- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Lulu's
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Restaurants Asian Fusion Dim Sum, Asian Fusion [Edit]
804 Davis St(between Benson Ave & Sherman Ave)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-4343
- Nearest Transit:
-
Davis (Purple Line)
Dempster (Purple Line)
Foster (Purple Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Elizabeth W. said: "Thai Thai gets a lot of things right. --Plenty of fresh steamed broccoli in my rama tofu. --They don't skimp on the sauce. I had plenty of thick, luxurious peanut sauce all over my dinner. Mmmm. --They stay on top of refills without…" read more »
190 reviews for Lulu's
Review Highlights
-
"I have only ever done the Munch a Bunch." In 19 reviews -
"I love the ginger chicken salad that is served in the bento..." In 10 reviews -
"I recommend the Spicy Dragon Noodles." In 5 reviews
Loading...
190 reviews in English
-
Review from Mark F.
Chicago, IL
4/12/2012
Dim sum 9 after 9?
Yes please.
Tasty bites in a fun, light atmosphere. Drinks are spot on and the price is right.
Service is solid but nothing to write home about.
The food is what anyone will tell you is worth going for. A gem in Downtown Evanston I will be returning in a heart beat.Comment from Daniel K. of Lulu's 5/2/2012
Thanks Mark! We look forward to serving you again. More » -
Review from David P.
Antioch, IL
5/17/2012
I just want to start by saying I want to give Lulu's four stars, but I just can't. I like Lulu's location right in downtown Evanston. The staff is fairly friendly and the ambience is warm and inviting. I just can't get that excited about the food. I've tried several different things on the menu, and still keep saying, "It's okay". I call it, American Asian; Asian cooked by Americans. They just don't hit the authentic flavors that you would expect.
I've had the shrimp pad thai; okay, served with fried shrimp, not grilled. The noodles were cooked just right, but the sauce was a little bland and too sweet. We also shared the mussels appetizer, which was so-so at best. The mussels were way over cooked and not very fresh; I wouldn't recommend them. I do like their Vietnamese salad, it's really tasty; served with eggrolls, sliced beef, fresh seasonal vegetables all in a sweet and sour dressing.
I do think I will give Lulu's another try, as it's a place I want to like. Just don't expect too much... -
Review from Ehow C.
4/28/2012
I really don't understand why this place gets customers.
The food tends to be oversalted and overpriced. $4 for a Thai iced tea? No flipping way. Today, my Thai basil chicken cost me $10 for a measly portion, AND they were stingy on the rice. At least with the noodle dishes, you can get full at a decent price.
The AYCE option seems semi-worth it, except it's probably going to be oversalted anyway. There are much better establishments in the area that deserve your patronage, not here. -
Review from Cassie D.
4/9/2012
Definitely a fan.
Lulu's has been around for, well, a lot of years. I don't need to date myself by discussing how many. But long enough that I'd call it an Evanston staple. The old location was certainly more intimate/had a better vibe, but there's nothing wrong with their current digs, maybe just a little uninspired/generic.
Food though. That's what we go for. And it's delightful! I've always loved the mustard/chili sauces they put on the spring rolls (and maybe the crab rangoon but I haven't ordered that in a long time). The boyfriend has been obsessing a bit about their calamari lately. It's very light - more of a tempura batter. I find the main courses (stir fry, noodles, salads, etc) to be more than enough food - I always have leftovers. The dragon noodles are really as hot as the waitress suggests. Tasty but definitely more spicy than I expected. Maybe it was an oilier sauce than I expected too, but it made a good dinner and lunch the next day. Salads are a little meh, but who goes here for a salad?
Decent prices and a big enough menu that everyone will like something but it's not overwhelming. Add a little personal nostalgia and it's one of my favorite Evanston restaurants.Comment from Daniel K. of Lulu's 5/2/2012
Thank you Cassie! We love that you love Lulu's and consider… More » -
Review from Jocelyn O.
