11. December 2014: Restaurant LOLA – Spanish Tapas
The concept of the restaurant LOLA is really to have a lot of different tapas – and I started with rather tasty and hot “pimientos de padrón” – and I experienced the first time that they can actually be really spicy. So far, I had always thought that they use chilis which are not too spicy but these things were – at least some of them – coming straight from hell buring your mouth (in a pleasant way).
The “Iberian cold cuts variation” (EUR 9.80) was okay but there could have been a bit more meat on these plates for my personal taste. I get that the restaurant has to calculate to still make a profit but it was a bit thinly applied.
The “hot potatoes with two sauces” (EUR 5.90) on the other hand were really nothing special. I guess you cannot expect too much from that but frankly it was so common it lacked all creativity.
The “fried prawns in garlic oil” (EUR 8.70) on the other hand were absolutely tasty and garlic-ey – but in a pleasant way so you would not feel like you are eating a whole piece of garlic.
The “king prawns in tempura with Maracuja mayonnaise” (EUR 6.90) seemed limitedly fresh but the maracuja mayonnaise was actually quite mouth-watering.
The “Spanish paprica sausage in white wine sauce” (EUR 6.10) was heavy but absolutely yummy.
The “potato omelet aka tortilla” (EUR 5.50) was common. I guess that’s how an original tortilla must be like but it really was pretty boring in taste.
The “grilled vegetables” (EUR 4.90) were fine but it is somehow not really optimal timing to bring them towards the end of the dinner as it is something you eat when you are really hungry so it stuffs you – but not when you are almost full.
The “eggplants with sugar cane honey” were delicious. I did not expect a dish as simple as this to be so tasty.
The “solomillo with French fries” was a nice gesture of Paco, the owner, who served us this evening. The meat was good and the topping too.
As a last course before the sweets “fried calamri and fried anchovies” were served – which were great!
For dessert, we experienced quite a variation of different desserts starting with a “crema catalana” …
… followed by “Dulche de Leche with cinnamon” …
and … “crêpe de chocolate” …
… to be finished with “Tocino de Cielo”. Overall, it was a feast – there was plenty of food despite the fact that we were a group of 18 people, everyone seemed to have had enough in the end. What is a bit of a problem though is a) that the quality of the dishes really varies, and b) that there are two people taking care of everything; orders, service, billing, guiding, cleaning, etc. This is definitely a lovely concept but it fails the moment when a group of 18 people walks in (and we obviously did not walk in un-announced). So, to sum it up, service-wise, the service is extremely friendly and passionate but two people are just not up to the task which led to quite long waiting times in the beginning which is not optimal if you are a bunch of hungry people.
The place itself is simple but nice – you can’t be afraid of closeness to other people as it is not really a huge premise which leads to the fact that people sit quite close to each other. However, generally, the place is recommendable. I guess if you go in a smaller group and pick only a selected few tapas, you’ll have a blast. For such a large group though, I would not recommend LOLA.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant LOLA – Spanish Tapas
Gonzagagasse 14
1010 Vienna (AT)
Tel.: +43 1 532 30 71
E-Mail: info@lolatapas.at
Homepage: http://www.lolatapas.at
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
