Red Lulu Cocina & Tequila Bar

Had a great time here! Great drinks (especially if you love your tequila). Only ordered apps, but they were delish. And the waitress was awesome.
Def coming back

Awesome staff! Very interesting bar/​lounge! Love the décor and vibe! 100% recommended

Great margarita bar in Salem?! Hell yeah. Red Lulu is a great way to end an evening in one of my fave towns, Lulu is a classy lounge not far from downtown. The décor is great because it includes my favorite color scheme. Everything is red and black, which at first may appear gothic but I think that it really fits in with the dark nature of Salem. They tend to have a dj or loud music on the weekends so it can be a little difficult to have a nice conversation, but the drinks are killer. I haven’t had any of the food, but their margaritas are amazing and their mojitos are fab. I also love that they have virgin versions of their best cocktails, which is great for a non drinker or the DD. i will gladly throw down the nine to twelve dollars for their tasty concoctions because they have some of the best margaritas that I’ve ever had. Anything with jalapenos or Serrano peppers gets my recommendation.
So, if you are in town and need a refreshing bevie and a break from the goulish or kitchy parts of town, then I recommend grabbing a cocktail or snack at Red Lulu’s.

Let me begin by saying the ONLY thing saving this place is the guacamole (hence my one star). From here on, my experience was extremely disappointing.
I’ve been to Red Lulu several times in the past for drinks. I’ve always been impressed with/​a fan of the ambiance and margaritas so! After having a girls’ day, my friend and I decided to end our Friday of pampering with a nice dinner. Or so we hoped it would be.
The bartender, Melissa, greeted us with something that sounded like an opening to a comedy act. «…And this sexy guy behind me is Dave … He’d love to know what you think of him». Unprofessional.
I ordered the chicken quesadilla and asked to have no bacon. I was informed that the quesadillas are all PREMADE so! it was not possible to have one without bacon. The idea that they couldn’t just open the damn quesadilla, pull out the bacon and put it aside seemed lazy. But fine! I settled with the tortilla soup and a side of cornbread. Simple, right?
The presentation of the soup was great! It was placed in front of me and the broth was poured over the soup contents from a tea kettle (odd, but I’m wasn’t complaining) and I was delighted! Until I saw a pound of tortilla chips hiding a mound of what looked like, and had the consistency of, cat food. It was the «chicken». I couldn’t even take two spoonfuls down before pushing the bowl aside due to my disgust of the preparation of the «dish».
Cornbread. It’s the easiest, most amazing side, there is. Cornmeal, flour, eggs, water, and sugar. The end! To mess it up is pretty extraordinary (and in my southern household, unforgivable). I had high hopes for this, which were quickly shot down. The size of the side was impressive, but what ruined it was DRENCHING the simple treat in queso. Why!!! I took one bite and couldn’t fathom trying any more.
The Bonita margarita I ordered was far from «beautiful». There was no peach, no ginger. All it had was tequila and a splash of juice.
Melissa came to clear our plates, asked how it was and I said that I did not like either of the items I ordered and it was obvious from the 3 bites I had taken. She dropped the check: $ 55.
I work in a restaurant and when someone tells me they didn’t like something, I make sure to find out why. I ALWAYS offer a new item to the person and! If they don’t want something else, I take the returned food off the bill. Why pay for something you don’t eat?! I was never asked what was wrong; nothing was offered as a replacement; neither of my items were voided. I didn’t have any expectations, but if someone is unpleased with a course, it’s a common courtesy and common sense to TRY to make right.
I came here because it’s a well known tequila bar, specializing with infusions and I wanted to have an enjoyable «sit down» with my girlfriend. Not pay $ 50 something for a bowl of Fancy Feast and a $ 12 tequila sunrise. If I wanted that quality/​service, I’d go to Tavern in the Square.

