Lulu’s Noodles

First time visit Pittsburgh. I felt like having some noodles and just saw the place. The restaurant is clean, price okay, and the staff are friendly. They serve food pretty quickly. The only negative thing is they offered me the wrong dish. I wanted phở with beef, but it was ramen with chicken, #NotEvenClose :0.
But I had it anyway. The ramen is much better than the average. At that time I thought they either run out of phở and chicken or they were just careless. Wait! How can a restaurant run out of beef? So now I am praying that the food is not from some previous order or somewhere more gross.
I would rate 4 stars for the ramen. Take one star out for the mistake. The most disgusting part is all my guess, so it would be unfair to be considered. But not going again.

I have an odd relationship with Lulu’s Noodles. I find myself trying REALLY hard to like this restaurant because it carries so much sentimental value to me from countless lunches with my girlfriends to my first date with my boyfriend. A lot of great memories here, BUT not once have have I actually enjoyed my food! I’ve tried everything from the appetizers to the rice dishes to the noodles. The food is simply bland and tasteless. I’m usually dumping the entire salt shaker into my food just to taste something! All my friends rave about Lulu’s, so I am inclined to believe that perhaps they’re just clueless on how to make their vegetarian dishes appealing. If anyone can explain what the appeal is, if you have an entrée recommendation, or if you know a hypnotist, I would really appreciate the help.

Pot stickers were the best. Also had Pad Thai. Fantastic! Friendly and fast service.

Not very impressed. Hyped up fast food chinese restaurant, American style. Food is average, price is higher with no service. The lady in the front is a bit up tight, makes our ordering experience a little awkward.

I figured I needed to update my review after our awesome dinner and service tonight!
We came here on a Wednesday night and the place wasn’t too busy at all! We were shocked because of all the events going on in Pittsburgh! We were able to get a table right away!
Our server came over and was prompt with asking us what we wanted to drink. We both went with the water because we knew what was coming at the end of our meal! We knew what we wanted because we discussed it on our way down! Sounds like we know the menu pretty good huh?!
We went with Tom Yum soup which is a lemon grass type of soup with some kick to it! The soup was great! There was plenty of shrimp and mushrooms in it this time! Usually we only luck out with 2 – 3 pieces of shrimp! Today we had 5 – 6! What a bonus! The soup tasted great!
We both didn’t want to eat too much so we went ahead and split a Korean fried rice (extra Kimchee of course) and Lulu Pan fried noodles! We both opted to go with chicken with this selection! The dinners came out pretty quick! Maybe within 10 mins! The food was great! We are never disappointed with our choices!
So we can’t come here and not get a smoothie! I went with a coconut smoothie with extra bubbles! My wife went with a taro smoothie with bubbles! Talk about a fantastic way to end dinner!!!
Anytime we get a chance to go here we do! Great food and reasonable prices!

Used to come here a lot between masses when I was the Senior Cantor at St. Paul Cathedral back in the 90’s.
Szechuan Green Beans, Wonton Noodle and Ramen Soups as well as Phở, yum! Once though, between masses the sriracha sauce was clogged and when it did come out it gushed right into my eye. Oh my!
Wasn’t one of my best performances following that at the 1:00pm mass!!!
Was having a little bit of a sinus problem. Ha!

Interesting mix of Asian cuisine geared towards college crowd. Some dishes like the cold sesame noodles and Pad Thai options are flavorful while the meat in the Phở soup could use some seasoning to bring it to life. The Boba tea and smoothies are great to have during or after a new. And the friendly service /​low prices are a perk.

Awesome food! Specially Thai Curry Chicken and Spicy Basil. Nice little Asian café right besides the Carnegie Mellon campus.

I’ve been here numerous times. This is where I usually end up when I’m in the area and if none of the near by asian restaurants (especially Little Asia) are open and don’t feel like driving around.
I must say the service does have improved quite a bit compared to few years ago but it’s usually hit or miss depending on who serves you like any other place.
As for the food — Korean Fried Rice, Oriental Greens and the Pepper Steak has been my favorite from most of what I’ve tried so far. General Tso isn’t too bad either. Some of the small menu items like the «Tom Khai Kai» Soup, crab rangoons are pretty good. Since I usually order different items if I’m visiting the same place again — I got the «Schezwan Chicken» during my last visit. Turns out — it was a bad choice. The dish was salty and very bland.
Overall, this is a decent and reasonably priced asian restaurant. I would recommend it if you’re looking for something quick.