Evanston, IL
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been eating at Lulu's since I moved to Evanston.
The really great thing is the Munch-a-Bunch. For a flat rate, you can try pretty much anything on the menu, in any quantity (although there are some items that you can only order once). The pot stickers, I must say, are the best I ever had. The restaurant is great for kids because they have lots of kid-friendly foods, and at the front of the restaurant is a table of Japanese monster-type action figures that the owner brings back from his travels.
When you're not doing the all-you-can-eat, though, I have to say that the food becomes much less cost-effective. I mostly eat there for the Small Eats, or dim sum foods, as the entrees are average and nothing to write home about.
If you have room after, the warm chocolate brownie is rich and tasty. And topped with ice cream. -
Review from Mike M.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Anytime that my girlfriend and I are in the area, we stop in at Lulu's for a meal. The Dim Sum portions are a fair size and the salads are huge even if you order a small/split portion. If you can make the time frame, the "Munch A Bunch" is also well worth it.
Comment from Daniel K. of Lulu's 5/2/2012
Thank you Mike! Check out our 8 after 8 if you ever get the… More » -
Review from Se P.
Evanston, IL
3/6/2012
Definitely the most awful place you can get Asian food. As an Asian, I can definitely tell you that their Spicy Dragon Noodles is one of the most awful tasting Asian noodle I have ever tasted. More so, it is overpriced! It costs $9.50 for a noodle, and it is basically and mostly made out of similar to ramen noodles, which costs less than a dollar! Plus, way too much cilantros and greasy.
I would recommend going to Joy Yee's instead of going to this place. Joy Yee's will give you more food than here. -
Review from G H.
Chicago, IL
3/20/2012
Veggie bento box rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friendly staff, great service -
Review from Monica Y.
Evanston, IL
3/15/2012
If I could describe Lulu's in one word it would be "confusing". Their pricing, menu selection and overall theme is just strange. I don't really know what type of food I'd categorize lulu's as and their pricing would be cheap for classy food and expensive for a quickbite but they serve neither...
I would say their food is fine but there are so many better places to eat in Evanston! Also please don't get their shrimp/crab wontons, they're not very good :-/ -
Review from Katie F.
Springfield, IL
2/26/2012
Lulu's is probably one of the better and less expensive Asian fusion places in Evanston. Their Pad Thai is one of the better ones I've had -- it's sort of different than other places, and comes with crispy shrimp (yum).
I've never done Dim Sum here, but I have done the Bento Box special which was excellent the last time I had it.
The atmosphere at Lulu's is cute but casual. Service is nothing special but it's definitely not bad. The only real downside to Lulu's is that I think their menu is pretty limited. I'd love a few more options. -
Review from Raina G.
Lincolnshire, IL
3/19/2012
Lulus is one if my favorite restaurants that I return to time and time again and I don't live close - but it is so worth it! There is nothing on the menu I don't love and when my kids are in town it's a must go! We love the munch a bunch where you can keep ordering off the menu til you're stuffed! My favorites are the lulus ginger chicken wonton salad and the wide rice noodles with chicken! I also think the sweet and sour soup is the best anywhere. The prices are so affordable, the portions generous and rarely a wait!!!!
I highly recommend lulus! Yum! -
Review from Moni K.
11/28/2011
A-ok
I love Pad Thai but the Pad Thai at Lulu's was different. The crispy shrimp was delicious but there was too much carrot and it was salty plus the taste was just different than the Pad Thai that I am used to. The portion was really huge and pipping hot.
I thought the tea cup holder was really cool. It fitted my fingers just right it was really unique.
The restaurant is very big and very comfortable.
Easy parking across the street. -
Review from Samer N.
Wilmette, IL
4/21/2012
I went there with the wife and my three kids. First, no kids menu. Second average service and food. Finally, we were charged 18% tip automatically for being a party of five. Give me a break. I eat out every weekend and this a first. Will not come back.
