LoLA

Fried green tomatoes gator bites....shrimp and grits... The cornbread is to die for. Definitely running back.. should've told them it was my birthday but I would've celebrated all day. Definitely a great place to have birthday dinner.

Customer service is top notch. You will be greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. We don't go out often, it's just expensive and my husband is disabled so parking and seating can be a challenge. Our wait time was expected to be 45 minutes to an hour but we found a breezy shaded bench table to enjoy an expertly made pre-dinner cocktail. The Old Fashioned and Sazarec were perfection. After a short wait we were offered seating inside at the bar and happily accepted some air conditioning. Everyone at the bar was accommodating and friendly helping to make sure my husband had room to get into his seat. The bartender offered us dinner menus; my husband already had his eyes on the crawfish etouffee and I decided on fish tacos. Both were generous in portions and delicious. We ordered another round of drinks and took the remainder of our dinner home for lunch the next day. Lola was a great dining experience and we are looking forward to our return to further explore the menu.

You don't need to read any online reviews to be assured to eat there. Party of 10+ all happy with their food selections. I had just the beans and rice with cornbread and that was sufficient, tasty and filling. Definitely going back to try more dishes.

Starting from the top! Right off the bat the staff killed it. Very friendly and gave my 2 daughters fun necklaces. Seated within 5 minutes in a nice outdoor patio setting. The food was outstanding! We had seafood gumbo, Gator bites and a shrimp basket. The seasonings were great and batter was perfect. 10/10 on the food! Only thing I could say was a con was our waters were empty most of the meal but thats okay. Would defiantly be back!

Really excellent food, and probably the best fried green tomatoes and fried flounder I've had since moving south. Our server was also very nice and attentive, and the lively laid back atmosphere make this spot extra special.

Courtney is a great server and helped us with recommendations that were on point. We got the shrimp risotto cake, shrimp basket with remoulade and honey mustard sauce. Sweet potato pecan pie was delicious. It was all amazing and authentic. Reminds us of NOLA. Going to come back soon for sure!

Just got carry-out, but I wish we could have stayed! The service and atmosphere were fantastic, everyone’s food looked so good! Update: it is also delicious. Fry seasoning is so good, the Po Boy is loaded with shrimp and the servings are more than generous.

The food and drinks was so good. I recommend making a reservation if you want inside seating. We unfortunately did not and had to sit outside and fight the flys.. however when the food came I barely noticed.

We had heard all positive comments. I don't understand the low stars because everything was off the charts. Your staff was so informative and professional. I forgot the Hostess's name but she was one of the greatest parts of our dining experience, It was so good we went back for their Anniversary! I am shipping an original piece of artwork as a thank you for everything! Hope to see you again soon! Art H.

Lola's is great! The service is wonderful. Every waiter, host, manager, or bartender you come in contact with is going to be so great! We sat outside under the tent and even with it being July it was still really pleasant! About the food. Truthfully I'm probably not the best person to give their opinion on Cajun food in Charleston. I grew up eating Cajun food regularly as I lived a majority of my life in southern Arkansas and Mississippi. If you've never experienced true Cajun food and want to experience it on a more subdued level then DEFINITELY give Lola's a try. If you're a long time Cajun food connoisseur, grew up making your own gumbo and eating crawfish every week then go in knowing it's not going to be your grandmas cooking. I did really enjoy the boudin balls and their cocktail menu is awesome!! All in all I would definitely recommend Lola's. They do have something for everyone, just don't come to Charleston expecting to eat the best Cajun food of your life. Head over to New Orleans for that lol. I will recommend trying a good cold Anita beer, testing out the boudin, and sharing a po-boy!

I planned a special weekend in Charleston, SC to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday and brought my family of 30 to Lola on O'Hear Avenue. The restaurant wasn't busy when we arrived, but we were immediately met with resistance. The hostess informed us that parties over 20 would automatically be charged a 20% gratuity and that they only had three servers -- I let her know that was fine. Then she said that for parties over 10, they require one check. I explained that was too many for one check and we were happy to split into smaller groups. She responded that if we did, we wouldn't be seated at the same time. Again, I told her that was fine -- we weren't in a rush. At that point, she just stared at me in silence. Three employees were now standing at the hostess stand listening, and none offered a solution or showed any willingness to accommodate us. I asked to speak with a manager three separate times and was told the manager was on break. No manager ever came out to speak with us. After a long, awkward silence, I finally said, "I guess we'll need to go to another restaurant," to which one of them simply replied, "Okay." That response confirmed they had no interest in serving us. No one attempted to offer alternatives -- just reasons why they couldn't serve us. It was clear they didn't want our business. We ended up going across the street to Commonhouse Aleworks, where there were only two servers, Tyler and Ellen, and they didn't hesitate to welcome and accommodate us. The food and service were excellent, and we were treated with respect. I do not recommend Lola. Their customer service was awful, and their staff seemed more interested in hanging out and filming videos than doing their jobs. Based on my experience, they had no desire to serve a large group and lacked even the most basic hospitality. Extremely disappointing!