This has become one of my favorite restaurants ever. The food, the staff, the ambiance… I love it all!
To start, the granitas are just fabulous and a delicious and fun way to begin the meal. The tortilla chips they serve are the best I’ve ever had in my life. Thin and crispy, hot and salty. Oh my gosh! They are PERFECT. Then the trio of dips to try them with: a green salsa, red salsa, and a sour cream based spicy dip… Are phenomenal. I could eat it all day. Then order guacamole. SO FRESH! The most perfectly ripe avocados I’ve ever had. The flavors are outstanding and are the perfect compliment to the chips!
I filled up a fair bit on that, and then ordered the sticky short ribs. Fabulous. The sauce is delicious and they aren’t skimpy so you can really enjoy the flavors with the very nicely cooked ribs.
Had an orange pomegranate mojito which was so creative, fresh and delicious.
I love the ambiance of the place. Dark and gothic (which is not my style) but it was beautiful and calm for a restaurant experience.
Lets not forget the complimentary cotton candy at the end!!!
I love it. Love love love.
Can’t wait to go back again.

I love plenty of places, but unless they are in a 5 mile radius to my house I am ALWAYS looking for other/​new options to try as opposed to visiting the same place multiple times. But red lulu is a MAJOR exception.
First time I tried it was with a groupon while on a double date. The groupon was an amazing deal (and they are pretty much always available). You could choose an appetizer, a trio of tacos, sides, and dessert for 4 people. Two words: FOOD COMA.
I’ve been here 4 times, and my favorite soft taco trio are the fried chicken. It’s a Mexican restaurant but they use a lot of unique and fresh flavors and seasonings. I’m not a tequila drinker but i CANNOT refuse one of their unique margarita options whenever I’m here.
The décor is great, very dark and gothic with large, comfortable seats. The waitstaff overall is a little odd, VERY enthusiastic and very attentive, but they remind me of 20-​somethings that used to work at Abercrombie and Fitch in their teenage prime. But still, no complaints.
My favorite part about the meal is the tequila slush they bring over complimentary and the chips and salsa/​dips. They bring over fresh chips with 3 different types of salsas and hot sauce made from scratch. Also, the cotton candy at the end with pop rocks is great.
i HIGHLY recommend red lulu if you love variety and unique tastes, if your looking for classic quality mexican it’s probably not right for you. but i LOVE it.

YES! Finally a place that makes some good Mexican food. The only issues I have with the place are that the salsas are not that great. They need to just make a nice regular tomato salsa that has a little kick to it and I think people would be happy with that. Another thing is that I don’t really like the dark atmosphere. It is very «vampire-​like» and the music is too loud to have a nice conversation.
My husband got pork tacos and I got mahi-​mahi tacos. They were AWESOME! We also got the picante guacamole and it was excellent. It wasn’t as spicy as I’d like but, it was very fresh and delicious.
Any other time the atmosphere would have kept us away. But NOTHING will keep us from going back to have those tacos! I got dessert to go so, I will be eating that soon…

I went here for my birthday dinner, and the food was fantastic. i recommend the tuna tostada as an app, i could eat that for days, and the salmon was good too (be warned, very spicy, which i loved). I had a fresca (non-​alcocolic mixed drink) with lime and coconut, it was pretty good but needed a bit more lime. I could see the drinks with alcohol being stellar if mine was that good though
the freebies are spot on, triple salsas, hot sauce, and cotton candy especially.
I had 2 major issues, one was that the music was VERY loud, like yell over it to talk across the table loud. maybe it was because it was Saturday night, but saying ‘what?’ 20 times a meal gets annoying. the second is that floor is slippery! like seriously… I had been once before a year ago and it was the same thing… just be careful!

I was given a gift card to this restaurant almost a year ago and although I’ve been once previously for drinks at the bar, I finally got a chance to try the place out for dinner a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend.
I expected to be more impressed with the food having tried the bar bites at Lolita’s (Red Lulu’s sister restaurant in Boston). I loved the décor and loved the free extras (granita w/​tequila, chips w/​3 different salsas, and cotton candy). However, I soon came to realize, these things didn’t really come without a price. I got the slow cooked brisket tacos and my boyfriend got some type of tacos with lobster and mango. They were good but unremarkable and I would have still been starving if it wasn’t for the fact that I pigged out on chips beforehand.
We also decided to split an order of churros for dessert and this is what bothered me… We paid $ 10 for 3 small churros and dipping sauces! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t paying for the churros, but rather for the «free» granita, chips, and cotton candy. What a rip off. I recently got a whole plate of churros in Disney World for $ 4!

