I was here with a large-ish (7 or so), particularly rowdy group.
We all shared some garlic cheese sticks and beer cheese, as well as some house bread and olive oil. All delicious.
I got the Ratt Pizza. It was spicier than I anticipated and wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was pretty good and made for 2 more meals of leftovers. So overall, not too shabby.
I also got the creme brulee for dessert. It was good, but nothing special.
Major props to our waiter Kelly, who was on the ball for our whole visit and very patient with our sometimes demanding group. He gets 5 stars!
Ok.. So I have gotten take out from here a couple times and always enjoyed it... But dining is was a different story. First the bathrooms were out of order (which would have been fine except we had a 5 year old with us) and then service was very slow. The food was good and the manager made things right with us, without us complaining or saying anything... Which is a plus. I probably wouldn't go back if it weren't for that.
Review Source:If you like Ramsi's Cafe... you'll like this place. If you like good food, this shouldn't be on the top of your list.
I went here for a break from the shopping malls, and caught the restaurant in a slow period around 2pm. We had the gyro sandwich, 4-cheese calzone, and the bread pudding... each were okay, but I definitely was not expecting the mediocrity based on reviews. The staff was fine - no complaints here.
Gyro sandwich - Meat was under-seasoned, wrap was unique, but dry. The cajun fries were also almost okay, but boring (see pics)
Calzone - Who puts ricotta cheese in a calzone? Besides the strange texture, the calzone disintegrated into a weird puddle of cheese and marinara. Call me strange, but i like my calzones with some structure - something you should be able to eat with your hands, if you want to.
Bread pudding - Okay, good flavors, but besides being luke warm, the bread could have been confused for polenta than anything else.
Bottom line: Go next door to Havana Rumba
Great lunch! I had a summer salad with berries, ricotta cheese, and fig vinaigrette. It was wonderful. I'd eat there again tomorrow if I didn't live over 100 miles away. My soup was tasty too and my other dining companions enjoyed the polenta, meatball sandwich, and turkey sandwich. I will return.
Review Source:Came for lunch. Great service, good pizza, and fair prices. We had the feta and spinach pie - Yum. The server was very friendly, prompt, and even opened the door for us on the way out. The straws and napkins were sturdy, which sounds like a ridiculous thing to care about, but it really made for a pleasurable experience and adds to the perception of quality.
Review Source:A great place to go for dinner with the family or friends. Â I am a fan of their calzones, which are just the right size and have the perfect balance between crusty and chewy. The rest of my party ordered from all over the menu and my vegetarian sister was happy (a difficult feat). Â Nice atmosphere, good service, can't really complain.
Review Source:Cafe Lou-Lou is a great, casual nosh. Fresh ingredients, carefully prepared. The shrimp and grits are among the best I've found in Louisville so far. I live nearby and frequently take it to go as well. Nice people and pretty good prices. Check it out and you will most likely become a fan.
Review Source:Attempted to go to Havana Rumba but was decisively rejected: closed for Thunder Over Louisville. So, we pulled out of the parking lot, saw the sign for Cafe Lou Lou and said, "Sure, why not?"
Good choice. . . for the most part. If I were rating the food alone, Cafe Lou Lou would be close to 5-stars. The Lou Lou pizza was delicious. Garlic sauce, mozzarella, bacon, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and red onions. The sauce could have been a tad bit saltier, but the pizza was cooked to perfection and all of the ingredients complemented each other quite nicely.
Now for the negatives. For one, the bathroom was gross. I walked from the clean, nicely lit and well decorated restaurant to a bathroom that was everything but that -- dirty, dark and rotting. That's definitely one way to kill someone's appetite. Second, I thought the prices were a bit high. The pizza was delicious, but $12.99 for a ten inch pizza seems a little bit steep. Just saying...
