Worst Lasagna EVER! I've had frozen that was better. It was a mess of nothing but tons of cheese, so much that it was like chewing gum. The sauce was good but there was maybe one 4" square lasagna noodle in and a few bits of sausage in the entire dish. I was expecting more from such a well known owner. Extremely Disappointing!
Jennifer Lentz
We had a reservation for 6:45. After waiting 45 mins I went to the hostess desk and asked if they knew how much longer it would be. She said the could seat us then. The hostess was clearly annoyed that I had approached the desk. She threw our menus on the table and said "There you go". I wasn't being rude when I approached the desk.
The waitress took our order quickly. Then we never got water or bread. The appetizers were good and came out quickly. We should have ended our visit at that point. Our food didn't come out until almost 9pm. It was cold, and no one's food had good flavor. Very disappointing!
Tabitha Shonk
This was our first experience at the new Casa Lu Al and it will be our last.
We were a group of 3 and made reservations for 415 in Nonno’s Cellar. When we arrived it was hectic at the hostess stand. We couldn’t actually walk into the restaurant because so many people were waiting and it was a weird area for people to stand. I was surprised it was that chaotic that early in the evening. The hostesses were very friendly and apologetic about the situation.
We didn’t wait very long and we were seated in a booth downstairs. The feel is definitely of a cellar but I thought maybe it would be a wine cellar or even have a cigar humidor. No such luck. There are large arches on the side of the room and if you’re over 5 feet tall you have to bend down to not hit your head. It was also very loud and trying to talk at the table was hard.
Our server was great. Very friendly and knew the menu well. We ordered 3 different appetizers: SIZZLING EGGPLANT VEGETABLE BAKE, ZUCCHINI & CAULIFLOWER FRITTI BASKET & STUFFED BAKED POTATO SKINS. The eggplant bake came out without the garlic crostini and the size of the vegetables were huge. It was very hard to share and eat. When I asked for it I received 2 pieces of plain Italian bread, not toasted, not seasoned. The zucchini & cauliflower basket was great. The baked potato skins were decent but it was drizzled with bbq sauce that wasn’t noted in the description.
We then moved on to the house salads which consisted of rough chopped tomatoes, celery, red onions, cucumbers & 2 croutons on top of bagged salad mix. Dressing was served on the salad. We also received plain Italian bread with prepackaged butter.
Our main courses came out fairly quickly after the salads. We each ordered a different dish and none of us were impressed. Our dishes were: ITALIAN BREADED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA, CHICKEN PICATTA, TUSCAN STYLE SALMON with Italian green peas and garlic for the side dish.
Chicken picatta had the same issue as the chicken parm. It was very chewy/spongy and the noodles tasted like it was just lemon sauce no garlic. It was decent but the noodles by themselves were not.
Chicken parmigiana was suggested as one of the most popular dishes and after ordering it I’m not sure why. I received two large chicken breast but after a few bites had a weird texture and was very chewy. The breading was on the verge of being burnt on the outside but was grey and soft on the inside. Almost like it was cooked too fast and too high.
The salmon wasn't bad. It was cooked well and the sauce wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. I wouldn't go out of my way for it and priced too high for just being okay. the Italian green peas and garlic side dish tasted like frozen peas.
Desserts were ordered and this was probably the best part of the dinner. They serve Sara’s Sweets PEANUT BUTTER THUNDER CAKE which was fantastic as always. The LEMON MASCARPONE LAYER CAKE was also ordered and very good.
I grew up going to Casa Lu Al and unfortunately the mark was missed. Trying to push a high end feel with low budget food definitely shows. Prepackaged butter, Parmesan that’s not fresh and plain bread is entirely too cheap for the prices on the menu. Between the 3 of us our total was definitely close to $200 and for that price it was definitely not worth it.
denise ware
We sat at the bar and ate supper and got drinks. Sarah was awesome. She's pleasant, funny and did a great job!
Zachary Golden
Great venue with great food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tamara Brewer
My husband and I stopped at Casa Lu AL 10/30 while we were on our way to another restaurant. Their exterior outdoor eating area looked cozy, and the large sign caught our eye. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place why. Once inside and admitting it was our first time here, the greeter at the front desk described the two levels and what they had to offer. Although the lively atmosphere at street level was really nice, we chose the downstairs, Nonno's Cellar. Walking down the beautiful and lit stairway was like walking into a different restaurant. The beautiful arches that were also lighted and cozy seating choices were absolutely thoughtful and lovely. The music that was playing perfectly completed the ambiance.
Our waitress, Sarah, was personable and helpful for our dinner selections.
