Lola Eclectic Cuisine

Perfectly executed countryside pig roasts…
All-​out top shelf efforts by learned artisan chefs in Barranquitas…
Very, very good ceviche on the beach…
Superbly capable chefs and food purveyors of all stripes…
While some Puerto Rican dining experiences make for higher quality in some ways, none could touch the pork mofongo here.
The waitstaff steeps your meal in a playful and knowledgable tapestry of six hundred years of Atlantic history, intrigue, and legend– but only just long enough to keep you company until your real conversation partner arrives… yes, the food…
And the flan… wow.
Best food we had on the island.
And we had good, good food…

Very cute space in terms of design and esthetic. The food was good. We had a the $ 13 lunch special with dessert. The waiter was very nice and helpful. If we return to Ponce again we’d return to Lola.

We arrived to ponce on Christmas Eve — coming from San Juan where we were spoiled with great food and many restaurant choices. We made a reservation to Lola — for 8 people. It was recommended to us by the concierge as well as Unilocal — we trusted there commendation and were so disappointed w everything. The restaurant itself is beautiful– we sat outside. Our table was not even ready when we got there — we weren’t greeted and there was no host/​ess to help us. They put together 2 tables right in front of us. We ordered a few appetizers — don’t get the sample platter — it’s all fried and is not tasty and $ 30. The carnitas were very good. Out of 8 people — only 1 of us enjoyed their dinner. The shrimp and the salmon entrée was not good — seafood didn’t taste fresh. Our waitress was very pushy and tried to up sell on everything. We even got 2 extra drinks that we were charged for and didn’t ask for. I’m surprised by all the great reviews on here — this place is not worth your trip or your money or maybe we just had really bad luck that night.

I had always trusted Unilocal reviews until this restaurant. We were there for Xmas eve, and unfortunately couldn’t disagree more with all the positive reviews. The appetizers were poor and expensive, and the main courses followed suit. Out of all the dishes we ordered, only the bacon wrapped pork was ok at best, the rest left a lot to be desired. Unless it was a really off night with an apprentice in the kitchen, I could not recommend this restaurant at all, poor quality and way overpriced for what we got. Thumbs down!

Had the shrimp creole mofongo and mahi mahi with lobster sauce. Both were great, I would definitely recommend either. Service was a little slow, not that bad though

lola lola thank u for opening on thanksgiving, yes u were the only one, but there, is were the thanks ends, the best at lunch was the rum anejo, the frozen shrimps forget about it, the risotto is not risotto, the bill a humiliation… not only there is a state tax of 10.5% plus a city tax of 1% but u force to pay a 15% service charges, which i didn t notice to be written on the menu. all of that is understandable but what is totally undigestible is the nerve to ask for a 15% tip minimum on top of all the other charges. over 40% surcharges, lola lola are u sure u r not a gangster?

Tienen buena presentación comida variada buena selección en el menú sin embargo la copa de agua sucias con lipstick y tenedores con granos de arroz en ellos sí que necesitan mejorar con él área de limpieza en la cocina

Delicious food, great service, and a relaxing environment. Only negative is that the prices are high for tourists, but is bearable for a one time experience.

This restaurant in the heart of the old city of Ponce has a great location & ambiance. The food & special drinks were delicious. Portions are good & for some entrees one can order ½, which is good to do so one can order from the appetizers.
We ordered the tostones with carnitas & the onion soup. Loved them both. Liked that the soup was not huge, as it usually tends to be. The tostones were just made & better than most. Ordered the codfish with pickled viandas, which are root vegetables and I loved that. The pickling is what we call «escabeche» & I’ve never seen it that way but made me think it should’ve been done earlier! The fish was a bit dry, but tasty. Desserts were ok. Have more starters & entrees & walk to the ice cream parlor across the plaza!
My only complaint is that the kitchen is very slow. (That tends to happen a lot in puertorican kitchens!) Don’t wait to go there when you’re very hungry as it’ll be torture!

Great food, and a great atmosphere! We had the Yuca Mofongo with chicken and a Mero Fish Fillet, both with additional Rissotto sides and they were all amazingly good. It is the second time I’ve had dinner at this restaurant, and I’ve enjoyed them both. Even though it is a little bit pricey ($ 25 – 30 per person), I highly recommend it!

Was not impressed. Came here based on Unilocal reviews. Service was fine but food was mediocre, it wasn’t the cleanest inside, but I guess this is considered a nice place in the area. Not saying it was completely terrible but DEFINITELY not worth driving from San Juan for. We got the croquettes as an appetizer, they were okay. We got the alfredo chicken and spinach and cheese ravioli, nothing to die for. Freshly squeezed lemonade was pretty good though.

My husband and I came here for a late lunch. He ordered a chicken Caesar salad and I got the spinach salad. Both were very good. Our waiter was less than attentive and none of the tables had the free house bread that I read about in so many other reviews. They do have a $ 13.95 lunch Monday through Friday. We were there on Saturday, and I thought the restaurant was pricey.

After a so-​so experience last night at our restaurant at La guancha we followed Unilocal advice and again they weren’t wrong. We started with the Criollo appetizer sampler.
Awesome, my daughter had the pork mofongo, and my parents had the grouper. All the dishes did not disappoint. Best food we had there. Price wasn’t too bad either.

The atmosphere is great if you’re looking for something a little more upscale in Ponce. The outdoor seating is very nice. The service is great. The food was fair.