It was ok, nothing to rave about. The server we had was extremely nice which helped but was not enough to save the visit. We were looking for a lunch place in St Matthews, with most places closed after 230 until dinner options are limited. Started with the hummus, the pita bread was very good but the hummus was so thick it was hard to eat. I had the meatball sandwich and cajun crisps(cajun seasoned waffle fries). The meatballs had a distinct flavor I could not place, but didn't really care for either. I have had some of the best meatballs in the U.S. and these were not it. We also had the gyro with veggies, from what I could tell it wasn't bad and it was a lot of food as we both ended up with boxes. I rarely take a box from lunch, I think it was because it was not what I hoped for in a meatball sandwich. Oh well, atleast now we have tried the place out, not bad but nothing I would ever crave.
Review Source:Based upon my dining experience, Cafe Lou Lou is a commendable, if unmemorable option for dinner in St. Matthews. Maybe it is just me, but I have had several lukewarm reactions to well-respected restaurants in this general area (see my review of Havana Rumba). My wife and I went for dinner on a pretty busy Friday night. My general sense is that this location usually has a pretty good crowd. We actually made reservations, but upon arriving at our reservation time, were still up for a wait of 10-15 minutes. There was an open hi-top in the bar, which we were offered to wait at, and once we sat down, we were satisfied to just have our full meal there, which we did.
Our waitress was very friendly and a pleasant component of my experience. The overall service was pretty slow but not to a detriment of the overall experience.
To drink, I tried the restaurants in-house BBC brew, BBC Lou Lou. It was a pretty solid easy-drinking offering. For my food, I went with the Italian Sausage and Pepper pizza. This pizza was pretty tasty, but didn't really leave a huge impression on me. I have definitely had better pizza in the Lou and fully realize that Cafe Lou Lou is about more than just pizza, but nothing else on the menu really grabbed my attention.
The menu is probably one of my bigger problems with this place. I'm not really sure what type of restaurant Cafe Lou Lou is supposed to be (which I'm sure some of you will tell me that's my problem, not theirs..."It's Eclectic! It's whatever you want it to be!"). Realistically, it comes off to me as an Italian restaurant wearing Cajun clothes when I'd really like it to be more of a New Orleans-type restaurant, but perhaps that is just my preference and my mistake for being misled.
In conclusion, I ate here, it wasn't bad, but there was nothing that really drew me in and left an impression, so Cafe Lou Lou will not be making my short list of must-hit Louisville restaurants.
I love sampling local eateries away from home! Â So I used Yelp to find Cafe Lou-Lou.
There was a bit of a wait, on a Friday night, of course, but my friend and I quickly found seats at the bar, and I was not disappointed with their draft selection! Â New Albanian and Founders were my favorites among other local options. Â
The bartenders were quick and friendly. Â
But the food is the main attraction here, rightfully so. Â I had the spinach salad - as a side, but it also comes as an entree salad. Â Spinach, walnuts, goat cheese, egg, onion - but the star of this salad is the creamy bacon vinaigrette! Â For the main course, my friend had the biggest calzone I've ever seen - with a delicious crust. Â I had the special: Eggplant Parmesan - perfectly coated and fried. Â With dinner going so well, I couldn't skip dessert. Â And, no exaggeration, they served the 2nd best bread pudding I've ever had. Â (the first best was a caramel and Godiva chocolate collaboration!). Â Lou-Lou's version was perfectly hot, with just the right amount of caramel sauce.
First time at this location and I liked it a lot. We had a huge group of about 15 and were still in and out of there within the hour. It was a great spot for lunch, conveniently located near Havana Rumba and all the action on Shelbyville. It was bright enough to be cheery but not forcibly so. Same as the Highlands location, there is some awesome art, some of which is featured on the menu. Pretty cool.
I did a split and had the greek salad and the Cafe Lou Lou pizza. The salad was quite tasty but the pizza was great. Also, we split a small and they brought it out split (which I always appreciate the extra mile) and we ended up with at least 50% more than a small is. Good to know ;)
Okay, so this pizza. Goat cheese, parmesan flakes, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and bacon. Mmm Mmm good. This is the best dish I have tried at this point. I'll be back.
