What Lola's is... a really fun, well-located surfer bar with a nice vibe. First, the food. If you're looking for good, authentic Mexican, you won't find it here. For a place which only serves Mexican, they can do better. Right now it tastes like the Mexican food you'd get if you ordered tacos at Applebee's. We tried the tacos, quesadilla and nachos (which is really all of the main courses they have). None were very flavorful, and all were a bit overpriced. Even the nachos, which 2 servers told us were amazing, were, well, not amazing. They were good, but not enough cheese (which wasn't even melted), and the chips are too thin so they break every time you pick one up with some toppings on it. Now all of the other stuff. Wait staff on our trip there was fantastic. Really outgoing and patient, and always a smile on their faces. The outdoor vibe on Glenwood is great, and works well with Third Place and Lilly's right down the road. Can be a bit hard to find a seat on crowded nights so that could turn a few folks away. Will be interesting to see what Lola's is like after the initial crowd dies down and the weather gets cooler. If they can improve the food quality a bit, they could find themselves turning into a great take-out spot for the community, rather than the bar w/ some Mexican options which it seems they currently are. read more

The staff & food are nothing short of amazing! The beachy atmosphere & decor are a the next best thing to being at the coast. I highly recommend the fish tacos & protein platter! Thanks to Larry Carter for coming up with the concept and the staff for a fun night! read more

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Slow service, cold tacos (chicken, steak and fish) and difficult to sit more than 2 people together made it not optimal. I had high hopes. Hopefully it is just some kinks from opening a new restaurant that will work themselves out. Margs were on point tho! read more

Maybe the anticipation was to much. But ultimately disappointing. Great concept, and maybe trying to hard in an already packed 5 points market. Food was pedestrian, nothing and exciting and over priced for what your served. Ambiance and wait staff are amazing. Bar tenders are still learning as ever drink in my group was made different, yet all ordered same margarita. That said, even some the bad margaritas were very good. I hope they lower the food prices or add a taco for the $$ and allow take out soon. 8.95 for 2 basic tacos and chips and salsa that were not fresh is two much. If $$ is going to stay they same, then fillings need to more exotic. (Ala flying burrito) read more

The owner went out of his way to protect my friends and I from very drunk customers. He made sure that we were safe until we were in our Uber. Amazing place. read more

Ate here for the first time tonight and will absolutely be back. They were busy as to be expected with a new opening restaurant. However the service was so wonderful while being pretty packed. They have lots of fun island themed drinks and a fun Creative bar bites menu as well. The inside is beautiful and there is plenty of seating both inside and out. The owner introduced himself and was absolutely wonderful. Checked on me several times to ensure I was enjoying my experience. I am definitely looking forward to coming here regularly. read more

Lola's Beach Bar - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Had a great first visit to Lola's & will return. Loved the Jalapeño margarita & they even made one for me with mezcal, which was delicious. I had the nachos-they were amazing. While the shredded cheese on top was not melted as some reviews mention, there was a healthy amount of queso throughout. Others in our party had tacos, and thought they were good as well. Yay Lola's! read more

Super fun spot to grab a drink. It's a very relaxed atmosphere and a great place to meet up with friends.

Nice spot for a pre dinner cocktail. Service was fast and attentive. Jalapeño margarita was legit. I'll be back. read more

Drinks are solid. Food is a secondary concern. What kind of place doesn't melt cheese on their nachos? This haunts my dreams. Good margaritas. read more

Cool atmosphere. Went here for Forged Fitness holiday party. Tacos were especially delicisioso! Three different NFL football games were on when I arrived. Sunday Night Football superseded as the night went on. Good cocktails & margaritas. Very limited draft beer selection, probably about five on tap. Dissaponted to learn that it wasn't at the beach at all. read more

This is the perfect Summer casual restaurant. Cocktails and margaritas were good, though on the sugary side. If you're looking for a drink on an outdoor patio this is the spot! Seating is seat yourself inside and outside, but service was quick! TV's on outside for sports entertainment. read more

Service was ok, the food was decent but this place is definitely for the drinking folks or college students.

Meh. Pina colada was so watered down I couldn't finish it - guacamole was decent but everything was way overpriced. You can't get a side of anything without paying $8. UPDATE - I had horrible diarrhea last night after eating there - maybe the salsa was too hot and that's on me - but I've never had that reaction from hot food before. read more

Love this place!! Stumbled upon it on Cinco De Mayo weekend-thank goodness! What an incredibly great environment, backed with amazing staff. Owner (Lola-duh) is amazingly warming and truly accomplished her goal to create a "Island -st.John" getaway in Raleigh. We love the BVIs and this is the closest thing we have ever found to an island bar. Will be returning regularly. Thanks, Lola for bringing this to Raleigh, see you again soon!! read more

This is one of the coolest and under appreciated spots in downtown Raleigh! Just go once and you'll love it! If you like the beach and the super fun bars on the beach but don't want to drive hours to the beach, go to Lola's! Fantastic food and drinks! read more

Cold tacos, super strongg margaritas that taste like pure tequila even after bartender "fixed" it. Cool vibe though. Will not be back.

