lola's burrito joint

had steak taco and carnitas taco. at best fair. not a lot of flavor. served fairly plain on a small flour tortilla there was not the taste you would expect from themenudescription. the ambiance is good. the server was enthusiastic pleasant and knowledgeable. unfortunately the kitchen is unable to meet much demand. we waited much longer than we should’ve.
overall the location and ambiance couldn’t overcome the mediocre flavor and taste and slow food service.

pretty tasty and delicious. burgers are awesome but the curious george burrito is my fav. the names of all themenuitems are hilarious. gotta love a restaurant that doesn't take itself too seriously.

when you hear the name, lola’s burrito joint, well what comes to your mind?  mexican?  for sure, but not you ordinary mexican, think; sauces made with fresh ingredients, all proteins cooked to order, so… that’s not going to be quick, and it should not be a problem.  themenuoffers a large assortment of items to choose from, appetizers, empanadas, hot wings, tacos, burgers and sandwiches, and the specialty burritos.  they can be regular, (dry or wet), v stuff (veterinarian), special grilled burritos, quesadillas, salads and several interesting entries.  this king st. spot has loyal followers, and you can expect to see regulars (we are) and people who just drop in cause someone told them to try it.  you can also expect this place to be packed on the weekend, and i can testify lunch is a very busy event each day.  all the staff members truly are a team, from the kitchen staff, to bar staff and the servers.  and it’s nice to see the same faces each time we go in, i like longevity in restaurant staff, makes me think management is doing something right.

the food is just not very good. i've been here 4 times, and each time was pretty excited about trying something new on the menu. despite my inherent problem with charging for chips and salsa (wtf?) i've kept coming back, but after last night's dinner i just give up.

first, the food is not fresh. the meat, veggies, and toppings are all from sysco, or so it seems. themenusounds exciting, but it's interesting-sounding combinations come out more like a combination of everything on your plate at a cheap chinese buffet than a mix of fresh things in an innovative kitchen. everything tastes like preservatives. i hate to say it, but even moe's makes a better burrito.

second, the drinks are mostly pre-packaged syrup with a shot in them. nothing gets made freshly here.

the service has never been bad. the ambiance is neat, if a bit forced. but the kitchen and bar need serious help.

and for god's sake, stop charging for chips and salsa.

if in riverside, why eat here?. seriously. been here 3 times. when they opened, a few months later and now just recently- it was the "ok, one more shot" visit.

it was also my last. i'm sorry but there are so many better options in riverside. this place reminds me of a locally owned moe's type of place that belongs in a strip mall on southside blvd. that's what the food is like.

owners, please buy fresh food and quality ingredients. lola's and carmine's are both so mediocre for this reason. themenusounds fine, but the food just tastes bland and preservative-y. people know when you buy all your food from sysco or the like. guac isn't bad, though.

anyway- the only items i find appealling are the ones that rely of fat for their flavor. try tacos or anything that should have a delicate touch and bright flavors and much is to be desired.

drinks taste syrupy/premade, but they are cheap at happy hour. my guess is they last until someone brings a decent mexican place to riverside. 5 points village please!

and finally- if a customer is ordering dinner, just give them some chips and salsa. it is really unpleasant to look at themenuand get the attitude from the servers that you're being nickeled and dime as a patron.

i'll miss this place when i move, but would travel to just visit :). lola's and carmines are related and the proprietors and staff of both restaurants do an amazing job! it's not easy to operate 2 restaurants that serve completely different cuisines and do it well. the spanish and mexican fare is exquisite and authentic. this restaurant is definitely one that i frequently visit since theirmenuis so vast and fun to explore. suggestions? the empanadas, gator tacos, street corn (melt in your mouth delicioso!), the uniquely crafted burgers (peanut butter anyone?), and everything else is divine. so, go there and have fun in the great environment and make friends with the staff because they are dedicated to the restaurant. it's rare to see a new crew member (unlike many other places). oh and i must mention the amazing daily (excluding weekends) happy hour special from 2-7 consisting of local brews and margaritas from a list of around 20 yummy concoctions.

yummy and slow!. quick synopsis: good food, slow! we visited lola's for dinner last sunday. we had a group of seven so understandably had to wait a bit. once the table was empty it took forever to get it cleaned off. once we sat down, we loved the huge beer selection...lots of beers on tap for my boyfriend to explore. themenuwas big and had lots of yummy choices. my boyfriend got the 2lb wet willie burrito...actually looked the same size as other burritos at our table. he liked it and polished off the whole thing! i ordered the mexican street corn (amazing!), as well as an average fish taco and a yummy picadillo empanada.

i expected the service to be really slow based on other reviews...but was quite shocked at how slow it really was. we waited a solid 45 minutes for our food to come out....a little extreme for mexican. you have to pay extra for chips and salsa...seems a bit stingy.

we will go back though - they have a stuffed poblano burger that sounds amazing!

