Lola’s

This hidden gem within the Yard is sure to become a huge hit considering the experience a friend and I had last night. We received the best service, hands down, at a restaurant in a long time. Grady bent over backwards to make sure we had an incredible evening.
We sat outside and enjoyed an unseasonably cool August evening… how lucky for us! We enjoyed the hummus, jamon & manchego plate, white sangria, gambas and a side of the spinach and chickpeas. Everything was flavorful, fresh and downright delicious.
I’ll definitely be back and look forward to trying the paella next time!

The Serrano ham and manchego app is delish as is the bruschetta with tomato and Burrata. The tortilla Espanola is very good. The traditional paella is very spicy and the chicken is cut up chicken breast which is a bit disappointing as was the fact that there is not actual pieces of chorizo just apparently cooked in but it is still good. The seafood paella is excellent, more traditional to Spanish versions although again a bit on the spicy side. They kept the community tables of their former location but also added tables– it’s a fun location. Highly recommend the coffee also!

You should continuously bring water. What is with this place? After Happy Hour, service declines. If then. Where the heck is our water? We’ve asked every time and then, when I go to to the bar to ask, she wants ME to deliver the check!!! We’ve ordered Happy Hour and beyond. Only because we waved someone down! You don’t want us to order any more?!? Fine, I’m not interested! I just want water!

So disappointed they changed their drink menu and dropped my favorite from the menu (Café Borgia) That’s why I’m giving it 4 out of 5 instead of 5 out of 5 that it was before that change. Otherwise the food is good-​mostly breakfast and the tapas I had were good as well. I was a big fan of the old place and excited that they were returning. I love that they’re combining the coffee shop and the restaurant, but hope they don’t change it to much more. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

We came to Lola’s tapas for the first time a while ago, when the weather was still nice :) (Around April)
At first I was not so sure, but then I loved the concept. Small menu, great service, fun environment. Daniel H was our server and he was outstanding.
We met some good friends that we had not seen in a while (one of them from out of town) and we spent the whole evening here…
Do you know how is like when you are catching up and you stay a little longer, and then the staff starts giving you ‘the eye’?
Well, here they did not give us ‘the eye’, they gave us a dessert to share! since they noticed we were catching up and we were done with our dinner, check paid and everything. Some other places don’t even refill your drink and here we got a dessert? This is a place where they really know how to sets themselves apart.
Way to go!

Walking up to Lola, it looks great and very modern. It’s open and light, which is what I like to have as an addition to my morning coffee. There weren’t many guests at Lola yet, as it was early but there were many workers and lots to try. We started off by ordering the Café Borgia, wow what a great combo of tangerine and chocolate and the Café Blanco, which was a smooth and light white chocolate espresso drink. I recommend both, I favor a strong coffee that goes down smooth and that’s exactly what we got. We also ordered some fresh orange juice, which was pressed on the spot.
For food we had the Luca Omelette and the breakfast burrito, both were full of flavor and cooked perfectly, seriously. We also tried the honey lavendar scone, I’m a huge fan of scones and prefer them to melt in your mouth, so yes, full of butter. We tried the cinnamon roll, you have to check them out and the croissant, which was crisp and flaky with a hint of something that made it extra special.

This location is a real step down from its predecessor. The first time I went it was a few days after opening. I ordered a cinnamon roll. Although warm, this pastry was rock hard and tasted as if it had been made with of garlic and then had been dipped in olive oil. The hot chocolate was adequate. When I went to the original Lola it was a hot Arizona day and I desperately needed a refreshing beverage. When you walk inside you instantly smell the delicious scent of coffee beans. I ordered a lemonade. It was lemony and tart and cold and sweet and defiantly refreshing. It was everything you could ask from a glass of lemonade and more. But the yards Lola is such a disappointment. Their lemonade tastes like a watered down, too sweet, processed minute maid beverage. It’s almost impossible to compare the two.

The coffee is inconsistent– not necessarily bad mind you, just inconsistent. Depending on your barista it can vary from good (man with salt and pepper goatee) to terrible, strong to weak, acidic and burned tasting to decent. The seating is bizarre, and outlets are sparse. Its not a good place for a meeting, might be ok for a date.
Dont buy alcohol here because their liquor license wont let you take it to the games, buy from the culinary drop out instead (confusing since they all seem connected).
One more note: this place is CRAZY HOT in the summer. Really inadequate ac for phoenix. I mentioned it to a sweating waitress (who agreed) but nothing changed. I mentioned the heat to a guy who seemed to be a manager who just opened one of their cool garage doors– if anything changed it was hotter.
I havent tried much of the food, mostly coffee shop pastries. The bagels are a great deal, scones were dry and muffins were nothing to write home about.