This restaurant was not on my radar at all when I first got to Charleston.. However, as I was searching the area for seafood, this place came up with great reviews! Best decision by far. Our waiter was delightful and the food was delicious. The ambiance was a little loud and hot but nothing that couldn't be ignored. Get here ASAP!

Absolutely the best! Had lunch today and ordered the muffuletta sandwich with creole seasoned fries. The sandwich was so good! So big, I had to bring half home. The fries were the perfect amount of spicy! Already thinking about what I will order on my next visit. Service was great too!

Went here for a lunch date recently. I had heard great things about this place. I ordered the flounder basket, side of dirty rice & strawberries and cream beignet parfait. My date ordered the jambalaya, cup of gumbo yaya and Captain Matt's hurricane drink. Keep in mind these are Louisiana creole inspired dishes so even the fries had my tongue tingling. I love how they cut my flounder up. It was well-seasoned and fried perfectly. The beignets were good, but had just a tad bit too much whip cream. I ordered sweet tea that was infused with lemon and lime. It was ok. The praline cornbread was a nice change from the norm and was delicious! The dirty rice was just ok. My date liked his jambalaya and drink. He was disappointed in the gumbo. He wasn't sure if it was the sauce in it or something else that didn't taste good. He mostly eats everything so that says a lot. Personally, I wouldn't take a large group here because they do have a few rules and time constraints. I felt a little stressed reading all of the "rules." I would go back for the fish and cornbread alone. My date wants to try some other items on the menu next time. They have indoor and outdoor seating. My server was very nice.

We love the food and service here!! AMAZING!! We spent a day in Charleston and decided to drive over to Lola, which was a bit further out. It's a local spot. Even though, we were clearly tourists, the staff was very welcoming. There was seating on a Wednesday evening. The restaurant was quite busy though. It serves Southern Cajun food. We ordered seafood gumbo, vegetarian jambalaya, Creole Captain's Platter (Cajun shrimp and flounder basket), and chicken fettuccine alfredo. Each dish included a side of their iconic praline pecan cornbread. The portions here are quite generous. We also got to try their half lemonade half sweet tea drink, which was tasty. The seafood gumbo was delicious. It included shrimp, andouille sausage, crawfish, and oyster. The portion was quite large, mouth-watering, and hot. My cousin appreciated the vegetarian options that were available. She had the vegetarian jambalaya and loved it. Our Creole Captain's Platter had a good assortment of our choice: shrimp and flounder along with fries. Because of our meals and this appetizer, we did get some of our Captain's platter to go. The praline pecan cornbread was buttery warm. They do impose a surcharge on credit cards, which is 3% of the balance due. So bring cash if the 3% is too much for you. This is a must stop when you are in Charleston.

We went on a Friday night & had reservations for 7:30- got sat around 7:45. It was very busy so we expected to wait a little while for food, etc. We ordered the gator bites & they came out VERY quick and were AMAZING, especially with the honey jalapeño sauce. I order the blackened redfish-10/10 Hubby ordered the Shrimp & crawfish étouffée also 10/10. Our food took a lot longer than expected but was well worth the wait. The manager came over & apologized multiple times for the wait & even ended up paying for our drinks, meals, & dessert. Totally unexpected but the customer service was 1000/10 & we will definitely be returning!! PS: Get the beignets! 10/10

I'd drive the two hours just to eat. We came straight off the road an hour before closing. Service was still great. Food was AMAZINGGGGGG!!! Catfish was the star of the platter. So tender so don't be fooled by the dark color. Cornbread was delicious...again not pretty but sooooo good and that crab and corn chowder babbbyyyyyy get the BOWL! Bar like interior.

Excellent sea food and our server Shai was professional and knowledgeable jambalaya and étouffée were amazing and the gulf oysters were very fresh. The duck fries were excellent

Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston. The Park Circle location is vibier Mount Pleasant, but both locations have delicious food and great vibes.