-
Review from Courtney W.
Chicago, IL
1/7/2012
I'm always weary of Asian fusion places. I like more authentic joints where they don't care about being fancy, just about good honest food with no frills. Lulu's is full of frills, but I actually enjoy them. Pad thai is a favorite of my boyfriend. I stick to dim sum and a nice cup of tea. They serve huge cups of piping hot tea that I cannot do without during the winter. The Bento Box is also kind of cool because you can customize it for those days when you're just not sure what to order. The portions are huge, especially for dinner so the price is a little bit higher but worth the wait. Their coconut curry dish is to die for if you want something sweet with a little bit of kick. Overall, I'm a huge fan when I'm in the Evanston area to visit friends or catch a movie. The crab wontons are also pretty good as well. You get what you pay for.
-
Review from Rees S.
La Grange, IL
2/29/2012
I've been bringing my son to eat at Lulus since he was about 3 years old. He's 12 now and we're still coming to Lulu's when we're in Evanston.
Speaking as someone who's dined at Lulu's with a small child, I have to say that the staff has always been VERY patient and pleasant and accommodating. My son was always offered a couple of the owner's Japanese plastic dinosaur collection to play with at the table (ok, we played with them too) and dim sum or small dishes were brought out ahead of our mains for him to eat. None of that snooty "how dare you bring a child to a real restaurant" attitude you get sometimes. (my son was always very well behaved eating out, but still it's nice when people don't ASSUME your kid is going to be a monster).
I do have to say that we have had both good and bad waitstaff over the years. They've always been cheerful and pleasant, but some have been less capable than others- but never anything so bad that we wouldn't have left a tip or anything like that. Just longer waits sometimes.
As for food: very RARELY, we have had something that wasn't good. A seafood dish that was a little too 'fishy', fried items that were greasy or overfried. I have only ever sent one shrimp dish back for being overdone and it was replaced and taken off of our bill with an apology- not a big deal out of hundreds of items I've eaten there.
Our favorites: the sesame peanut noodles, the ginger chicken salad, the green beans with tofu and Chinese oyster sauce (the first way I got my son to eat both green beans and tofu!), potato croquettes with s[icy aioli, coconut shrimp, crab and shrimp fried won-tons (a real favorite), and the shio mai.
It IS a little pricey- the munch a bunch deal is definitely the best deal if you really want to do some serious eating. But we have always felt like we got our money's worth and had a good meal in a fun atmosphere. My son eats all kinds of Asian food now, including sushi, and he still loves going to Lulu's.
I think that people looking for a classic Chinese Dim Sum are going to be disappointed- although I have certainly had much worse dim sum in Chicago than what I've had here. If the idea of 'fusion' cuisine or 'Americanized' dishes bothers you, this might not be your place. (Although I don't consider the food here to be Americanized as much as just not classical )
And of course any restaurant can send out a bad dish or have a server with a bad night. But overall we've always had a good time at Lulu's and have not encountered the problems other reviewers have. -
Review from Roseann M.
Chicago, IL
9/15/2011
Short review: cute atmosphere, good food, big portions, incredibly busy but efficient waitstaff.
Long(er) review: Settle down, lean back in your chair.
Cute atmosphere, but jam-packed, especially on an early weekday evening. Located in downtown Evanston, Lulu's clientele on a Monday evening consists of downtown Evanston workers, downtown Chicago workers who just got off the nearby Metra or El stations, many families with small children, and a few groups of middle-aged women who wanted a convenient locale with healthy food, good prices,and BYOB.
So, here's the thing with the BYOB. One Evanstonian in our group did the research, and she said Lulu's was good and had BYOB. When she called to confirm the BYOB policy, she was told, well, they did have a full bar now, but they would honor the BYOB for a $1.00 charge. Based on that, we each showed up with a bottle. (Just fyi, we did not even open all the bottles, so there! My review is only slightly influenced by an alcohol haze). When the server came by for our drink order, the Evanstonian explained how she had called, what she was told, and it turned out to be no problem. The server, who was EXTREMELY busy, did eventually bring us a choice of two corkscrews. She did not open the bottle; I did. (We're not so prissy that we needed the server to do it.)