Love. Love. Love this place!
Great service! Great environment! Great coffee, sangria and tapas! Great date place! I could go on and on.
Also, the owner engages with the guests… I like when owners do this, it makes me feel important.

So far, I’ve only ben for breakfast, but I loved it!
1. It’s at the Yard, which is really fun and a great location.
2. They have fancy coffee and tea drinks made by people who really love coffee and tea.
3. Delicious pastries, but also some healthier options like oatmeal and a quinoa bake.
4. The ambiance inside the actual restaurant is hip/​industrial.
Go there. Eat there. Get coffee. Drink. Hang out. You’ll love it.

I love this space, the ambiance, the long table, the bar overlooking The Yard where people drink and play in the evenings.
So 5 stars for the space and coffee
4.5 stars for food. Beer could be a bit less expensive…
I love coming here, but I hate the fact that most of the time you need to use valet parking.

Service is pretty horrendous if I might say so myself. The only thing giving this a 1 star is the décor and the manager that I will talk about later in my review.
Definitely Not a fan of the girl working on ⁵⁄₂₄ at 11 being a bit to touchy feely with my boyfriend sitting next to me and calling him baby and sweetheart all night (in which he knew and plenty of other people I told about her actions knew why I would be livid). That is the reason for the 1 star mostly along with the burnt slider she probably told the chefs to burn on purpose. The fact I have to get up and help myself to my own water since she failed to ask me at one point after I finished my first glass of water if I needed anything else or different. The manager (I think) helped me more than she did and directed me to where I needed to go; since she is obviously a horrid customer service employee not noticing that if I empty out of glass and not ask if I needed anything further is a tad annoying. Asking once if I need anything isn’t enough if you are a server/​waiter/​bartender. But apparently in her eyes it’s okay to just care about the a girls boyfriend and pissing off girlfriends at this bar.
The sliders were not really pleasant and i had been drinking too so you think they would be more than tolerable but good god they were so charred. Nothing I would reorder unless they didn’t burn the burger so much. The bacon made the whole sliders were the only thing keeping me from not touching it completely.
Will I be back? Maybe if they got rid of the bartender touchy feely lady that got me all riled up. If she is there next time i can promise you that management will be notified at that point if she starts being her inappropriate self. I’m severely tempted to write a letter of complaint to the company if they don’t read these since I have never felt so disgusted in my whole entire life going to a restaurant/​bar. Being Disrespected in the slightest is what i have no tolerance for what so ever and she crossed every possible line and worse by not even asking me at one point if I would like one thing after I finished my first glass of water.
When i was going to pay for our tab and my boyfriend hurried so he could sneak in her undeserved tip and our balance she had no idea that we were even on the same tab since I apparently wasn’t allowed to order anything for myself.
I literally felt like this was some kind of joke like I should have been on one of those shows like Restaurant stakeout.
*threatened by kindness and spunk to my boyfriend alone. Not to me. When you come to a restaurant you would hope for consistent service not once at the beginning. That’s like getting seated at a restaurant and not getting any service afterwards. I love how people want to say that I am wrong and not making a factual speculation. Good god people.
***update it is currently 8÷31÷14 and no one from management has obviously reading these reviews which is a shame. Lack of concern on their part id say.***

Great ambiance and décor. I came here for breakfast hoping to find a good cup of coffee, something to eat and wifi to do some work on my laptop. They did not disappoint in that respect. Great café latte, they had wifi and my egg white omelette was edible — and I’ll stop at that. The word palatable or delicious would only be used to describe the herbed potatoes (come with the omelets) if a gun was put to my head. In fairness, not much you can do with potatoes if you choose to serve them. But that’s the point, don’t come here for a delicious breakfast. Some people «do breakfast» and don’t really focus on décor or ambiance; this place is about the latter, not the former.
Lola apparently also just opened as the cashier and cook both responded to questions with «I’m new here.» Why would I be talking to the cook at a restaurant you’re thinking? Well, I was given a number tab by the cashier which would ordinarily cause one to believe his or her food/​drink/​order would be brought to him or her. Nope. After about 5 minutes the cashier brings me my latte and says, «It’s been ready for pick up at the counter.» As I look at the tab I think, «Why did you give me this then? «A few minutes later, the cook yells out, «Number 2 is ready.» That’s my cue I guess. The tab was apparently in case I forgot my number. When I asked the cook for a knife and fork to eat the food is when he explains «He’s New» and has no clue. The cashier points me to the plastic knives and forks on the counter. As I walk my food to my seat, I pass a station where silverware is rolled in a napkin so I grab that and leave the plastic for the more adventurous.

