Lola’s Kitchen

I went here for brunch and they definitely think outside of the box. The homemade ketchup was so good with my hash. Definitely a must try.

I came here with my boyfriend at 11am on a Saturday for brunch (prime brunch time). The place was bustling and we took the last available table.
Their menu of fresh juices looked appealing over the bar, but I ordered coffee instead. The coffee was great.
There are lots of gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. I ordered the Shakshuka with a side order of fries. You have the option of picking fries or salad. I wanted carbs so I picked the fries. Shakshuka was a great breakfast choice (a little on the healthier side). The tomato and pepper base was perfectly tomatoe-​y and flavoured. The eggs were on the runnier side, but that’s how I like them in shakshuka. The bread was toasted and warm (used to soak up the tomatoe-​y goodness).
I didn’t mind the time limit — I had somewhere to be afterwards, so Lola’s is a great place for a quick breakfast.

Before entering, many people came out of the restaurant saying, «oh my god, that was delicious» and «I am so full but so happy!». Good sign. We came in on a weekday for lunch; it was busy but we got seated right away. For starters, I got the cauliflower fritters. $ 8 for 5 pieces. They were so good. They mashed the cauliflower like potatoes. It included a lime yogurt dip, which went really nicely together. I had the Black Bean Burger with fries and a pint of Mill Street Organic Lager ($ 5), while my partner had the Burger with salad. The black bean burgers tasted amazingly, without the excessive use of salt (which most places do with veggie burgers). The atmosphere is really cute. The stairs to the washrooms require a bit of care and caution — I think one of the steps is a little higher or shorter than the rest so it catches you by surprise. Overall, I would come back and try their California bowl and other veggie options. Service was great — not above and beyond, but standard.

I had the mushroom benny, and it was just okay. The whole thing was too sour from all the vinegar. The mushrooms were over-​cooked. I love mushrooms, and I believe mushrooms should be cooked in a way that you can still taste the mushroom flavour, which was not the case here. Fries were decent, but not awesome.
My bf lived in Bermuda, and he says it’s really hard to find a real «dark and stormy», but he found it at Lola’s, so that was a win, but it’s not enough to get us to come back for the food.

Came on Saturday for brunch, was told 3x by the waiter that we had a time limit as to how long we could stay even though there were many empty tables throughout our meal. There was very little wait time to get seated so I didn’t understand why he kept enforcing the time limit and never smiled throughout our interactions.
The food was mediocre as we ordered a variety of things. The ambience was pleasant as there are two levels for seating and family-​friendly (as most downtown brunch places are usually too compact to accommodate).
May come back to try the dinner menu, but my table was not impressed by the food or service that morning.

Best Gluten Free Burger and fries we’ve ever had!
Fast service & friendly. Delicious.

3.5 stars. I probably should’ve done better research before I suggested this place for dinner with two of my friends… Lola’s Kitchen is one of those «healthy» restaurants, where most menu items have V/​VEG/​GF/​some kinda healthy acronym behind them. It’s not a bad thing at all, but I’m just not a very health-​conscious person so the dinner menu wasn’t suuuper exciting to me. All three of us ended up ordering sandwiches — I got the grilled chicken which was very tasty, albeit a little dry. We were full and finished everything, but were all hungry again as soon as we got home!
Service was great, and the ambience is cute. It kinda feels like you’re in someone’s home. I’d probably like this place more if I came for brunch. I’d also probably like this place more if I cared more about my health… oh well, YOLO!

Service: A+++
Sunday Brunch: C
Restaurant Atmosphere, décor: A–
Overall: C+
My wife and I took 4 friends out to lunch. The food was mediocre — every item we ordered. Even the fries were bad — overdone and dry. Portions were very small on top of being mediocre in taste. Maybe menu that is not part of Sunday brunch is better.
If I were you, I would stay away from Sunday Brunch.
The waitress you served us was gracious, pleasant and top notch.
LEE

I have been to this place a few times. The food has always been amazing. I’ve tried the curried chickpea and almond burger, Santa Fe bowl, and black bean burger. They are all amazing and really flavourful. My favourite is the black bean burger — with guacamole, salsa and a yummy black bean patty.
The place is quite nice but pretty small. There’s not a lot of space so it’s hard to sit comfortably. The service is pretty decent– had good servers in the past and have had a few terrible servers here as well.
For weekday lunch it’s best to make reservations otherwise you’ll end up waiting for a few hours.

