LoLo’s Seafood Shack

We went for my sisters birthday with a deal voucher. It was worth the deal and much more. I will be back and very soon! The service was pleasant and the Food was on point! It was quick with a fresh and flavorful taste. Every bite was perfect. The jerk chicken and rice was so moist, with the right spice. I love Johnny cake but this Johnny cake with honey butter changed the game. Crab legs were fresh and moist. I’ll be back for the shark and bake. Everything else was so fresh and MOIST, I know the shark will not be a let down. See you soon lolo

Loved this place, shrimp was delicious. The sides were excellent as well! We had the plantains, cauliflower, and crab cakes. Plantains were so good, we ordered another to go!

Food was bland, the garlic butter sauce was the best thing I had… the conch fritters were tasteless and chewy
The crab legs were OK
My soft shell crab sandwich was OK not good not great but ok

Ate here twice. first time I tried there conch fritters it was horrible! then I tried the crab dip even worst… I saw they had an offer on Groupon, so I decided to give it another try maybe I got a bad chef that day! still a freaking disappointment! the crayfish was good! however it was filled with nothing but empty heads & legs! like are you serious who the hell can eat crawfish legs? the crab dip was still trash! I will not be eating here again! save your money go to Joes crab shack lmao!

This was my first time here with a friend and we’ll definitely be back! Its a casual and cozy spot with super nice staff. We were a little worried about the indoor seating but we came at a perfect time and snagged a table. I got the jerk chicken and Johnny cakes, they really put their own spin on the dish. And the Johnny cakes were awesome! My friend got the salmon and broccoli-​she loved it! Perfect amount and the ginger scallion sauce was very well balanced. Not too much for the non ginger loves lol

I’d read about this place months ago, but was a bit nervous to make the far trek uptown for what seemed to be a limited seating situation.
Alas a friend dragged me and another friend to Harlem to run some errands on a late Friday afternoon and we finished up with one goal in mind: food.
We arrived at 4 or 5 pm and that was by far our best decision. At that time there was ample seating. You order at the counter, get a number, take a seat and your food is brought to you. I like to think that we ordered a medley of well seasoned goodness. I was happy with everything. I likely could have gone with larger portions, but this worked.
This is definitely a summer destination as you do feel like your in a Caribbean shack and the indoor seating is pretty limited, so it’s best left for a day to leisurely eat outdoors.

My boyfriend and I are HOOKED! Gimme some jerk ribs, some rice and beans, a crab cake sandwich, some corn on the cob and we are good to go!
This place is great for a quick bit, pick-​up or delivery. Really yummy Caribbean food.
I love this place, I would say it is a bit expensive though. As you order all smaller portions, dinner for 2 can easy run up to $ 50. Which for dinner at home I personally find pricy. They do try to make it up every now and then by throwing in a free order or rice or another side, which is appreciated.
Amazing Harlem spot!

Let me first start by saying I’ve been wanting to try Lolo’s since they opened I just never got around to it. I saw a gilt voucher a few months ago and said I guess here’s my opportunity.
Location: perfect right off the B, C train on 116^th.
Ambiance: island seafood shack feel. It’s like you have been transported to another place. It’s pretty small inside. Which should be expected. The height of the table and chairs were a little werid to me. We were sitting at a four person table and two chairs were for me to short to sit at the table and the other two chairs were somewhat high.
Food: so here’s where things get a little dicey. Not for me but my date. So the gilt voucher allowed us to get 1 shared appetizer we chose the chicken wings. Those wings were absolutely delicious. I practically ate all of them by myself. We both got to choose an entrée. I chose the shrimp and my date chose the crawfish. My shrimp were good they were huge. I tried my dates crawfish and it was okay. That was my first time having crawfish and honestly I just didn’t like putting in the work to get to the meat lol. But my date was a pro and I watched him crack those things quickly. We both also got to choose a sandwich.. I orginally was going to get the shark since that’s what I heard was the best but I decided to get the crab cake sandwich. I told my date about how I had read some great reviews about the shark sandwich so he said he would get it… my sandwich crab cake was good. The shark here where things get a lil HAIRY.
So at this point I am practically done with my food. I ate all the wings myself except for one lol. They were really good. My date was eating somewhat slow because he still had crawfish and his sandwich. The shark sandwich that he had not even opened or touched yet. So when he decides to take the sandwich to take a bite after the second bite I noticed this mortified look on his face. I said what happened he was so quiet he just started pulling a hair from his mouth that he almost ate with the sandwich. I felt so bad. So he is pretty much traumatized lol so i said well let’s tell the waitress and maybe they could make him another sandwich etc. So the waitress apologized offered to try to come up with some resolution. Which was nice. My date wanted no parts of that though he actually was so bothered by what had happen that he literally lost his appetite. Trust me when I say this man never turns down food. I convinced him to at least get the wings. So they got him the wings, brought out some dirty rice and they even replaced his orginal sandwich. The man still didn’t eat so i made him take it home.
I get it sometimes things like this happen. But no one ever wants to be the person that gets the dish with the hair in it. I liked the way it was handled by the waitress. As we were leaving the owner actually asked us how our meal went she didn’t realize we were the ones that had experienced the hair incident. She then offered to return the money for the sandwich but I said no we had already got all this food that probably go to waste and I of course liked my food. Anyway her in my date were kind of going back in forth for a little bit. She pretty much was saying that all of their food is made fresh at the establishment and sometimes these things happen. Almost trying to minimize what happened. I get it defend your ish. I would have. Probably done the same anyway i think she got offended when my date said that when he bit the sandwich and found the hair it was a little bit disconcerting.
Anyway would I come back I don’t know. Maybe if I get a taste for some seafood.

