Lula Cafe

Inventive, market-driven food

AWARD WINNER (2X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

Lula brings artisanal cooking to your table for weddings, social occasions, intimate dinners, cocktail parties, and corporate events. Featuring custom menus by chef/owner Jason Hammel, we craft a spectacular feast for you and your guests from the bounty of local growers. We tailor the details of each event to compliment your taste and personality. Our services include our onsite chefs and waitstaff; wine pairings and cocktail menus; arranging for china, glassware, linens, and furnishings. We can provide additional assistance with event and wedding planning including day-of-event coordination, venue and vendor referrals, floor plans and decor.

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Details

Cuisine

American

Dietary Options

Dairy Free

Gluten Free

Nut Free

Organic

Sugar Free

Vegan

Vegetarian

Food & Catering

Buffet

Catering Clean Up

Catering Delivery & Setup

Family Style

Passed Appetizers

Seated Meal

Servers

Awards and Affiliations

Any questions?

Availability

5.0

out of 5.0

29 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Lula Cafe consistently received high praise for its catering services, with guests describing the food as the best they've ever had at a wedding. The team, particularly Anna, was commended for their responsiveness, organization, and ability to accommodate dietary restrictions. Reviewers highlighted the seamless experience from tastings to the wedding day, emphasizing the exceptional service, customizable pricing, and attention to detail. Overall, Lula Cafe was highly recommended for providing outstanding food, service, and overall catering experience for weddings.

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Tayler J

10/27/2024

I honestly can’t say enough good things about Lula Cafe. If you’re looking for a caterer, you need to book them—that’s the review! Jokes aside, Lula Cafe provided absolutely best-in-class service from start to finish. We had the pleasure of working with Anna and Alyssa, and they made the entire experience seamless and easy. The tasting at the restaurant was so personalized and fun. Even my husband, who isn’t the most adventurous eater, fell in love with Lula’s creative menu and their perfect blend of flavors. We had them cater our cocktail hour, dinner, and desserts, and our guests have not stopped raving about the food! Everything was simply incredible, and their team delivered outstanding service on our wedding day. If you’re on the fence about a caterer, go with Lula Cafe. One thousand percent worth it!

Lindsay D

10/04/2024

We couldn’t be happier about choosing Lula for our caterer. Anna was amazing to work with - so responsive and very on top of things. And we got so many compliments on the food from our guests. Highly recommend Lula.

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Natalie R

8/10/2024

Lula for catering is one of the best choices we made for our wedding. Imagine that you have a sweet and charming neighborhood restaurant that always makes you feel at home. By choosing them as your wedding caterer, you now have a special place to go relive the memories on your anniversaries or when your family is in town. From the start, the experience was amazing. The tasting there is incredible. When we brought our family there over Thanksgiving to try it, I felt like we were on the same team, trying and wildly succeeding at impressing them. The month leading up to the wedding, the calm and confidence that they displayed at every turn made me feel sure everything would be fine. And it was so much more than fine! The food was incredible. Multiple people told me best wedding food they ever had. Allergies and preferences were treated with respect and as a nonissue, Lula had a plan. The bartenders worked with our cost saving decision to buy liquor from Garfield’s Beverage and made amazing drinks. The servers were all really friendly, cool, efficient, and had awesome vibes. I was happy they were at my wedding! Everything ran so smoothly and was so delicious, which was extra incredible in a venue that is limited on kitchen space with no oven. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and their pricing is super customizable and comparable to other quotes we looked at in Chicago. If you’re on a budget, choose Lula, DIY everything else. They are perfect!!!

Erin R

7/12/2024

The team at Lula went above and beyond. Ana was so easy to work with and super accommodating/patient. We had so many guests tell us it was the best wedding food they had ever had. The servers and bartenders were fabulous. 10/10 recommend.

Paul B

6/11/2024

Wow wow wow! We had so many guests tell us that this was the best wedding food they had ever had. Anna and Alyssa were so professional and organized, and we felt completely comfortable with them. My wife is gluten and dairy free, and Lula was the only caterer we talked to that could serve EVERYONE a gluten and dairy free meal with no modifications. The appetizers for the cocktail hour were as mind blowing as the dinner, and they even plated the appetizers for our “moment alone” in the bridal suite with beautiful plating. We loved everything, from our first tasting at the restaurant, to the cocktail hour with meatballs, shrimp, and pesto stuffed dates, to the dinner of cider braised pork, salmon and crispy rice, or chickpea tagine. The serving staff was friendly, attentive, and kept the evening running on schedule. Overall, they helped make our wedding day as perfect as we dreamed!

