Lula Trattoria

We had a very strange dinner experience at this place. The place was so cold that we sat with our coats on until the waiter said he would crank up the heat. Once we got the menus, he told us that many of the items listed were not available because «the chef was changing the seasonal menu» (?). The waiter came over and asked what we wanted to drink. When we said we wanted a medium red, he said he didn’t know much about the wine and would send the other waiter to help. The food all tasted good but the service wasn’t at all professional. One of my pet peeves is to be called «you guys» by the wait staff. We ordered coffee and we were told that they were brewing a fresh pot. We waited another ten minutes and then received lukewarm coffee. We won’t be returning.

My wife’s brother had his after-​wedding-​rehearsal dinner here. Instead of letting us order what we wanted, we were served a very large coursed meal. Each dish was a one person meal, but brought out to split between four people. Kind of like tapas, but no where near as fancy. Unfortunately for my wife and I, none of the courses were vegan friendly. We bowed our heads in shame and sufficed to cheese slathered noodles, pizza and salad.
Primavera was a mountain of shells that were seasoned in garlic, swimming in a really watery sort of cheese sauce and tiny pieces of beef. No vegetables at all, which I thought was key in that type of pasta dish. I picked around the beef and tried to get as little sauce on them as possible. If the taste of garlic wasn’t so strong, they would have been somewhat edible.
The salad was all romaine lettuce cut up into small pieces, a pile of long thin slices of swiss cheese on top and the whole thing slathered in light ranch dressing. Without the cheese and lots of water after every bite, it was alright. We got a plate of burnt hollow bread that was covered in oils and butter. Probably one of the best items of the night and it still wasn’t that good.
Pizza was super thin, just cheese and tomato sauce on it. No slaughtered beasts, thankfully. Pretty good, nothing to write home about. A brick oven was used, not like one could taste the difference though.
Lots of dead animals were being consumed around us all. So that was pretty disgusting. Fish, shrimp, chicken, baby calf, the whole barn was in attendance. Desert was sugar cookies that fell apart before I could even get one to my mouth. Very dry and boring.
Bone Marrow is listed as an entrée here. What kind human being with any sort of dignity would actually request that to ingest into their body? Seriously, that is just beyond inhumane on so many levels. Restaurants like this should not exist. I would never willingly go here on my own. If the bagel joint next door was open, I would have went there.

We are locals in the area and tonight was the third time we’ve dined at Lula’s but folks, take our advice, save yourselves the agony and go somewhere else because even though some items on the menu are tolerable (at best) the service is atrocious.
We were seated at 8:00 pm, placed our order at 8:05, got our food at 9:15 pm and the only excuse I have for not complaining earlier to the manager is that we were too busy filling up on the bread and wine which were not too bad. The waiter FORGOT to send our order to the kitchen and didn’t even bother to check in with us and let us know of the epic fail. After we complained he manager had no choice but to own up to the disaster, offered to take care of our check (we had no intention of paying anyway) and had the audacity to suggest a free meal next time we dine there… needless to say there’s no way in hell we’re ever going back to this poorly run restaurant.

You have got to be kidding me. As soon as we walked in we were faced with a loud very confused Manager who might have had too much to drink. He was yelling at staff and confusing the hostess. This was my third visit and all the employees were different, not the ones who were here before. Hostess tried to seem nice but was obviously stressed. Wait staff was not very attentive. I just cant get over the feel of the place. Not very happy workers. Food was over cooked, pasta under cooked and very salty. Won’t be back here.

Went there for dinner with a friend — ICK! The food was way too salty no matter what dish you chose. I tried their PAPPARDELLE ALL’ ANATRA and their TRUFFLE FRIES.
I definitely will never go back for dinner. I do have to say that their dessert (based off of what I had) was delicious and I’d only go back for some of that if I desired. We shared the gelato option. You get to choose three flavors out of four (currently what they have) and they’re decent sized scoops which could probably be shared among 2 – 6 persons depending on how much you all like to share. Very good and no complaints there.
The atmosphere is very nice. I actually went after my gym workout and thought I was too under-​dressed. The hostess was kind and said it’s no issue. She noticed I was hesitant about being seated in the inner section, and kindly offered us a spot close to the entrance. The windows/​doors open up so it feels like you’re still outside when you’re inside. (If you want this feeling — ask to be seated at the high-​top tables. Seats about 6 – 8 if I recall correctly).
The waitstaff was a little slow, but still good service.
Bathrooms — haven’t been
Happy eats!

Service was good but a bit unorganized. The manager told the waiter to do some things and he was walking around confused. And my dishes came out real slow. I was hungry and getting impatient.
Their free bread was amazing. Looks like a Nan or something cause it pops up like a balloon and its thin and crispy but yea looks real cool.
The baked clams here are tasty but not spectacular.
The pizza was tasty too.
The bone marrow was perfectly seasoned. I say sometimes its smart to say salt on the side. You never want your bone marrow too salty.
Scallops and mushrooms was to die for. It was perfectly seared and I literally licked the deep dish plate clean. WOW WOW WOW WOW — this dish made my review!
And the lamb, I eat lamb but rarely a wow fan of it here so while I would say the lamb here was passing… most people would probably really enjoy it.
The soup, tomato leek combo… I really could’ve done without it. eck.
Sangria, was good, but I didn’t love it…

I love everything about this restaurant.
While the portions are not huge, the quality and creativity cannot be matched on long island.
Everyone working there shares a passion for food.
There are small bites and pizzas as well as entrees.
The lamb chops were recommended and didn’t disappoint, maybe the best I’ve had.
I have been there three times in a short period of time. Very unusual for me, I am always about trying something new.
Sangria is great.

The noise level was so overwhelmingly loud as to be unbearable. Our 4-​some could not hear each other talk. They had packed the bar too tight — wonder if it meets fire-​code — and the hard surfaces throughout did not absorb sound.
The food was ok but not great.

I have been waiting to try this place for months now and I was not disappointed. The food was out of this world and the atmosphere was perfect. I will be back!!!

I went there to meet one of my very good friends for lunch. We used to go there for lunch when it was Circa.
While, it is very beautiful but the food was horrible. I will never go there again. The staff was so wonderful and welcoming. I ordered Cavatelli with Salmon, Peas and Cream, but food tasted like over salted packaged lox with frozen peas. There Al Dente pasta left something to be desired as well.
Not gonna happen again. Bring back Circa.

we live right in the area and my dad wanted to go here for his birthday so we went. the pizza was very good along with the drinks. I also loved the meatball slider I ate out of the bread :) nice place and hope it does well.

A friend and I tried this new place for lunch during the weekday. The waiter informed us that the menu was «like a tapas menu» and that we would need to order at least two small plates to satisfy our hunger. Strike one. On review of the menu it became clear that small plates did not mean small prices as most pasta and meat dishes were more that $ 12. So, a two-​tiny-​plate lunch cost us $ 20 before beverage. (One undersized veal cutlet and one palm sized lump of lettuce=$ 21) Strike Two. When I asked the waiter for bread to supplement my meager lunch, I was told that the restaurant did not serve bread even though a bottles of olive oil were set on each table. Strike three.
If you go for small plates bring a large wallet, or leave hungry.

Italian /​Small plates
This is a new Trattoria that has reopened on a previously bad restaurant location and they are off to a great start.
The place is nicely done in deeper colors and lit at just the right level. There are plenty of tables both in the main dining area and along the front wall and they even have some large rounds off to one of the corners in case you have a larger party.
The bar is nicely done with a beautiful back bar area and the bartender was on point. We were drinking sangria which was pretty good, but I’d like to get back in there and try some of their wines.
The menu is comprehensive and has mains and some small plates– I went with a meat and cheese platter; others had pizza etc. They brought out a pillow focaccia for the table and it was nicely done.
All in all everything was very good and judging from the constant flow of patrons, Lula should do very well here.
Prices were average and service was very good.
Parking lot in front.

Unilocal Drinks Week — Kickoff at Lula!
What I love most about being an Elite Unilocaler is the invites to special events! Even though I live just 8 minutes from Lula Trattoria, I had no idea it even existed!
Brought Mike with me for this one. We sat at the bar (of course) and were greeted by the warmest, nicest bartendress. (Still waiting for Webster to approve this word) She was great. We drank sangrias and beer. Enjoyed both! We also tried the meatball sliders and charcutie. Liked the meatball, minus the bread (just like Tara) and the charcuterie was good but the prosciutto was cut way too thick.
We had fun! A customer at the bar recognized me from Bloomindales where I had shopped and purchased two Michael Kors dresses the previous Saturday. Wow! Great memory! And we hung out with her. She comes here often and likes the food.
There was a pretty decent crowd for a Monday night. The atmosphere was nice, service was terrific, the crowd was mixed. We will come back again!
Thanks Drew for another great event!

