Loveeeee this place very much. It's tiny and cosy and the food is good. It's been a while since i have visited but it has always been wonderful.
Chex Lulu is one of my Birmingham favorites. The food is always good. The olive tapenade along with the freshly baked bread from Continental is amazing! Often I'll pick it up along with either the fresh feta or blue cheese and it becomes an easy dinner at home. I guess this is really a review of both Chez Lulu and Continental Bakery!
Always great and a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. Food and wine selection is classic, fresh and delicious. A favorite in Birmingham for lunch and brunch, and a fun quiet spot for dinner!
Food was cheap and tasty! The waitress was a little odd and awkward but the food came out quickly and delicious! Freshly baked goods and yummy. Definitely will go back
Eclectic, Cozy, Funky and fresh baked goods!. Chez Lulu
1911 Cahaba Rd
Mountain Brook, AL 35223
We visited Chez Lulu yesterday for drinks and a snack. We found it very accessible and were able to find parking directly in front of the establishment. Sidewalk dining was perfect and was complimented with the friendly staff. We had a server that was in training but she was doing her best. Service was a little slow but we were in no hurry. We started with the Mediterranean plate and it was delicous featuring roasted red pepper sauce, olive paste and a creamy cheesy. Along with the fresh baked bread from Continental bakery(next door) this was a real treat. The red pepper sauce was very similar but thicker than a romesco. Next we had a 10" Brooklyn Pizza on spent grain crust! YUM!
All in all a very pleasant dining experience on the streets of Mountain Brook. We will be going back!
Fave pizza in town. Not always the most consistent spot, but the pizza has always been right on. The servers usually know what's up. The beautiful goddess/former rock star trained under master baker Lionel Poilane (I believe).. Anyway, the bread is great. Traditional French bakery and it's restaurant companion. Carol will you marry me? Xoxoxo
Excellent brunch spot. Highly recommend. Ham Biscuits , grits and crepes very good. Reliably very good quality and good service.
I have always loved this restaurant! Wonderful food and service. The only downside is the tiny glass of wine you get.
Delicious tarte, but the best part to me was the simple house salad. You could just tell the vegetables were very fresh, and the lemon basil dressing was light. Yum!
I've been to chez lulu at least a dozen times, and I absolutely adore this place! The atmosphere is relaxing, the service impeccable, and the food delicious. Love it!!
Great Local Spot. The food is very fresh. The service and atmosphere are great. We've always had fantastic experiences. Pilsner Urquell on draft! I just wish they served pizza during lunch hours.
Wonderful cafe. The warm ambiance...the delicious food...the reasonably priced food...what more can i ask for?
I like this place. A lot. But the seating is cramped and the tables are wobbly enough to call in your order to-go. Couples are relegated to two-tops while parents and (usually loud) kids get the prized four-tops. My advice: call in a reservation early and invite a friend.
Love it!. The negative:
Portions are small. Lots of pretentious visitors are clogging the tables. Decor is stuck in the 90s (cluttered or charming?)
The food:
The bread for the table was of outstanding quality. The soups were served fast and the first spoonful catapulted them to the apex of B'ham's soup landscape. The tomato-based Gazpacho with almonds was mildly seasoned allowing the herbs to melt with the fresh ingredients. The onion soup was made with vegetable stock and I truly appreciated the lack of hydrolyzed yeast. Sandwiches and tarts were good but the eggplant on focaccia tasted only one-dimensional.
The great:
Waiter was knowledgeable, helpful, patient and polite. Pizza dough is made with spent grain from the Good People brewery, Good People is on draft (16oz/ $4.75). Use of local and organic foods in handcrafted meals result in flavorful and fragrant dishes.
One of my favs. Quaint with good food. Nice place to enjoy a leisurely meal; not a quick bite. I love the local produce used in the recipes and the artisan breads w/ olive oil served gratis. The latte is excellent, nice wine selections & local brews. The soups and tartes are unusual but usually a nice surprise...even the cold ones. The small pizza is plenty for 2 people if you add a salad or soup. When it's crowded & customers get prissy (which I have witnessed on occasion) the staff get stressed. I've found that if I chill, the staff reciprocates or I'll return at a less busy time.
Better Days. I do love this quaint spot. I just went back after moving away and I am sad to say the quality does seem to be slipping. Please, please take care of your sweet little cafe. The soup and salad and sandwich were just okay at best. Good pizza though I don't go here for the pizza.