This is a CMU icon. Cheap eats for students, good noodles, pad Thai, rices and teas. Order and pay at cash register and food brought to you table. Great for a quick lunch. Convenient to museums, Craig Street … Noodle soups are great cold weather fare. Comfort food when you have the sniffles. 5 stars for value

This was one of the first restaurants I tried in Pittsburgh. The hubs and I went here after a jaunt at the Natural History museum. This place has noodles and it caught my eye.
I honestly don’t remember if it was cash only. I think I paid with credit card but they might have had a limit to the amount. For a meal, I’ll hit it – no problem. For a bubble tea or something quick, I might not come here since it’ll be cash only.
Food here was great! Service was peppy and the selections are awesome. I had my longtime favorite, yuntunmian and the broth was served on the side, which was novel. Hubby ordered the creamy Thai tea and crunchy egg noodles and we left full and happy. Portions are generous and prices are good! Presentation was nice and seating wasn’t cramped or anything.
Students always get the best small eateries close by. Lucky!

Lulu’s kitchen staff was in fine form on Tuesday night, serving up one of the best incarnations of the crab rangoon, veggie egg rolls, and the penultimate, signature veggie pan-​fried noodle dish. The service was prompt and the servers were more than kind, as always.
The produce was very fresh and each type of veggie was incredibly well-​cooked. I was truly impressed and made sure to tell them so. The crab rangoon was flavorful and balanced the sweet cheese with the flavor of the crab very well. The egg rools were crisp and not oily, also made with a nice mix of fresh veggies.
The attention to detail was impressive and refreshing, as it always is. As a vegetarian, I always appreciate the variety and quality of the produce that the kitchen uses.
It is always a treat to visit Lulu’s and is a pilgrimage I find myself making time and again. Fifteen years and I’m still a happy customer!

WARNING RATS RUNNING AROUND IN THE DINING AREA!
I saw at least 3 rodents while I was there yesterday. One of the rodents was just sitting in the dining area nonchalantly in the corner preening himself, as if he was very comfortable and used to doing so. When I alerted the staff, I was horrified by the waitress’ response that it was «normal»!
After other patrons became aware of the situation and started to get up, a cook or busboy came out with a broom and proceeded to bludgeon the creature to death just steps away from us. The waitress «explained» to us that there were sticky traps and other devices in the kitchen and back of the house, but they didn’t want customers to see any dead rodents or traps in the dining area because it «wouldn’t look good»! I guess having rodents run around the dining area and having sweaty kitchen help come out and club it to death in the middle of the dining area is perfectly acceptable and normal as far as LuLu’s is concerned.
As I tried to get up in horror, not eating my meal, the waitress thought it was appropriate to bring me a bill. Another male staff member came over and reiterated that this was «normal» and as long as they have traps in the kitchen «the health department doesn’t care».
I loath to see what the extent of the infestation is in regards to the kitchen and food storage areas. I guess if it’s «normal» to have rodents running around your customer’s feet in a dining area as they eat Singapore Rice Noodles (more like mice noodles), it’s probably regarded as «normal» to have rodents eating and defecating on foodstuffs in the back of the house. Think about that before you order from here next time.
I WILL NEVER STEP FOOT IN THIS PLACE AGAIN!

Lulu’s is a very convenient place to eat if you live near CMU/​Pitt. When I lived on campus my freshmen and sophomore year of CMU, I ate there all the time. Their food is very reasonably priced and they serve pretty generous portions. Oftentimes, I would have enough leftovers for a lunch or dinner the day after.
Lulu’s service is pretty spotty and ranges from decent to very slow on different visits, so Lulu’s is not that great of a place to go if you are on a timetable. Other than that, their food is pretty good and I particularly enjoy their Pad Thai noodles, crab rangoons, and their bubble tea.

