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Lulu's Creperie Café
Category: Restaurants Creperies Creperies [Edit]
24781 Alicia PkwySte E
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 855-2222
- Hours:
Tue-Wed, Sun 6:30 am - 8 pm
Thu-Sat 6:30 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
194 reviews for Lulu's Creperie Café
Review Highlights
"The crepes were absolutely divine."
(in 94 reviews)
"The basket-ful of gratis mini muffins were a plus."
(in 19 reviews)
"Hubby's French onion soup was delicious."
(in 15 reviews)
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194 reviews in English
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Review from Josie L.
2/1/2012 3 photos
What a charming little cafe! I treated my mom and my sister to a light lunch here today and we loved it. This little Creperie Cafe was just what we were in the mood for. The waitress was professional & to the point, which I appreciate because I was on my lunch break.
Contrary to what other reviewers stated, we received our drinks and our food very quickly & service was not rude at all. We ordered 2 french onion soups, a cafe mocha, a cappuccino, a coffee, and one nutella crepe with strawberries and bananas. The french onion soup was perfect - not overly salty. It had just the right amount of cheese on top too. The nutella crepe was as delicious as I expected it would be with huge chunks of strawberries and bananas on top. It was all drizzled with a chocolate sauce and served with whipped cream. The mocha was alright but it wasn't really the best. Either way, I'm more of a cappuccino girl so next time I'll just stick to that.
I am sure we will be back for more of our mother daughter lunches here in the future.
**This place can be tricky to find. When you enter the shopping center from Alicia it will be located on your left across from the market and next to the tattoo parlor. -
Review from Sean N.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
12/18/2011 6 photos
I would like to state several things before continuing with this review. One being the fact that I arrived on a Sunday night with a $25 off coupon from http://Restaurant.com, and two I discovered that head chef Lino Garriz was not in that night, so I will be returning to Lulu's Creperie Café to update my review as I have a feeling the food may have been better had he prepared it himself.
The service was excellent, the waiter was attentive without being overburdening. The ambiance was that of a French cafe but also a bit narrow, so I sat outside on the patio.
Now for the food, this is what I ordered, in order:
Paté Platter (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - served with cornichons & crudités: the pate was on the dry side and not very memorable. The vegetables served with and the ranch sauce seemed like it was trying to make up for the lackluster paté. It was more of a very small canape than a "platter", not worth $5.95 in my opinion.
Saumon Fumé (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - smoked salmon platter: Once again, this was more of a small canape than a "platter". It wasn't anything special. There was way too much onion, the tomato's were bigger than the small slivers of smoked salmon they give you and for a whopping $11, the price was definitely not worth it. I had to send a search party for the salmon under the giant tomato's. It was a nice tasting dish but something I could make at home from bagged smoked salmon from Trader Joe's.
French Onion Soup (http://www.yelp.com/bi...): This item was marked on the menu for $6.95 but it was given to me for the price of $5.00 due to the fact it was ordered with a crepe. I asked the waiter if it came in a bigger size and he said no, I can't imagine someone paying $6.95 for a bowl this small, it was actually smaller than a cup. It looked promising but the cheese was very bland. I could tell it was an extremely young Gruyére. It was very watery, there was no richness, flavor, or colour to the broth and consequently the onions absorbed all of this lackluster performance and ended up tasting the same, a true disappointment.
Note: If you compare the high quality photo taken from my state of the art iPhone 4 to the photo they have on the website it's like night and day. That photo on their website looks like the onion soup of your life in a huge hearty bowl, and still has me hungry despite actually being there and having the real thing, once again, Chef Garriz was not in, so we have to take that into account.
La Française Crepe (http://www.yelp.com/bi...): The first crepe I've ever had and it was excellent. Smooth, creamy, rich, brilliant texture, just the right amount of egg. I wish the entire meal was more servings of this crepe and not the expensive disappointments I've written about thus far. Clearly this is where Lulu's shines, it is a creperie after all.
Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (http://www.yelp.com/bi...): Very tasty, perfect sugar glaze that caramlized the entire surface evenly. The custard was just the right consistency, not too thick and not too watery. The vanilla bean gave it a slightly bitter kick that tasted a bit different but suited it strangely well, 5 stars for the creme brulee.
Conclusion: I will be updating this review once I return when I know chef Lino Garriz is in and will be writing a second review to see if the non-crepe dishes are any better. -
Review from Sara C.
Los Angeles, CA
12/12/2011 1 photo
I was meeting a friend during Thanksgiving Break and we agreed to meet up at Lulu's Creperie - a cutesy little place that is in reasonable proximity from Irvine. I have eaten here (before I started Yelping), and found that their savory crepes were good, but were also on the rich side.
