Top 100 Regional & Specialty Chinese Cuisines (2009)
Top 100 Local Favorites (2008)
Top100 Overall Excellence (2007)
Top100 Overall Excellence (2006)
Top100 Overall Excellence (2005)
Comments(51)
Reviewed by:
Allison C. on:
3/19/2013 5:00:00 PM
I love their dim sum on Sundays, but the dinner menu is exceptional as well. Great for bigger parties!
Reviewed by:
Gretchen W. on:
1/7/2013 7:41:00 AM
I really enjoy Lu Lu's dinner menu. They offer a wide selection of authentic Chinese food. The service is pretty good too if they are not too busy. However, the Dim Sum is just OK.
Reviewed by:
Maggie L. on:
12/30/2012 2:31:00 AM
The food was excellent, and it definitely had the Chinese restaurant ambiance. The spicy fish was epic! It was actually pretty spicy, which is a nice change, because usually the menu says very spicy but the food comes out bland. The flavor was also spot on. Go to Lu Lu's for some tasty food and good dining experience!
Reviewed by:
Jon T. on:
12/18/2012 5:32:00 PM
Our second visit to LuLu's for dinner was again a good experience. We had another coupon to use that was dinner only. This time it was not honored. In fairness it was nearly a year old, from http://Restaurant.com and they said they were not doing business with that company any longer.We ordered Salt and Pepper Calamari for an appetizer and if you are a fried calamari lover, I can recommend this highly. We frequently order fried calamari and found LuLu's to be as good as pretty much any we have had in St Louis. The Hot and Sour Soup that I had was typical and was balanced with modest heat and modest sour flavor. Ms T's Won Ton Soup was not very flavorful.Ms T had Chicken with Snow Peas that we both found it to be fairly boring, the clear cornstarch sauce type of thing. I had the Twice Cooked Pork again which I had forgotten that I ordered the last time in. Again, it was very good. LuLu's has a lot of good things to offer. Since the menu is so large, you really have to find the things that you like. Everything won't be stellar, but it is worth looking for the things that are.
Reviewed by:
Kate B. on:
12/18/2012 11:21:00 AM
I've been here a couple of times now. Once I went for Dim Sum and it was only just OK. The food was kind of cold, from what I recall, and slightly gummy in some instances. And I've never had dim sum anywhere else so I can't really compare it. I would assume it's supposed to be hot, and that it's just very difficult considering the nature of how you get it (via carts.)I returned a few nights ago for a friend's birthday party. There were 10 of us at one table, and they did a pretty good job of keeping up with everyone and their orders. I had some hot tea, scallion pancakes, wonton soup, and singapore rice noodles. The green onion/scallion pancakes were pretty good. The wonton soup had a weird aftertaste. The rice noodles I got were reeeeally oily and a little spicier than I had thought. But otherwise OK.The owner (?) was excited my friend decided to have her bday party there, and he freaked out and brought out this huge platter of desserts for us for free and a special one for her. He also gave her some giftcards to their restaurant. Apparently she's a regular and promised she'd come back there for her bday dinner. The owner is super adorable, haha. He was also excited that her birthday fell on 12/12/12. It was a pretty hilarious scene cause he was so excited.Also I always see tons of Chinese folks coming here for dinner...that's always a good sign. I would definitely come back because the food is relatively fair-priced and their menu is GIGANTIC!!
Reviewed by:
Vpg G. on:
12/8/2012 3:16:00 PM
Very disappointing. Service was awful food was horrible. I order A29 - Salted Pepper Shrimp, which came with fried rice and broccoli. The rice was lukewarm and the broccoli was warm with cold spots. The fried shrimp had no salt OR pepper and was completely bland. Will not go back. My husbands duck was ok, but his rice and broccoli was the same as mentioned above.
Reviewed by:
Tom D. on:
12/5/2012 12:29:00 AM
Haven't done the dim sum at Lulu's, but overall, I would have to rank it as one of the more authentic chinese restaurants in st. louis if you know what to order. Service and cleanliness is just OK.
Reviewed by:
Zach V. on:
11/30/2012 6:51:00 PM
Lunch on a Tuesday, ordered off of the menu rather than running the Dim Sum gauntlet.Good Kung Pao Chicken, hot and sour soup was slightly over peppered. CoWorker enjoyed the calamari and celery dish and both of us had fried rice that was average.Wasn't very packed and the service was on par. Good place for groups, its surprisingly big and I doubt it ever gets overly full. It's your standard east olive Chinese place.