Went to this restaurant on a great recommendation. Place looks top notch. Ambiance is beautiful and the dinning room is historic. Appetizers were okay, not sure why you would ceviche a dry fish like mahi mahi, felt like I was eating tuna right out of a can. My friend’s filet mignon entrée was delicious and cooked to perfection. My half portion of grouper with tomato and olive sauce and a side of sautéed spinach was so salty that a few bites numbed my tongue. I felt like I was eating spoonfuls of salt. So I told the waiter and he brought me another plate. I had thought that they would put a tiny bit of salt but the plate was even saltier than the one before! I drank 4 glasses of water and now am bloated. The chef needs to taste his food and understand how salt should be used in cooking.
The waiter was extremely professional and attentive.

Gluten-​Free friendly, this restaurant prepared Grouper in garlic and butter with steamed vegetables for us on request — so fresh and savory and safe for one of us with Celiac. We also had the shrimp creole mofongo which was excellent. Good drinks, great desserts. Nice poolside dining option — only downside is the poolside tables attract smokers (from adjacent casino?). But seating indoors is very comfortable (and the a/​c is not blasting). We enjoy Lola’s every time we are in Ponce.

Take traditional Puerto Rican dishes with a modern and international mix and that is Lola’s. The Criollo apetizer (bacalaitos, alcapurrias and empanadillas de carne) was excellent. A meal on its own! The salsa was amazing too. The carne frita with mofongo de Yuca was fresh, flavorful and just damn good. These dishes feel and look handcrafted and when it came to the price i felt i payed for what i got. Yes it might get pricey, but it was a great experience. The atmosphere was modern and relaxed. The service was exceptional. We also had the salmon in lobster sauce with risotto and again perfection. As for the kids? Great too! The fettuccine Alfredo was fresh, flavorful and delicious. To finish? Have a Café con Leche. You have reached heaven.

We stayed in «downtown Ponce» and found the dining selection to be quite limited. I Unilocaled and Unilocaled, but only Lola seemed to be open and walking distance. I was hesitant to go there because if all the reviews that said it was overpriced and the food was just ‘meh.” Everyone was right.
Each entrée ranged from $ 24 – 30, and as others said, it was just meh. We sat in the outdoor seating and were seated next to chain smokers that kept blowing smoke our way. But what can you do. I felt like we were just in this random enclosed courtyard between two buildings. The other building was planning some sort of event, and I watched them set up their decorations while having my dinner.
The inside seating was full and there wasn’t much ambiance inside either. The in the front may have been even nicer though. We ordered the two fishes that were offered on the menu that were just ok. For $ 30, I thought it would be more flavorful, the fish would melt off the plate. There wasn’t much innovation though. The mofongo here was not that great. It was very bland and super mushy. Tasted different from all the other mofongos we had all over the island. I forgot the other 2 dishes we got, but they were not very memorable either. We also ordered the sampler platter of criolla, but everything just tasted really dry and tough. It was also cold. The food also took forever to come out.
Probably the least exciting of a meal during our Puerto Rico trip. Oh well.

It’s a really nice comfy environment! Very tasty and big size appetizer, the drink was fancy and tasty! We both ordered a half size dish, they came out right amount of food… The meal was tasty and delightful… The waiter’s service was really considerate and polite, too. After I asked for hot water, he came back to ask me if I need to refill more hot water… It was a good ending as our last meal at Puerto Rico~

This was our first fuel stop of the day upon arriving in Ponce.
The interior is absolutely wonderful. It has a very «retro» trendy vibe, with lots of cool art on the walls. The furniture was super cute and chic.
The prices were a little bit steeper than what we wanted to pay for lunch but it was worth it for the quick and courteous service. Our waiter was attentive and able to speak to the English-​only members of our group very comfortably.
I ordered the Mofongo with (Pork) Carnitas. The meat was really salty but the Mofongo itself was perfection! My meal also came with some sort of Tuscan Bean Soup. Not exactly traditional, but it was quite good. I would recommend this place if you’re willing to pay a little extra for the experience!
Keep in mind, Ponce moves pretty slowly during the week. There may not be many other places open.

We stopped in here for a late afternoon lunch. Lola can be found out back of the Ramada hotel (side note the Ramada looks beautiful) next to the pool.
We opted to sit outside and enjoy the fresh breeze and poolside view. The place was empty due to us eating so late but it was perfect. The staff was great and very attentive.
So why the three stars?
There were definitely some misses in my book.
5 STARS:
The staff — attentive.
The menu — yes it really is eclectic and should satisfy most foodies.
The house bread — soaked in balsamic and olive oil… this was great.
4 STARS:
The prices — somewhat pricey but it was spot on considering the location and it’s inside a hotel.
3 STARS:
They didn’t have the lolita martini available, or the second choice I tried to order. I went with a mojito which was good, but not spectacular.
The food took a while. I’m from the island, I understand island time, but for impatient tourists this may be a bit slow.
The food — we ordered a lola sampler app platter that came with — bacon wrapped mahi (a bit dry in my book), the mango/​chicken bruschetta (the chicken looked it came from a can?), the risotto balls (these were great) and the beef eggrolls (not good). We also ordered the ceviche since they were out of another item and the ceviche seemed a bit old to me.
All in all the food was so/​so, with the bread being the best part, and they seemed to be out of a lot of items.

Un lugar fino, servicio excelente y precios razonables. Hay para escoger y todo lo que he probado me ha gustado.