The Diablo Margaritas. Incredible. I sold my soul to the devil, and you should too!
A 5 star review should be reserved for some place special, and I can’t think of anywhere more tasteful and unique than the Red Lulu — yeah it has a sister-​bar, the Lolita based in Boston just off of Newbury Street — but that’s beside the point — the Red Lulu hits the mark with a Nouveau Mexican style menu, backed with a full-​page, small-​font tequila list with every variety and price-​range of cacti-​based liquor you can fathom.
I’m not going to go into deep detail, because the minute surprises the restaurant delivers should remain just that — an exquisite little surprise — from odd and decadent starters, to the amazing proportions of their bacon guacamole bowl — you have to experience it!
Start with a margarita. No — start with a PITCHER of margaritas! Pitchers anywhere else are weak, watered down and iced to impotence — but not here at the LuLu — grab a pitcher of the Diablo Margarita and go from there. Move to the Tequila towards the end of your entrée — the waiters will be able to help you discern the perfect flavors and aromas to compliment your own palate as well as a matching with the food. Remember, Tequila is to Mexico as Wine is to Italy.
Anyways, the last thing I will say is the décor and ambiance is outlandish and perfectly pulled off! The bar looks like it is owned by the vampires from the movie «Underworld» and they happen to be mexican, obsessed with red and black velvet and leather, and just happen to be hosting a concert that Slash from Guns N Roses is headlining. It is mind-​blowing, fun, trendy, yet comfortable and relaxed. You will feel at home — any place that discerns the ladies’ room from the mens’ room using portraits of Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas is cool in my book. ⁵⁄₅ and I’ll never look back.

Hey I love u!!! Been here twice service, food, drinks, all awsome. U don’t have to be 25 as some other Unilocalers suggests to like it here. Hell I’m 40 have 2 kids under 4 and love, love, love it here. However I hope the owner/​manager reads this cuz u guys should b packed to the gills on a Fri night instead of a half empty place. Now I love half naked woman but I think u guys might b in couple of health code violations. Maybe bring it down a notch. Most woman are Never going to bring in their boyfriend/​husband/​3 year old son with half dressed hostesses standing in your doorstep. Just a word from the wise. (Coming from a 25 veteran of the restaurant world)
That being said I will see u guys soon with my husband and 4 year old so in tow

I did it. 5 stars. It’s hard to give ANYone 5 stars… I thought long and hard about this one… but it was truly a five star experience.
Admittedly, it was dead… dead dead dead. Bruins were in a playoff game on a Tuesday night, and this place has no TV. So, understandably– it was dead.
The décor MAY or may not being trying too hard… but it was Nice. Nice with a capital N. (Imagine the décor of a home if Dave Navaro and a Luchador from 1952 lived together.) They had beautiful Luchador masks in glass cases, Black and Red throughout, hints of velvet fluer de lis wall paper and a lot or wrought iron. Individual cloth towels in the bathrooms. Nice.
The tequila selection is incredible. If you want tequila… come here. period.
We sat at the bar, despite having our pick of the restaurant, and not only was the bartender friendly… but she actually delivered our two drinks at the exact same time. This is a nuance of service which is rarely recognized. +1 for the bartender.
The drinks were both inspired and delicious. I can see them being tough to make on a busy night, but on a night like tonight… amazingness. (we tried 3 different margaritas and one sparkling drink with a hibiscus flower– so I feel as if they are all likely successful)
The food was fresh, reasonably priced and had perfect flavor. We had shrimp tacos, elote corn, the chopped salad. All were perfect. Nothing was over seasoned — which can’t be said for most Mexican places… so it was impressive. +1 for the kitchen.
The bartender both gave us space to talk and joined in on the conversation when addressed… she was very approachable. +2 for the bartender.
We were offered the desert menu– however we passed, since we had eaten so much already.
I cannot find a single fault with this place– and am shocked by some of the other reviews.
I will certainly give it another try soon and update the review on a busy night, when I am sure the experience could be quite different.