Since it was still considered "breakfast time" when we arrived, we decided to get simpler sweet crepes. The waitress, a very nice lady with an authentic French accent , took our orders. I decided to get the Chocolate-Hazelnut crepe with bananas and my friend got the Fresh-Fruit special (basically the same thing as my crepe, except with various melons and strawberries instead of bananas).
It did not take very long for everything to come out. The crepes looked picture-perfect: the soft triangular crepe itself, the drizzled chocolate, and the sliced fruits laying just so on top of it all. Without exchanging another word, we both dug in.
Neither of our crepes were extraordinary... but that's exactly what made them so good. The crepe had the most subtle eggy taste, and the crepe itself felt like a thicker version of rice paper. The nutella filling inside the crepe was plentiful and less viscous than a paste. The fruits on top were as fresh as can be.
Delicious.
I know that $7 is a little more than what I would pay for an average-sized dessert crepe... but it was so worth it.Listed in: Girls' Night Out, Cafes, Brunching
-
Review from Jillian J.
Mission Viejo, CA
11/6/2011
This place is probably my favorite breakfast place in South OC, along with Harbor House Cafe in Dana Point. It's planted in the middle of a strip-mall on the side of the freeway, + you'd think that wouldn't be conducive to a sweet little French breakfast cafe, but this place is delightful.
Lulu's dressed up the restaurant + placed plants and one of those clear plastic wind-blockers outside so you can't tell that there's a Wendy's and a gas station just outside of the outdoor patio. The decorations are very pretty and feminine and French. Lulu herself is the main waitress, with her husband in charge of preparing the crepes. It's a quaint and cute thing that you don't often see in OC, much less at a strip mall in OC.
Their food is just OK if you order their sandwiches or omelets, but their crepes are outstanding! There's a decent variety of both savory and sweet crepes with a ton of ingredient combos. They also have French onion soup which is awesome if Lulu doesn't forget it's cooking + lets the cheese burn, which has happened half the times I've ordered it.
Service is OK, not great, but then, there's one waitress for the whole place, and they do get busy on weekend mornings. Maybe on weekdays and for dinner it calms down and they give more personalized attention, but with how busy it is they rush you through ordering and then run off so it's tough to ask for anything you may need.
Reading this review I'm kinda bummed about how negative it sounds, because I do really enjoy it here and I love their crepes and their decorations, + I'm definitely going to keep brunching here a LOT. Just make sure you order crepes, because my boyfriend never does and he's always disappointed in the food here (: -
Review from Nathalie A.
Laguna Niguel, CA
1/2/2012
Are you serious?? If I juiced my dirty socks, I'd get a better tasting cappuccino than the crap she tried to serve me.. The food is right along those lines as well! Gross!!
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Review from Vince M.
Lake Forest, CA
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not a bad little place but either call ahead or be ready for a bit of a wait. We got lucky with being able to go right in but they are clearly popular so reservations may be wise. The service was fine even though they were at capacity and the food was tasty. A little light on seasoning but nothing I would send back. Good portions, a reasonable price and an overall good experience. We appeared to finish our meal just as some live entertainment showed up. A single person signing act but the place is so small I can't imagine having to eat in there while someone performs.
I'm pretty sure I'll be back to try them again providing we can avoid any live entertainment. -
Review from Michael G.
San Jose, CA
12/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Do yourself a favor, get out of that line at Denny's and go here; order a coffee, a small something and then.. and then.. order an Irish Crepe! You'll never be the same! I went to this small little place with my brother when I visited him earlier this year, we had a great time, maybe spent 2 hours there eating, drinking coffee and catching up on life. We'll be going back!
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Review from pasha m.
La Jolla, CA
12/21/2011
there is nothing bad to say about the food, but the service is awful especially for sunday brunch... we have been there couple of times for brunch and every time has taken us more than 45 minutes to get our food... servers are clumsy and always in a rush, owner/server uses her hand to adjust the food while it is sitting at the kitchen window...
prices are good and food is good, but service is really bad. they are in such a rush that they don't even wait to get your full order before they move on to the next one... -
Review from Ron M.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
12/22/2011
Lulu's came to our middle school for an international faire, and the the crepes were DIVINE! On that note, I decided to try it out for breakfast a couple weeks later. I can't say I have the same raving review for the restaurant.
The wait for our food was about 40 minutes. Needless to say, we devoured the free mini-muffins in a flash! I realized they were busy and tried to be patient, but 40 minutes is a bit too long!
The food finally arrived, but not at the same time. First one meal showed up...wait..then another....wait...should I go ask about my daughter's meal?...wait....her meal finally arrived! The food itself wasn't anything that great. I can make a better omelet at home, and my son's ham and swiss croissant sandwich made him feel ill. My daughter's crepe was still as good as at the faire, though. The crepes seem to be the only glimmer of hope in this little restaurant.
We finished eating and had to wait another 20 minutes for the check! Speaking of the check...this breakfast was not worth the $30! Ten dollars per person for breakfast is a bit much! I finally got up to pay at the register. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant unless you have a lot of time to waste and money to burn. -
Review from Omar A.