A must try! Super friendly staff and awesome food!
Highly recommend the coconut shrimp (comes with fries). Probably some of the best that I’ve tried. Wonderful flavor and texture (both the shrimp and fries).
The shrimp in their ginger cilantro sauce is also very good! Try dipping the fries into the sauce because it’s a perfect pairing! The shrimp was cooked perfectly and had amazing flavor!
Grabbed a free plantain order with the checkin but sadly it wasn’t for me. I think the plantains weren’t ripe enough but that could just be me. Also tried their cauliflower and surprisingly I liked it as well. Mildly tender but still had a crisp and goes very well with their sauce.
The soft shell crab sandwich was also a very popular items but I think it could use some improvement. The flavor was good but the crab itself was just way to oily. Overall, I had a great lunch here and will be coming back in the future.

The idea of visiting a true Caribbean seafood shack was very promising. The menu sounded very good but it was far from it. The fish was more of an afterthought on the smelt and chips dish as it was more fries than fish and fries should of been home cut to give it that homemade feel. The conch fritters were more dough than conch and bland. Shark & bake was good. So at was graciously friendly & hospitable, but For the price, food needs improvement.

Have to take away one star because I was expecting the same «wow» factor that I experienced several months ago. I ended up here last night very unexpectedly and ordered the plantains, which were still beautifully done and a crab cake and bake sandwich.
I love that the Johnny cakes are made-​to-​order, but when I received my sandwich, my cakes were cold. Meh… OK, but the crab cake inside wasn’t as full of crabby flavor as the other times I’d ordered it. Didn’t ask for much else, because I wasn’t so hungry and couldn’t even finish my meal. I hope they return to the greatness that once made me a regular at Lolo’s.
I hear they’ll be opening up for lunch every day by March 2016. That’s nice, but they should always bring their A-​game because when they do, they’re f*ckin’ awesome! I

I was underwhelmed. Based on the reviews I had VERY high expectations. Bottom line is the food just didn’t live up to the expectations flavor wise. In comparison to the boil, Clawdaddys and lighthouse fish market, Lolos just didn’t bring the flavor for me.
The Garlic fries: not garlicky at all. They seemed like freezer fries with MAYBE some garlic powder on them. I definitely wouldn’t order this again.
Plantains: These pretty were good. They were cut thick and loaded with minced garlic. Not to mention free with the check in.
Crab cake sandwich: the «Johnny Cake» they use is really good. I liked the taste and texture of this bread. The crab cake filling however just wasn’t very flavorful. It lacked a profound crab taste. It just didn’t give me the seafood fix I was looking for.
Lolos is a cool spot, nice island vibe and friendly staff. But my taste buds just weren’t tickled the way they were at Clawdaddys just two nights ago. I left there astonished by what I had tasted. I left lolos thinking about how I couldn’t wait to get back to Clawdaddys.

This was an amazing experience. Jeremy we enjoyed meeting you. Friendly staff, the crabby dip, the Lolo’s curry ginger coconut butter sauce that the snow crab legs came in made for great dipping for my Johnny cakes, the sweet plantains were excellent. Can’t wait to go back. My friend and I shared, for $ 21 each it was a lot of food for us 2

Great sandwiches! Great vibe! I wish I could go there more often!!!
As soon as I arrived, they offered me the plantain, So good and I admit I am not a big plantain fan!
Then, I ordered the salmon sandwich. Really really good. I am not giving 5 stars because the bread was very oily but if I forget the oil, then the salmon was just amazingly grilled!
Hiwever, I need to admit that the service was very slow. While the place was empty, it took them more than 20 minutes to prepare my sandwich… that was very annoying…

Nothing beats the food at this place. They’ve catered several meetings we’ve had at my work place, and it gets rave reviews each time! We keep ordering from them by popular demand! There’s not a single bad item on the menu! I even went to the restaurant in person to try it all for myself, and wow wow wow! Do yourself a favor, get the plantains and shark sandwich. You’ll thank me later!
Five stars for customer service, too!

