Lum Lums

Have been coming here to eat for almost 17 years! I fell in love with the beef tomato chow mein, (Chinese spaghetti) while pregnant with my son that many years ago, and I still fiend for it! The pineapple chicken is also amazing, as is the veggie fried rice (chock full of fresh, snappy, veggies) and the egg rolls and egg flower soup are the best around. After all of these years it’s still my #1 place for Chinese food.

Being a bar, you might think the food in Lums is exactly the same as in the restaurant, and you can get the same things of course, but their lunch menu is different. On one side you have just the plaid regular Hong Kong combo lunches but the other side… well, Its full of delicious Chinese specialty lunch plates served with a choice of steamed rice, fried rice, or my personal favorite, pan-​fried noodles that they actually make right there. Here are a few hints. The Kung-​Pow chicken is hot and has peanuts like you would expect but it has no zucchini in it. The black-​bean pork is amazing and you can order it spicy hot! Yum! The Lums Special Noodle is a soup that has every good-​for-​you delicious vegetable in it plus bbq pork, shrimp, and chicken. The cashew chicken is an odd combination of mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo, and chicken that is just greasy enough to be perfect for a hangover. The girls that work there are cute, friendly, and helpful. The atmosphere is casual. The jukebox is usually turned down for lunchtime. A true Visalia experience. Enjoy!

Firecracker prawns for lunch. Always a good selection. Came with a regular bar attendee and received excellent service. Will be coming back.

My all time favorite place to eat when I’m in Visalia. I lived there for about 5 years and every time I’m passing through I stop to get my Shanghai Special. It’s amazing and you have to try it.

It’s a bar. Nothing else. A local hangout or a meeting place as a jumping off point to other venues.

Well, let me start off by saying I’m a dive-​bar type of gal. I love me a good watering hole with no drama, good jukebox and stiff drinks. Lum Lums is a little above a «dive-​bar» although their women’s restroom reminds me of some of the skankiest bars in LA. Lots of crude writing on the restroom walls, ill-​working faucets, broken towel dispensers and on a good day maybe even a little vomit on the seats. But enough about the shitter, onto the drinks!
They have a good selection of Imports & Craft beer which I love and they serve them in tall mugs. Their mixed drinks are delicious but very dangerous (not that I’ve gotten shit faced, but I’ve heard the tales). I recommend any of their Long Islands which they generously mix with a myriad of fruit such a raspberry, strawberry, etc. Refreshing on a hot Summer day! They have other tasty concoctions and dangerous drinks, one includes about 7 different alcoholic drinks and comes in a pitcher… I believe its called the Zombie, drinkers beware, delicious as fuck but will creep up and turn your brain to mush.
They have one of those great hi-​tech jukebox that plays anything your heart desires, which means I get to introduce patrons to kick ass bands like Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly and classics like Johnny Cash. You’ll occasionally get the schmuck that feels compelled to reminisce his/​her hay day and play nothing but techno… but a few extra dollars and you can skip all that shit. You have a mix of patrons, some college kids, some older regulars, some slutty hoochies, and douchie bros will make their way in (but never stay too long)…you know, the usual Friday & Saturday night party crowd.
Bartender John is a cool cat, really appreciates when people don’t behave like assholes and will give you great insight on drinks, and offer great recommendations. I’ve never had to wait very long for a drink and I always have a great time. Whether it be sitting at the bar with friends on Thursday evening for Happy Hour or celebrating some After-​Party fun on a Saturday night with my Roller Derby team, Lum Lums has never disappointed me.
So with that said, go to Lum Lums, order one of their Lum Lum Rum Rum’s and enjoy!
Cheers!

This review is for the bar only, I came to Visalia to visit a friend who just moved here, she had heard about Lum Lums and wanted to try it, so we gave it a shot. It was apparent that everyone in the bar was a regular they all knew each other, it was a very friendly crowd, as newcomers they made us feel very welcome. and the bartender Aaron was great, he was friendly and professional, he pours a great drink and made some really good recommendations, we were a little worried when his shift was over that the next guy would not have been as good a bartender, but he was also very friendly and made a great long island. We also ordered some appetizers and I highly recommend the firecracker prawns, we were not too impressed with the lum lums appetizer platter, we probably won’t do that again.
Overall a great experience, and I believe this place will become a regular spot to visit when in town.

Horrible, just horrible. Our waitress took our orders for drinks 15 min after being seated. We ordered a few including a couple Sea Breezes. I’m no cocktail expert, but according to several sites it is cranberry, grapefruit and vodka.
We received a pineapple vodka concoctions of some sort instead. I don’t like pineapple so I asked for it to be remade according to what I had thought it was.
My drink was remade and the waitress MADE SURE TO LET ME KNOW, that my drink was called a «Madras» and «NOT a Sea Breeze» and «our bartender has been here for 30 YEARS»…
Okay? I’m sorry? Do I really need to know this information? I should’ve just been asked if my drink was better and that’s it.
After that I got charged for 2 extra drinks and got charged almost $ 30 for 3 small cocktails. While trying to sort things out with the manager the waitress proceeded to INTERRUPT the whole time!
I did not tip! I will not be back!

Met my fiancée her so I love this place.

Eat here when we crave Chinese. Few times a month. I think alot of negative reviews come from the fact that the «standard» Chinese staples that most like I. e orange chicken, sweet and sour, etcetera. Aren’t their strong point. The lums make awesome gourmet Chinese dishes. Mongolian beef, shanghai special chow mein are must haves here. Also honey walnut chicken or shrimp are staples for us. Oh and don’t dare leave without trying the firecracker shrimp! Little pricey but this is seriously a delicacy!

Good food, good price, ok service.

Although I don’t live in Visalia anymore, this is my bar of choice when I’m back in town. Don’t expect a fancy bar, but the mixed drinks are strong and the prices are cheap. So honestly what more do you need?
If you’re looking to get messed up and don’t want to spend a ton of money, this is your spot.
If you REALLY want to get wasted, order the Voodoo’s Revenge, but make sure you have 3 – 4 other people who want to get wasted with you because this is a drink to share.
Just a side note, it seems like I’m on good terms with the bartenders so I know they can be nice if they want to, so keep the douchebag attitude away from this place. Don’t forget to tip them or they’ll let the whole bar know.

Here for the bar scene. Always seem to end up here for someones birthday. Strong cocktails, dark, and usually loud… just my type of place. Got my first DUI after partying hard here, so it now has street cred…
Steve Out.

Really good food! Friendly servers — I’ve had the same lady the two times I’ve eaten there (one dinner, one lunch).

So, I normally detest Chinese food, but this place is so good that I actually enjoy going. Once a year we end up in Visalia and this is a must-​stop place for dinner. Don’t be detered by the dingy bar you have to walk through to get into the restaurant… it’s totally worth it. The food is as fresh as ou can get and it cooked perfectly. If you like Chinese food (heck even if you don’t!) you should try this place…