Lolo Tapas and Wine Bar in the Mission

12Feb09

In a neighborhood with tapas bars on every street, Lolo manages to stay unique with it’s quirky decor and creative menu.

Bright colors, funky furniture, and walls covered in seemingly random items, the decor keeps your eyes busy as you always seem to notice something new every time you scan the room. The small front room looks out on 22nd Street and also has a view of the kitchen. The back room is larger and has a wine bar. Normally, I’d sit as close to the bar as possible, but it was a night to get to know each other and for people watching, so we took the front window.

Spoons on walls? Why not!

The bird is the word. And mirror.

The food is every bit as fun as the decor! The tapas menu obviously has Spanish roots, but there are many different influences in the menu items, ranging from Asian to Caribbean.  

We had the Octopus Tiradito, which was sliced paper thin in a spiced aioli sauce that went great with the bread. It was really oily (duh) but the octopus was tender and had a nice kick to it, very tasty!

Also had the Huitlacoche and Ricotta Dumplings, which were lightly pan fried. Not knowing what huitlacoche was, I asked the server and he said it was a type of corn fungus. Sold! They weren’t bad, but not great. To be honest, I just wanted to try them because they sounded interesting. I found out later via Google that huitlacoche is also referred to as “corn smut,” which made it taste better after the fact.

Huitlacoche and Ricotta Dumplings

And finally, that brings me to the star of the meal, the Panko Encrusted Shrimp Tacos. The shrimp is encrusted in panko, fried, and served with a chipotle ailoi on a jicama “tortilla.” Yep, it’s too good to be served on a regular tortilla so they put it on a thin slice of jicama that is cool and crispy and perfectly balances out the spice from the sauce. These tacos have it goin’ on. It’s sweet, salty, spicy, and the flavors just explode in your mouth (that’s what she said). I would go here for the tacos alone, and if you are ever around the 24th & Mission area, do yourself a favor and duck into this place to try the tacos. It’s worth it,  I promise!

Panko Encrusted Shrimp Tacos

We didn’t have any wine, but the wine list looked superb and paired well with the whole menu. They have many other menu items that I’m sure are all worth trying, but after having the shrimp tacos, everything else would pale in comparison. 

It’s a fun date spot to share some tapas, enjoy a glass of wine (or two or a bottle) and enjoy the decor. There are a lot of restaurants and bars within walking distance, so don’t stuff yourself and enjoy all that the Mission has to offer and you’ll be sure to have a fun night.

Lolo
3230 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 643-5656

Also check out:
Double Dutch Bar in the Mission  
Street Food Redefined – The Creme Brulee Cart 
The Legend of the Bacon Hot Dog Cart  
New School Food Peddler – The Magic Curry Kart 
The Front Porch in the Mission
Tia Margarita in the Outer Richmond

Filed under: Restaurants, Reviews, The Mission   |  4 Comments
Tags: lolo, mission, restaurant, tapas, wine