Such a cool place! I had passed by LoLo’s multiple times while walking to the 116^th subway stop, but I had always just glanced at it, thought it a bit dilapidated and sketchy, and walked right past it without giving it much thought. So glad I saw other sides to it on Unilocal and decided to give it a try.
Before I begin, remember that a Unilocal checkin gets you free plantains! I got the shark with rice on the side. I wasn’t sure how much I liked the shark because it wasn’t cooked all the way (I think it was on purpose), and so it was a bit murky (??) and either the meat itself or the breading had a flavor I hadn’t expected. The rice wasn’t to my taste either as it tasted a bit… too buttery?
BUT I loved the crab dip appetizer. The crunchy plantains you dip into the dip were warm and toasty, and the equally toasty crab dib was quite delicious without tasting oily or greasy. My friends had the salmon and shrimp entrees and loved them, so I plan to check them out next time.
Also, the place itself is worth coming back for. Outdoor seating is nice even at night, and the indoor seating behind the kitchen area is cozy and unique.
One thing I was in want of was more gluten free options. I had the shark without the homemade bread and really wished they could substitute the rice for the bread I opted out of…

I was in a crab leg mood so my bestie and I drove to Harlem to check out Lolos. This place is legit mad small, I believe previously it was a chinese take out spot (I peeped the gate that’s right by the ordering counter). They’ve definitely utilized the space to its fullest capacity though as there is seating in almost every nook and cranny. Two seater table here, a communal table towards the back, small seating area in the front; They’ve made the most of the space fa sho! They also have an outdoor patio with lots of bench style tables (we didn’t check it out bc of the rain) that I’m positive gets super crowded in the warmer months. The vibe inside is warm and welcoming with an authentic Belizean feel (I heard the owner is from Belize). The colors are vibrant, framed photographs and a few paintings are hung along the walls with some awesome reggae tunes playing in the background.
We placed our orders with Jose who btw was mad cool. He looked genuinely happy to be there and was very friendly to us; he also slid us some loyalty cards as we were leaving. 1 lb crab legs (coco curry sauce), one salmon shrimp and broocoli combo, jerk ribs, one cauliflower and sweet potato sandwich on their infamous Johnny cakes, and two Unilocal check offers for free plantains. We were given a number and found a table in the back.
The food came out very quickly and we tore everything up. The salmon, shrimp and broccoli combo was great! The salmon was broiled to perfection, crispy on the outside and moist and flaky on the inside. The shrimp was seasoned perfectly and the broccoli was drenched in all the drippings from the salmon and shrimp which made it crazy good; I would most definitely order that again. Cauliflower and sweet potato Johnny cake sandwich was deliciousness. The sweetness from the sweet potatoes were a nice contrast to the charred goodness of the cauliflower. My crab legs were good but the curry sauce was a bit overwhelmed with coconut milk. I’m not a huge cojita cheese fan so the plantains were just ok to me. Only thing missing is the alcohol! I was told their in the process of getting their liquor license so hopefully by the beginning of the year they should be offering those options.
Lolos is a great spot, in my opinion more so for the locals and take out. It seems like an amazing summer chill spot especially with it being in a highly populated area in Harlem.

This joint is the BOMB… Thank you «I Don’t Do Clubs» for putting together this Black-​Owned Restaurant Month…
Ordered Dishes that I absolute LOVE…
1) Avocado Bake (so fresh)
2) Side of sweet plantains
3) Crab legs
Pls look at the pictures for other choices…
Bön appétit!!!

This looks unprepossessing from the street but the food and the back yard are fantastic so persevere people!
The staff are lovely, the free plantains with a Unilocal check-​in are wonderful and the music (reggae covers of pink Floyd) is memorable

Update: Food Poisoning. Started violently throwing up a few hours later, mostly the conch fritters (don’t ask me how I know). No shellfish allergy personally.
Or maybe the gills ARE inedible?
I don’t want to speculate…
Below is my original 4 star review.
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Today is Monday but they are actually open, so they successfully stole a customer from Streetbird across the street (me).
I got conch fritters, soft shell crab bake and broccoli salad. My meal cost me $ 30 which is definitely on the expensive side. But I do think the food is good enough to justify that price (or almost).
The crab and fritters are both deep fried but not greasy at all. The bake is basically soft shell crab, tomato, bacon and slaw in johnny cakes (cornbread flatbread). I really loved this dish. It has a hint of sweetness without being too heavy. This place is called a seafood shack but man the chef knows how to cook bacon. It was crispy without being oily and added great texture to the sandwich. Note that the gills of the crab were not removed. I’m not sure if this was an accident or meant to be. The reason that people remove gills from a crab is the unpleasant taste (Google tells me they aren’t actually poisonous). However, I couldn’t taste any pungent flavors coming from the gills so I had no problem eating them.
The conch fritters have bell peppers and cod in them. Flavor is simple but satisfying and the other ingredients really bring out flavors of the seafood. Broccoli salad is refreshing albeit a tad salty.
I am a fan of their coconut soda also. Backyard seating is relaxing. Service is quick. Also don’t forget they give you a free order of plantains if you check in.