Aliso Viejo, CA
12/22/2011
Only had dessert here. My coconut crepe was pretty good. My wife's choc and gnutella with bananas was ok.
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Review from Kelley U.
OK, so let me preface this by saying, yes I went to a Creperie place and did not eat crepes. Why, you ask? Well, it's not that I don't like crepes, I do, but I had a http://restaurant.com gift certificate for this place and needed to spend $35 between two people which is kinda hard at breakfast, so we decided to go for dinner. I know I could have ordered a crepe for dinner, they have savory crepes here, but I prefer my crepes sweet and in the morning.
You can't see this place from the main street. This place is truly hidden in a strip mall in Laguna Hills behind a car wash. It is a cute little cafe-type of place with indoor restaurant seating and an outdoor patio also. Looking over all the great selections on the dinner menu including many French specialties, I decided to go with the Filet of Sand Dabs. I love sand dabs and it is very hard to find them on menus around here. BF ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu. My sand dabs were sauteed with lemon butter with capers and were absolutely delcious. The flavor of the fish was nicely brought out by the preparation. BF said the Cordon Bleu was the best he has ever had. Each entree came with a choice of soup or salad and sauteed fresh vegetables. We both opted for the Caesar salad which was very good and a pretty good size salad and our entrees also came with haricot vert which were so nicely done. We were pretty full at the end of the meal. I did want to try the bananas foster crepe but was too full. Since the Profiterole was a smaller dessert option, my BF opted for that. He inhaled it and declared it magnificent.
Service was friendly and attentive. Later during our meal, a violinist provided entertainment. We really enjoyed our meal. I definitely want to make a trip back to try their famous crepes for breakfast. So great to find a terrific little local place serving up some great food. -
Review from John A.
Los Angeles, CA
7/9/2011
In honor of restaurant week, my husband and I decided to take an extended lunch break from work and shower Lulu's with our patronage. The prix fixe menu here was truly an exceptional deal - $10 for a three course meal, including appetizer, entree and dessert!
I enjoyed the soup du jour (lentil on the day I dined), french dip sandwich with fries, and the strawberry nutella crepe for dessert. My other half commissioned the Indian lunch crepe for an entree. I found the soup and sandwich to be rather mundane; they were decent, but not exactly distinct from similar fare found at typical family diners. The dessert crepe was significantly more pleasing to the palate though. My consort found his Indian crepe savory and appetizing, though sadly not as filling as he would have wished.
The courses came out rather slowly and our drink glasses sat empty without refills for the majority of our meal. I was in a placid mood so it didn't bother me too much, but normally I would've expected more attentive service. I don't think we were deliberately neglected; rather, they were seriously understaffed.
All in all I found Lulu's to be quite the little bijou. I will definitely revisit to try some of the other crepes, and I hope they will hire a few more servers and chefs! -
Review from Mandy K.
Mission Viejo, CA
6/28/2011
I took my dad here during restaurant week and we had a great time at this hidden gem! We have driven around this area countless times and never even noticed this adorable restaurant tucked away. When we walked inside, we were greeted by the sweetest little elderly man with a beret. He took us to a table and walked by to his crepe making spot. Our waitress was a tiny french woman full of spunk!! She was moving through the restaurant so fast and the smile never left her face.
We started with the garden salad which was fresh and delicious! The waitress also dropped of some complimentary muffins that were to die for! My dad ordered the french dip with fries. It was good- not amazing, but satisfying. I had the chicken crepe- which was amazing! We finished off with dessert- chocolate cake and cheesecake. While both were great individually, when we combined them, WOW!! Before we left, we watched the man make crepes (the old fashioned way). We were mesmerized at his speed and accuracy. Each crepe was made in seconds and was just as perfect as the one before! Overall this is an adorable restaurant that really is a hidden gem. I can't wait to go back! -
Review from Katherine P.
Laguna Hills, CA
6/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here with a friend for late breakfast, early lunch. Cute atmosphere, lots of older regulars.
A large juice came in a wine glass.... And it was $2.59? Geez!! It was small.... Anyways, friend had eggs Benedict. Superb! Home fries... Not so much. La francias crepe, with ham was good... Crepe could use a little more browning. Too savory or me, after a few bites I craved less savory and more sweet :/ I was craving savory before hand but I guess I couldn't handle all that salty ham, salty mushrooms, salty sauce, and salty gruyere cheese.... On top of that.. garlic fries was ok too. Not enough garlic!! Friend and I, we love garlic!!!
The ladies were nice and patient. Good service, but nothing spectacular. They took orders on iTouch! Cool!!!! -
Review from Omar M.
Irvine, CA
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cute little place next toI-5 and Alicia (in the shopping center closest to the southbound off-ramp.
An odd combination of being a place where you see older people you'd expect at a diner in the midwest and a menu that has a bit of exotic tasts and flair. The staff is really friendly without being nosy or silly.
I had the chicken curry crepe, it was great. Much better than the crepes place at Diamond Jamboree in Irvine. -
Review from Sabrina A.
Aliso Viejo, CA
9/24/2011
It's a nice little place for families, especially if you have kids. Everyone's really kind and trying to give you the best service. The place is rather small but inviting, so I thought I wouldn't have much of a wait.
If you're in a hurry or impatient, it's not the best place to come to. Service for anything took quite awhile, to a point where I literally wanted to strangle the waiter. Every time he passed our table I wondered, "Is he going to ask what we would like to drink yet?" Food was average, I tried to ignore the fact that it was turning black. Would come back maybe once every couple months. -
Review from Jill T.
Irvine, CA
6/6/2011
Crepes, man. Get the crepes!
Came here for a Saturday breakfast with the boyfriend and it was sooo good. No wait, sat in the in the cute little patio outside and were greeted with delicious muffins. Did you know that you can order a bottle of champagne? It's well worth it with a glass of OJ and very cheap too. Double plus bonus for that one. We both ordered the Francaise crepe with ham instead of chicken because it sounded so yummy and we weren't disappointed. I wanted to lick the plate clean. Of course we can't forget dessert. The Au Natural crepe with lemon is the way to go. It beats the hell out of any nutella or fruit filled crepe out there. It was the best ending I've ever had to a breakfast. True story. -
Review from Eric B.
5/4/2011
I recently went here on an early Sunday afternoon. It had a nice little French ranch-style decor. Yelp had some good reviews for it, but I have now learned not to trust them! HA! This will be long because I will be pointing out a lot of things, so be prepared.
There were no other customers in the restaurant at the time. There was a lady sitting at one of the tables in front who said hello when we walked in. She then called for the only waitress, who was outside on the patio setting up a table for a large party, to let her know they had some customers. (I'll distinguish the two by calling the lady sitting up front the "lazy lady" since I do not know what she did there and the other one is the waitress. The waitress then pointed us to a table and walked back outside to finish the table up. We received no menus and were not asked what we wanted to drink,
After a few minutes of us sitting there, the lazy lady got up and walked over to give us the menus. Still, no drink questions. After another 8-10 minutes, the waitress came in from outside and asked, I guess she was asking us what we wanted, because all she said was "Speak to me." We both ordered the rack of lamb, but one soup and one salad.
While we were waiting for our food, I started to look around the place. We should have ran. There was one table that hadn't been cleared yet, which the lazy lady spent about 15 minutes clearing by removing one item at a time and bringing it in to the kitchen. The window, where we could see the kitchen, was filthy. There was dirt and grime on both sides. They had dirty cups lined up against the window. I could see all of the dirty dishes sitting on the shelves in the kitchen. I also looked up in to the kitchen lights and could see all types of dirt and debris in them. Not to mention that the front door was wide open. Hey, is that a fly in my soup?
When we got our appetizers (1 soup and 1 salad), my soup was lukewarm. It was tasty (definitely not made there) but it being almost cold just ruined it. The salad was way over dressed. the waitress came back after the chef had taken my soup bowl away (that's right, the CHEF) and asked me if the soup was warm enough and after I said no, she asked if I wanted another. To which she received the same reply.
Our racks of lamb came out not much later. This still made me think if they made this food fresh here or if it was a day or two old. Well, I received my plate and I think the people in Italy / France could smell the garlic they put on these racks. Both plates had way too much garlic. My rack consisted of about three tiny pieces of lamb. (Smaller than the little frozen lamb chops you can get at Trader Joe's). Each of these were cut in half to make it appear like it was more. To be fair, the other plate had a few more on it, but were the same size.
After one bite, I could not taste anything. The garlic was so overpowering and bitter that everything I ate tasted like nothing. If you've eaten something with too much garlic in it, you know what I am talking about. The mashed potatoes were very dry and lumpy. I'm guessing these were frozen also or canned or left overs from some other restaurant or something. Not good at all.
After I read all of the reviews here, it seemed that the crepes were the thing to have. Since I was still hungry, and it had to have been the hunger that caused this insanity, we decided to order a couple of crepes. I got the bananas foster crepe. I don't remember what the other one was now. They didn't have any more vanilla ice cream for mine, but said they could put some tres leches on there. Uh... okay. The crepes were pretty thick and were pretty mediocre. There really wasn't much to them and mine didn't even taste like bananas foster.
If I were you, I'd avoid this place at all costs. It was dirty, the service was unprofessional, and the food was terrible. The only thing this place had going for it was the fact that it was so close to the freeway, so you can make a quick getaway. -
Review from Tanny Y.
