Loulou
Categories: French, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhood: Brooklyn/Fort Greene222 Dekalb Ave
(between Adelphi St & Clermont Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 246-0633
- Nearest Transit:
Clinton-Washington Aves (G)
Lafayette Ave (C)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
23 Reviews for Loulou
Loulou is a lovely neighborhood gem, perfect for a relaxed summer brunch with an pleasant backyard garden adorned by sculptures and lights. The waiters are attentive and friendly, if a bit slow and the food choices are plentiful. The food itself is well-made and great-tasting, though not extraordinarily so.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
Love it! My fiancee and I just made the move to the neighborhood...the bouillabase was AMAZING. Full of shrimp, mussels, fish, etc. Mmmmm...My burger with fries was great--and they had a side salad with really good dressing.
And our waiter was super sweet and super funny! Go there!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
I didn't think that I'd be back so quickly, but I needed a venue for a small group, and it seemed perfect.
Brunch is truly excellent here, at least if you pick wisely from the menu. Some high points included the "palette" - something like a frittata, but moister and made with bread cubes cooked right in; the sausage, a wonderful kir royal. Companion had the Monte Cristo, which although quite huge, looked truly amazing, and was prepared more in a breakfasty kind of way that you usually get it.
The french toast, sadly, is from the "more is more" school of thought, and good for children or those with more juvenile tastes - think thick bread, piled high with gooey bananas and pecans. Definitely not recommended, especially since they do not give you real maple syrup - just the same stuff as a bottle of Log Cabin. Ick.
Again, I found the coffee to be pretty poor quality, especially for a French restaurant, and for one with prices like this.
Service was very good, although no offers of drink or coffee refills.
Again, I'll be back at some point, but until they get a few more details right, it probably won't be happening so quickly again.
Brunch for four, including one drink and a few side items, came out to be $96 with tax and tip.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
07/25/2008
The Girl and I talk a walk down DeKalb, and decide to take a chance on Loulou. We had a very… Read more »
I had slept on Loulou for years and my boyfriend brought me last summer. It's since become our go-to spot when we want a cozy romantic dinner. I'd say we're there at least every two weeks. It's consistent , reliable, the service is great and it's always a pleasure. How could I have missed out on that spot for as long as I did?
I love the bouillabase. Fresh seafood curry heaven. The mussels are my other staple but they make a damn good veggie burger, too. Brunch is also among the best in the neighborhood.
Also, the owners are very sweet.
After a hard day at work, this is the neighborhood place that soothes my soul. A bit off my weekly budget, so it's more of a treat, and I miss my friend Ana, who worked there and brightened up the place even more, but even so, the crepes are a terrible temptation, as well as the beer and wine.
Oh yeah, the back garden is funky and cool. I've never seen a movie back there, tho, and I want to.
My favorite thing, oddly? The little jelly jar water glasses. I couldn't tell you why, but I just love that.
Nope, wait, my FAVORITE thing is the flavor of the bread in the bread basket. Blows my diet every time, but that is the best bread. Total comfort... oh dear, bread and beer... and cheese and crepes... and hangar steak...
What a fantastically rustic little French cafe... the brunches are hopping and tasty. Dinners are cozy - whether you order the steak, mussels, bouillabaisse, or chicken. The specials are worth trying as well. A great deal is the occasional weekday two-for-one entrees - why would they need to offer this deal? But while they do, I'll keep taking advantage of it.
So quaint, charming, rustic an romantic - right up my alley! But ALSO cheap and delicious! The curry bouillabaisse is sexy lusty good!
fancy frenchness all up in ft. greene. tasty food + romantic ridiculousness that can work on a friend-ly or i-want-to-be-more-than-friend-ly level. this place is multitalented.
we sat out back dans le jardin. french-ish accordian music played on the cd player, french-ish bugs flew around, french-ish food was served. the meal was actually very tasty:
first the free stuff: yummy bread that oddly tastes like popcorn but is like your first love: hard on the outside and fluffy with air bubbles on the interior, and accommodated by the-i-will-get-fat-for-your-yummyness herb butter. herb butter! oh yeah and tap water that is brooklyn's finest.
the food we paid for was also pretty yummy: the loulou salad is a top pick with yummy bits of cherries, walnuts and goat cheese. my friend and i both had fish (tuna and salmon) and both dishes were crowned with "clean plate club" awards.
The prix fixe...sucked!
The frites were cold and soggy
The zucchini was overly salty and very greasy
The merguez sausage was the only saving grace...even though it was over-cooked and a little dry. The accompanied onion relish was delicious.
The service was great...however, there were only 3 other parties there the whole evening.
And to top it off...I saw a rat in the back where we ate.
Need I say more?
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Brunch here was awesome. Only downside is they only have beer and wine, which means no bloody marys (a brunch requirement, even for a beer snob like myself)
Their garden is very... gardeny, and provides an alice-in-wonderland type of look at the back of the restaurant, which looks like it's being held up by a tree. Seriously.
I've tried to be mostly a vegetarian lately, but for some reason I ate bacon here today. And it was damn good.