a great addition to king st. i've been in six or seven times since they've opened. theirmenuis still evolving, but getting better. we always get the yucca fries, a tasty margarita, and friendly service. i've never had a bad experience. always a pleasant staff, fast, great food. i just tried the sweetie pie burrito and i think i have a new favorite :)

very good. i am surprised by the large number of negative reviews, just like the other reviewer had said before. this is a solid addition to the restaurants in the area. but first, to address the so called "racist" name this place has been given, it is not. i watched the local news story on it and i myself am mexican, and after having been there, i found nothing racist about it. they even changed the names on themenuso that people would not be offended. i think this is a responsible thing to do and shows that they care about their business/clientele. now, on the food. i did not have a burrito, but i had 4 different soft tacos. they were all good or very good. i am a huge carnita taco fan, and burrito gallery has the best in town, followed by taco lu. the carnita here is good, but their chirizo and "original" tacos are awesome! their queso dip is also very good, along with the chips that they sprinkle a special seasoning on. i went with a group and we all had soft tacos, chips, and shared a side of the refried black beans which was awesome too. i went for lunch and it was not busy and the server was really nice. the beer selection is quite good and they have a good size bar with tvs to watch games on. overall, this is a great place to go and i cannot see why it is rated so low. the food is good, comes out quick, is fresh, and the service is good. i definitely recommend this to anyone in the area who wants a good beer and good tacos.

really good food!!!. i had a hankering for mexican tonight and my husband told me about lola's. it's more than just a mexican food restaurant. theirmenuis diverse and has something for everyone (even my picky 14 year old who had wings!). christie was the absolute best server, and she told me about this fried ear of corn. i'm thinking, "how good could it be?" well let me tell you, it's awesome! i'm still thinking about it a couple of hours later!! my husband's burrito was delicious and i had an empanata which was good, but i loved the burrito better! i highly recommend lola's and can't wait to go back!!

let's start with the menu. on the back page of theirmenuthey tell you that changing something on themenuwill screw up the flavor. okay so if i'm allergic i should just eat it and die..got it. it also claims that all the food is fresh. i have been eating rice-a-roni for years and i know instant when i taste it. no one at my table got any cabbage in their food as it said on themenubut that was hard to notice when you're staring down a ten dollar burrito with cold meat, rice a roni, and i believe there were 6 tortilla chips on my plate. no complementary salsa, though we did buy some of their pineapple salsa and it was good. the corn was canned the mushrooms if they weren't canned sure tasted and looked bad. themenuhas a section called from the streets of bogota that;s colombia and the first thing for sale in the colombian section is..."mexican street corn" nothing in the section is colombian. i know. i'm from south america. i could go on about themenubut why bother? we are never going back. the people working were nice adn smiling and after they did screw up my order i did get a quesadilla and it was okay but not even close to worth the price. somebody call gordon ramsey to fix this joint. unfortunately it is just as bad as the previous restraunt that occupied the space (and they didn't change the bar at all) "jacksons"
the joke of the day there was "you'll need a burrito sized joint in order to make anything good at...lola's burrito joint

fresh food. went for lunch and enjoyed the way themenulet's you choose all different items, lots of mexican restaurants tend to have plates with 1 or 2 items with three of each. had the spicy shrimp taco, fresh, delicious and black bean empanada, yummy.huge selection of beverages

when it comes to a libation, lola’s does not hold back. they carry a selection of over 50 beers, most on tap and a good number from local breweries, and a full bar with several house designed mojitos and margaritas. they are still in the stages of designing the menu, and the condition in which they were presented shows it, with items no longer offered being simply blacked out with a marker. themenuoffers a twist on the average items offered at a burrito joint plus a few that are not expected.

on the border. visited lola's last sunday, got there when they first opened. we were seated promptly and the waiter took drink orders quickly. tried their margarita, it had good flavor but didn't seem like it had much tequilla. ordered the street corn as an appetizer - this is delicious. for dinner ordered the chooie's chimmy- wasn't impressed! while themenudescription lists steak as the first ingredient there was very little steak in the burrito. it was mostly rice and beans with a few pieces of steak. my friend ordered the shrimp but no papers - there was more shrimp in this one than the steak burrito, but it was still mostly rice and beans. while these burritos were two fisted, they are overpriced at 8.97 with the limited amount of meat inside.

we liked it alot. well we have eaten at carmine's a few times and wanting to try lola's. well we were in the neighborhood last night so we stopped in. the decor is just about the same as carmines both are dressed in some off the walls paintings and saying. but then who hangs a manican on a 30,000 dollar motorcycle. now for the food we ordered the yucca fries and let me tell you they are great. specially after never eaten yucca before. the creamy cream n jalapeno cheese sauce was out of this world with a nice kick to it. that should come with the meal it is so so good. we also ordered tacos from the large and confusing menu. we had the fish, shrimp, pork, chirizo, rajun cajun (gator) tacos and they were all really good with plenty of meat and good fillings. the cabbage was crispy and fresh then the salsa was a good addition along with the cilantro. so if you choose to go to lola's you must order the yucca fries and everything else on themenuwill be good along with it. enjoy