Long Beach, CA
5/3/2011 3 photos
This was a really cute cafe. The plaza was really quiet. We were here on a Sunday evening. There were a lot of elders, but I'm still game to try this new spot. Our waiter was nice, she was very attentive. I'm sure she was a little bothered since we got there 30 minutes before the place closes. But she didn't show any sign of it. She was really nice, and the owner was there, greeting people and chatting with other people. I get a good welcoming feel about this place. So we ordered the
LA SALMON
$9.95
Smoked salmon, tomatoes, cream cheese, capers, onions, and eggs
LA MISSION
$9.95
Southwest style filled with fresh avocado, green chilies, tomatoes, cilantro & chicken in a Spanish sauce
LEMON DILL SALMON
$16.95
Poached Salmon topped with a fresh lemon & dill sauce
and
FRESH FRUIT SPECIAL
$6.95
Fresh seasonal fruit with chocolate-hazelnut sauce topped with whipped cream crepe
Oh man, the La salmon, was really good. The cream that was served on it was not heavy at all. It had a really good consistency, and the salmon was not salty at all. Okay, seriously eggs on top of everything threw me off, but damn!! it made sense in this dish!! Very good!!
The mission was spicy, you can get it as spicy as you wish. Very nice!! I loved it!! a taste of Mexican in your mouth.
The lemon dill looked great, but I couldn't get to it, my cousin devoured the entire dish before I even got a chance to taste it. BITCH! ha ha jk
The fresh fruit crepe was oh so good!! You didn't feel so bad eating, since it had fresh fruits around it. The fruits were chilled and fresh, and the nutella inside the crepe was warm and gooey... mmm... great combination. YUM!
So view the prices and look at the pictures I posted, and read my reviews and decide whether you want to try it or not. Bon Appetite! -
Review from Dave H.
Dana Point, CA
7/7/2011
Went here for breakfast and it was a great change from American Diners and greasy food. The atmosphere is quaint and simple. They make their crepes in the window. The kitchen is CLEAN!
The service was great and will definitely go here again. My wife had the Indian Crepe... great concept! -
Review from Jonathan B.
Fullerton, CA
11/6/2011
Great soup and dessert, everything in the middle was just ok. This location is odd, right next to a tattoo shop a creperie is the last thing you'd expect. I had the French onion soup (amazing) perfect amount of burn on the cheese and it tasted home made. For the main course I had the la parisian crepe, this was good.... But nothing spectacular, and very bland. For dessert I split the Irish cream crepe.... Words do not describe the amazingness of this dish nom nom nom!!! My advice for this place, come for the soup and dessert and eat dinner somewhere else.
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Review from Jordan M.
Irvine, CA
11/13/2011
Went there there for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. We were greeted by a women singing live jazz and a basket of mini-muffins and bread was placed on the table when we sat down. The food was fresh and flavorful (although if you get crepes you may want to ask for the sauce on the side or light on the sauce). Definitely a hidden French gem where you would least expect it. Cant wait to go back!
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Review from Denyse I.
Aliso Viejo, CA
11/5/2011
My family had a http://restaurant.com certificate to use and so far all the restaurants we had been to were pretty "meh". We wanted breakfast and this place was close by, although we hadn't ever heard of it in 5 years in the area, so we were dubious, not really expecting much. So it was a VERY happy surprise to walk into Lulu's!
This is a small gem of a restaurant, not many tables, but very clean, quaint and when you walk in, it smells delicious.
The menu is extensive, lots of breakfast items to choose from. They have a variety of items...French, Greek, Mexican and American. Alas, the only downside to this place was that the crepes were mainly savory lunch or dinner style crepes, so we didn't go that direction. More of a "breakfast crepe" selection is the only area that Lulu's could improve.
The food was hot and made to order, the coffee hot and strong, they give you a little muffin basket to nibble on while you wait and they are delicious as well!
Service was with a smile and they were very attentive, but not so much that it becomes overbearing. The kitchen is small so you may wait a bit longer for your food than usual, but hey!, you have muffins!
Prices are reasonable, about as much as we normally spend at IHOP or Mimi's and the food was in another class. I'm definitely going to be a regular diner here! -
Review from Katy T.
Torrance, CA
7/13/2011
Great french cafe style restaurant.
Very kids friendly!
The sauce, used for crepes, is wonderful.
My favorite menu is French Onion Soup!
You must try it. You will fall in love with it. -
Review from alex t.
3/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came for OC Restaurant week and I have to say we got a REAL good deal. There's more than enough food for one person and the $4.95 wine deal was a great addition to our 4 course meal!!!!
I ordered red wine but the lady gave us champagne (which my date gladly accepted) and let us keep the other glass of champagne (thumbs up!).
I love french onion soup. The french onion soup here was good. Zazie's has definitely been the best french onion soup I've had! I am still trying to find a close substitute in the OC. My date ordered the Velouté de Champignons which was a delicious creamy soup. I resulted in dipping my bread in the soup, hence leaving no room for my main dish (but the soup and bread...was so worth it...).