Update: Brunch again. Lobster Bisque was the best I've ever had.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Very good food... In fact, I used to go there almost on a weekly basis. I went there so much, that I needed to take a brake for about a year. What can I say, I am a fanatic. The bouillabaisse is authentic and the steak is awesome.. There is nothing I wouldn't recommend on the menu, but hey, I haven't eaten everything on the menu so f off... They have great specials during the week, like movie night in the garden over the summer or discounts on wine... but the best is 1/2 off en tree's on Thursday nights... a cant miss... for some reason my bills were always still pretty expensive... probably because i am a lush. Great place to take Mom and Dad... or a romantic first date in a charming neighborhood... easy to get a rese....
I am both surprised and baffled that this restaurant hasn't been yelped! This place has been on the Fort Greene restaurant row for the last five years and is probably the best of the lot. It is a quirky little French restaurant with a great back garden (so great I have never eaten inside). I've been here for both brunch and dinner and can't recommend this place more for my Ft. Greene dining destination. Though there's other places all the time this hasn't been knocked off the pile yet.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Okay, so not only is the food DELICIOUS it is very cute inside, and it's a short walk from the Fort Greene Greenmarket, so it is a fun addition to a Saturday morning (or early afternoon - before 3) shopping trip. Plus, it wasn't packed around noonish, which was great (I HATE WAITING!) There were some stroller set folks in full effect, but I got the impression that they were a little more respectful of the space than in some other neighborhoods (ahem, PARK SLOPE).
The boyfriend and I both got the egg, ham, and swiss Galettes, mine with mushroom instead of egg (I'm allergic). They were happy to make the substitution, which means two thumbs up in my book. Unfortunately someone in the kitchen mislabeled them, and I started eating the one with egg... eeek! Not so cool... Otherwise it was delicious and lovely. I love a French restaurant that can make a legit crepe - this was no pseudo quesadilla! The coffee was also yummy.
Overall, I will definitely be back. The crepes are already calling me!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
We love this place. They have the best brunch. Little outdoor seating area in the back is just adorable.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
one of the absolute best kept secrets in brooklyn. every meal is amazing whether it be brunch or dinner. the atmosphere is cozy, romantic and welcoming. the wait staff is usually pretty nice and the owners are so helpful. plus they have a great little backyard for when the weather gets warm. always get the special.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I went here with my girlfriend and her roommate. Her roommate said that the walk was worth it from park slope, and that she had never actually had anything other than the sandwich au poulet (I think that's what it was) because it was so good. It was, how do you say, formidable! Very cute and good for brunch. Cute shops abound in the Cobble Hill area...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Service is incredibly sweet, prices are good, ambiance is cozy & intimate...but like another reviewer wrote, I couldn't tell you what I ate. It was clearly non-offensive but definitely not memorable. Sorry!! I wanted to love this place more. It's adorable. But I think I might find better food elsewhere....Good selection of salads & crepes though. And I will try to come back for brunch. :)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
So, they have french toast and pancakes as a SIDE!!! the perfect solution to the sweet/savory dilemma of brunch. Only once was my french toast less then desirable, and I can certainly forgive that.
Always have a great experience every time I go here. The food is simply prepared but generally delicious. It's pretty much French country style, so far as I can tell. They have some decent wines, and the service is friendly. The space itself is cozy and comfortable without being too precious. If you haven't been yet, and live nearby, go. The brunch is also good. Back garden is decent, and that covered structure comes in handy if it rains -- hopefully there's no more critters hiding in there (see review below)!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
This place only gets a 2 from me because I've been there twice and don't remember what I ate. The first time I think I might have had mussels; the second time I have absolutely no recollection -- the main thing I remember is that we sat in this awesome cubby house in the back yard made of bamboo and my friend got bitten by a bug -- the next day she was in the emergency room and had a bruise the size of a ping pong ball on her arm for 10 days. The people at the emergency room said there was probably some exotic bug in that bamboo that had come from a tropical climate. The third time I went there was for brunch one Sunday around 3:50, but they'd stopped serving brunch at 3. Boo.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
So, in all honesty my husband and our best friends are regulars here. We usually do their amazing brunch. Lou Lou is traditional French fare with a traditional bent.
The service is good and you are always going to get a good cup of coffee. The menu changes about every 6 months and that is a good thing. They usually keep variations of items on the menu. They recently discontinued their amazing steak panini, but added a steak crepe with almost the exact same items.
My one caveat is that it is always crowded, even after they open the garden. And, the stroller brigade can be in full force. Try to go during the spring/summer months because there is more space with the outdoor seating.
Thursdays there is 2 for 1 dinners. You usually end up doing appetizers and desert on that night. Smart move on their part.
Lou Lou is always my fallback choice. The service, food, and atmosphere are always dependable.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Lovely cozy French restaurant. The people are so nice and the vibe is intimate but comfortable. The food is good too.
Boullabaisse - not on special - ON THE MENU!!! Need I say more!?
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Stuff Near the Navy Yard
I lived next to the Navy Yard for about 6 months.…
Hot and New
- Pinche Taqueria
33 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Little Italy
- Pierre Loti Wine Bar
13 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Gramercy-Flatiron
- Sake Bar Decibel
136 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village
- Aloe
25 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village
- Blue Smoke
146 reviews
New York, NY