food wise it would be a 2.5 — 3 at the most, but the place and the coffee made it up for the 4^th star.
Let me start with the food. If you’ve never eaten authentic Spanish dishes, you’ll be pleased. Otherwise you’ll be disappointed.
The olives were good.
The shrimp dish (gambas al pil pil) was also decent.
The traditional paella was good but more a risotto than a paella. Too creamy, different kind of rice (at least the texture is different) but the saffron hint and the chorizo were tasteful.
The tortilla was ok. A little burn and dry but pretty decent.
The wine selection is limited and most of the wines are NOT Spanish, AYFKM? They had one Rivera del Duero and one Rioja. Come on, you have a Spanish themed place and no Spanish wine?
Now the coffee. I tried the cold brew and the kopi luwak. Both pretty good. The coffee paraphernalia is also worth the visit! If you are caffeine sensitive, this might not be for you.
I didn’t check if in the menu they include «café bombon», a Spanish classic. I’ll go back to verify that and if not, at least to get good coffee!
Cheers

I am SO glad these guys are back in all their glory. They are PERFECTLY located on my way to work for coffee and I’ve indulged several times already. You can never go wrong with their espresso as it is nicely balanced: not too mild, not too bold.
I came back the other night to try their tapas. Their filet was a delicious as I remember it. Tender and juicy with their bleu cheese butter… SO damn good. You can run up a bill pretty quickly, the filet and two glasses of wine ran over $ 50 but it was worth it. Not something I can do all the time, but I AM still waiting for my grade in Public Affairs research, so I hopefully will be treating myself again… soon!
The atmosphere is nice enough but the fluorescent lighting from the kitchen area spills over to the rest of the venue which doesn’t make for the most pleasant atmosphere. It would be nice to have a little more ambient light in the bar area, perhaps some candles. It’s VERY nice space, they just need to figure out the lighting.
I haven’t tried their sangria yet but I hope it’s like it was at the old place with the «crack» berries. Anyway, I’m glad they’re back and I look forward to being a regular.

The location is beautiful. Everything about the décor and architecture is absolutely amazing. The service, not so much. Somewhat rude to customers about requests. Can’t say that I’m a fan of the service but I would definitely try again hoping for a friendlier experience.