Lola's is a great casual spot if you're craving legit Cajun food. We started with the crawfish poppers and cajun angels (bacon-wrapped scallops), both of which were insanely good, plus the cajun corn--also amazing. I got the shrimp étouffée, which was super flavorful and came with a piece of cornbread that was more like dessert--really sweet. We finished with the beignets and they were honestly some of the best I've ever had--super fresh and moist. Service was solid too. Everyone was really friendly and gave off that warm southern hospitality.

I always want to love this place more than I do when I actually show up and eat here. It's a welcoming, New Orleans leaning Cajun joint with boudin, gator bites, and collards. I loved the boudin sausage. It reminded me of the first time I ever tried it with a Creole family in Louisiana. The rest of the meal was aggressively over seasoned. Look, I'm the first to say "more salt and pepper please". But there's an edge too far. The Shrimp Risotto's cream sauce flavor was spot on, but it was so salty you could only have a few bites. Then I had the Blackened Redfish with collards and dirty rice. The fish again was way too salty and it was also hammered; it was so over cooked I was trying to saw through the fish with a steak knife. I loved the collard greens. Surprisingly, they were seasoned perfectly. The service was pretty good for the young staff that they have. And they served some very cold beer which I appreciated trying to wash down so much salt. Hey, maybe that's their secret?!!! Or maybe this is how southern restaurants cook and I'm not used to it anymore. We are trying several places while in CHS, so I'll let you know.

Had the gator bites were a little tough but everything else we had was really good. Gumbo was a hit. Burger and fettuccine was decent. Chicken in the fettuccine was not so great but it was ok. The servers were great since we decided it was too hot to sit outside.

Been here twice in 2 days and may go one more time before we leave. The 3 of us have been trying different dishes bc it's all better than what we had in our last trip to New Orleans. The drinks are good - had Pain Killer, hurricane and watermelon margarita. The food is great (we had most of the appetizer and po boy, shrimp and grits etc) and the team is top notch. Wish we had a Lola's in NYC.

Very good place and highly recommend. Food and service were fantastic. We got to restaurant 10 minutes early before they opened and got in a long line but everyone was able to get seated. We had the jambalaya and the gumbo. Both were very good. The jambalaya was a bit tomato tasting. I like spicy and the tobasco sauce didn't get me there but it was good. The beignets were very good. The place was well decorated and clean. Waitresses came by continuously and hostess was checking in always.

The service was good but the food was nothing to write home about. The crawfish were flavorless as well as the gator bites. The gatorbites were more breading than anything else. The catfish was really good though. I couldn't eat my food because it was not good. They do put bugs pray on the tables which was nice. The etoufa and gumbo were descent. The oysters are not worth it. Wouldn't go back again. Not worth the money.

I love having Lola in the neighborhood. They offer legit Louisiana eats in the Lowcountry. The cocktails are feats and I've never had a bad meal. I often go for the etoufee bit tonight I had the shrimp basket for something lighter. The breading is so good on any fried seafood you get. I also tried my brothers fish and corn chowder and it was excellent.

Lola. This place will forever be a core memory. The service was amazing searching for a little bit of Cajun and a lot of southern hospitality. Our group started with gator bites and the duck fries and boy did they deliver. I had the Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee with grits and oh my oh my-- someone's nana stuck her foot in this meal. The rue was cooked low and full of body to tenderly give way for the shrimp and crawfish. The grits, oh the grits, were creamy, full bodied (I loved that they were not runny and could hold up to the Etouffee. Bonus points- it held up reheating as well. Solid grits and amazing meal. Although we chose to sit outside, the service was still handled well. We never went without drinks be topped off, check in's, and the ambiance walking through the main restaurant felt like we were in someone's home, with a sprinkle of New Orleans, and lot of bit of Charleston. Super cute and practical decor that makes you forget you are in an industrial park area. Highly recommend-- even our Louisiana family members felt like they were at home in Charleston!

One of my FAVORITE places to eat in Charleston. I was brought here the first time by my now fiancé and this was where we ate the day I proposed. The food and drinks are fantastic and the indoor and outdoors seating can't be beat. The staff is great, and I always feel like they go above and beyond whenever we visit.

This little restaurant in Park Circle is the place to go for authentic Cajun cuisine. Their jambalaya was delicious! I had mine over grits and it was well worth the up-charge. They also have fried items that are battered with gluten free batter! Service was top notch and friendly. It's definitely a place I would visit again.