For a palatte cleanser, I ordered the wild mushroom & herb ravioli which was surprisingly delicious. The two ravioli squares were definitely not enough!!! My date ordered the pâte & crudité which reminds him of France. Out came a measly piece of carrot, celery, toasted baguette slice (just one slice) and liver (nom nom). We went home and made our own pate and cornichon plate with baguette. YUM! :)
For my main entree, I ordered the Ossu Bucco (ox tail) with a light red sauce on linguine served with a side of haricot vert. The flavor was bland for both the ox tail and haricot verts. I was not impressed, yet I ate it all. The Breast of Duck Cerise, on the other hand, was flavorful and the breast melted in your mouth with every bite. The mash potatoes were tasty, but I have had better. The duck sauce itself was GREAT with bread. We ended up cleaning up the entire plate with our bread.
For dessert, we chose the bananas flambé crepe...which didn't come to us in flames, but it was good! The Chcolate Ganache Cake was OK and needed to be warmed up a bit after eating warm bananas flambe.
All in all, we'll be back to try the savory crepes since the only things we could order that evening was off the OC Restaurant menu. :/
We'll see you again Lulu! :) -
Review from Jessica Q.
Costa Mesa, CA
3/3/2011
It was the end of my work day when I realized it was OC Restaurant week! Already had plans for the rest of the evenings in the week so I had to take the opportunity to experience the week's specials.
Because it was so last minute, most of the restaurants were no longer take reservations... Lulu's was able to fit our group in and we were their last reservation!
It was a 4 course dinner for only $20 - pretty good deal! There were 3 of us in our group so we decided to get one of everything and have share so we can get a taste of everything.
1st Course:
Lobster Ravioli - this was delicious... small pieces and the sauce was just the right amount of creamy. it was also refreshing to have lobster ravioli where you can actually taste the lobster!
Pate - this was kind of bland... normally pate is very flavorful but I didn't really get the punch that I normally get with pate.
Lox and Capers (I don't remember what this dish was called) - all I have to say is smallest piece of salmon ever. Yeah, I get that it was just starter but I mean serious, the piece could have blown away if there was a breeze in the restaurant.
2nd Course:
French Onion soup - on a cold night, this was the perfect thing for me. the chese was perfectly melted and burnt onto the huge crouton... and it came out scorching hot. The broth wasn't too salty as french onion soup sometimes is.
3rd Course:
Lamb - I normally like lamb but this night it wasn't my cup of tea.
Duck - besides the French Onion soup, this was the best thing I had eaten the whole night. Small slices of lean duck... some of the best I've had.
Scallops & Shrimp - came out cold and seafood didn't taste very fresh.
4th Course:
Creme Brulee - I don't know about you, but I love the top of my creme brulee burnt... the sugar coating was semi burnt... not one of the best I've had.
Bananas flambe - the presentation of this didn't look so appetizing but once I had a bite of it, it was like a surprise party in my mouth! Yum yum yum!
The meal had it's up and downs... overall a good dinner! Thanks OC restaurant week! -
Review from Kenneth S.
Orange, CA
4/13/2011
Visited Lulu's in the weekend and got seated pretty quickly. Their service was friendly and they had live performance for indoor seating.
We ordered two savory crepes (salmon crepe and chicken with avocado crepe) and chocolate sweet crepe. They all tasted very good especially the creamy salmon crepe. Before the crepes were served, we had the complementary bread and mini muffins.
This is a nice restaurant to sit, eat and relax. -
Review from Thi N.
San Diego, CA
3/28/2011
Whom where do I start?
My girlfriend selected this venue so that we can have her baby shower there. I was excited to try a new place and she was excited because they are a Creperie Cafe.
The service I have to say is superb. We had a group of 15 people and the waitress was very tentative to our needs.
The Owner is a whole new story. He's very rude in his approach to customers as well as to those who he's doing business with. He is scatter brain where he couldn't recall what was agreed upon prior and would double charge you if you don't have prove.
The food? Not worth my time. Either it's overly salted or very bland... I was very disappointed. -
Review from Julie N.
4/28/2011 3 photos
It's in such an unattractive plaza! haha.
I came here on a Sunday around 1pm with two friends. We each ordered a savory dish and a sweet dish for dessert and out of all six plates, none stood out in terms of taste. All their presentations were quite lovely, but honestly and unfortunately, their taste did not match up =(
I personally found my LA FRANÇAISE to be bland and hard to finish because it tasted so heavy with its thick sauce. My ALMOND JOY was okay but not balanced in flavor, overwhelming me with all the coconut flakes =(
On the plus side:
+++ we got patio seating. good ambiance despite the ugly plaza surroundings... and little white fence if I remember correctly?
+++ cutest bucket of mini condiment bottles ever
+++ the bread was good?