Amanda H

4/30/2024

Anna and the Lula team was amazing to work with. She was very responsive to any questions we had and we had so many guests tell us we had the best wedding food they’d ever had!

Justin H

4/27/2024

Anna and her team were truly amazing- so incredibly responsive and accommodating to every request. Most importantly, many of our guests told us that this was the best wedding food they've ever had! Can't recommend Lula enough.

Tayler S

11/25/2023

We could not have been more impressed or proud to have Lula Cafe cater our wedding in October. My husband is a chef, so the food was EXTREMELY important to him. Anna at Lula was so patient with him and she really listened to what he wanted for the meal. Our guests are still talking about how amazing our food was almost 2 months later, which is more than we could have ever asked for. All of the servers were so kind and professional. They really paid attention to every little detail. I was shocked to find my champagne flute filled with moscato instead of champagne after our first toast, as Anna knew I did not like champagne and loved sweet drinks. The whole Lula Team helped make our day so perfect and we cannot recommend them more!

Kathleen W

11/19/2023

We are so happy we chose Lula to cater our wedding. Of course, if you've ever visited the restaurant itself, you know the food is delicious, but also, our customer service experience with Anna was outstanding. From the moment we reached out to them, Anna was immediately responsive, and when we went to the restaurant for our tasting, she made us feel like VIPs. We had about 10 months to plan our wedding and she answered all our questions along the way. Also, our guests spanned a pretty broad spectrum in terms of culinary tastes and dietary restrictions. We had carnivores, vegans, gluten and dairy intolerances, and a whole bunch of random food allergies among our guests, and Lula was able to accommodate them all. In fact, some of our pickiest eaters gave us the highest praise, saying it was the best food they'd ever had at a wedding. And best of all, we love that we can return to Lula whenever we like to relive a part of the best night of our lives.

Sarah V

10/26/2023

We cannot thank Anna and her team enough! Anna was so amazing to work with and very responsive whenever we had questions. The food was absolutely amazing! Our guests could not stop talking about the food and how it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had! The severs & bar tenders were also great - we were so lucky to work with this team!

Rylee D

9/19/2023

I cannot say enough to praise the work that Anna and Lula Cafe's staff did for our wedding. Not only was the day of executed perfectly, but Anna communicated with us continuously for over a year to make our day exactly how we envisioned. From the initial tasting (which was so special and fun), to answering my constant emails/questions, to helping us pick our rentals at Tablescape, to our final walkthrough and then checking in on us day of. We quite literally could not have done it without them! I would recommend Lula a billion times over. The food was phenomenal and our guests wouldn't stop talking about the quality, portion size, and the signature drinks (that Anna helped us narrow down). We love you, Lula Cafe! Can't wait to visit the restaurant for years to come.

Danny R

8/15/2023

We feel very lucky to have had Lula cater our wedding and to work with Anna over the year of planning. Anna was clear, friendly, and flexible over email, at our tasting, and on the run-up to the wedding itself. The whole staff was warm and professional on the night of the event. It's Lula Cafe, so of course the food was great -- many guests told us it was the best food they had had at a wedding and a couple of people went in to the restaurant for brunch the next day because they liked it so much. Thank you to Anna and the Lula team!

Emily G

8/05/2023

Lula is our favorite restaurant so it was a no brainer to have them cater our wedding. They were wonderful to work with from start to finish, and we got tons of people commenting that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding (us included)! We are SO glad we chose to work with them and we would recommend anyone and everyone to work with them.

Ian S

8/03/2023

I can't say enough good things about Lula Cafe. Not only are they one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago but they absolutely blew our guests away. We wanted our food to be really a stand out piece of our event and they did not disappoint. For those of you with *ahem* a little picky parents/relatives Lula will change their mind, I guarantee it. Anna from Lula was also outstanding in communication, service, and everything you could want from a great partner. I said this about Firehouse Chicago (our venue) and I really do mean it make your life easy. Go in for the tasting and pick Lula Cafe.

