Long after opening, Pizzeria Lola still draws lines out the door when it opens up on a Friday night. This place has been a huge hit at 55th & Xerxes on the South Minneapolis/Edina border, and for good reason. The pizzas are excellent. (Read Dara’s review here.)
As a guy who works the night shift and doesn’t live in the neighborhood, I was really hoping Lola would open for lunch. So I could go there. For me. Yes, it’s all about me. And behold! It’s open for lunch on weekends.
I can only presume this is a tremendous secret, because when my family dined there last Saturday, there were about 15 open tables. The patio was fairly full, but the inside was empty.
Which meant I had tremendous service, and we got to enjoy Ann Kim’s incredible pizzas and the sides.
I adored the cauliflower (and so did my 6-year-old—inhaling it!). It has Calabrian chili and a really nice lemony flavor—a slight spice, a nice tang, then finished in the pizza oven. Awesome for $8.
I tasted Ann’s homemade kimchi at “Fresh Tart” Stephanie Meyer’s ramen event, so my wife and I had to taste the Pizza Zaza (which my kids insist is Lady Gaga’s favorite pizza, pictured above). It was awesome! The crunchy kimchi, coupled with Korean sausage, tons of scallions, and a soy chili glaze … just wonderful. Her crust is strong, flavorful, and that pizza was great. ($15)
Even the simple “Old Reliable” with natural-casing pepperoni ($12) was a perfectly balanced pie—just the right amount of red sauce, cheese, and perfect pepperoni.
Lola has a nice beer and wine list; we enjoyed both the French Massamier la Mignarde Rose and the South African Bristle Cabernet Sauvignon Rose.
But the most important thing to note is that it’s open Saturday and Sunday for lunch, starting at 11 a.m.! No waiting! So get in there before everyone finds out!
Pizzeria Lola
pizzerialola.com
5557 Xerxes Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
612-424-8338