We both love Caesar salads and were a bit disappointed in that not being available. However, we both had a terrific side salad with our meal. My husband chose the Great Lakes walleye and said it was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor. I had the fettuccine carbonara, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't great either. There just wasn't much flavor to it. It was nice to have bread. However, it wasn't toasted or warmed up.
Between us, we had a red and white wine, a bourbon neat, and a cocktail. All were good and nice pours. Then we were greeted by Emily, who told me about a bourbon cocktail that sounded so good, I had to try it. After her suggestion, I can say I will definitely try a paper plane cocktail again! Thanks, Emily 🙂
Our visit overall was a wonderful experience. And we will definitely go back.
Once home, I started looking into Casa Lu Al and was able to jog my memory about why it sounded familiar. We had actually been before to the restaurant 4 years ago when they were located on the north side of Lima. I recall that our experience there wasn't a great one. We did not like the cramped, older interior. I can't recall much about the food we had, so it must not have been memorable.
If anyone has gotten this far in my long review, that has been to their previous location and wasn't a fan, all I can say is to make sure to try their new location. You will not be disappointed. They have definitely stepped up their game!
Wheelchair accessibility: Has an elevator.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Heidi Steiner
Our server Anna was super friendly and offered great suggestions. She truly made the experience extra special as we were there for a family birthday celebration. We all enjoyed our meals and the appetizers were scrumptious-be due to order one or 2!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan
Connie Cawley
Their new place downtown is BEAUTIFUL! We had a great experience here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike Judy
My meal was delicious. I had the beef brisket raviol. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Nsiah
Wonderful food. Better than I remember. Eggplant app could use more bread. Wr had an excellent date night. Janelle at the host stand was great! Thanks!
Kid-friendliness: I wouldn't take young kids there
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jonah Pinks
I'm really glad they decided to continue operations at another location. Me and my family have been going to Casa Lu Al for years, and the food is always awesome. Never had a bad meal here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
K Mont
Very busy and not enough staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
john shank
Poor service , food cold and for the price , not worth it. Poor parking.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
John Udy
Unique restaurant with delicious food. Something so simple like potato skins where done absolutely delicious. From the duckpin with pinball machin s upstairs to the romantic old Italian set up down stairs. The waitress was fantastic and knowledgeable for this being her part-time job. For a small city this place was outstanding.
Parking: Appetizer was delicious and the whole meal very reasonably priced.
Worst Lasagna EVER! I've had frozen that was better. It was a mess of nothing but tons of cheese, so much that it was like chewing gum. The sauce was good but there was maybe one 4" square lasagna noodle in and a few bits of sausage in the entire dish. I was expecting more from such a well known owner. Extremely Disappointing!
We had a reservation for 6:45. After waiting 45 mins I went to the hostess desk and asked if they knew how much longer it would be. She said the could seat us then. The hostess was clearly annoyed that I had approached the desk. She threw our menus on the table and said "There you go". I wasn't being rude when I approached the desk. The waitress took our order quickly. Then we never got water or bread. The appetizers were good and came out quickly. We should have ended our visit at that point. Our food didn't come out until almost 9pm. It was cold, and no one's food had good flavor. Very disappointing!
This was our first experience at the new Casa Lu Al and it will be our last. We were a group of 3 and made reservations for 415 in Nonno’s Cellar. When we arrived it was hectic at the hostess stand. We couldn’t actually walk into the restaurant because so many people were waiting and it was a weird area for people to stand. I was surprised it was that chaotic that early in the evening. The hostesses were very friendly and apologetic about the situation. We didn’t wait very long and we were seated in a booth downstairs. The feel is definitely of a cellar but I thought maybe it would be a wine cellar or even have a cigar humidor. No such luck. There are large arches on the side of the room and if you’re over 5 feet tall you have to bend down to not hit your head. It was also very loud and trying to talk at the table was hard. Our server was great. Very friendly and knew the menu well. We ordered 3 different appetizers: SIZZLING EGGPLANT VEGETABLE BAKE, ZUCCHINI & CAULIFLOWER FRITTI BASKET & STUFFED BAKED POTATO SKINS. The eggplant bake came out without the garlic crostini and the size of the vegetables were huge. It was very hard to share and eat. When I asked for it I received 2 pieces of plain Italian bread, not toasted, not seasoned. The zucchini & cauliflower basket was great. The baked potato skins were decent but it was drizzled with bbq sauce that wasn’t noted in the description. We then moved on to the house salads which consisted of rough chopped tomatoes, celery, red onions, cucumbers & 2 croutons on top of bagged salad mix. Dressing was served on the salad. We also received plain Italian bread with prepackaged butter. Our main courses came out fairly quickly after the salads. We each ordered a different dish and none of us were impressed. Our