One party ordered the chicken salad. I had a Szechwan Chicken, which the menu said could be ordered vegetarian. I requested that, and it came with small cubes of tofu. The third member of our party ordered a chicken satay.
The food came quickly; the things that were supposed to be hot, were hot; and the chicken salad was at the right temperature, too. The portions were generous. I ate all of mine, though. The description had said it was spicy, and it was. but I like that. Who needs Alka-Seltzer cold medicine when you've got Szechwan spices? My mouth was hot and my sinuses cleared.
By the time we finished (about 8:15pm), the families had all cleared out. The restaurant was about half-full. It was only adults coming in then.
This is a very, very busy place. Service was rushed but efficient.
Everybody enjoyed their food. I would definitely go again. -
Review from Jeanne Z.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/7/2011
Meh. The asian food here is mediocre.
I am a huge dim sum fan and I was so excited to go here for the first time. But my excitement quickly turned to disappointment as the dishes came out.
1. Hot and Sour Soup- this was probably the best one I ordered, but that isn't really saying much. Good-sized portion and has vegetables, but hardly any noodles at all.
2. Pot Stickers- these were okay, but they didn't seem very fresh. They seemed more like the pot stickers you can buy from the frozen aisle at the supermarket.
3. Crystal Shrimp Dumplings- the worst one! The shrimp had a very unpleasant "shrimpy" taste that means that it probably wasn't cooked for long enough. I had stomachaches for the following two days :(
4. Crispy Bao Buns- these aren't nice, soft, doughy buns, but rather super fried.
The dim sum I ordered seemed to be all fried, which is not how dim sum should be.
Despite the disappointing food, the staff and the decor were nice. -
Review from Richard M.
Chicago, IL
6/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really enjoy this place. It's a nice place that offers a vast selection of noodles and Pan-Asian foods.
I visited with my friend and we ordered their specials of the day appetizer, Asparagus Tempura. IT WAS HEAVENLY. And on top of that, they gave us a good amount. I would say there was like 10 stalks of asparagus for 2 people that cost 7 bucks. DEAL!
I ordered their Mongolian Beef and my friend ordered a Chicken Satay. I knew my dish was going to be spicy, but it was spicier than expected and I have a huge tolerance for spicy. The amount of beef on my plate was generous and my friend's chicken satay was marinated exquisitely.
The service was a little slow, but our waitress was sweet and helpful. Because my friend and I are basically fish, we drank a lot of water, but once we had finished our glass, almost instantly someone would refill our glasses.
I highly recommend this place. Go go go for some affordable eats! -
Review from Holly O.
6/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have loved Lulu's ever since highschool, and while I haven't lived in Evanston in about 10 years, I still have to go there to eat at Lulu's.
My favorite? The salad with chicken, ginger dressing, and crispy wontons. Most amazing salad EVER. Yes, ever.
Other good things? Spring rolls, any noodle dish... (esp the spicy peanut noodles) - but get the chicken salad. Just do it. -
Review from N. S.
Chicago, IL
3/23/2012
Food is always fresh and flavorful. It's a little more than I like to spend on a regular basis at lunch, and sometimes it takes longer than other places too, but I'm always happy with my food. I like that you can order smaller portions of things. The noodle dishes are all good, but the soups are my favorite. They also have some seasonal specials, and a few weeks ago I had this AMAZING red miso ramen soup, full of delicious eggplant, winter squash, sweet potato and ground pork. It was really special. Service is usually really friendly, and while it used to always seem to take a long time, the pace seems to be faster in the last year.
-
Review from Kit G.
