Neighborhood: Logan Square

Lula has been part of the Logan Square community for 17 years prior to the more recent explosion of restaurants, bars, and cafes.  I have had the pleasure of coming here for both brunch and dinner multiple times.  While I am more of a fan of their dinner options, their brunch is also delicious and affordable.

The environment is quaint and cute within a somewhat eclectic and charming space.  Their patio is always packed full of diners on balmy summer nights.  Their service has always been accommodating and the servers are knowledgeable and proud of their food.

Brunch:

If you are looking for unique brunch fare without getting stuffed, Lula is a great option.  It’s challenging for me to come here for brunch since they only have it till 2pm and I’m a late riser on the weekends so I usually miss their brunch.  In the few times I have been able to have their brunch, I have been impressed with their unique offerings.  It’s always busy with a wait so expect to wait a bit.

While I am usually a fan of savory foods for brunch, my dining companion and I tried their Sweet Grain Porridge, which had bee pollen, soy milk, rhubarb, and sunflower.  The grain on top added a nice crunchy texture.  It was really cozy and not overly sweet.  I really liked how the soy milk went with the other ingredients  We also ordered the Chocolate Sesame Babka.  It was a bit dry for my tastes but I don’t pretend to be a babka expert so maybe they’re supposed to be on the dryer side.  It wasn’t super sweet but more mild.

My favorite brunch dish was their Smoked Trout Scramble served with a side of crusty, fresh sourdough bread and seasoned potatoes.  It was served with fresh dill, arugula, bits of tasty smoked trout, and whipped cream cheese.  The cream cheese did not dominate the flavors at all and complemented the fresh vegetables and herbs very well.  The eggs were also creamy and perfectly made.

I am often disappointed with scrambled eggs when I eat out because they are often dried out but I was satisfied with my eggs at Lula.  They are also generous with dill, which is my favorite herb so another reason to love this dish!

We also tried the Lula Classic Breakfast Burrito which came with avocado, potato, cheddar, scrambled eggs, and salsa verde.  The eggs were creamy and blended very nicely with the avocado.  I think the burrito overall could have been more seasoned but the salsa verde definitely added some nice flavor to it.  If you want to get full, then breakfast burrito is a good choice even though it does not have extraordinary flavor.

Dinner:
While I do like their brunch, I am more of a fan of their dinner because I think the flavors are far more exciting and adventurous.  Their cocktails are always super delicious and refreshing too, which are easier to have at night.

My favorite appetizer is the Baked French Feta.  It is heaven in a small, appetizing silver bowl.  The baked French Feta comes out baked and sizzling garnished with acidic and savory marinated olives, cucumber, parsley, and a succulent jalapeño-basil oil.  The feta is soft and moist and spreads perfectly on the delicious baked bread served with it.  I never forgot about how delicious this was after the first time I ate here.

We also shared their Fava Bean Hummus, which was also remarkable and delicious.  I love hummus but I am not too excited to eat it at a fancier restaurant since it’s a very cheap and easy dish to make.  The fava bean element though added some uniqueness to it and the garnishes were delightful.  It was fresh and came with these savory mushrooms adding a delicious umami flavor and a fun texture.

For our entrées we of course ordered some pasta because Lula knows how to do pasta and they do really interesting sauces and flavors.  We ordered their Bucatini with ricotta and basil with freshly shaved parmesan on top.  It was another savory delight and the pasta tasted fresh along with the herbs used.  Our last entrée was their Wood-Ear Mushroom Risotto.  It was creamy with arugula and chives served on top.  The mushrooms were crispy and added a fun texture to the moist risotto.

We were too full for dessert but I think Lula is an incredibly well-rounded restaurant.  Yes, it’s not the cheapest, but I think it’s worth every penny because they pay so much detail to every aspect of the dish with sustainable, local, and delicious tasting ingredients.