dishes were: ITALIAN BREADED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA, CHICKEN PICATTA, TUSCAN STYLE SALMON with Italian green peas and garlic for the side dish. Chicken picatta had the same issue as the chicken parm. It was very chewy/spongy and the noodles tasted like it was just lemon sauce no garlic. It was decent but the noodles by themselves were not. Chicken parmigiana was suggested as one of the most popular dishes and after ordering it I’m not sure why. I received two large chicken breast but after a few bites had a weird texture and was very chewy. The breading was on the verge of being burnt on the outside but was grey and soft on the inside. Almost like it was cooked too fast and too high. The salmon wasn't bad. It was cooked well and the sauce wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. I wouldn't go out of my way for it and priced too high for just being okay. the Italian green peas and garlic side dish tasted like frozen peas. Desserts were ordered and this was probably the best part of the dinner. They serve Sara’s Sweets PEANUT BUTTER THUNDER CAKE which was fantastic as always. The LEMON MASCARPONE LAYER CAKE was also ordered and very good. I grew up going to Casa Lu Al and unfortunately the mark was missed. Trying to push a high end feel with low budget food definitely shows. Prepackaged butter, Parmesan that’s not fresh and plain bread is entirely too cheap for the prices on the menu. Between the 3 of us our total was definitely close to $200 and for that price it was definitely not worth it.
We sat at the bar and ate supper and got drinks. Sarah was awesome. She's pleasant, funny and did a great job!
Great venue with great food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My husband and I stopped at Casa Lu AL 10/30 while we were on our way to another restaurant. Their exterior outdoor eating area looked cozy, and the large sign caught our eye.
The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place why.
Once inside and admitting it was our first time here, the greeter at the front desk described the two levels and what they had to offer. Although the lively atmosphere at street level was really nice, we chose the downstairs, Nonno's Cellar. Walking down the beautiful and lit stairway was like walking into a different restaurant. The beautiful arches that were also lighted and cozy seating choices were absolutely thoughtful and lovely. The music that was playing perfectly completed the ambiance.
Our waitress, Sarah, was personable and helpful for our dinner selections.
We both love Caesar salads and were a bit disappointed in that not being available. However, we both had a terrific side salad with our meal.
My husband chose the Great Lakes walleye and said it was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor.
I had the fettuccine carbonara, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't great either. There just wasn't much flavor to it. It was nice to have bread. However, it wasn't toasted or warmed up.
Between us, we had a red and white wine, a bourbon neat, and a cocktail. All were good and nice pours. Then we were greeted by Emily, who told me about a bourbon cocktail that sounded so good, I had to try it. After her suggestion, I can say I will definitely try a paper plane cocktail again! Thanks, Emily 🙂
Our visit overall was a wonderful experience. And we will definitely go back.
Once home, I started looking into Casa Lu Al and was able to jog my memory about why it sounded familiar. We had actually been before to the restaurant 4 years ago when they were located on the north side of Lima. I recall that our experience there wasn't a great one. We did not like the cramped, older interior. I can't recall much about the food we had, so it must not have been memorable.
If anyone has gotten this far in my long review, that has been to their previous location and wasn't a fan, all I can say is to make sure to try their new location. You will not be disappointed. They have definitely stepped up their game!
Wheelchair accessibility: Has an elevator.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our server Anna was super friendly and offered great suggestions. She truly made the experience extra special as we were there for a family birthday celebration. We all enjoyed our meals and the appetizers were scrumptious-be due to order one or 2!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan
Their new place downtown is BEAUTIFUL! We had a great experience here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My meal was delicious. I had the beef brisket raviol. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful food. Better than I remember. Eggplant app could use more bread. Wr had an excellent date night. Janelle at the host stand was great! Thanks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food. A bit too crowded
Parking: The potato skins were super delicious!
Kid-friendliness: I wouldn't take young kids there
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I'm really glad they decided to continue operations at another location. Me and my family have been going to Casa Lu Al for years, and the food is always awesome. Never had a bad meal here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Very busy and not enough staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Poor service , food cold and for the price , not worth it. Poor parking.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Unique restaurant with delicious food. Something so simple like potato skins where done absolutely delicious. From the duckpin with pinball machin s upstairs to the romantic old Italian set up down stairs. The waitress was fantastic and knowledgeable for this being her part-time job. For a small city this place was outstanding.
Parking: Appetizer was delicious and the whole meal very reasonably priced.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan
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