Reviewed by:
Kendall M. on:
10/2/2012 1:18:00 AM
DIM SUM is my favorite way to eat.Small portions and try everything.Even if it had a red pepper on the menu indicating spicy...ehhh it's not that spicy.The Hot plates are sizzling from the kitchen and served on a cart.Egg custard dumplings are a must for dessert if you have room.
Reviewed by:
Lisa C. on:
9/30/2012 2:06:00 AM
I'm going to echo Tracey W's review and bluntly admit that I don't know half of what I put into my mouth during a recent Sunday dim sum foray.That looks like a dumpling. Gimme.Tofu. No f'ing way. Sorry. But that broccoli? That shit is delicious.More barbecued pork, please.Did she just say sandpaper shrimp? No? Oh, salt and pepper shrimp. Okay!More dumplings? Bring 'em on.The endless cart parade just kept bringing more and more stuff. Most of it was pretty good. Some things (I'm looking at you, sandpaper shrimp) not so much. But I left full and pretty happy.
Reviewed by:
Alison H. on:
9/27/2012 10:40:00 AM
Dim sum was good, but they were sold out of some of the stuff I wanted. Edamame was served cold and did not seem fresh, so I do not recommend that. Pork buns were delicious and has a great amount of meat to bun ratio.
Reviewed by:
Chris Z. on:
8/22/2012 4:48:00 AM
A friend and I came here in the mood for some Asian food and a strong drink or two. We settled on some pork dumplings, calamari, and a drink called a scorpion. The food was pretty good. The dumplings were the better of the two... fresh, hot, and simple. I wished they had better hot sauce. The house hot sauce on the table was just oil and red pepper flakes. The scorpion drink was ok. I wanted something with a bit more kick.Service was fine... although 3 different people were taking care of us.
Reviewed by:
Katherine B. on:
8/10/2012 5:21:00 AM
I'd never been, and the bf adores anything Asian, so we grabbed the Groupon Now deal and headed over. I had the hot pot garlic beef and eggplant dish. Lu Lu's specializes in Chinese cuisine, so I was super surprised when I asked for Sriarcha, hot sauce or Sambal, and they had none. They do have a house made hot sauce, which is flavorful, but not hot. But, I seriously ate the leftovers from that dish for 2 more days.And I noticed the same thing, they brought us our bill, and they had a note on the top telling us what an 18% tip would be, and the server told us "your tip is 5.86" (or whatever the particular number), which was kinda impolite. I've heard that businesses have problems which grouponers tipping on the full amount. Everything besides that was good.
Reviewed by:
Sonny S. on:
7/3/2012 9:07:00 AM
I've been coming to LuLu for years for their dim sum which I absolutely love! The place is very kitschy with Asian decorations everywhere but it all comes down to the food for me. I would recommend getting here early because it gets pretty packed. There's seating on the main level and in the basement. Sit on the main level - more dim sum carts. They've recently expanded so you'll probably be seated on the main level. You can still order off the menu but those dishes are pretty blah to me. I'd say stick to dim sum. Try coming with a group to get more dishes.Here's what I got:-shrimp dumplings-taro fritters (crispy exterior with creamy interior; taro has texture similar to potato)-pork shui mai (so plump and filled with flavor-bursting pork mixture)-daikon radish cake (make sure you get it fresh and hot!)-glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves (fragrant sticky rice mixed with veggies and pork - delicious!)-pork spare ribs (fall off the bone tender)-crispy shrimp fritters (crispy outside with a aioli dipping sauce)-savory congee with pork and thousand year old egg (creamy and comforting!)The only thing that is kinda shady is the lady that adds the bill up. Sometimes you gotta make sure she's adding your bill up right. Every time I pay it seems like she's randomly punching in numbers!!Other than that, I've always had an amazing experience!
Reviewed by:
Mark S. on:
4/27/2012 2:41:00 PM
I came here for dim sum last Sunday, my first trying it. Everything we ate was delicious-garlic green beans, shiu mai (sp), potstickers, and the best crab rangoon I've eaten.The atmosphere is bright, a little kitchsy, and the service was quick and attentive.
Reviewed by:
Benjamin S. on:
2/21/2012 10:02:00 AM
I'm no Chinese food aficionado, but this is definitely Chinese food. I've never been corrected on my pronunciation of "TsingTao," until last night, and I feel better knowing that the beer's name is spoken as "Ching" as opposed to the white man's "T-sing" tendency. I am better for it.That said, there were four of us and I sampled three of the dishes (one of us has some sharing issues) and they were all great. I had the "Chow Fun." Good flavor, good portion size. This was the same across the board.The staff is a tad.. abrupt? But, this only confirms the authenticity, right? I didn't say "rude," because that was not my impression. It was amusing.I should note that one person in our group was actually from China and she is a repeat customer, so take that for what it's worth.Enjoyed the atmosphere. A surprisingly large place. The Groupon lured us in, but I'll definitely go back again sometime soon.