2/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is my favorite lunch by my office. My coworkers and I always get the Bento Box. It is a more expensive lunch than most places, about $12, but it is a lot of food. The best parts of the bento box are the cold peanut noodles, and the salad. The chicken in the salad has a wonderful marinade, and it is always tender. The dressing is a great creamy ginger.
They do deliver, but I would call as soon as they open if you want it quickly. Sometimes the deliveries get a little backed up during the lunch rush. -
Review from E. W.
Evanston, IL
2/23/2011
We like Lulu's. The servers are usually friendly, if sometimes slow, and the atmosphere is fun and relaxed. The food ranges from eh to great, but the dishes that are great, are really, really great. These are:
Spicy Chicken Wings -- sweet, spicy, sticky sauce; crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. And big. And only $6.
Salmon Sashimi -- take high grade salmon, drizzle it with ponzu citrus sauce, top it with a bit of seaweed, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Does yours turn out as scrumptious as Lulu's? Yeah, that's what I thought.
We also like the Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with extra beef, the Chicken Shao Mai, the Salt & Pepper Calamari, the Potato Croquettes, and the The Wanton Wonton Sundae for dessert (if we're there with friends -- it's pretty big), but those are all just regular good. The spicy chicken wings and the salmon sashimi are the dishes that justify the trek and earn Lulu's four stars, at least.
Update:
I wish I could give an extra half star for their latest brilliant menu addition -- 8 for 8. You get 8 tasting portions of the appetizers of your choice for $8.88 anytime after 8pm any day of the week. The portions vary in size, but one to two rounds should satisfy most folks. -
Review from Alisa M.
11/16/2010
Came here for a quick snack. We ordered the salt and pepper calamari and spicy wings. To drink, I ordered the Homemade yuzu ginger ale. The ginger ale was a bit too minty and tart for me. I also didn't like the fact that lemon seeds where in the drink. I had to spit out a couple seeds because they were coming up through my straw. The presentation was great, but it didn't taste anything that I imagined. Don't get me wrong, I love the japanese yuzu drink and ginger ale. I figured it'd be great to try them mixed together, but I was very disappointed.
The salt and pepper calamari, on the other hand, was very good. The spicy wings were good as well. I think that it could use a bit more spice though, but the taste was almost perfect and the wings were not too greasy. I have to admit that the prices on the menu for their dimsum is a bit pricey. They range from $4.99 to $6.99. Their main dishes range from $8.99 to $16.75.
They are offering an all you can eat special for $17.95 per person where you can order almost everything off their menu. This special is available Monday and Tuesday from 5:30pm-9pm and Sat-Sun from 11:30am-3:30pm. If you're in the mood to try different dishes, this is definitely the way to go. There are a few things that you can't order off this special (I think the specialty dishes and dessert, but for the most part, I think you can pretty much order anything else off the menu. If you're eating with 2 people, the bill can easily be close to $36.
This is the second time I've been to this place and I would have to say that the service is great.Listed in: Asian Food
-
Review from Pete D.
1/11/2011
LOVE the peanut noodles here. If you are a fan of pan-asian, this place is perfect for you. Three and a half stars.
Is it kinda pricey for this food? Maybe a little, but it's downtown Evanston so the rent can't be cheap. All in all, a fun and inviting place with tasty food. -
Review from Sandy N.
10/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Came here for the second time recently for a friend's birthday celebration. I have to say, I'm really not a fan of super-Americanized Asian food when it is accompanied with super-Americanized (i.e. overinflated) prices. I mean, seriously, $7.25 for 4 wontons? WTF?! Anyway, it wasn't my birthday so I didn't raise a fuss.
Our table mostly ordered the various noodle dishes, which weren't horribly priced (~$9.50 for pad thai, etc), and I ordered the whole catfish, which was really good. It was perfectly done and seasoned, and the price wasn't too bad considering it was more like a 2 person portion. I wouldn't recommend that particular dish to anyone who is uncomfortable seeing fish in its whole form (with tail--only the Asian people tried some).