+++ lounge singer = nicer brunch experience
I will come back if I don't have to pay another ~$20 for mediocre but PRETTY crepes. Somebody treat me or find me a coupon puhhh-weeez! =)Listed in: Undercover HIPSTERS, Brunch :)
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Review from Best from T.
Coto De Caza, CA
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Review from Cliff C.
12/21/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Ahh, crepes. They're such dichotomies. They can be so delicate, yet so heavy. So light, yet so rich. So small, yet so filling. OK, this last part needs a little work, but I did leave Lulu's Creperie Cafe mostly satisfied with my brunch experience.
I got the La Normandie omelet (yeah, I know this is a crepe place, but what can I say? The omelet looked good: bacon, sausage, cheese and green onions). It came with thin slices of toasted artisanal rye and some cottage fried potatoes. It made for quite the tasty breakfast. The basket-ful of gratis mini muffins were a plus.
The missus had the right idea and got the La Francois crepe -- chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and sauteed onions. Instead of the Béchamel sauce, she substituted it with a lighter cream sauce. My 4-year-old had a child's version of this same crepe.
Both of their crepes were delicious, although I preferred my son's crepe with the heavier (Béchamel?) sauce instead of the lighter cream sauce.
And herein lies the dichotomy -- the crepes are delicious, but is one enough to make a satisfying brunch? I think not. It would be perfect with a small green salad or maybe even a cup of soup. They have a French onion soup that looks wonderful, but it's almost $6. Add that to the $9-10 you're dropping on a crepe and it can be a pricey brunch/lunch. Especially for one with Homer Simpson-esque appetites.
So I'll surely return to try some more of the crepes, but which ones? Savory or sweet? Brunch or dinner? With a soup or a salad? See? There's that dichotomy thing again. -
Review from Eileen T.
Aliso Viejo, CA
1/12/2011 14 photos
We went to Lulu's Creperie Cafe for the $20 OC Restaurant Week dinner special. Lulu's is not a big place. Just a few tables inside, and they have a cute outdoor patio area. We were seated at the patio. It was actually quite warm because of the heat lamps. They had a lady singing Jazz inside right by the door. I love her voice. The dinner special includes 4 courses for $20. Also a glass of wine or champagne is only $4.95.
Our waitress brought us some bread to start the meal. The restaurant was busy when we arrived. Service wasn't bad. But the waitresses at Lulu's don't smile.
Dr. P couldn't drink because he was taking antibiotic for a big cut on his feet that he got from surfing. But he ordered me a glass of Merlot. It tasted warm and smooth.
It took a while for our food to arrive, but it was understandable since the restaurant was busy. Dr. P ordered Smoked Salmon Appetizer. The combination of smoked salmon, tomato, caper, and red onion was great. Dr. P liked it a lot. I will try to make this easy appetizer for him at home next time.
For some reason, I thought the Pate would be the soft kind that you can spread on bread, but I was wrong. The pate had a peppercorn crust, and tasted sort of like smoked ham. It was alright. I liked the salmon appetizer better though.
Dr. P got Lobster Bisque for his second course. The soup was creamy. It was pretty good, but no lobster meat though.
I don't know why, but I totally thought it was Organic Mixed Green "Strawberry" Salad instead of citrus salad. I thought the dressing tasted like strawberry, and even thought the tomato was strawberry. When Dr. P tried the salad, he was like "no... this is orange, and this is tomato". Must be the Merlot! Yup, just blame everything on the alcohol.
Dr. P ordered Ossu Bucco on Pasta. The veal shank looked big, but it was mostly bone though. The meat part was tender. I like the part near the bone the most because it had a lot of tendon. The basil and tomato sauce was delicious. We both liked this dish a lot. Original price on the menu is $21.95. And Restaurant Week special is only $20 plus 3 more courses? Great deal!
I ordered duck, but they ran out of the duck so I changed it to Poached Salmon. It was a really big piece of salmon. The lemon dill sauce tasted like hollandaise sauce. It was creamy and very rich. I thought it tasted great at first, but then it got a bit too heavy so I just ate the salmon without the sauce.
We were really looking forward to dessert. Since this place is called "creperie" cafe, crepe must be their specialty. Dr. P ordered a cup of coffee to go with our dessert crepes.
On the dessert menu, there were creme brulee, cheesecake, and petit fours. But we decided to order the two dessert crepes. Britanny Crepe Suzette was served with an orange sauce. We didn't like this one. The sauce tasted too sour. Also I didn't like how the crepe was drenched in the sauce and it was all soggy. Now I know not to order the saucy kind of crepe.... not my favorite.
We both said the same thing, "We should've ordered 2 Strawberry Nutella Crepe". The Strawberry Nutella crepe was super yummy!