Lula Trattoria is a new tapas restaurant that recently opened in Mineola. The goal of the restaurant is to make small dishes for everyone at your table to enjoy. I dig the idea, because I am the kind of person that likes to try a little of everything.
I’m going to break it down…
Sangria was good, not the best, but pretty darn good!
The bread that pops (Drew A. and Franco C. will be making fun of me for not knowing the name, obviously) was the bomb– literally. Olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and that was easily one of the best parts of the meal.
I also tried the Beet Salad. Roasted Beets, Mache Greens, Marsala, Asiago, Crispy Pancetta. Freakin’ awesome! So many yummy things in a little plate. I’m going to make it at home.
The Meatball Sliders had veal, beef, and pomodoro. I liked them, minus the bread.
We also tried the Margherita Pizza, which had fresh mozzarella, pomodoro, and basil, as well as the Basil Pesto Pizza, which had grilled onions, Parmesan, and roasted peppers. I wasn’t the biggest fan of their pizza, but they have all the categories on lock so if I’m in the area again, I’d definitely come back :)
On top of all of that, the service was awesome and the general manager was accommodating and constantly seeking to make our experience better throughout the meal.
Good work Lula.

The place is pretty, I will give you that and the bread was good. I get that this is a tapas place but come on, when the waiter suggests that you should order about 3 dishes per person, you are bound to spend a fortune and still leave hungry.
We ordered 9 dishes between 3 people and I still left hungry! Another person reviewed this place and said the potions were large.
Will not be back for sure…

I ate here last night with my boyfriend an my sister and we thought it was amazing. The service was great and the food was awesome. The mushroom risotto was to die for! Love the whole tapas idea. We got to try all kinds of diff things off the menu. I highly suggest trying it out. I will def be eating here a lot!!! Ps the apple crumb cheesecake… wow

Very good food! Service was great! And parking was easy!

Pros: Very pretty interior, attentive bar tenders, food and wine prices were ok.
Cons: Not a ton of parking on a busy night, the appetizers we got were awful, the imported beers were $ 9.
We sat at the bar with another couple and ordered two Parma Pizzas (fig, Gorgonzola, truffle oil, etc.) an order of Calamari, and two meatball sliders to go with our drinks. I hated the food to make a long story short. The other members of our group thought it was just, «OK».
One of the Parma Pizzas was absolutely covered in the truffle oil, while the other pizza had a more appropriate amount. With truffle oil, a little goes a long way. Too much and it’s terrible, which was the case with the one pizza. They need to clean up their consistency a bit.
The calamari had a type of batter that I had never tasted before, but at the same time, would never want to taste again. I can’t describe what it was about the taste of it, but I didn’t like it at all. I don’t know if it was some sort of gluten free breading or a glaze they put on it, but it wasn’t good.
The meatball slider was $ 3 for 1 slider, so we ordered two. They came out cold and tasteless. The sauce tasted like it was fresh out of the can and the meatball itself had no flavor or seasoning.
Overall, the place was nice and had good prices on their menu aside from the beer. I would never order any of those appetizers again, but would consider coming back to try an entrée, but not even close to anytime soon.

My girlfriend and I along with a friend visiting from out of town decided to try Lula.
This restaurant is at the location of what used to be Circa. We had been to Circa on various occasions, and on the last visit, the experience wasn’t so good.
We swore we’d never go back, so when Circa closed down and Lula opened up, we figured it was just a name change under the same owners.
Although a little hesitant, we decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a try, and we were very glad we did. From the moment we walked in we felt welcomed and once seated, the service was exceptional.
Our waiter Clemente was very friendly and attentive. His recommendations were spot on and he made sure we were well taken care of. Lula, the owner, also came around to check on us.
As for the food, everything we tried was amazing. From the appetizers to the main course to the dessert, everything was tasty and cooked just right.
Tip: Although not specifically stated, the restaurant operates sort of a tappas menu. Portions are small, and ordering multiple dishes and sharing, is definitely encouraged.
Overall it was a very pleasant experience and we will be sure to return in the near future.