Red Lulu, the older and more mature sibling of Lolita’s in Boston, is a great spot to get your Mexican on when you are in Salem. We stopped in on a Friday night (it was date night with the hubs — Mexican food and then the remastered «Evil Dead» in theaters… yessss) and it was hopping. No reservations for us… and thankfully, no wait either. We sat right down at a table and were then greeted by our server, Kenny. Kenny Powers. No, I’m not joking. He showed us his ID. His real name is, in fact, Kenneth Powers (aka Kenny).
Kenny was awesome. Attentive without being over-​bearing. Apologetic in a non-​condescending way when things got backed up at the bar.
I ordered the crispy pork belly and it came over a bed of veggies. The crispy pork was perfection, but someone used a heavy hand with the salt in the kitchen which rendered the porous veggies pretty much inedible. I ate around them though and was still satisfied after filling up on the queso fundido beforehand.
Such a yummy menu and I am looking forward to going back multiple times to try more and more entrees.

Red Lulu, you have redeemed yourself, and I’m happy to say it!
After my last review, I was contacted by management, who were extremely polite and professional. It seems they really wanted to take what I had to say and improve their processes.
When I came back last week (for the first time since December), it appears they have done just that.
Sat at a high-​top at the bar area for dinner and drinks with a friend. Had great service from our waiter. Drinks were good, and we had guacamole (great) and I had the mahi mahi flautas — pretty daring to go seafood considering I haven’t loved this place, but they looked good. They were great! I would have gotten two orders if I hadn’t eaten the entire bowl of guacamole. I guess you just have to know what to order when it comes to this menu.
We really enjoyed our evening here. Food, drinks, and service were great. I will be back! Thank you to the management here for caring about your patrons’ opinions.

Recently went to dinner with my husband on a Friday night. We had a 7 p.m. reservation, but ended up there (from the airport) an hour early. There was no problem being seated right away, which worked out well since after 7 the place filled up pretty quickly. We were using a Groupon coupon where you were able to pick 2 entrees, sides, dessert… there didn’t seem to be a limitation on what you could order which was nice.
After being seated our waitress brought over a smoking bowl of crushed ice and added a bit of tequila to it (the concoction was grapefruit flavored and, I believe, meant to be some kind of cool palate cleanser). We liked the effect. We were then served chips and salsa (a variety of 3 different salsas/​dips). Very tasty… we liked. The service was very good, btw. Attentive without being overwhelming.
We were pleased with the food. The selection was surprisingly different than most Mexican restaurants we’d been to. My husband ordered the blackened maha mahi tacos for his entrée. I had the slow-​cooked brisket taco. Like I said, something different. My husband really liked his taco. I expected mine to be a bit dry since it was served with a side of gravy, but it was very good. For sides we had papa dolches (fried mashed potatoes) and chile relleno (very good!). Altogether an interesting variety of things to try. The dessert was delicious and beautiful. For the final act, we were served fresh spun cotton candy with pop rocks with our check.
Prices were slightly above average for the quality of food, but the atmosphere more than made up for it. It was an amazing décor. Candle light, antique-​looking walls and iron throughout… it felt like a vampire hangout (or what I imagine one might look like). We would recommend checking this place out if not for the food, definitely worth a trip for the ambience and experience. To me, it had a «date night» feel.

Took a little day trip to Salem with my husband to check out all the Halloween festivities. I Unilocaled a few restaurants in the area prior to going, and we decided on Mexican once we were there.
This restaurant is a little out of the way compared to where all the Halloween action is at… but by all means is only a 5 – 7 minute walk and well worth the trip.
Ambiance is cool, service is great, and food is fantastic. We had amazing drinks, I’m sure they are all good, but we especially enjoyed the spicy cucumber drink we ordered.
We shared the carne asada for dinner, which was a large portion and enough for the two of us.
The chips and salsa trio is also delicious… the chipotle sour cream is excellent and the salsa verde is very fresh. Oh, and if you like spicy, be sure to try the house hot sauce… it’s very very good and reminds me of a hot sauce my Grandmother makes.
Ended the meal with a complimentary statue of cotton candy and pop rocks… not necessary but was cool and was a tasty treat.
Whenever we return to Salem, we’ll be sure to go back here.