Reviewed by:
Keith D. on:
2/7/2012 5:27:00 AM
Simply said...this was amazing food. I went for dinner on a Saturday and had a very good experience. I chose the Dim Sum path and enjoyed everything I ordered. We had a group of eight and we all ordered something different which means we sampled a lot of food and no one was disappointed. My only complaint was spotty service. Everyone was friendly, just slow at times.Also, this is a large restaurant and the noise hit a few decibels over the "can you hear me know" tolerance level. However, everyone was enjoying the meal so much we were moaning more than talking, so it didn't matter too much for our first visit.I'm about three months removed from a great meal at a San Francisco restaurant in Chinatown and Lu Lu's was every bit as good as that meal.Grab your chop sticks and head over to another great restaurant in U CIty.
Reviewed by:
Zachary M. on:
2/2/2012 8:54:00 PM
I have to point out that this review is primarily for LuLu's when they are serving Dim Sum, and when you get there when they aren't super crowded (arrive around 10:30-11:00... Trust me on this). This place probably has the highest quality Chinese food you can get in St. Louis. Almost everything I have tried here I find absolutely delicious. The Shu Mai, bean curd roles, Chinese broccoli, Sticky rice, pork buns, almost everything is worth trying. Come with a large group so that people can try a variety of things. The more people come the more different things people can have. And I have to say it, be adventurous and try things you wouldn't normally try, most likely you won't regret it.This isn't to say that the place doesn't have it's problems. They have become so popular during dim sum that if you don't get there early expect to be crammed in a tiny waiting area. Though they have some of the friendliest staff I've seen (especially for a Chinese restaurant), they are woefully understaffed. Also to accommodate such a large demand they have crammed as many tables as they can into their restaurant (which is by no means small). This unfortunately means that it is hard to get around and feels a bit claustrophobic. This also means that often food that you see on a cart that looks oh so delicious has a good chance of never getting to you before being snagged by another lucky table. Again the moral of this is if you want dim sum you NEED to get their early to have an enjoyable experience.Going to LuLu's during any other service is like visiting an entirely different restaurant. I will say this, Lunch here is mediocre Americanized Chinese food. They lower the prices to compensate, but all in all it's not worth driving out of your way for. Dinner on the other hand I find to be wonderful... If you get seafood (hey they do say on the sign that this is a seafood restaurant). Their fish has always been fresh, well seasoned, and with generous portions for a reasonable price. The atmosphere is completely different from the hustle and bustle of their dim sum service and is actually alright to bring a date to if you were so inclined (a bit dim for my taste, but it's acceptable). Again though, I have to point out that you should stay away from the Americanized Chinese food on their menu. It's probably just put their to appease those who come and aren't willing to try new things.In summary, get to the dim sum early and with a large group. Avoid lunch, and if you have dinner here get the seafood and stay away from the Americanized menu options. If you do that I would recommend this place to anyone.
Reviewed by:
James Y. on:
1/13/2012 12:21:00 PM
Saturday brunch at 10:30 = pretty rad.Only one dish that was funky...not because I can't try new foods but because it wasn't fresh. The trick is to have the lady keep opening up the steamer baskets and when she opens one up that actually steams, make sure that one's yours. I got caught slippin once and must have gotten an old stale batch or something.but overall, everything was quite tasty. they have all the "safe" stuff that regular white folks get down with plus a lot of the other stuff like chicken feet and tripe dishes. I like em all and i think this place keeps it 100.place was packed by 11:15ish; good mixed crowd so those who know, definitely know.price: two people, totally stuffed for the rest of the day = $45.legit.
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
This option in the Asian shopping district on Olive Boulevard is from the family that ran Great Chef Garden in West County. In reality, LuLu has a more convincing Hong Kong feel than anywhere around town. Bilingual signs in the foyer ...?
Reviewed by:
jmcneal on:
2004-01-21
To summarize: The service is terrible: The food is worse than many Chinese buffets. The atmosphere might be all right if they do not send you to the basement. I would never go or recommend this restaurant to anyone. Waited over 1 hour ...?