Tara D

7/02/2023

Lula Cafe is one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago so we were very excited during our wedding planning process when we learned they did catering. From the start of our process, Anna was amazing to work with. She was incredibly responsive to all emails and worked with us on so many little details to make sure everything was exactly how we wanted it. The food and service was amazing, we couldn't be happier with our decision to have Lula part of our wedding.

Jessica B

6/12/2023

I cannot say enough nice things about Anna at Lula Cafe. She answered every single question and was super responsive to my emails. I really appreciated her attention to detail and her professionalism. During the walkthrough she brought up multiple items that I would have completely forgotten about. The actual reception went off without a hitch and the food/drinks were absolutely delicious. Could not recommend this caterer more highly.

Valerie S

5/19/2023

The amount of people who told us that our (LULA's) food was the best wedding food they'd ever had WOULD HAVE shocked me...but this is honestly the feedback I was expecting. We knew when we hired the fine folks at Lula Cafe to handle our wedding food that we would be stepping up the game. We are so grateful to Anna and the Lula catering team, and their excellent staff for cooking the unforgettable food at our wedding. Beyond providing a crave-worthy menu, we had an excellent experience working with Anna. Through many, MANY emails and calls, she answered all our questions, helped us accomodate for food allergies/preferences, and helped bring together what was for us, the most important part of the day. The team also went above and beyond-meeting with us at our venue and talking through the entire timeline, helping set tables and making suggestions on our settings and decor, and even printing menus that blended in seamlessly to our overall look. Do yourself a favor and hire Lula to make your wedding food stand out, and know that you are in the most epic, professional hands.

Chloe B

1/11/2023

Lula Cafe (and Anna!) were an incredible vendor to work with for our catering needs for our wedding. From the very start, Anna was thoughtful and transparent with pricing and menu options. She was able to work within our budget and our wants to make it all work, and we were so thrilled with the result. We had amazing service and attention to detail, especially when it came to dietary restrictions. We're still hearing great things about the food and the bar weeks after our wedding! Highly recommend the team at Lula Cafe for your catering needs. We'll be visiting the restaurant again soon!

Kelsey N

9/03/2022

My wife and I are huge fans of Lula Cafe, and I was stoked when I saw they were on the list of approved caterers for our wedding venue. Given how popular the restaurant is, I assumed they would be prohibitively expensive or hard to get a hold of, but I could not have been more wrong on either front. Anna and the crew were nothing short of amazing. Every detail was impeccable, and we had multiple guests tell us the food was the best they'd ever had at a wedding. They also did a fantastic job providing alternatives for anyone with dietary restrictions and were incredibly thoughtful in that regard. If you are considering Lula for your event, don't hesitate!

Patrick B

8/19/2022

Lula Cafe, with Anna directing the effort, surpassed our wildest expectations. Yes the food is amazing, many (10+) guests mentioned it was the best food they had ever had at an event. But what stood out was the attention to detail, and the care with which the entire staff took care of our guests -- so critical to what we wanted in our wedding as a big family gathering. Our food was served family style, and desserts and coffee and late night pizza kept the our guests content throughout the night. I could keep writing, but I think the best testament, and what convinced us to go with lula, was our tasting. I highly encourage any couple in Chicago to spend an evening sampling Lula's food and making your own decision -- and I can bet it'll be the same as ours. Thank you so much Lula -- we will be visiting the restaurant in the years to come, and will leave content not only with your food but the memories of our wedding.

response 08/21/2022

Thank you so much! It was truly a pleasure working with you and Gill. Hope to run into yo...

u at the restaurant sometime soon!