Wow! Amazing food, incredible service, AND live music! We were looking for something delicious that would also be family friendly, and this place delivered. A really awesome time. I can't recommend enough! My five year old said, that was the best restaurant ever!

The food is dynamite, even better than most places in New Orleans! But what's even better is the service! The workers went over and above to treat me like royalty.. even though I just went in to pickup takeout! Food was fantastic, I had the etouffee.. bread pudding and beignet with my wife. And WOW best food ever, but the service somehow topped it!! The venue was cool, colorful, and had a great vibe.

Damn Great Spot for a Cajun/Creole Taste of Charleston. Check out the pics. Each was a full winner - Gumbo & Clam Chowder were top shelf, best I've had in a LONG time. Location is a bit divey, but that's what creates the charm. Top is off with some a few cold beverages and the lunch was 100% complete. Use your Google and get this spot!

Lola is a must stop any time we are driving to/from IOP. The salad with goat cheese balls is my go to now. Add any of the fresh seafood proteins and you have a top notch salad. Service is great and food comes out fast. And the outdoor seating is covered. Hits all of my criteria for a trusty restaurant.

Everything was great from the food to the service! Portions were huge and reasonably priced. Will be back and would definitely recommend!! However, if you get the swamp water, it tastes exactly like the name.

I love going to Lola's it's one of my favorite places in Park Circle. The food is always great, the service is always outstanding and my Server Matt is always great. Please stop by if you never been here, you won't be disappointed.

This place is great please contact me if you go love you everyone. Thank you for checking it out this place is really amazing

Low Country Louisiana Living ~ A few weeks ago, I visited my birthplace in South Carolina for our family reunion to end a terrific summer. After landing, my boyfriend and I craved soul food, so we Yelped nearby restaurants. Since he's from the Philippines, he wanted to try some local cuisine for a first-time experience together at home. We loaded our bags and headed to LoLas, just 16 minutes from the airport, where the staff greeted us warmly. The restaurant was spacious, but we selected a cozy booth over outdoor seating to avoid the heat and humidty. We quickly ordered a fruity Hurricane, an appetizer of mussels, and a plate of crawfish étouffée to share. Our waitress assured us we had made great choices, and within minutes, our food arrived at the table. Living in Texas near the Louisiana border has given me the pleasure of enjoying amazing Creole dishes. With my eyes closed and senses fully engaged, I could have sworn I was on Bourbon Street in the heart of Louisiana. The Chef and team clearly understood the assignment and perfected their LoLa cuisine for locals and tourists alike. The Meal: The crawfish étouffée stole the show, paired perfectly with a buttery, pecan-topped cornbread. The étouffée was seasoned to perfection, with crawfish in nearly every bite. If the cornbread were sold by the pan, I would have left with two and an extra serving of crawfish. The Hurricane was a bit strong for my taste, but the saltiness of the mussels balanced the sweetness of the drink. We chit chatted for a bit and finished our meal in 30 minutes and debated dessert, but decided to save that for our next visit and happily closed our tab. Highly Recommended to anyone looking for Low Country and Louisianan Cuisine. Da Isandgal29412

Great location in Park Circle. I wanted to give it 4 stars but could not find any reason to go down much from a 5. I had the gumbo and loved it. I had a gator bite of someone else's and enjoyed it. Cocktails came out quick and service was top notch. For our outing, we had an area outside but still attached to the bar and with the rain, it kept us dry and was good for a group. Not your fine dining for sure but great Cajun fare!

I had a pre-birthday date night out here recently and it was very nice. The weather was unseasonably warm that evening so we ate outside at one of the community tables. It was a bit crowded at first but as the crowd started to disperse I felt more relaxed and was able to enjoy my food. Speaking of the food it was SO good. I ordered the Fried Shrimp with "Duck Fries" it came with a slice of sweet corn bread. The shrimp were fried perfectly, I appreciated the nice portion size. The Duck Fries are everything you want, cheesy, with a combination of flavors and textures that all work together well. (I would order them again). We also ordered the Buffalo Oysters App. The oysters were fried to perfection, large and flavorful. The accompanying blue cheese and hot sauce were appreciated. The Mai Tai was our cocktail of choice and it was good, not overly strong but still well made, perfect choice for the warm evening. The service was great. Everyone was attentive and accommodating. I look forward to returning!