Sweet atmosphere and the Eggs Rancheros were off the hook.
Toronto needs more Mexican like breakfast. You see this everywhere in San Francisco or San Diego.
NOTE: The coffee was exceptionally great. I had 3 cups :)
The waitress was very polite and friendly with great attire :)

Wow, I’m impressed! I’m so excited to have another vegan option since Camrose is closing at the end of the month for renovations.
I came in for a late lunch. So many options on the menu that are either gluten-​free, vegetarian, vegan, or some combination of these, that it was actually difficult to decide what to have.
In the end I opted for a «petite» kale Caesar, with their homemade cashew based dressing, and the quinoa risotto. Both were absolutely delicious, and arrived very quickly.
The Caesar was really interesting… It was topped deep fried capers, what looked like deep fried rosemary and what I think might have been 2 sticks of deep fried polenta. I know that sounds like a lot of deep fried stuff, but since they’re just light toppings, they gently contribute to the appearance and flavor of the dish without overwhelming it. Plus… If you’re eating that much kale, I think you’re automatically forgiven.
The quinoa risotto was delicious, flavorful and filling. Lots of caramelized onions and truffle oil which were the main flavors.
The servers were patient helpful and friendly. The interior had a cute, cosy, hip décor.
Without a doubt I’ll be back. I can’t wait to try their breakfast!

They won’t make americanos/​espressos etc on the weekend as ‘it takes too long’ and as the server condescendingly explained ‘if you wanted to have a second one we’d have to charge you for that’. Uh ya, that’s how it works. I know how to order and pay for an americano (and even a second one if I so choose).
My brunch date opted to try their drip coffee and it was not good and he was disappointed.
I just can’t enjoy my brunch without good coffee. Can’t!

Came here for brunch on the weekend. Patio is really nice. Note that if you choose to sit on the patio, you can’t change your mind and move inside.
I wanted a cappuccino (which was on the drinks menu) but was told they don’t use their espresso machine on weekends. My friend got coffee, and it had specs in it — we told the server and she got us a new cup which was much better.
In terms of food, we tried the eggs ranchero with side of home fries, and the shakshouka with side of salad. I tried the shakshouka and wasn’t a big fan. It’s basically a lot of baked tomatoes, with two eggs on top. Kinda like pasta sauce but without the pasta. I really enjoyed the eggs ranchero though! Great flavour, and the lime gave it a nice kick. Ingredients tasted fresh.
Home fries were crispy on outside and cooked just right, but would’ve liked more seasoning on them. The side salad was pretty average (greens with a balsamic dressing) but we were glad we ordered it to balance out our meals and to get some greens in us.

…and this is how you do brunch RIGHT. MMM! So good. Well-​balanced, healthy, creative, delicious, and interesting flavors for a perfect pick-​me-​up to start your day. Prices range between $ 13 – 18, but the quality is definitely there. I ordered the Curried Tofu Scramble and had no complaints. Everyone else in my party picked something different and were all content with their choices. Small menu, but I think that’s how it should be done: don’t think you can go wrong with any of their choices!
Many of their meals revolve around veggies and beans, so if you’re a fan of that — fantastic! It’s enough to fill you up but light enough that you don’t feel like doing anything after. Would definitely not mind coming back for round 2 brunch!

Previously, I’ve done a detailed review on Lola’s giving it a 5-​star.
Today I had lunch at the restaurant again but this time, it reminded me of its faults. This was my third visit and I ordered the Smoked Salmon sandwich (which I had the initial time). The moment I had my second bite, I regretted giving that five.
The smoked salmon and everything inside was great! All except for the sandwich bread. It was the tough kind already, and on top they toasted it too. It was so hard to chew apart especially the sides. After this meal, the top part inside my mouth was very scratched up. Same feeling you get when your mouth gets burnt from hot food :(disappointed.
Now deserves 1-​star less!

Lola’s Kitchen is my old faithful local brunch spot. I have been at least 10 times for brunch and also for lunch and dinner. They hit the spot every time. The food is great: generally organic and with plenty of vegetarian/​vegan/​gluten free options or suggested substitutions to the regular menu.
If you head there for weekend brunch after 11:30am you might have a short wait, but nothing in the capacity of Saving Grace or Lady Marmalade. The place is usually quite full but fortunately they have a decent sized space and efficient servers. I find the servers to be friendly, fun and just attentive enough.
Favourite things:
— vegetarianized brunch burger
— eggs rancheros
— their home fries — so delicious
— vegetarianized caesar ($ 5 during brunch times… and nice and spicy)
— mimosa ($ 5 during brunch)
— mushroom benny with goat cheese add on
— espresso martini (although I don’t see this on the online drinks menu anymore)
— almond and chickpea burger or black bean burger (lunch/​dinner menu)
It errs on the higher end for brunch but it is cheaper than other nearby options such as House-​Maison and the Smith. And with much better food, in my opinion. One annoyance would be that they don’t use their coffee machine during brunch because they are too busy. I will attest to the fact that it is extremely busy, and the bartender moves like road runner whipping out drinks. But still, sometimes one needs a latte.