Delicious!! It est tres magnifique!! Nice quaint restaurant. The food was outstanding. Everything its trumped up to be. The portions were huge I fed off of it for two days. I went with an acquaintance of mine and we both loved the dishes we had. For the life of me I can't remember the exact name but they were both cajun dished done right. The right spice, the right heat, the right flavor. The decor was kinda a bit of Mardi Gras and a bit Lousiville I imagine. I wanted to go back to try their desserts but alas I had too many other places to try for that. :)
Review Source:Such a cute place! My boyfriend took me here when I was visiting him in Louisville and we had a great and delicious dinner in this colorful, lively, and delicious place. The drinks are great and they have a lot of creative and fun cocktails to choose from. The food is delicious too, they have fun appetizers and great sharing dishes. We had a caesar salad and then shared their bruschetta, and both the crispy shrimp and spinach and tomato lavash. Everything was tasty and our server was great. Definitely a fun place to go for a yummy dinner in a fun, hipster like atmosphere.
Review Source:I've heard really good things about this place but I was pretty let down with my experience. We came in around noon and it was pretty empty and fully staffed, so I was a bit peeved it took almost 45 minutes to get our food. My cheese ravioli with vodka cream sauce was edible, but for $11 I could have made the same thing at home but with more flavor. Meh.
Review Source:I am not from the Louisville area and ate at this place based on recommendations from Yelp. Â The food here was very good. Â While listed as kid-friendly I would have to slightly agree. Â There are no typical kid foods like chicken fingers or cheeseburgers. Â However the food portions are so large that there would be no problems with splitting the food with an adult. Â In fact I ordered a calzone that took 3 days to eat. Â The food prices were higher than I expected for the food but the portions and taste easily overcame my objections. Â I go through Louisville ever 6 months or so and plan on stopping here again. Â The food was excellent
Review Source:Cafe Lou Lou is a great Louisville food staple. Â Fun atmosphere, friendly staff, lots of drink options and an eclectic menu. Â I have not found anything here that I didn't like, but I can definitely recommend the black bean lasagna or the spinach and tomato lavash (I have also always been happy with their specials). Â With a Bluegrass Brewing Company specialty beer on tap (BBC Lou Lou), Cafe Lou Lou has kept me as a consistent patron.
Lou Lou also has plenty of large tables. Â Couple this with their menu, and it is a great local spot to bring a bigger group with differing palates.
Cafe Lou Lou is the perfect example of a restaurant that I hear so much hype over- and I truly WANT to have an amazing experience, but my impression always falls short of my expectations. While the atmosphere has improved, due to the addition of cute art on the walls and noise-reducing panels in the relatively small dining area, the food just never impresses me. I've had sandwiches, pizzas, and appetizers in my few visits to the restaurant, and all have just been mediocre. Service was friendly and speedy, but the food has always just been so-so.
Review Source:The original location was superior, and my favorite restaurant in Louisville. Since it has moved to Sears Ave things have gone severely down hill. I have recently tried it again just to make sure and their service was even worse, their recipes have changed again for the worse and no ambiance.
Review Source:After waiting for a table at Ramsi's for an hour, then ditching for the Pink Door which happened to be closed (on a Friday night...what the F Pink Door...what the F?!), we decided to eat here because it was right next door. Â The waitstaff was my favorite part. Â They are super friendly, helpful, and a tad eccentric. Â The layout is nice, with a bar in the front and the tables continuing back in a shotgun house style. Â They have lots of fleur-de-lis decor and it invokes a New Orleans sense (they had a genuine n'awlins chef that night as well with specialty dishes). Â
For the food: Â I got fettuccine and I have no idea why, I don't like white sauce, but if you like that stuff it was probably very taste-tastic. Â For me, I didn't like it, but the chicken in it was nicely prepared and all white meat. Â The calzone my friend had was awesome though and giant for only 10 bucks. Â I would recommend this place.
Cool interior and great chicken shawarma (the only meal I've eaten there--so far). It'd  be five stars, except for the wine list: all U.S. west coast, Australians, and maybe a South African. Please add some Spanish, Portuguese, or South American wines.
