LOLA'S
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑
District: Dundee
Welcoming neighborhood cafe
Perfect For: Breakfast/Brunch; Casual Dining; Lunch; Baked Goods
Standout Dishes: Toastie; Roasted Chicken; Morning Bun; Speck Sandwich
For all the advanced cooking techniques, wild ingredients, and fusion dishes that continue to push modern cuisine forward, there’s also beauty in simple food done extremely well.
Lola’s is proof of that.
Everything about this Dundee restaurant is straightforward and uncomplicated. The menu has a few breakfast dishes, pastries, salads, charcuterie boards, and several entrees for dinner. Most dishes only have 4-5 components. Orders are placed at the counter and food is delivered to your table within minutes. Everything is streamlined and unfussy.
The space itself is open and inviting, with giant pane windows splaying large swaths of light throughout the quiet cafe. Among the patrons you’ll commonly find families enjoying breakfast, people working remotely, and people grabbing a bite to eat before catching a flick at the Film Steams’ Dundee Theater, which Lola’s shares its building with. It’s a great place to share a meal or snack or simply enjoy coffee or a cocktail if your appetite was already satiated.
But if you skipped on the food, you’d be missing something special. “Simple” and “boring” are not synonyms, a fact that the dishes coming out of Lola’s kitchen showcase.
The backbone of Lola’s menu is bread, and even the most carb-conscious diners should consider it worthy of a cheat meal. Breads, pastries, muffins, cakes, and more are made fresh daily, a fact you become aware of the moment you step in the door and find your nose assaulted by the clean, yeasty aroma—it’s the scent equivalent of snuggling up in a warm blanket on a winter day.
The bread creates a brilliant base for Lola’s host of sandwiches, and none more so than the chewy, oily focaccia. It pairs perfectly with creamy, buttery scrambled eggs and salty prosciutto to form one of Lola’s signature items, the Toastie. It’s also a welcome partner for smoked prosciutto and sweet, milky burrata cheese in the Speck Sandwich. Honestly, this bread is so good I’d eat a pair of old gym socks if they were between two slices of this focaccia.
The sourdough ciabatta bread is has more bite, but this hearty, crusty carb works well on both the Prosciutto Sandwich and the Rosemary Ham Sandwich, the latter of which gets a punch of nuttiness from gruyere cheese and tangy sharpness from a healthy helping of dijon mustard. Each sandwich gets a hit of freshness from peppery arugula and an acidic pop from the vinaigrette.
The sandwiches are moderately sized, but this allows you extra stomach space to explore Lola’s selection of confections. Some staples are present every day, while other rotate based on what ingredients are freshest and what the chefs are passionate about.
The Morning Bun, an elevated version of a sticky bun, reigns supreme. A sweet, buttery brioche twirl is studded with cinnamon, sugar, and just enough orange zest to introduce a unique citrus element. The Cardamom Pistachio Roll, another menu staple, combines sweet and earthy flavors for an uncommon, delicious twist.
Among the daily options you’ll find delicacies like the Chocolate Knot, which combines that sweet, soft brioche bread with rich, caramelized chocolate. Lola’s also offers a daily scone, and if you’re a fan of these flaky, dense pastries, you must check out whatever Lola’s is offering when you visit.
That same beautiful simplicity carries over into the dinner menu, too. The poultry in the Roasted Chicken plate is cooked perfectly, as the Plum Creek Farms chicken thigh/leg is moist, juicy, and appropriately seasoned. The Croque Monsieur takes Lola’s incredible bread, adds ham and mustard, and tops it all with gooey bechamel and greyere for a salty, scrumptious knife-and-fork sandwich.
To experience more of Lola’s breakfast expertise, visit on a weekend for brunch to explore its extended AM menu. In addition to Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes, Eggs Polenta, and a Yogurt Parfait, you’ll find Shakshuka, a Middle Eastern specialty that features eggs poached in a chunky tomato sauce. Lola’s poaches its eggs perfectly, achieving a firm white with a delightfully runny yolk. The tomato sauce is sweet and vibrant, and Lola’s provides a piece of its heavenly focaccia to sop up any leftover sauce and/or yolk.
The Frittata is another standout, as the egg mixture in this crustless quiche have a creamy, custardy consistency inside a firm, fried exterior. The kicker is the sheep’s milk feta, which adds a brilliant saltiness.
Everything about Lola’s is simple, classic, and fresh. Each dish tastes as if it were baked minutes before your arrival: the breads are warm, the meats peppery and fatty, and the vegetables crisp and vibrant. The service is quick, and those at the counter are happy to answer any questions about the menu or what scones, muffins, and breads are fresh in the counter that day.
Plus (PRO TIP), you can purchase slices of the delectable focaccia to use for your own sandwiches at home.
Lola’s is what it is, and that’s what makes it great. When you visit, you know you’re going to get fantastic bread, standout pastries, and a comfortable space to gather with friends and family.
That’s the definition of simple, and simple is good.