So I came to South Carolina to go to a concert and I wanted to go to a restaurant in the area...I used Google and found this resturant, I looked at the reviews and the menu and knew exactly what I wanted...I was excited about what I ordered and unfortunately I ended up being very disappointed and I wasted my money ($40+). I ordered the shrimp étouffée (too watery) and the shrimp & andouille mac and cheese (bland). The only thing that was good was the 2 pieces of cornbread. This food was nothing like the food that I had in New Orleans. It wasn't even close such a waste.

Not the greatest experience. One server surely doesn't mean all the others were the same. But ours forgot a couple orders, misexplained the menu and was just not around much. And if 3 stars is mediocre, that pretty much explained the food. Not bad, but not somewhere we'd try again.

We called ahead for a pickup order and had a great experience! The seafood platter was excellent- everything had great flavor. The boudin balls were spicy and delicious! The étouffée was great but a very thick gravy that was not our favorite. A surprising favorite was the Cajun coleslaw. It was a great fresh and bright side to go with everything. We cannot wait to come back!

Had a cup of seafood gumbo and crawfish mac n cheese to go. when im in town i will try to make lola's a go to. the ambience, the service and the food are excellent. big easy vibes indeed

Excellent quality and quantity. The Shrimp Creole is spicy but not too much. I had my first pecan cornbread, excellent. You may use it to help clean your plate, but then set it down and use your fork. My companion had a house salad so large that she gave me half, and again, excellent salad.

LoLA has a very hipster vibe with interesting garage door windows. If I'm in the mood for Cajun food, this place is my jam! It beats flying all the way to New Orleans! The fish tacos are one of my favorites along with the New Orleans bbq shrimp. The signature cocktails are also fab! There are 2 locations to choose from - Mount Pleasant or Park Circle.

The best source for Sourdough for myself. I like the sourdough Loaf style that I don't seem to get anywhere else.

Fun and charming place, but food was not great. All three in my party did not like the food.

Lived it ! service was great ! Everyone was so nice and food came so fast !and we will be back next month ere counting on it !

Woefully underwhelmed. The menu sounds so good. Each item, however, was devoid of flavor. The only deliciousness was the mock hurricance drink and catfish. The fried green tomatoes? Too breaded with unseasonably breading. The fried catfish? Nuggets or strips, versus chunks. Not worth the price, but tasty. The benignets? Please! Hard Rick's covered in powered sugar. Yeast WAY too dense. My party had other foods which I nibbled. The only other thing worth it wete the sweet potato fries. The service was good and friendly. The location is in a restaurant enclave, with ample parking in an adjacent lot.

Food was great. We sat at the bar and there was a band. Service was great as well. Drinks stayed cold and the food came out fast.

Very Delicious! I will visit everytime I come to Charleston. Service is just as good as the food. 10 out of 10

You don't need to read any online reviews to be assured to eat there. Party of 10+ all happy with their food selections. I had just the beans and rice with cornbread and that was sufficient, tasty and filling. Definitely going back to try more dishes.

Came for the beignets and oh my gosh are they amazing. The food smelled amazing so I'm sure it taste just as good. Wait staff is amazing and friendly

Food is unique to the area and quite tasty for charleston standards. The food is a bit pricy but the restaurant has a nice atmosphere for the park circle area.

We sat on the patio on a beautiful evening enjoying the live music. Staff was friendly. We enjoyed drinks and buffalo gator bites. Delish! My husband had shrimp and catfish etouffee with dirty rice. I had the fried shrimp basket with sweet potato fries. Both were exceptional. Will definitely be back!

We sampled a variety of dishes here, including the fish basket with crawfish and flounder, shrimp risotto cake, étouffée, and alligator bites. The gator bites and fried crawfish were disappointing due to excessive breading, but the flounder was delicious with a light breading that let the flavor shine. The shrimp risotto cake was unique with great flavor, and the étouffée stole the show; Authentic and perfectly seasoned, it comes with praline corn bread which was special. The sweetness of the cornbread compliments the étouffée perfectly. I recommend getting the étouffée with grits instead of rice. Also, everyone should try the swamp water, a refreshing non-alcoholic sweet tea mix. Overall, we loved this place but be cautious with the fried options, they're heavy on breading.

Wasn't that impressed. We sat outside which was nice. The food was ok but pretty expensive. They forgot our salad and when it came out it barely had any dressing. I'd skip this restaurant if I could go back in time.