Hi friends, welcome back! I’ve got a fun, popular restaurant to share with you all today called Loulou NYC. This French Bistro is named after the owner’s adorable rescue dog Loulou, and all the dog lovers know you wouldn’t name a mediocre restaurant after your beloved furry friend. I had seen this restaurant on Instagram frequently and was drawn in by the beautiful flower exterior, exquisite drinks, delicious looking menu, and great Yelp reviews. Reservations fill up fast so make sure you book as soon as you can. I grabbed a Sunday afternoon brunch reservation for four with our friends Liz and Zach. (Loulou in front of her restaurant)
Starting with drinks, I had to order the “Mexican Stiletto” with Don Julio Blanco, grapefruit, agave, and Peychaud’s bitters. I feel like this bird glass is having a moment in NYC, I’ve started seeing it everywhere! I just had to have it because it’s one of the coolest glasses I’ve ever seen, and I noticed that right after I finished, the waiter quickly took the glass away so maybe people are taking this bird home as a souvenir ha! This drink tasted delicious and we all laughed about how it drained when I took a sip. At first it was a bit weird because I felt like I was drinking out of a bird’s behind, but the self-consciousness didn’t last long.
Jon opted for the “Danny Boy” (Ilegal mezcal, Cazadores tequila, muddled cucumber, jalapeño, agave) and I’ve never seen a drink so filled to the top. They definitely didn’t skimp on the pour here.
Another cool drink is “The World is Yours” with Empress gin, Heaven Sake Junmai, Crème de Pêche, and edible flowers. Jon and I don’t like gin, so we didn’t order it, but how beautiful is this drink! It reminds me of a magical crystal ball.
The guys started brunch with this incredible French Onion Soup. We’d all recommend ordering this, it tasted amazing! Where better to have French Onion soup than a French Bistro?
I’m a sucker for sweets at brunch and chose the Croissant French Toast with mandarin date compote, blood orange, walnuts, mascarpone and it was delicious!! It was the perfect size where I felt full but not disgusting or in a sugar coma after eating this. (I never really knew what mascarpone was before this meal even though it’s in almost every Cronut I eat ha)
Jon ordered the Steak Sandwich with roasted tomato, onion, garlic aioli and some delicious fries.
Liz picked the Healthy Grain Bowl (quinoa, barley, baby kale, roasted butternut squash, poached egg) and Zach went with the Loulou Burger (clothbound cheddar, caramelized onion, brioche, pommes frites). I didn’t want to be rude and make them wait before eating so I could get pictures haha.
These pictures are from the Loulou website and I thought the interior at the restaurant was very cool! Every detail of this restaurant makes for the perfect brunch spot in my opinion.
Everything tasted amazing and the atmosphere and service here were great! The four of us all enjoyed our meal and had a blast together! Can’t beat great food and great company. We ordered from their brunch menu, but the dinner menu looks awesome too. This spot is great to meet friends or family, date night, and they also host events. The bistro also has a speakeasy in the basement that is reopening this summer. No matter the occasion, I’d highly recommend checking out Loulou NYC!
Wow, so delicious! The French onion soup looks like a meal in itself. The drinks are so pretty, I’d almost hate to drink them. Not.😋😉 Great review, Lyssy!
The soup was definitely hearty! Haha no sip was left behind in that bird 🙂
Everything looks delish
Delicious indeed!
This restaurant looks delicious and I adore your bird shaped cocktail glass. Both the gin cocktail and the French onion soup would have had my name on it! I had to Google a ‘speakeasy’ as I hadn’t heard the term before – a retro bar in the basement, am I right!
You would very much enjoy this restaurant! You are right – back during prohibition in the US there would be secret places to get alcohol called speakeasies. Some restaurants in NYC have them behind fake walls for fun. We went to a restaurant that you enter through a pawn shop and say a secret word and then a wall opens and you walk through. It’s a lot of fun 🙂
Wow! That overflowing French Onion Soup, absolutely amazing. More restaurants should serve their cocktails in such fanciful glasses. The interior is indeed very welcoming and pretty. Another great restaurant review, Lyssy!
I agree – things usually taste better in fun glasses or cool presentations. The soup was so delicious and hearty! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
It all looks so fantastic Lyssy and the onion soup is always good, when it almost all comes out with the first spoonful. French cuisine whether modern or traditional seldom disappoints. Thanks for sharing. Allan
Yes it’s always a great first bite when it all comes out with the first spoonful! Luckily Jon was patient so I could snap a picture 🙂 I am excited to have some authentic French cuisine soon 🙂
It’s not the first time I’m commenting on your drink, but the Mexican Stiletto… epic 👌🏼😄
“The world is yours” seems pretty cool too, but I don’t like gin either.
Oh and same here I learned what was mascarpone only last summer when I went to Italy lol
Such an epic drink! They had a make your own gin and tonic on the menu too, but not for us. Oooh mascarpone in Italy sounds amazing, hopefully next year I’ll get to have some!
That French Onion soup looks delicious!
This place looks awesome. I love the bird glass too! Ha! I bet people are lifting them.
I am literally salivating and booking the London restaurant for next time I’m down!
Once again I am in awe of glassblowers. I mean seriously, how do you make a bird out of blown glass? Way beyond my artistic talents. As for brunch, I must admit I love a Sunday brunch as much as the next guy, but I prefer a buffet where I can build a plate with many items. More importantly, I ONLY choose breakfast items (showing my bias for the meal). In other words, I approve of your choice of entree and pass on the other three. Maybe if Loulou didn’t call it “brunch”… 🙂
Glassblowers sure are incredible! Breakfast buffets are fun! I always like having a waffle or French toast with a side of scrambled eggs and fruit. I think we had brunch at like 2:45 so I suppose it was probably more like linner haha
Almost forgot… Go SPARTANS! With all respect to Coach K (and I mean that), I am a fan of ANY team who faces Duke. The Blue Devils have had more than their share of spotlight and media bias, and they didn’t deserve their #2 seed in this year’s tournament. Just think, Izzo and team could close the curtain on Coach K’s storied career today.
It was such an amazing game I couldn’t even be disappointed with the loss. I had low expectations and MSU losing in my bracket, so it was sort of a win win for me. I like Coach K, but I agree they have had a lot of winning in the last 20ish years, time for some other teams to have the spotlight. Your team put up a good fight against Texas Tech! There has been a lot of madness and close games this year!
That food all looks so delicious!
It was a delicious brunch!