LuLu’s used to be my favorite eatery in Oakland. But all good things must come to an end, and even I have to admit that LuLu’s reign on Craig Street is over.
I visited LuLu’s for the first time in three years this weekend with a friend, and was not impressed. For starters, no one came to our table to even ask about drinks for nearly 10 minutes after we were seated. This was on a Sunday night, in the summer (i.e. when Oakland’s main residents are gone), when the place was half empty. It was a bad start for the night, for the sure.
To the kitchen’s credit, the food we ordered did come out very quickly — I think we waited about 10 minutes for it. But it was tasteless compared to what it used to be. Or rather, mine was; my friend had no complaints about her chicken and rice dish. My BBQ pork soup, however, was really not good. The pork slices (the few that I got anyway) were the tastiest part of the meal. The broth was forgettable, though, and the noodles were so bland that I swore at times that my water had more flavor than my meal.
In addition to the meal putting my taste buds to sleep, the waitress continued to fail to impress me throughout the evening. For one thing, not only did she not take our drink orders promptly: she failed to bring a water that my friend ordered. She also did not check on us very regularly throughout the meal, which left us sitting and waiting for refills often. And after leaving us alone at our table for most of the night she screwed up our bills as well, and double charged one of us for both of our meals. We got it fixed, but after everything else that night we were not pleased.
I wish I could say that this experience was a fluke, but based on other reviews, this is the new norm. Sorry, LuLu’s, but this is not a norm that I’m going to settle for — not when there’s other cheap eats in the city!

I used to LIVE at Lulu’s during college. I was recently back for lunch and ordered the Chicken Pad Thai. the actual pad thai was nicely flavored and hearty, however the chicken was gross! It appeared to be boiled separately and just flung on the already prepared noodles.
I’m sure I’ll be back one day, again for lunch, but I don’t go out of my way to seek out Lulu’s. However, it IS a Craig St. institution in my mind, perfect for undergrads tired of fast/​campus food and looking for a cheap alternative. Keep doing you Lulu, keep doing you!

DISCLAIMER: I did not order food at Lulu’s because I heard it is awful. This is probably true because there was no one in there when I went. I did order a Mango slushie with bubbles that was fairly unmemorable for $ 3.75.
Lulu’s has a very Americanized interior and, you can eat-​in or go to the to-​go counter. It was eighty degrees out, and I wanted a mango slush with bubbles! I had previously seen that Lulu’s sold them, so Sophia H. and I stopped in. I was hoping this would be like Mango Mango in Chinatown in NYC with real mango, but it was not. There were HUMONGOUS ice chunks and barely any bubbles! There was no real mango, just flavoring. I would have been OK with this had the slush been better, but eh.
Cash only.

Good bubble tea!
Picture was not from Lulu’s

Looking for a quick bite to eat? Lulu’s is good for just that. Decent Asian food and great for a fast lunch when near Craig St. Not a five star meal by any means, but both of our dishes were full of flavor. Come hungry because the portions are huge! The ambiance is what you’d expect for an affordable college student spot, very casual.

I’ve worked in Oakland for nearly 15 years and I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad meal at LuLu’s. While the experience and ambiance isn’t always perfect, the food typically is.
In regards to the experience — it gets very busy at lunchtime, and rightfully so. However, the line snakes through the restaurant and around the tables so it is often a chaotic dining experience. They finally fixed the issue with the strong currents of cold (or warm, depending on the season) air that you used to burst in every time someone opened the door.
I almost always pick the spicy Szechuan noodles with tofu — these thin noodles are complimented with a tangy (and not really spicy) sauce with veggies and your choice of protein. Other favorites are the Pad Thai and the Hawaii’s fried rice. My absolute favorite appetizer is the crab rangoon. Fantastic!
Lulu’s has relaxed a little with their policy of ‘cash only at lunchtime’ but I think they do still prefer cold hard cash but will take your debit card if you smile and say thanks.
They also have a nice variety of bubble teas if that’s your thing.