Lula by the Numbers
Caramelized Fennel at Lula Cafe's Valentine's Day Farm Dinner 2017
Photo: Kyle KisselAbout
Yesterday we announced the name of our new street-level restaurant: Marisol. Opening this summer, the restaurant will feature a menu designed by Lula Cafe's owner and cochef Jason Hammel. As we count down to Marisol's opening, we follow our series profiling key figures involved in this major redesign with a closer look at a number of Lula Cafe's unique offerings and undertakings.
6: Courses in Lula Cafe’s vegetarian tasting menu
Some restaurants offer only one meat-free dish to satisfy vegetarians, but not Lula. Lula Cafe’s six-course vegetarian tasting menu is a mainstay on its constantly rotating menu.
Lula Cafe's avocado terrine with yuzu, serrano chile, poppyseed & basil
Photo: Kyle Kissel17: Years Lula Cafe has been open
When Lula Cafe opened its doors in 1999, the Logan Square restaurant lived in a small storefront. Equipped with only a four-burner stovetop, Hammel and cochef Amelia Tshilds used a dented collection of secondhand pots and pans to serve up meals for their customers. 17 years later, Lula Cafe now spans three storefronts and has been dubbed the “best neighborhood restaurant in Chicago.”
450: People who routinely flock to Lula Cafe for Sunday brunch
No one likes getting up early on Sundays—unless that means booking it to Lula Cafe to beat the crowd. As one of the city’s most popular brunch spots, the restaurant serves hundreds of people each weekend.
The interior of Lula Cafe's second storefront
Photo: Kyle Kissel2001: Year Lula Cafe introduced its Monday-night farm dinners
What started as a way to use Hammel’s random farmers’ market buys has now become a weekly tradition. Lula Cafe’s three-course farm dinners feature whatever its team is inspired by that week, be it a new seasonal vegetable, a quirky farmers’ market buy, or new industry techniques.
2,000+: New dishes created during Lula Cafe’s farm dinners
Lula Cafe’s farm dinners have challenged its chefs to create new combinations and tastes every Monday since 2001. Over the years, that’s amounted to more than 2,000 dishes and counting—without any repeats.