Great service, vibe and cocktails. Feels definitely like you are at a beach bar. The tacos (steak, shrimp, fish) were all good and they kept the salsa and chips flowing. read more

Just wanted to shout out the owner! I placed an order a couple weeks back and the queso was missing. Unfortunately I did not notice until after I was home. I called the restaurant and the owner hand delivered my missing queso immediately! Thanks again! read more

Great food, fun atmosphere, and wonderful drinks. My friend and I decided to eat at Lola's after going to the nearby escape room. We will be back to Lola's for sure read more

Super fast service and amazing tacos! A great place for a date or just catching up with friends. 10/10 recommend

If you are ever in Raleigh and need a slice of the beach, you should stop by Lola's. They have the best rice as well as tacos. Much better than bar taco. read more

3 stars because the drinks are great and the staff is friendly but the food was not edible. I ordered fish tacos and I could only take two bites before spitting it out. The fish tasted bad and frozen. I would come back for the drinks and atmosphere but the food needs some major improvements. read more

I was shocked to walk in and see that none of the employees, servers, bartenders, chefs, OR THE OWNER were wearing masks. I do not feel safe in a business that is not following ANY of the Covid guidelines! I walked right out. read more

Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Can't ask for more. Can't vouch for the drinks but the queso, salsa and chips were spot on.

SERVICE IS AMAZING!!! FOOD ON ON POINT!!! found my bar!! Food is so good, and margaritas are everything! Get in here!! Guac too good, mAh goodness read more

came in on a Friday night with a group of friends and it was packed so we sat outside in the patio area that had some heaters but it was still very cold. We ordered 3 rounds of margaritas and every time they came out tasting different (not very consistent). The food is okay and appreciate that the tacos are offered in lettuce wraps. The wait staff was extremely friendly and nice but I felt awful for them having to wear tank tops in such cold temperatures! We were all in winter coats throughout our dinner..asked the staff if they had to wear the tank top in the winter and she did! Not okay with that..with such cold temps they should be allowed to wear a coat or something read more

Lola's is awesome. Fantastic addition to the neighborhood, great tacos, solid cocktails, and an awesome vibe.

absolutely love this place!! really makes you feel like you are at a cool bar at the beach. very laid back. delicious drinks and tacos!! Great atmosphere! read more

Was intrigued at the promise of a taco shack in the area, but my first visit was not overly impressive. The chicken on my chicken taco was dry but the sauce was a good...keeping of from being a disappointment. Visited for lunch this time...next visit will be for dinner for sure. read more

Kitchen closes well before the bar does. Margarita was lackluster and sour. Not sure we'll be back.

Where do I begin? I was really excited for this place, and was very disappointed. 3 of us went last night about 10 til 7 (peak time) Atmosphere: it's cute, no tables, just rail seating/ bar seating style with stools.Surfing on the tv, cute stuff on the walls. It's made to look busier then it actually is and for not being open for very long, their menus were disgusting. Service: very poor. (2 out of 3 of us have worked in restaurants for years) Although it was peak time to dine, the place is small, and you seat yourself. They had 4-5 servers in a space that should only require 2...3 at the most. 1 bartender and a couple of cooks from what I could tell. We ordered drinks & an appetizer right away. We got our drinks, but our appetizer took 30 mins to get out (chips with salsa, guac., & cheese). About an hour after we had been there we finally got our dinner (8:07pm). We were never offered water, and anytime we wanted another drink we had to wait for a while,eventually having to ask a second time for one. We finally asked for a manager, and a person came over ( looked nothing like a manager & more like it was their first job ever) She said she had to call the owner to see if we could get a drink comped for the wait we had to do. It seemed as though some of the staff that was off that day were hanging out distracting the servers...could have been friends. Either way it seemed as though guests were busing their own plates. Side note on service: Not sure when it became custom to not have your long hair pulled back to keep it out of food, but no one had their hair pulled back. All of them seemed very new to the work force or a least serving and not sure of what to do. It's as though the owner didn't hire for experience, but rather to appeal to certain clientele. Food/drinks: Over priced for what they gave you. Chips with 3 tiny dips (roughly $10), you can either get 1 taco for $6.95 or 2 of the same taco for $8.95. My friend's Blackened fish taco was not blackened. I got a burrito that was smaller then expected at a Mexican restaurant...in the description is says "giant", and " drizzled with Lula's sauce" don't know what that sauce is...but there was nothing on the burrito. We all agreed that the food was mediocre at best. We noticed that if you did want water or soda, they came in a small plastic dixie cup. They could have been out of glassware I suppose. At the end: We asked for separate checks, which seemed to fluster our server. They had to ask each of us what we had ordered. The place had died down about 30-40 mins after we had arrived, some people had arrived after us, gotten their order and left before we even had our dinner. overall just disappointed. read more

I love the location and I've enjoyed a previous meal here. This time I had the shrimp rice bowl and it was disappointing. The shrimp seemed boiled and the whole dish had no flavor. My boyfriends steak tacos were great and loved sitting on the covered patio. read more

Gave up dinner at Sullivan's to eat at lola's.....and it was the right choice!!! Was heading from N Raleigh to Sullivan's for dinner....stopped at Lola's for a drink, loved the atmosphere, and after looking at the menu decided to stay for dinner. Great drinks, food and atmosphere. Beach vibe found in 5 points. Great service by Larry and the crew. read more

Great island vibe, fresh cocktails, and food. Love this spot. Food is fresh, and you get a good portion for the price.

Service is really good and the food and drinks are great! The owner, Larry, is here and is helping people with family seating issues. Due to the fact that service is fast spaces open up quickly. I really like the location because we really needed a beer/taco place in 5 points. It is very loud inside and we had trouble finding a seat outside. Our waitress lost her voice from yelling because it was so loud. If you are coming with a large group to have conversation I would not recommend it, but if you are coming by yourself or with one other person to just have the food I would definitely recommend it because the food/drinks are very yummy. I would recommend for families with kids over the age of five due to the fact that seating is bar stools or standing. read more

Music. Food. Seating. Music way too loud. Four in our party and you could only hear the person sitting beside you. As other reviewers have stated, food is so-so. Sitting at the middle long table is uncomfortable as there is nowhere to put your knees so you have to sit sideways. read more