9.03.2009

Lola's

945 N. Fairfax
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.654.5652
www.lolasla.com

Parking: Street Parking on Fairfax or $5 Valet

Daily, 5:30 - 7:30pm, $5.00 select martini specials & $5.50 appetizers. Additional late night happy hour, 10:30pm – 12:30am (temporary)

Going to Lola’s is like giving your phone number to a cute guy you just met. It seems fun, but you just never know how it’s going to turn out.
My friends, Lola’s is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of happy hours. Lola’s can be a great happy hour all depending if the bar is ready for customers, where you sit, and what you server you get.
You see, Lola’s happy hour starts at 5:30pm, the same time the establishment opens. While not a problem at other places, Lola’s sometimes isn’t completely ready for service. On one visit, we couldn’t order a certain martini because the fruit or something wasn’t ready. We were too confused to investigate further. On another occasion, the appetizer choices were limited because the others weren’t ready. On yet another occasion, our friend was told she could not sit in the back room because it wasn’t ready. It’s pretty certain to say that the staff should arrive about 30 minutes or so prior to opening.
Now, if the bar is ready to go, all is well… depending on your seat and server. We need to start writing down the names of all the good servers, as well as their schedules. When it’s good at Lola’s, it’s good.
Dr. Jekylls: They will take your order upon arrival, give you a chance to review the menu, and return for food orders. They will check on your table, and they will come by when a new party arrives. They will let you know when it is last call for happy hour. You won’t be confused when the bill arrives. They will only add a gratuity for large parties. You will leave a great tip for great service.
Mr. Hydes: You will have to ask the hostess who your server is. You will have to ask to get a drink order in before last call for happy hour. Your server will tell you that you can’t have another drink until the current drink is completely gone. You will make plenty of eye contact with your server but for some reason they just won’t come back over. You will go to the bar and order a drink because you have no idea where your server is… again. You will receive a gratuity on your check for a large party of four. You just pay it because it will take forever to find the server and clear it up.
While the servers are hit and miss, the bartenders are not. In the cases of the Mr. Hydes, we’ve had to make a trip to the bar here and there. We know it’s rude to the server, but sadly they never notice. Sometimes, we only want to sit at the bar because good service is guaranteed.
Regardless of the servers, the drinks are always on point at Lola’s.
Lola’s is not a place for people on the prowl, but great for groups. It’s always a great place when needing to catch up with a bunch of people. There’s no problem parking, there’s no fuss to get in, and you can always find you party.
Rating: 4.5. Martinis (Dr. Jekylls) / 2.5 Martinis (Mr. Hydes)

1 comment:

  1. Good review. Totally true Jekyll/Hyde. I believe the staff there should come in earlier than opening the doors at 5:30 to make sure service is ready to go when thirsty/hungry patrons arrive after a hard work day. I nicknamed it Crap-ola's cause like you're review, you never know what kind of service you'll receive (or not receive).

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails