may never have the opportunity to dine here or at any of Michael Symons restaurant, but if I ever find myself in Cleveland, I will try my darnedest to try his restaurant! Until then, I can only live vicariously through my friend! Our request from her? For a private review that will make my 13 yr. old salivate.

Iron chef Michael Simon lives up to
His title!!! Wonderful meal for a special occasion m! Had the wave 400 to drink, the bone marrow app which was amazing, and shared the Muscovy duck and scallops. Would definitely go back in the future!

Overall my experience here was good. The food was absolutely phenomenal, but there were a few things that keep me from giving it a 5 out of 5. We went here to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and neither of us had been there, so I was really excited. We started with the sausage appetizer. I had planned to look up the name of it online, but it must be a seasonal item or something because I can’t find it on any of the online menus. It was dynamite though. Sausage, brussel sprouts and some noodles. So delicious. I got the scallops and my boyfriend got the pork. The scallops in the entrée seriously melted in your mouth. The pork chop was also really good. I had a few bites, and it was thick but really tender with a mixture of sauces. We finished with a sampler of the sorbets, which were very refreshing. One was blood orange and one was a rosemary flavor. I can’t remember the third one.
The cons of why I didn’t give it 5 stars. 1. The tables were pushed together really closely. I’m not sure if they’re always like that, but it felt like we were on a double date with the people to the right and left of us. For how much money you pay to eat there, I dont expect that. And 2. The waitress did not tell us that the entrees didn’t come with full sides, and I actually walked away a little hungry. I wish she had told us so we could have split something.

I have no problem being a player hater but I can’t do it with Lola, this restaurant always lives up to its reputation as the best in Cleveland and it did so again last Saturday when we were there.
I also have no problem writing long reviews but really there’s not much more to be said that every Unilocaler doesn’t already know.
Atmosphere and wait staff — Oozing with more class than we deserve
Drinks — An encompassing wine list and creative cocktails done by bartenders who take pride in their work.
Food — Every entrée is a medley of harmonized flavors and textures perfectly prepared but yet they will still pale in comparison to the beef cheek pierogi appetizer ($ 12).
‘Nuff said.

Highlights: The beef pierogi, duck entrée, and the honey goat cheese ice cream.
This restaurant reminds me of Fleming’s. I liked the ambience for the most part, but I found the floating tables to be a little close to each other… we were sitting next to a group of guys who weren’t having the most tasteful conversation. That’s my main gripe.
We enjoyed the pierogi. It was served to us on two different plates… which I appreciated because I didn’t have to fight Allyn over the appetizer. :)
I ended up ordering the Hangar steak and my love ordered the duck entrée. I did enjoy my steak and it was perfectly cooked to order… but I did find it a tad salty. Other than that, it was fantastic! But the duck entrée stole my heart. And thus, I stole bite after bite from Allyn. (He claimed he was full, but I know better. I’m sorry I ate so much of your entrée!)
For dessert we ordered the honey goat cheese ice cream and the pear/​caramel… I don’t exactly remember the name. The honey goat cheese took a few bites to adjust to, but I quickly grew a liking to it. It reminded me a bit of cheesecake.
Our server and various backwaiters were great.
I do think the hostesses up front should be more friendly. They were hardly engaging.
I’d come back here to try other entrées on the menu.

Oh. My Goodness. This was good. This was VERY good! When I found that I was going to Cleveland I knew I had to come here. I was not disappointed! As one should do in this sort of place I left myself in the hands of my capable server, I started off with the beef cheek pierogi Perfectly braised beef… yum! I then took a break with a darn good martinez. Not as good as the one my beloved makes… but not bad at all! They had to look it up! Missed the cherries, but when I pointed it out house-​brandied ones showed up in short order. For my main I had the flank steak. It was cooked perfectly rare-​medium-​rare and was one of the BEST steak I have ever had. Got to say it… Michael Symon has got one heck of a good place!
My server was just the right level of attentive. I had a great conversation with Nolan, the manager. All in all, one of the finest meals I’ve had. It was, with tip (and some good wine!), a bit over $ 100. That’s the right price for what I had.

I had never been to Lola for dinner because I’m a cheapskate. I know, tsk tsk, but last night The Wife and I were celebrating our 10^th dating anniversary so we decided to splurge a little bit and finally check out Lola at night. We booked a table on Open Tables noting that we were celebrating our 10^th Anniversary. I’ve booked reservations in the past at other restaurants telling them the same thing.
When we arrived, they brought us to a nice corner booth with a great view of the bar and wine cellar. Even though it was meant for 4, they gave it to us and made specific attention to wish us «Happy Anniversary!». It was really classy of them. We felt like we were big shots, which we totally are not.
Appetizer: Beef cheek Pierogi. Delish. Loved the savory sauce and the delicious meat filling.
Entrees: Clam bake: sooooo good scallops. Probably the best ones I’ve ever had. Wish it was bigger. The broth at the bottom was so good to soak up. Smoked Pork chop: they kindly split the portion in two so the Wife and I wouldn’t have to fight for it. Really good chop, cooked perfectly and seasoned well. Loved the rich polenta that came with it. I think the chop was a better value at $ 29.
Dessert: they surprised us with a «Happy Anniversary» cupcake dessert with little gluten free chocolate cupcakes (best gluten free dessert I’ve ever had) with little sparklers in it. Really cool– meant a lot to us.
We got the 6 AM special after this and the french toast was amazing. The ice cream might have been a little sweet for our taste but the tartness of the apples complemented it perfectly. An awesome way to end an awesome meal.
We’ll be back to this place– I’m so proud that it is here in Cleveland. The wait staff were class acts. Bravo!