Reviewed by:
pyackey on:
2004-01-30
Dim Sum is served over the weekends and is the best I've had since being in Hong Kong. Regular menu dishes are also more authentic cuisine, not exactly Americanized so you may not like the taste. I highly recommend the Dim Sum and the smoked ...?
Reviewed by:
jrguru on:
2005-02-26
I came here for Christmas Day dinner, wait took a little while, once we sat down and ordered our food people after us got thier food way before we did, we complained and begged for out food and I don't even think they started making for ...?
Reviewed by:
jpshizzle on:
2005-06-06
The service isn't all that bad and the food is great. If you are going to eat here, just try ordering food that looks good when they are pushing the carts around and the food that doesn't look good, don't get it. ...?
Reviewed by:
memphistigerfan on:
2005-08-15
The quality of dim sum is just a couple of notches below what you can find in San Francisco or New York. However, the price is too high. $2.95 for 4 pieces of "har gow" (shrimp dumpling) is just too much. My party consisted of 3 adults and 1 ...?
Reviewed by:
heidrun on:
2005-08-27
This restaurant stands head and shoulders above any other Chinese restaurant at which I've ever eaten. The food is terrific; fresh, distinctive, authentic and utterly addicting. The wait staff is helpful and friendly, and the service is ...?
Reviewed by:
Mingming Z. on:
2005-09-04
When you are out with your family and try to find the best Chinese restaurant that a Chinese will recommend, that's LULU, for sure. You will not regret for trying it out. The people are friendly, and foods taste marvelous ...?
Reviewed by:
c y. on:
2005-11-25
this is by far the best chinese restaurant in the city. their quality in their food is superb. the waiters are very helpful and friendly. best of all is their amazing food. the food could take a while to prepare but its worth the wait. the ...?
Reviewed by:
ssinclair2 on:
2005-11-29
This restaurant has some of the best chinese food I've found, in either the US or China. I ate there with my wife and her chinese parents. The food was up to their standards, and that's definitely saying something. We had a supper, ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2007-07-03
Thankfully St. Louis has at least one high-quality Chinese food restaurant, where the dim sum is fabulous. That is Lu Lu Seafood and Dim Sum in University City, where most everything is good to very good, and you can get genuine Hong Kong style cuisine, prepared most often by a chef who came from Hong Kong. A dead giveaway for real Asian cuisine is the clientele who patronize the establishment, and this restaurant always has recent Chinese immigrants and families of Asian ancestry frequenting this restaurant. So if you're looking for the real deal, check out Lu Lu's especially on the weekend between noon and three when the dim sum carts are moving around the tables. I recommend the Salted Pepper Shrimp, with the heads still on, shrimp dumplings, pot stickers, Chinese broccoli (greens) with garlic, Snow Pea Tips (Greens) with Garlic, the roast duck, seaweed with garlic and the homemade jellyfish. There's a large menu with a wide assortment so don't be afraid to try new ...? More ?
Reviewed by:
apchow on:
2008-01-28
My group and I were over charged on tips. We went to Lu Lu yesterday, 1/27/08. They over charges everyone indivdual tips for a group dinner. Each one of us ends up paying $16 tips for a $29 per person group dinner. The waitress was very ...?
Reviewed by:
Spongebob2009 on:
2008-02-07
We went to Lulu's for New Year's eve dinner last night. 30 minutes after we were seated, no one came to take orders.It was 630pm.So i stopped a waitress and told her and we arrived earlier than any of the other tables and they've already had ...?
Reviewed by:
globalminded on:
2008-10-03
I ate at this restaurant. I thought the food was very good. I was disappointed when I learned that the waitresses are not allowed to keep their tips. I thought this was very unfair because each of these girls work 12 days and work very hard. ...?
Reviewed by:
lilacmorningdew on:
2008-12-01
I work at LuLu's Seafood Restaurant and I just wanted to respond to what the previous commenter had to say. I honestly don't think you have any idea about what your talking about. All tips go into a jar which is then all evenly split at ...?
Reviewed by:
Meredith Elkin on:
2008-12-26
I take my family to LuLu's at least once a month. They have extremely fresh vegetables, perfectly cooked rice, and even when they are busy they seem to get the food out in a reasonable amount of time. This is our favorite chinese restaurant. ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2009-01-31
I'm pretty sure that the horrible review posted below is either fictitious or written by someone who went to a different restaurant! We moved here from the east coast and have been to many wonderful asian restaurants, and Lulu is by far our very favorite. It is one of the culinary gems of Saint Louis. Aside from the menu (from "american" chinese to more traditional dishes) the staff at Lulu are unbelievably friendly and courteous--a dinner at Lulu runs like clockwork even during a busy Saturday night. I read that inaccurate review below and felt like I had to correct it. Lulu is our favorite restaurant in Saint Louis--for the food, the warm ambiance, and the the overall satisfying experience we've had there the dozens of times we've visited in the last three years.?