Overall, Lulu's is not bad if you don't have other choices for Asian food and you don't mind paying a higher price. Otherwise, you would be better off trying Zoba's--they have excellent and reasonably priced noodles. -
Review from Jackie G.
9/2/2010
I've been to Lulu's twice, once dine in and once take-out and ordered the Bento box both times. I really enjoyed it for all the variety in one meal for a good value.
The salad with the strips of wonton, pieces of chicken and ginger salad was very fresh, just wish the dressing had a stronger ginger flavor. The time I got take out, sauce drenched the sesame spinach, which was a little unpleasant. The fried potsticker and egg roll were fine enough, but I can't enough about the cold sesame peanut noodles. The flavor is so tasty and the texture not greasy.
The time I ate here with friends was enjoyable. The decor is bright and colorful. Service catered to one friend's dietary restrictions (no meat, eggs, garlic, onion) and even checked to ensure she got the one dessert that contained no egg. I shared the chocolate brownie dessert with the other friend, but I must say it doesn't compare to the Triple Chocolate Storm down the street at Flat Top.
My inspiration to write this review stems from a gift certificate I received at a volunteer recognition event. The gift certificate brought me in to order that take out and now leads me to claim that they support the local community.Listed in: Cause Marketing
-
Review from Bridget M.
Hoffman Estates, IL
7/13/2010
Talk about bastardized Asian food. I go by the theory that you can determine how good an Asian place is by the number of Asians patrons. I arrived here and was the only face with slanted eyes. Red flag #1. However, I was pretty entranced by the name - Lulu's Dim Sum and Then Some? I enjoy the play on words thoroughly.
We were greeted by a friendly, but nervous server. She was nice, but never wanted to look at us in the eyes. Red flag #2.
I ordered the hot and sour soup, Thai iced tea, and Korean chop chae.
Our food came out and the soup I ordered was very "meh." Being ravenous at this point, I slurped it down. There was nothing remarkable about it, but nothing terrible either.
When my chop chae arrived, I was already skeptical - it did not look like any chop chae I have ever eaten before! I went with it though... I mean it is an Asian FUSION place after all. BIG MISTAKE.
Not sure if it was the soup... or if it was the chop chae, but the entire ride home my stomach was churning. I definitely had immediate food poisoning. Not only was the food lackluster going down, it was double horrible going in the opposite direction.
Never again. -
Review from Michele B.
Evanston, IL
2/17/2012
Great, healthy selection of Asian-like food. Nice presentation, generous portions - stuff you don't find on most menus. Great bento box (not on the menu but you can ask for it). Reasonable prices too.
-
Review from Carolynne M.
Chicago, IL
11/16/2007
This place has now won the title of "worst restaurant experience ever", now that I learned the previous title holder had been shut down and the building demolished this past month.
My friend and I came early on one blustery Friday night. We stood in the entryway and told the hostess "seating for two". The restaurant, at this point, was busy but not packed. We were the only ones waiting for a table.
Suddenly a large group of folks come in - some groups of 4, some 6. The hostess runs over and immediately starts seating them. We are standing there, confused, because throughout all this, we can clearly see many tables for two sitting empty.
The wave of people coming in continues steadily for the next twenty minutes. All of them are being seated in rapid succession. My friend finally snaps and demands to know why we are still standing there. The hostess shrugs her shoulders and says flatly (and this is verbatim) "Oh, you must have come in before it got busy."
(Yes, I realize this was the point where we should have left, but we were stupid and naive girls back then).
We are ushered without hurry or apology to a small table by the window. Waiters stream by us but none stop. I finally flag one down who says simply "oh I have no idea who you belong to". 10 minutes later, a guy who looked to be about 19 or 20 saunters up and begrudgingly takes our order. We think the madness has finally come to an end and look forward to dinner.