Great Date Resturant. The food here is wonderful. The portions are just right. The appetizers are perfect to enjoy while talking. The beer and wine selection is great. Your date will love this little spot, she will be impressed. My fiance and I eat here regularly. The bakery is also desirable. The pastries are delicious and I would recommend the french banquet with Brie. My only complaint would be that the servers, with the exception of a few, are not very friendly. They border on the stuck-up, unambitious, hipster side. That is my only complaint. Everything else is exquisite!
My wife and I went for a quite Sunday evening dinner and loved it. Great place for long conversations over good food. The mood is definitely European, my wife said she almost forgot we were in Alabama.
Love it!. Great organic food and quaint atmosphere.
Feels like you're eating at Grandma's. You can't beat the service, and the food is great too!
An old favorite!. Nice choice for lunch or Sunday brunch. The olive tampanade is over the top. The tarragon chicken salad is one of kind in Bham. The pizza is always a good choice. The desserts are masterful. Always a hit with my mom when she comes to visit from out of town. A real Birmingham unique place!
Lovely cafe!. One of my favorite spots in Birmingham! So thankful for their vegetarian offerings. The Peasant soup is amazing, as is the Farcie. The pies are delicious also. To me, the portions are Normal/European sized, which I guess is small by American standards. Definitely a great romantic spot, especially on nights they have live music. Never have had a bad meal there. Sunday brunch is also very good. Has patio seating as well.
LOVE IT!!!. One of my favorite places in town! Quirky, fun, intimate atmosphere with terrific food! The tarts and pizzas are fantastic!
Love it. Awesome little local place. Good food, great baked goods, and great ambiance.
One great small local place. I really like Chez LuLu. It is local. It has great character. The food is interesting and well executed. The people are great. This is such a jewel since it feels so great. I can oversell this place but we don't have any other place like this in Alabama. When the weather is fine I always think about eating here. Don't forget to go next store and buy bread!
Peasant-class place?. A. lways loved Carole, artist/ bluffparkgirl/musician/entrepeneur-ette
B. rad will have to revisit this establishment b4 completing his review, however, he thinks they automatically deserve..? hmmm...
(preliminary) rating of : () () () 0 { 3.5 out of 5~ awesome, fresh loaves of artisan bread~}
oh yeah, (duh)
C. ontinental Bakery~ Ooh La La, and an extra yum~
Love it!. Best peasant garlic soup and chicken salad sandwich!
Eat here...Simple European foods. French, fresh, not pretentious...and so much more.
Charming little place. Come in a suit or shorts & flip flops
"salad sampler & garlic soup DELISH!!!"
Love it. This is one of my favorite "girls" meal destinations. my favorite is brunch on Sundays - with delicious crepes, yummy stone ground grits and minted fruit salad, I'm in heaven. another can't miss are the delicious tarts and the bread (which is from the co-owned Continential Bakery). YUM!
Unconventional Vegetarians
+4.5
Chez Lulu is one of my absolute favorite places in Birmingham. We even had our rehearsal dinner there ever so many months ago. It’s really one of those cool, casual places where you can sit inside, relax, and enjoy the funky atmosphere, or sit outside and
This is my absolutely favorite place to eat!! French food in a quirky and heartwarming atmosphere. Rebecca is out of this world!! She goes above and beyond for her customers and we’ve developed a friendship with her just from getting to know her eating here. The food is out of this world and the service is unmatched. You’ll be super thankful after eating here!
This place is a must go every time I’m in the area! I love the drinks, the bread, the food. 10 out of 10
Wonderful time on the patio. Everything was delicious and we had excellent service. Just stopped in for some coffee and dessert but we will be coming back for some dinner in the near future
I want to say that the setting itself is worthy of 5 stars. I went there for dessert and had the caramel bourbon cheesecake. It had the BEST caramel sauce I had ever tasted. The cheesecake itself was amazing, rich, and fluffy. The toasted crust was perfect. After that, I bought some of their sourdough bread to take home. It was fantastic paired with a little bit of olive oil. And I also purchased some of their macaroons. I had the waitress just pick some random flavors for me to try and none of them disappointed. I will gladly tell everyone I know about this place. Next time I’ll get try and get a meal. The staff was SUPER friendly!
Italian restaurant whom food and staff gets an "A+" from me and my family. The service is very pleasant and the food is prepared with excellence. It's a neighborly family and friends meet and greet to relax type of vibe while enjoying the outside weather. By the way, I love their sandwiches.
This place is so cute! And the food was delicious. I enjoyed being there very much. I met the owner as well as the general manager- and they are wonderful humans. Great place to eat!
Great cozy restaurant with great service. Really enjoyed their chicken salad sandwich. Also, their bakery next door is awesome.
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