I was always hesitant to try Lola’s due to the overall «tree hugging save the world» vibe I got off reading the menu and previous reviews. I just didn’t want to end up having to eat gluten free or vegetarian or salads against my will.
We went for brunch on a Sunday, the wait for 2 of us was about 15 minutes which wasn’t bad. The hostesses were super polite and friendly.
Upon being seated in some of the most comfortable restaurant chairs I have ever sat in we were informed caesars and mimosas were only $ 5 each, which was great so I got one of each. The mimosa was delicious and had lots of champagne, the caesers we both agreed were a bit too heavy and weighed down by the BBQ sauce used in them. The fresh bean it came with tasted homemade and was delicious even though we felt like the drink could have done a better job in following the light fresh theme of the food and place as a whole.
The menu and food passing by looked equally incredible. I had the brunch bowl and my partner enjoyed the eggs rancheros. The brunch bowl came on top of a generous portion of arugula which gave it an amazing light fresh feel with just the right amount of potatoes, sauce and meat. Rarely if ever do I finish my entire meal but this was crushed in record time and left me beyond full, it really was a solid solid dish. My partner really enjoyed her rancheros but found the beans were a bit hard and undercooked.
The service was fantastic.
Overall we would for sure come back in the future. My worries of walking into a vegan hippy paradise were unfounded and they really did do a fantastic job of showcasing quality freshness at a reasonable price.

This is the top reviewed place for Sunday brunch in the downtown core. And there’s a good reason why!
The ingredients are amazing, even though portions are not huge. You can taste the local/​organic in your mouth :) They are also COMPLETELY gluten-​free!
It is a bit pricey, but so are all top places. The service could be more courteous, but it is quite passable.
Ultimately, the star rating is primarily for the quality of the food, including the quality of the ingredients, thus FIVE STARS!

I love Lola’s Kitchen. It is one of my first picks when I’m looking for a «healthy-​esq» dining experience in the Church– Wellesley area.
What to eat:
I’ve tried almost the entire menu, these are a few of my favourite picks:
— California Bowl ($ 15) — purple and black kale, organic quinoa OR brown rice, avocado, sundried tomatoes, toasted organic nuts and seeds, grilled organic tofu and sweet cider vinaigrette. I like to add either grilled chicken ($ 4.5) or roasted salmon ($ 8) for an extra kick of protein. When I’m feeling extra hungry I will also add in beets to the salad. This is definitely my go to dish — fulfills all your macro nutrients and portion size is large enough to have for leftovers.
— Burger OR Lamb Burger ($ 17-​$ 19) — 100% local burgers. I order the burger on a gluten free bun (~$ 3?). The burger meat is legit — thick and a juicy, all round really enjoyable burger. The burgers are also served with tasty fries or a salad.
— Fresh juices ($ ³⁄₆) — The juice selection change seasonally. I really enjoy the spiced pear juice or the ginger and beet juice. I usually order a small juice with a bottle of carbonated water and combine the two together for a carbonated fresh fruit juice!
— Desserts — Carrot Cake or Vanilla Bean Cheesecake — All desserts are vegan and super delish. Gluten free options are available. Portion size of cakes are definitely shareable!
What else to know:
— Sweet front patio seating opened in summer. Lots of umbrellas for shade, only negative are all the beautiful flower beds surrounding the patio, they become a major bee magnet.
— Although price of menu items are steeper than fellow neighbours — the quality of the food is on point.
— Be warned, the two seat tables long the south wall of the restaurant are on an uneven floor, request for alternative seating if you don’t fancy feeling slanted the entire meal.
— Can get busy during lunch hour and dinner hours — best to make a reservation!

I came here for my friends birthday brunch and loved it!
The service was great especially considering how many of us there were and my food was delicious.
I ordered the breakfast kale bowl. It was SO good. Literally a party in a bowl. It came with eggs, sausage and different veggies including kale obviously. So so so so good. Would definitely come back! There were some other amazing sounding things on the menu I’d love to try.