Except! 10 minutes later, this same waiter comes by and says "Did you order?" We look at each other and stunned, reply "yes, I had the noodles and she had....." but was abruptly cut off by him saying "yeah, yeah, I know WHAT you ordered, but did I give the order to the kitchen?"
OH. MY. GOD. What!
Do you know that after all that the food was completely dull and characterless? After over an hour of dealing with the worst kind of service ever, could we have at least got good food? Oh well, why mess with a perfect run, I guess.
To all you folks that like LuLu's and gave it high marks: Good for you! Enjoy it while it lasts! Just don't ever come in "before it gets busy". You will regret it. -
Review from Joshua N.
9/23/2008
I keep reading about this place being "americanized thai" food. If by American, they mean that it is really salty with no other flavor profile, then yes, this was completely Americanized Thai (it's pan-asian though, not Thai). Why are we as Americans so quick to label terrible things as being "us-ized"? Are we really this terrible?
Had some kind of rice noodles with chicken and the crispy bao. Everything tasted like salt and deep fryer oil. The broccoli on the noodle dish was the only redeeming quality. Broccoli is pretty good.
My recommendation to you if you are considering a meal at Lulu is to walk down Davis another block or two to Cozy instead. Their food is cheaper and actually tastes good. I don't plan on returning to Lulu. -
Review from Dee W.
7/19/2007
This has somehow made it into our lunch rotation. Would I order their dim sum? NO way.
However, their noodle dishes are pretty good. And their salads are HUGE and very flavorful. Service is a bit slow especially when you know that it's lunch hour for a lot of people. They have a nice bento box lunch special for $9.95 which includes side chicken salad, peanut noodles, fried dumpling, spring roll and some other stuff, too.
Not bad - I've heard about their all you can eat dim sum but given the quality of the dim sum that I tried, not too impressed with it. We'll be back again for lunch but it's definitely an Americanized experience. -
Review from Matthew S.
Chicago, IL
10/25/2007
One of my favorites, and as a north sider, the drive isn't that far. This place used to have a different location, and it was much homier. The new place feels a little "chain restaurant", but it is clean and the window seating is amazing.
I live for the sesame noodles and steamed spinach. I can order just that and be very happy.
But they do this other evil thing called Bunch a Lunch. One price, and you can eat a little of EVERYTHING off the menu. And order a little more if you want.
The service is quick, and you can get carry out. Parking is easy: Its Evanston! Compared to the city anyway.
Great for a date, and its close to the movie theatre. -
Review from Sandeep P.
Hinsdale, IL
11/12/2010
There really isn't too much to say about Lulu's. I came here at the behest of a friend who swears by it, which was my first time considering Lulu's after living in Evanston for nearly 3 years. The appetizers we ordered were tasty but were in very small proportions given the price. Especially when you consider the plethora of Asian restaurant competition in Evanston, that just doesn't fly.
The entered were not as satisfactory. I believe we got salmon cakes and a noodle chicken dish. Neither of them were really up my alley, and the salmon cakes actually had a rather large bone in them!
I'm giving Lulu's 2 stars primarily because of the good service provided and the nice atmosphere. As far as the food is concerned, I think I'd prefer to eat in a dining hall. -
Review from Eric M.
Merced, CA
11/2/2006
Most Chinese people will tell you that they despise Americanized Chinese food. I however am not Chinese. I am an american-born Filipino hard-ass. So therefore i must insist that Lulu's is the shit.
DIM SUM AND THEN SUM!
They don't lie man....ALL YOU CAN EAT DIM SUM for 15.99??? ARE YOU INSANE???? I wish all chinatown dim sum were all you can eat!
bring your appetite....bring your friend...just dont bring your friends appetite! more for me! -
Review from Jeanne J.
Chicago, IL
4/19/2008
I went to Lulu's once three years ago -
I can only remember that the food was average, nothing special to crave, and I've never had the urge to go back again. -
Review from David R.