EMily K

2/15/2022

Lula Cafe Events Catering is simply the best. Their restaurant, Lula Cafe, in Chicago is obviously quite heralded and beloved, and this same love and expertise translates to their catering division. Anna was a true powerhouse, juggling the many facets of our dinner service to perfection. She was responsive to all of our requests for the reception. The food was obviously second to none in the industry given the impeccable dining reputation of Lula Cafe. I can't recommend Lula Catering enough for all special events.

response 02/15/2022

Thank you so much, Emily! You and Stephen are absolutely lovely and it was such a delight ...

to be a part of your celebration. :)

Robert C

11/03/2021

When we planned our wedding, we wanted to feature as much local flavor as possible, and Lula can't be beat! We worked with Anna for our big day, and she was immensely helpful throughout the entire process in terms of showing us the options we had for plating, food, and drink. They easily accommodated our couple's cocktail, and the bartenders were the absolute best at getting the crowd in the right mood during the party. Did I mention that the food was incredible? Hands-down the best food I've had at a wedding, almost like being in a restaurant! All-star caterers.

emilie r

10/10/2021

Lula did such an incredible job catering our wedding. As our favorite restaurant in Chicago, we knew we wanted Lula as soon as we started planning and they went above and beyond our expectations. Anna was wonderful to work with, she was responsive and got us into the restaurant on multiple occasions for inspiration for our menu. Lula was very flexible, accommodating food allergies for specific guests and allowing us to make custom adjustments to various dishes. The food was incredible and the signature cocktails were such crowd-pleasers. Without exaggeration, so many guests told us it was the best wedding food they had ever had and we completely agree! Highly recommend.

Gillian M

8/26/2021

Lula was the best choice for catering. They were incredible during the planning process and everyone raved about the food. Several people came up to us and couldn’t stop talking about the bread and butter and burrata. Anna H was our coordinator and main point of contact. She was amazing and organized. I cannot recommend her enough. If you want exceptional food and service, Lula is for you.

IMRE T

11/11/2020

I worked with Lula on a styled shoot and they provided the most beautiful and delicious cheese board and cocktails. Not only are they one of my favorite restaurants, but their catering is amazing. Couldn't recommend them more!

Hadallia B

10/27/2019

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted Lula Cafe as my wedding caterer, and they went beyond our greatest expectations. First of all, their event manager Anna is a dream to work with. She is super responsive, helpful, and friendly. She made the catering planning process a breeze. We had a lot of personal details during our wedding dinner and Lula Cafe handled them all perfectly. In fact, everyone from the Lula Cafe team was not only super professional, but a pleasure to be around, and that's exactly what you want on your wedding day. The service was impeccable. And of course, THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. We received so many comments on how great the food was, but that was no surprise. Our whole dinner felt like a pop-up Lula restaurant (even their Chef de Cuisine Andrew was there, which was a total honor for us). We love Lula and couldn’t recommend them more enthusiastically.

Kate G

6/14/2019

My husband and I agreed when we were planning our wedding that we wanted to do everything possible to avoid the standard dry, boring wedding food. When we found out that one of our favorite restaurants also did catering we were so excited to have it at our wedding. The food was unbelievable and we are still hearing from guests about how good everything was. I can think of no reason to go with a standard catering service when you can get memorable food, amazing and kind service, and flexibility for the same price from Lula. We will remember the day forever including all of the wonderful food we ate.

Kelsey W

8/29/2018

This review is for their catering. We had been to the restaurant several times and loved it, so we decided to use them as our wedding caterer. They are AWESOME to work with for events. We had been searching for alternatives to typical catering companies, and we knew we didn't want to deal with rentals, service, and bartenders separately (as is the case with many other restaurants who do events and weddings). Lula (and Anna H) were super easy to work with. We met in person to go over menu thoughts and then they crafted a unique menu that we tweaked as the wedding got closer. They basically created a customized Lula pop-up. The food was absolutely delicious. We got tons of compliments on our family style menu. The only thing that could possibly count as a criticism is that one of the side dishes was corn but it was not explicit that it would be served on the cob. But it was still delicious! The service team was spectacular, bar service was on point, and we didn't have to deal with the service ware rentals ourselves which was great. Pricing was competitive with other full service caterers in Chicago. Highly recommend for private events and weddings. The team was awesome!!

Kara L

1/10/2017

I cannot speak highly enough of our experience working with Lula for our wedding. From developing the menu to the execution on the day-of, Anna, Jason and the team were INCREDIBLE and the food was truly amazing. They were thoughtful with dietary issues we had with guests and the service was perfect. I wish they could cater every event in my life from here on out.

Service area

2537 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL

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(773) 489-9554

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