Lola, Rochester, New York Restaurant Details

Food:

Best happy hour in town on Friday night's!!! Melissa is literally the only reason to go there. Also The bar back on Friday night's should be a bartender, nice guy and can make a good drink when some of the actual bartenders on other nights can't even make a decent cocktail.

Food:

I used to go for happy hour at Lola's frequently, but I haven't made it there in a year. The staff has completely changed and they don't know how to make the signature martinis on their menu, and they apparently don't keep the ingredients in house to make the martinis properly anymore. My friend had a Manhattan which lacked whiskey, and my martini was half full (because they didn't have the ingredients) and straight up Kahlua. I really enjoyed how my martini was half full and required no skill other than dumping Kahlua into a dirty glass, but they charged me full price.

Then I come to find on my credit card statement that they charged me a 100% tip, when in fact I left a $2.00 tip (which I was already regretting).

Also, the smell when you walk into Lola's is becoming repulsive, I'm not sure how people eat there anymore.

I wish it could turn itself around and become what it used to be, but now it is just a dirty hole in the wall.

Food:

I went to Lola Bistro last night and discovered a refreshingly unique atmosphere for the Monroe Ave. scene. Unfortunately, the service at the bar did not match the anticipation I felt when I entered. Although there were few patrons, the bartender was more interested in pleasing customers seated at the bar than dealing with my order. After a full ten minutes, and after three orders placed after mine were filled, I had to approach the bar again and remind the bartender what I wanted after she causally and indifferently asked me to remind her of my order! Perhaps if she filled it when I asked for it she wouldn't have forgotten what it was. Unbelievable!

The bar was aesthetically pleasing, but I fear the employees reflect too much of the bohemian elitism the tends to filter into higher end martini bars. Done right, Lola can add another dimension to the fabric of the Monroe Av. bar scene. But if it continues to alienate customer like myself, it'll find itself struggling to remain open.

Food:

My wife and I ate here a couple of weeks ago. The atmosphere and menu is fantastic, but too bad they couldn't deliver the goods. My wife's pizza was burnt on the bottom and a portion of my chicken french was flat out raw which, unfortunately, I didn't notice until I was nearly done with the dish as the lighting was very dim. There's nothing wrong with dim lighting, it's just that I maybe had a bite or two of the raw part before I noticed it. While they comped the chicken french, worries of salmonella poisoning definitely cast a pall on the rest of the evening, and I didn't appreciate the defensive and minimizing position the manager took on the issue. They should have comped the whole bill, as food poisoning is no laughing matter. Fortunately, I was OK. I'm sure this was just an isolated incident, and despite all of this, I wouldn't dissuade you from going, just be careful.