5/17/2008
Lulu's has some of the most consistently solid service of any restaurant anywhere. They must have a great training program. I've been here about a dozen times over the last several years, and it's always good. There's nothing spectacular about the service; it's just good--every time.
Their food is also consistently good. I usually get the panko chicken salad (one of the tastiest salads around, with an incredible sesame dressing), although I have tried several other dishes which never fail to please, e.g. the shrimp dumplings, the spring rolls, the egg rolls, and the calamari. An ex of mine swore by their miso soup and craved it all the time. They have excellent values on lunch specials and combination "boxes."
If, like I, you want to eat a quiet lunch and read a book on a weekend afternoon, try coming to Lulu's well after 2:00 when they're not as busy. During the typical lunch hours they are packed.Listed in: Calamari, Lunch in Evanston
-
Review from Richie D.
5/21/2009 1 photo
I've noticed that LuLu's is all about the adorable decor and dishes to appease the mind into believing the food is better than it truly is. I once thought this place had great noodles (say 2 years or so ago)...I suppose I got accustomed to the outstanding Thai food in Chicago proper. Now since I've been back to LuLu's, I was not impressed. I will admit though that my suburbanite mother loved it however she likes anything new with good company.
We started off with a nice hot tea set that causes you to smile at its adorableness. We added on the Coconut Shrimp app that was fairly tasty but could have used some more lemon-chili sauce since the "shrimps" were a bit dry. Along came the main entrees...
The Wide Rice Noodles I guess are made to resemble Lard Na with oxymoronic crunchy yet soft noodles. These noodles were simply soggy to the point that they created little Matzah Balls amidst the vegetables and blah oyster sauce. I wasn't all too keen about the Basil-lacking Thai Basil Chicken. It should be renamed "Thai Vegetable Chicken." It was nothing special.
Cute name, darling plates, pleasant decor, quaint location, yet food is a lackin' (or is more recently). -
Review from Maggie B.
Chicago, IL
5/11/2006
Lulu's chicken salad with ginger dressing cannot be beat. I worked in Evanston for 10 years and that salad was a lunch staple. They also have good Miso soup.
I have been with friends who did not like it at all - but I've never had a bad experience. -
Review from Amber G.
Evanston, IL
4/3/2010
The food here is nothing special, though the decor is cute and colorful, and it has a friendly atmosphere. It was pretty busy for lunch on Saturday and our waiter kept us waiting.
Chilled steamed spinach with tofu and sesame vinaigrette - nice vinaigrette and I was pleased to see some black sesame seeds, but there was only one miniscule piece of tofu. Don't include tofu in the description unless there is enough that everyone gets to at least have a bite.
Steamed black mussels with tamarind, chili, lemongrass & cilantro sauce - nice sauce, but the mussels were just not that fresh.
Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (4) Crisp rice flour dumplings served
with tomato-ginger dipping sauce - the dumplings themselves were alright, but the dipping sauce did not taste remotely like tomato or ginger, it was definitely sweet and sour sauce.
Citrus Salmon Salad, Grilled fresh salmon over mixed greens with sugar snaps, green beans, miso & mustard vinaigrette - this tasted pretty good, although there was a skimpy piece of salmon. I was confused as to where the citrus came in though - I could neither taste nor see any sign of any citrus ingredient.
All of the food had potential, it just wasn't quite there for me. None of the dishes we sampled really stood out or impressed me. -
Review from Colleen J.
Chicago, IL
4/30/2007
Vegetable Salad!!!
It's the only thing I order there. I used to work up in Evanston, and this place was just around that terribly windy corner of Davis and Sherman.
The dressing on this salad is sooo tasty! It's a little pricey (about $8.75), but it's pretty big. They put cilantro with many dishes, and I love cilantro. I tried the bento box once, but it wasn't near as good as the vegetable salad.
I recommend going here if you're in downtown Evanston. The service is just okay, but prompt. I really only go here for the salad. I went again today, actually.
Go now!Listed in: Top Restaurants, Evanston Outings
