Cafe Lola

After reading the reviews in Columbus Alive and the Dispatch, I had to do lunch at Cafe Lola in scenic downtown Columbus. Lola's is a breakfast- (or lunch- or dinner-)in-a-hurry spot that features flatbread pizzas, quesadillas, sandwiches and salads with an avalanche of vegetarian options.

As expected, they were hopping busy at noon. The service was brisk. Although the line was long, I couldn't have been there more than a half an hour.

The vegetarian choices are plentiful. Many of the pizzas, including the above pictured choice of tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted red peppers with a pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese, are vegetarian friendly. The crust, however, was dull and bland. The Alive article touched on this, suggesting the crust may be undercooked to serve as many of them as possible to the worker bees in the area.

It seems like your best choices here may be the sandwiches (vegetarian options include a veggie wrap and a grilled cheese with tomato panini) and the veggie quesadilla. I'll have to check out the rest of the menu and report back on it later.

The sides were especially interesting, with a choice of pasta salad, chips or an apple. The prices are great--my combo was like $6. I'm still standing by my original judgement that El Arepazo is the king (or el rey) of inexpensive downtown eats. Based upon the menu, my description of Cafe Lola would be to call it San Francisco Oven with a cooler menu.

And if I looked at the pricing and the rest of the eateries in downtown Columbus not named Tip Top or Due Amici, I would guess Cafe Lola closes early and isn't open on Sunday (if they are open on the weekend at all). You can always call 614-754-8804 to find out for yourself.

Check out the pictures below, and stop in if you're in the area.

Lola's Cafe