The city's longest-running Spanish restaurant, Lola's has a menu of all the familiar Spanish classics, from tapas and gazpacho to paella and fideua. It has always been very popular, enough so that it serves as a meeting place for people who live in Mid-City and Esplanade Ridge.
Lola's is named for the mother of chef-owner Angel Miranda. Angel (a caballero; his name is pronounced in the Spanish way, "an'hel," sort of) opened a Spanish restaurant in the Warehouse District during the World's Fair in 1984. At the time, it was the only restaurant in town serving a full menu of Spanish food. That restaurant (Altamira) closed soon after the World's Fair, but shortly after Angel opened this smaller in a tiny storefront on Esplanade. Helped by its policy of allowing customers to bring in their own wine, it became a phenomenon, and hard to find an empty seat inside.
Little tables are jammed into a cramped room. The regulars seem to like this, along with the loose style, open kitchen, folk art, and New Orleans blues-funk playing on the sound system.
Be prepared to wait for a table some evenings. Bring your own wine, even though they now serve wine.
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