One other negative: the bartender kept calling me "brother."
I thoroughly enjoyed my first and only visit (so far) to Cafe Lou Lou. Â I went for lunch, and a late lunch at that (1:30ish), so we walked in and were seated. Â There were plenty of people there, but about 3 tables left after we sat.
The service was prompt, friendly, and patient. Â We must have sent her away 4 times, having not yet decided what we wanted, and she always seemed to return promptly. Â Not too soon, not too long. Â Just right.
The food was very good, although both myself and my dining companion got very "casual" food. Â I got the soup du jour, which was a roasted red pepper concoction, which as described, had a kick to it. Â Very tasty. Â This was followed by the St. Mattie's sandwich, which was a good recommendation by the waitress when I found myself torn between it and the Smoked Pork Tenderloin sandwich. Â I'll likely try that next time. Â My companion got one of the calzones, which was about as big as her head. Â We both left stuffed.
The establishment was clean and brightly decorated. Â Service came with a smile. Â Perhaps next time I'll go for dinner and drink.
I have not eaten here since they moved from the Frankfort Ave. location. Â Hopefully they have changed. Â I had a cajun dish with shrimp and andoulie sausage. Â The shrimp were tiny and over cooked and the sauce lacked flavor. Â I hear good things from others who like the place. Â I have never been back.
Review Source:The name Cafe Lou Lou comes form the chef's LOUisiana influences and that restaurant is located in LOUisville. Hence the Lou Lou. Not only does he bring and use Southern influences to his dishes but it seems he is dabbling with influences from everywhere... most of which were successful.
We ate here as a large group and looking around they table was similar to taking a world culinary tour. The best part was that everyone was really happy with their dishes including my overly picky nephew. He ordered the grilled cheese sandwich, which most of the adults at the table were envious of because it came out served on two huge slices of muffuletta bread. Kids always get the good stuff. *kicks foot in disgust*
We started off dinned with a couple of Mediterranean appetizer plates. All the spreads were fantastic with the humus being my least favorite surprisingly enough. Of course, everyone at the table was drinking beer as we are a beer drinking people. Except for my wife who was drinking wine and then there's my nephew who I kept trying to get to try the beer but wouldn't. Little turd.
For a main course I tried the Jambalaya. It was an interesting dish and not your common Jambalaya. It had more of an Italian prep. to it. It looked like they took a bowl of cooked pasta and ladled the rest of the Jambalaya over it. While it was good, it was nowhere near great.
I could easily see this becoming a regular spot for our family whenever I make trips back to the Motherland. Das ist gut, yah??
5 stars on Frankfort. 3 at the new location. The beauty of the old place was the location and style. The food is amazing, but the ambiance of the old place was perfect. I am sure they had good reasons for moving, but it has lost that feeling it once had. The italian style food is great though... and they have some fantastic sandwiches. I usually order their roast pork tenderloin sandwich or the spinach artichoke wrap. I would definitely give one of those a try next time you are in there.
Review Source:This was before the move, will have to check out the new location next time I am in town.....
 I had some tri-color pasta with a mushroom sauce, shrimp,  golden raisins and some other items that had me initially skeptical bur immediately won me over. The staff was friendly, witty and attentive. Overall I'd be glad to see more places like this popping up in Louisville,. I try to avoid chain dining and lament the closing of most local establishments.
Went here on a whim. Â We kept passing it on Frankfort Avenue, although it has now moved, and got curious. Â The Shrimp and Grits appetizer was absolutely amazing! Â My husband liked the fusion of italian and cajun. Â I had the pizza, which wasn't the best I have ever had, which is why I give four stars instead of five. Â Will probably try it again at its new location!
Review Source:Excellent food.. leans heavily towards Italian with first-rate pasta dishes, pizzas, and calzones. Â Atmosphere is a bit nicer than many casual Italian places but still casual enough for the whole family. Â Service is decent but not great. Â I've been three times and have raved about the food each time. Â Also carries a nice selection of BBC beers on tap.
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