So the waitress didn't put the wine and coffee on the bill. This has been happening to us for a few times now. We always tip the waitress more when that happens. Now I am starting to wonder if waitresses do that on purpose for more tips?
This is a really cute crepe cafe. I want to come back to try their brunch menu and maybe get a savory crepe. -
Review from Cindy N.
Irvine, CA
4/8/2011
You review a creperie cafe for its crepes, isn't it just common sense?
Lulu's gets a 5 because La Francaise and La Parisienne are heavenly savory crepes that I would eat everyday if I could. I haven't even tried the other crepes because every time I come back I instantly crave for La Francaise (and someone else most likely orders La Parisienne so I can still have a taste). I'd get the La Francaise with ham, it's so much better. And they're both under $10 - unbeatable prices! -
Review from M P.
Irvine, CA
Updated - 7/10/2011
DEFINITELY 5 STARS. Plenty of parking, wonderful ambience and service, great food, excellent price. Veggie omelette was awesome - the spinach was super fresh. Mini-muffins and french bread delish. Nice selection of tea. Good coffee and OJ. I wish that I could have had a desert crepe, but I never seem to have room for it. lol
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/30/2011
What a hidden gem!!! Loooove it! Everything was excellent. The restaurant is super quaint and… Read more »
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Review from Kristine T.
Irvine, CA
3/1/2011
Lulu's is one of my favorite place to go just for a chill lunch, or brunch.
* take advantage of them during OC restaurant week, they have discounted appetizers and dinner specials that are great to try, especially if you haven't been there before.
This is a cute restaurant with great service, and pretty good savory and dessert crepes. I personally enjoy the La Cajun Crepe, or the Flambe de Banana.
I haven't experienced it myself, but I do hear the singer they have on certain nights is very good :)
it is a nice change to many chain restaurants, try something new! -
Review from Zander B.
Santa Ana, CA
4/15/2011
5 stars because where else are you going to get crepes like this! Its really more of a 4 star. The location has terrible parking and its hard to get seated with a group bigger than 4.
On the plus side, the crepes are great. Dont get too funky with the cheezewiz, just eat what a crepe should be and you cant go wrong. The owner is very nice and attentive and when our food took too long she brought us a basket of mini muffins. I have probably eaten here 10 times since then and every time has been great. If it wasnt for parking and seating it would be a guaranteed 5. As it is, a 5 it gets! -
Review from Amanda N.
Irvine, CA
3/4/2011
I came here several nights ago with my boyfriend and my roommate for the OC restuarant week deal. You get 4 courses for $20 during dinner.
Our first course was the lobster ravioli. The sauce is delicious! Too bad there is only two ravioli pieces.
Our second course was the mixed green salad with strawberries with walnut oil dressing. I honestly should have gotten something else. It was basically one strawberry cut into four pieces. And the walnut oil dressing was just strange. There was nothing special about his.
The third course was the crepe la mer. It's a crepe with shrimp and scallops. It was not as spectacular as I thought because the shrimp and scallops were not fresh, and tasted rather fishy. The crepe itself was too mushy.
Our last course was vanilla bean creme brulee. This was absolutely yummy! If only it was socially acceptable to lick plates in public...
The creme brulee did not make up for the rather disappointing food and incredibly slow service. And the fact that we were seated without any plates or utensils didn't help either. I will not be coming back here for ordinary food and bad service. -
Review from Derek D.
Aliso Viejo, CA
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
After a rough first impression of Lulus (was turned away on Easter due to it being reservations only, Lulu seemed a bit irritated that people just did not know this, there were no signs of this anywhere) my wife encouraged me to give it another shot. We have only been for breakfast a few times but its a good place to go get some coffee and enjoy a nice meal on a Sunday morning. Hope the dinner food is as good as the breakfast!
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Review from Melissa W.
Palm Springs, CA
9/28/2011
The menu selection is okay, although I'd expect more variety. The choices are interesting but not exceptional.
I ordered the "La Galette" which had spinach and mushrooms in white sauce with two soft-poached eggs on top. I have to admit, the eggs were cooked to perfection, but the rest of the crepe was only so-so. I would expect a much more tender and flavorful crepe at a creperie, but this one was chewy and bland.
The service was great, the mini-muffins were delish, the outside seating area is cute. I wouldn't exactly recommend this place to someone looking for a great experience, but I wouldn't deter them from going here either. -
Review from Danny L.
9/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Cute little breakfast spot with delicious crepes and omelettes!
They immediately give you a cute and complimentary basket full of freshly baked and tantalizing mini muffins that are amazingly delicious. I couldn't stop eating these mini portions of savory bliss!
The crepes were absolutely divine. The cajun crepe was loaded full of flavor, shrimp, sausages, etc... It was gumbolicious! The Mission crepe was also a savory concoction of immense flavor and fresh ingredients that made this dish truly desirable.
To say I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with this mom and pops establishment is a drastic understatement of my true feelings.