Reviewed by:
WylieWilliams on:
2009-02-19
I rated 3 stars based on one 5-star visit and one 1-star visit. in reading the other reviews I get the impression that you have to visit Lu Lu on a good day. That was our experience. We visited Lu Lu twice a couple of years ago. ...?
Reviewed by:
ML1464 on:
2009-04-24
to that in cities with large Chinatowns in St. Louis, but LuLu is probably the best around these parts. Try to avoid being relegated to the downstairs seating -- the service and food are better upstairs. ...?
Reviewed by:
PattiD6402 on:
2009-04-27
to believe that my favorite Chinese food is in St. Louis. The first and last thing that I do when in St. Louis is go to LuLu. I order the superb won ton soup to go as I get off the plane! Fabulous seafood. I have introduced many locals to LuLu and it has become their favorite as well. ...?
Reviewed by:
ToniP2668 on:
2009-05-14
service, including a lasy susan in the center of your table to share plates. Voted top 100 in the US for dim sum - so many unique dishes to chose from and they were are quite good. Not so scary with unusual proteins that you find in China, ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2009-05-21
We were very pleased with the food. The outside of the restaurant did not inspire us, but our son assured us that the food is good, and he was right. The garlic green beans were the best we've ever had in any Chinese restaurant. ...?
Reviewed by:
NoelaniB5888 on:
2009-05-21
Incredible variety compared to most dim sum restaurants (I should know being an Chinese American transplant from Honolulu and Seattle.) Taste is consistently savory. Watch out, Seattle and San Francisco! Uniquely decorated with pieces ...?
Reviewed by:
TemitopeA6210 on:
2009-05-22
where they bring carts of different food for you to try but you have be careful with no prices on the items your bill can be a bit of shock if you say yes to everything! It was good though! ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2009-10-08
We ate at Lulu's tonight. The service was quick, and the food was steaming hot. The egg rolls were small but tasty. The egg drop soup was good. The cashew chicken was a little bland, but the servings were large. ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2008-05-21
I started going to Lulu's after my old place (The Hunan Wok) went south. I think Lulu's is great. I've only ever had good service and GREAT food. I recommend the Peking Duck.?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2008-07-04
We love Chinese cuisine and Lulus is our favorite place to go. They have a very wide selection of dishes to choose from. They do a good job with the dishes most Americans are familiar with, like Orange Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, etc. but they do a fantastic job with many more authentic Chinese dishes. The dim sum is very good as well. Once again you can choose from familiar dishes like pot stickers (which are fantastic) to the more traditional Chinese dishes like sticky rice, chicken feet and pan-fried turnip cakes (all good too!). I have brought friends of all ethnicities and my Chinese mom to Lulus many times. Everyone has been impressed with the food. Many Chinese families also enjoy eating there "family style." You order numerous dishes for the table, a heaping bowl of rice and every one digs in. But remember, Lulus is not a Chinese buffet. If your favorite Chinese food is Crab Rangoon or Sweet and Sour Chicken, be prepared to expand your palate!?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2009-09-06
I've been going to Lulu Seafood Restaurant about once every to every other month for almost a year. It is by far the most authentic and delicious Chinese food in the city. The service is decently fast and very friendly, and the dim sum is fantastic. If you care about the quality of the food, you should definitely check out Lulu!?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2008-01-09
Come to Lulu mid-day Sunday for the complete experience. Lulu is a very traditional dim sum restaurant popular with Asian families, and featuring a range of selections you won't see in your typical "China Palace" or "Great Wall" generic asian restaurant. Waiters circle the room with an ever changing and dizzying array of entrees and provide minimal information. Pointing - "beef. you want?" Highly recommended for those very familiar with Asian food and/or adventurous eaters. You'll also want to go with at least 4 or 5 people so you can sample more entrees.?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2008-10-18
This is by far the best Chinese restaurant in St. Louis and is right up there with some of the best in the U.S. Try the Szechuan BBQ Beef and it will light you up, Jack! Wow!! Hot, but delicious!!
Reviewed by:
patti on:
2008-08-24
I live in California, but whenever I am in St. Louis, I go to LuLu. I love it!
Reviewed by:
pdeutsch on:
2007-09-24
I've eaten at Chinese resturants all over the world including china and LuLu's is authentic as they get.
AVG:(4.8)
