Lula Southern Cookhouse

Fantastic place for dinner before a show. We had dinner here on Tuesday before seeing a comedian a few blocks away. We arrived about 5:15 with a reservation, but the restaurant was mostly empty then, so we sat right down. We ordered drinks and the fried green tomatoes, which were a childhood favorite for me, and these might have been the best I have ever had. The restaurant started getting busier, so it was about 30 minutes before our server returned to get our order. I had the catfish, my girlfriend had the pot roast, and both dishes could not have been better. This is some of the best food I have had in Kansas City. We had to flag our server down after about 45 more minutes to get out check in order to make our show. We never had the opportunity to order more drinks, and it was kind of an ordeal, service-wise. Everyone was very friendly, and it seemed they were pretty short-staffed, just like everywhere else during a weekday dinner rush. I will absolutely return in the future, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for some authentic and flavor-filled southern food!

Here’s a clean, detailed review you can use: ⸻ I recently checked out Lula Southern Kitchen and had the chance to try a variety of dishes, and overall it was a solid experience with a few hits and a few misses. The fried chicken came out crispy and well-seasoned—definitely one of the better items I had. It had good flavor throughout, but wasn’t quite next-level. I’d give it a 7.5/10. The shrimp and grits were decent, but a bit underwhelming compared to what you’d expect from a Southern spot. The flavors didn’t fully come together, and it lacked that rich, creamy depth. I’d rate it a 6.8/10. The Salisbury steak was actually a pleasant surprise. It was flavorful, tender, and had that comforting, home-style feel you want from a dish like this. Solid 8/10. The biggest letdown for me was the smothered pork chop. The pork itself had potential, but the gravy just didn’t deliver—it lacked seasoning and depth, which really brought the whole dish down. I’d give it a 4/10. Overall, Lula Southern Kitchen has some strong menu items, especially if you stick with their fried and comfort-style classics, but consistency across dishes could use some improvement. Worth trying, just choose wisely depending on what you’re craving.

This place is overrated. The food looks good, but the taste lacks depth and substance. The mac and cheese sucked. It had almost no flavor and felt like boiled noodles with cheese. The fried chicken was also disappointing, dry and lacking depth. Service was not great either. The waitress was really weird and could not give solid recommendations. She needs to be more decisive so people feel confident ordering. Overall, it is extremely busy and still overrated. I expected a lot more.

I read an article that said that Lula's was named the best fried chicken in the whole state of Missouri. So my Ma loves fried chicken so I made reservations to take her there for her 89th birthday. Our waitress was very nice but was not able to give the attention to her customers that was needed because she had a trainee with her so we decided on the whole chicken platter which came with 3 fixins and 4 biscuits. So we chose the mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and the mac and cheese and we ordered the chopped salad for the appetizer. The salad was great and the fixins were really good as well but for the fried chicken we were not impressed by a long shot. It definitely was not freshly fried, the skin was so hard that we could barely chew it. It was like it had been sitting out and then refired. I was so disappointed and embrassed cause i had said it was voted best in the whole state and so $134 later and the next day i am really peeved and should had sent it back.

I really recommend their brunch which was top tier but I also went for dinner during restaurant week. Overall it was a nice experience, they have a lot of shellfish but a few other options for folks like me who have a sensitivity to it. I thought the catfish was fried from the photos I had seen on here but it ended up being blackened , my first time trying and it was great, perfect with the Cajun sauce. They offered to fry it but they use the same oil to cook seafood so I didn’t chance it. Our waitress offered to fix my meal in almost anyway to help me and checked on us frequently while still being busy- 5 star service!! The banana pudding was surprisingly all a whipped texture so it was different than what I’m used to. The macaroni was not worth the extra $10 and the greens had a slight taste of vinegar. The biscuits and deviled eggs were my favorite!

Lived in Kansas City. My whole life never knew this place. Even existed, so glad I found it. The service was great.The food was even better and the prices were decent.

This place is very cute, the vibes were good, and everyone was very friendly. The food was hit and miss. The pimento dip and fries were great, the rootbeer waffle was just okay. The service we had was really not good though. It took us 2 hours from when we sat to when we finished eating. We had reservations and were seated immediately but then were waiting ~25 for someone to take our drink order, and it was ~40 mins before we received our some of our drinks. Myself and another person ordered coffee and our food came before the coffee came. I asked the person who dropped off our food (not our server) to please bring the coffee because we still hadn't received it, and they told me they would ask the server to come over to see what we needed and walked away. So then the server came and asked what we needed, we asked again for the coffee, and by the time it came we were finished with our food. Pretty much anything we needed we had to flag someone down in order to ask for something. I felt bad that it was usually someone who wasn't our server, and I didn't want to bother someone else who was busy with their own tables, but I never saw our server just walking around so we didn't know what else to do. The place was pretty busy and it was a Sunday brunch so maybe this was just a fluke though.

This place was fantastic from the food to the service. I had the fried chicken based on the recommendation from my Uber driver who said, "It's the best in Kansas City." He didn't exaggerate. It was fantastic with their signature hot sauce. The mashed potatoes and gravy were next level, the bean were really great and the the biscuit was perfectly southern. The service was amazing! Everyone worked as a team and when you needed then they could easily be sought through eye contact. The atmosphere blended Cajun eatery with fine dining. Overall, it was a great experience and this absolutely necessary one of the best in KC.

The service was wonderful but the food left a bit to be desired. I got the chicken and waffles. Best chicken in KC I was told by the server sureeeee. If you consider mediocre, average, and a tad dry chick the best then I'd say you have yourself a winner. The waffle was good and I really liked the spicy syrup included with it. I think I will give this place another chance with their award winning gumbo.

Lula is a great time. The vibe is fun and lively, service was on point even with the busy crowd. Their brunch and cocktail options are impressive. I had The Beekeeper cocktail which I absolutely loved. I love shrimp & grits and I’ve realized it’s a pretty good barometer for judging the food of the restaurant, so that’s what I went with. Great ingredients, the flavor of the grits was pretty good but they make it a little thicker than my liking. Shrimp was blackened which was decent but a bit on the dry side. My wife loved the chicken with the chicken & waffle and I liked the waffle more than she did so we had somewhat of a mixed review, but overall a great time and this is definitely a fun brunch spot. At least speaking for the weekend, be prepared for a pretty long wait (I recommend Tom’s next door while you wait).