First let me say I am a fan of Spanish Tapas! Second let me say I was a HUGE fan of Lola’s Tapas in the old location on Camelback. Lola’s was always loud, always chaotic, always fun and always expensive. But the energy, the Spanish wine, excellent Tapas and quirky vibe was well worth it and made for a great night out!
Parking = nightmare as it is every time you go to the Yard.
The space is FAN-​EFFING-​TASTIC! All of the coffee accoutrement is exciting! We loved the atmosphere, the finishes, and the tremendous energy of all the people playing Ping-​Pong, and all of the games out in the yard. However… there were only three tables with people, including us. So the vibe was off with the disparity between the two worlds.
The staff was nice, not very up on the menu and a bit inconvenienced by us and/​or they were so new they didn’t realize that customers are a good thing? I still can’t decide…
After we ordered Walter came by and introduced himself. I found out a few days later he is one of the owners.
I have to say I was put off by several of the things he was telling us.
1. They haven’t started advertising.
Explains the customer situation — almost a month after opening.
2. They are getting rid of the Spanish wines in favor of California wines.
I asked «Are you trying to make the wine more approachable?» to which he fumbled a halfhearted yes. My instinct is that maybe Walter does not like or understand Spanish wine and does like California wine. Maybe it is just me… but if you take away the second most important thing about a Tapas bar — the Spanish wine — you can’t expect to survive as a Spanish Tapas Bar for very long. I suggested he add a few more Cava to the menu — I don’t think my suggestion went far based on his lack of enthusiasm as the conversation shifted to:
3. They are changing the menu and removing some of the Tapas and adding Paella.
Now… I LOVE Paella. Between my friends and I we have two or three 36 – 48 inch Paella pans with the grills to cooks them with and a half dozen of the smaller Paella pans. Walter was kind enough to wait while I searched for an old picture of me cooking a 48 inch Paella — so it was off putting when Walter asked me what my favorite Paella was and I told him rabbit and he stood there with his mouth agape. He said they were going to have vegetable, chicken or seafood Paella. Ok.
Just a suggestion but has to be REALLY good — because mediocre Paella is horrible. Not that it can’t work or be a great addition, but had better be really, really good.
Now to the food: We ordered the Shrimp, the Steak, the Jamon and Cheese tray and a glass of the one and only Cava.
The Cava was good, ok quality = B–
The Jamon and Cheese tray — had some lovely dates, Jamon was nice but cold like it just came out of the refrigerator instead of being hand sliced at room temp. The Cheese was ok and the Marcona almonds were fine = C
The Steak arrived on a regular plate — not the traditional Tapas clay dish. The steak was thin, of poor quality, overcooked and luke-​warm. The plate was cold and hence why the steak was not hot. The steak didn’t have the cumin like at the old Lola’s — instead it came with a blue cheese crumble on top, needed salt and pepper = D
The Shrimp also arrived on a regular plate that wasn’t heated. The first few were great, reminiscent of the old Lola’s flavor and pizzazz. Then, because the plate was so cold the shrimp cooled quickly and lost their pizzazz. Started out as an A and quickly cooled/​congealed to a C
I sat there basking in the romantic wine soaked memories of the old Lola’s — all of the chaotic energy, bumping into people, yelling over the music, laughing, spilling wine on someone and buying them a new glass as an apology, reaching for that last olive, anxiously waiving down the rushing waiters furiously trying to keep up with the second or fourth round of orders of the shrimp and wine, striking up conversation with the people next to you… With this excellent space, all of the new coffee equipment, all of the frenetic energy of the Yard Lola’s Tapas should be a huge hit. I sat there willing it to be better, to match the quality of the space, the quality of the coffee equipment the quality of my memories.
I truly hope they don’t get rid of the Spanish wine or Tapas. I hope that they go full Spanish traditional with the clay tapas pots piping hot (just a suggestion). I hope they add more Tapas like the Croquets con Papas y Jamon, Roast Suckling Pig, Spanish honey with Manchego or Mussels with Cava and Chorizo, Fideos with Chorizo. I hope they add more Cava, and/​or more… dare I say it… Spanish wine.
We will give the time. The Lola’s of old deserves the chance to be reborn in this amazing space.

This little place nestled in to The Yard is awesome! The owner/​manager (not sure which) was so nice and friendly, he even brought over some Kopi Luwak for us to try for my Birthday. I would definitely recommend this place. The food was great! The staff was so nice. Not a bad thing to say.

I haven’t had the coffee yet, so can’t comment on that side of Lola’s. I did however enjoy their patio view of The Yard, while sipping on sangria and nibbling on tapas. Service was very good, attentive but not overly so… accomodating, prompt, fun/​friendly/​casual. Nice balance. Sangria was great, and tapas we had were all delish! The shrimp was fantastic! I really liked the eggplant stack, tasty enough that my eggplant hating husband even enjoyed it! The warm bread and cheesy spread were addictive. Will certainly be returning!

You can sufficiently judge how much a coffee shop knows its craft by the drip coffee.
My 16 oz. drip coffee was the absolute worst coffee. I would rather the usual burnt Starbucks sub-​par cup over what I had today. (3 packets of Sugar in the Raw, honey and cream barely masked the taste.)
To begin with, it was lukewarm. Second, it was the most sour coffee I’d ever tasted. This means that they have no idea how to properly use their 3-​foot drip coffee contraption. Sour coffee happens when the grounds are over-​soaked/​concentrated. Their filter was looking really nasty, as the entire thing was super brown from being soaked for too long. You generally want to leave a little bit of the filter untouched to know that you haven’t overdone it.
The coffee crumble cake was so hard, I nearly broke my fork trying to eat it. At one point, I had to hold the fork with one hand while I hit the end of the utensil with my other hand, much like a chisel and stone.
I do love the décor and location of the establishment. However, I would say that this restaurant is merely imitating the coffee culture in Denver/​San Francisco without actually having the credentials or ability to deliver on the same quality.