Gay Travel Information: Lola’s Tequila Bar & Cantina – Providence, RI
Lola’s Tequila Bar & Cantina / 525 Water Street / Providence, RI / 401-383-0220
Out & About Travel LOVE’S Lola’s! How much so? Well, if Lola was an actual person, who happened to be a lesbian, and either I, or my partner Jen were single, we would try to “woo” her. THAT is how spectacular Lola’s is.
Okay, so when you think of a Mexican restaurant you think of fun, right? Fun food! Fun drinks! Fun colors! Fun decor! Let’s be honest, many Mexican restaurants fail miserably. There is usually a bowl of store bought chips and salsa placed in front of you, maybe a sombrero or two on the wall and a random cactus. A pepcid or two later you are usually wondering what the heck you were thinking. This is absolutely NOT the case with the extremely authentic, Lola’s Tequila Bar & Cantina on the Providence waterfront in Rhode Island.
Lola’s is an upbeat, Mexican-themed restaurant & bar bursting with flavor and fun. Jen and I stopped by for dinner on a recent Saturday night. We were lucky to grab a seat by the bustling bar.
The first thing I said to Jen was how “cute” of a place Lola’s was. The hanging bra’s, mural painted walls, lively music and friendly service was enough to say “Lola’s had me at hello!” 😉 But we weren’t here just to admire Lola’s good looks! We were here to see if she had substance too, and boy does she!
Our waitress, Molly, was beaming with pride over her place of employment. She went over items on the menu, personally recommending several items, and before we knew it, Jen was sipping on the best looking (and tasting) Margarita we had ever seen. Ariba! 😉
Executive Chef, Jonathan Beres, came down to introduce himself and brought along tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa. Now, let me take a moment to TRY to describe this guacamole. It had the freshest taste. Each bite, a cool burst on the tongue…..how am I doing? 😉 Every ounce of flavor seemed to have come from the natural ingredients of fresh avocado, cumin, lime & cilantro. It was truly the best guacamole I had ever tasted. The chips were light with a hint of salt and quite honestly, a bit too addictive! (ahem) The salsa was also light and flavorful.
We looked over the traditional Mexican menu and finally made our entree decisions. I ordered the chicken fajitas and Jen ordered the Oaxacan Chocolate Mole Enchiladas.
Do you know how hard it is to review food and try to be original? It is nearly impossible to come up with unique adjectives that you haven’t used before to describe how delicious something was. Hence the case with the chicken fajitas. How about I simply say, “Oh. My. God. Wow!” Does that work? Isn’t that the universal language of YUM?
The fajitas are sauteed with red pepper rajas, cebollitas with a lime-epazote marinade and served with flour tortillas and a trio of house sauces. There is no shredded lettuce or cheese my friends. Oh no. These fajitas don’t need that. These are AUTHENTIC and bursting with flavor. One bite and my partner looked at me with an “Oh wow” expression, recognizing my happy sounds. Happy sounds, indeed. Just like the guacamole, these fajitas were the BEST I have ever had. Hands down or rather hands up!
Jen, the more brave one of the duo, tried the Oaxacan Chocolate Mole Enchiladas which are stuffed with beer & chipotle braised chicken.
She said the sauce, which indeed tasted like chocolate, was truly unique and enjoyable, which was evident from the emptiness of her plate. Both dinners were also served with rice & beans.
Feeling brazen, we decided to try dessert as well. Maybe not the best idea when you are as full as we were, but we had to see what Lola’s had to offer in this department. Afterall, we were good girls and felt we deserved dessert! 😉
I had heard about churros but never had the opportunity to try them, so I was immediately drawn to the house made churros served with nutmeg creme. Jen ordered Lola’s Mangos Loco, which is deep-fried vanilla ice cream, tequila flamed mangos & plantains, served with a brown caramel sauce.
Desserts were very tasty, especially Lola’s Mangos Loco! I think we did black out half way through though out of sheer fullness. Just sayin.
Amy, the manager on duty, was kind enough to give us a tour of the upstairs of Lola’s. She explained how the upstairs is a perfect area for special events and parties.
She was also telling us how busy Lola’s becomes in the summer with its waterfront location. Boaters can pull right on up!
The outdoor area is extremely inviting with its outdoor bar and large deck. I can hardly wait for the warmer weather to get here to experience it for myself!
Lola’s satisfied us from beginning to end. Truly. The ambiance. The food. The drinks. The service. Everything was perfect.
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