I honestly love this place. Came here on a Friday night with a reservation at 8:00 PM and we were seated a few minutes after everyone in our party was there.
I have been to Lolita’s in Boston before, so it had the same décor. I love it.
The service here is great. The hostesses were nice and greeted us right away at the door. Our server was awesome! I don’t know her name, but she was very attentive throughout the night and didn’t bother us or anything.
I had the carne asada. delicious. My friends had the salmon, tuna, and the jumbo shrimp. Everything was great!
We weren’t going to get dessert at first. but it was our friend’s birthday so we opted for the chocolate bread pudding. OMG. It was amazing! It was kind of like a really light, warm brownie topped with coffee ice cream. So good!
Definitely coming back here again.

My sister and I checked out Red Lulu’s and thought it was decent. I liked the décor and overall mood, kind of dark and sexy. Had a few drinks and some apps and thought it was a bit pricey for the quality of both. It was okay but not amazing or anything.
This would be a spot I might start at during a night out, but not stay longer than a drink or two.

We decided to give Red Lulu a try during Restaurant Week. We arrived on Thursday evening and it was full by 7pm. The décor is a very black/​red boudoir with a lot of gothic accents. It’s nice to look at something besides Boston sports décor every now and then when eating out.
The service was good. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. The only thing I didn’t like was that I felt the presentation of the coffee service at the end of the meal was awkward. Let me explain — they bring a tray of 4 coffee fixings (sugars, etc) and then as if you would like coffee as you are looking at an array of sugars. Just weird. But it worked as my husband who never orders coffee, decided, «Why not?» After tasting it, he decided he would not make the same mistake again.
FOOD! It was hit and miss. Here’s the breakdown:
Miss — Spicy Caesar Salad. This is boring and not worth your time.
Decent dishes — Duck tacos — pretty tasty but presentation lacking and no salsa, guac, sour cream, etc come with it… just a bit of pineapple salsa inside. Corn bread was very cakey. I liked it but it is also covered in queso sauce which seemed too indulgent for my taste.
Good! Churros, carne asada, guacamole were all very good. Only complaint is that I wish the chocolate with the churros wasn’t cold!
DRINKS! We had the Lolita and the Sangria. Didn’t think they were anything special and the margarita was all ice cubes. Not worth the money. Next time, I’ll try out the wine selection instead.
Freebies: Each meal starts with a complimentary granita palate cleanser (with or without tequila), tortilla chips, and 3 salsa dips. All dips were good. The meal ends with a very large sour apple cotton candy cone sprinkled with pop rocks. To be honest, I was stuffed and couldn’t have many bites of cotton candy.
Our total bill for two people with one drink each was $ 72. I would go back but order a few plates of tacos to share with the table, a side of guac and maybe split the churros for dessert.

Ok 4 Stars because Salem needed a place like this.
The Red LuLu is the kind of place I would expect to find somewhere in NYC…
The dark ambiance with red and black detail really grabs you and immerses you in a fun, sexy vibe. Is it necessarily what I expected? No. But I was pleasantly surprised. And even if, when you walk in, you aren’t immediately sure this is your type of place. I encourage you to grab a seat, a margarita and let LuLu work her magic.
I met a girlfriend here for drinks after work on Friday with no intention of eating anything but maybe a few chips. When we arrived at 6:30pm the place was packed but we were encouraged to sit in the lounge area. It was pretty sweet actually. We both settled into the corners of two couches with a little table in between us. It was like we were getting served in our living room!
My only minus one star comes from the coctail waitress’ attire. I could SEE her hoo-​ha every time she bent over to take an order/​deliver an item. She seemed like I nice girl too, I felt bad that everyone else there was dressed nicely while she seemed to have lost her pants. (Maybe this is why my guy friends told me they loved this place.) Either way, Red lulu could easily go upto 5 stars if they did a little makeover on some of the female staff members. There is a way to be sexy without looking like a stripper/​prostitute.
The drinks were excellent, and I’m a tough judge of ‘Ritas. Being from the south I like mine fresh and strong none of that sugary green Margarita mix in a jug stuff for me.
The chips and 3 styles of salsa were creative and delicious. And the guacamole. HOLY Mole I may have licked soem out of the bowl with my finger… see? If my waitress were wearing pants I would have thought that was a major no-​no. However, given the circumstance it seemed perfectly appropriate.
We also had the chopped salad and duck tacos which were fabulous. The duck was with a mole sauce that was absolutely delicious.
Overall this is a fun, loud place to meet up with friends and indulge: D