Restaurant: Lulu’s Waterfront Grille

Critic: Anna Erickson

A Seafood Restaurant for the Seafood Hater (and Lover)

It’s true, I’m a seafood hater. I’ve never liked seafood and probably never will. At the first thought of a seafood restaurant, I begin to envision a large wooden shack filled with people bursting open crab legs and slurping out of oysters. Add in the fishy smell wafting through the air (that doesn’t seem to phase anyone but me) and you’ve uncovered my worst nightmare.

I recently visited Jacksonville Beach with seven of my friends who have normal views on eating seafood and have normal taste buds that don’t reject anything that once lived under the sea. Thus, we found ourselves at Lulu’s Waterfront Grille. I was a little pouty about our choice of restaurant, I’ll admit it. But I, being the incredibly humble and selfless person that I am, figured I’d just take one for the team and eat a pile of fries for dinner.

Lulu’s is most definitely an atypical seafood restaurant. At first glance, it’s one of the stereotypical ones from my nightmare. It’s made of wood (I knew it, although it’s more of a charming cottage than a shack) and painted with shades of bright yellows, pinks and blues.

The parking lot smells like rotten eggs, I notice. The smell of sulfur pops up in random areas around Jacksonville, so I’m not sure we can really blame Lulu’s, but I feel sorry for anyone who might ever have to stand in that particular parking lot for more than ten seconds. 

Here’s where the restaurant gods really blessed me though, and will bless you too if you adhere to the following instructions very carefully: walk inside the restaurant. Yes! If you make it past the parking lot, your five senses will be delighted with a surprisingly fresh, modern and cozy dining atmosphere.  

The indoor portion of the restaurant features dark hardwood floors, a full bar, bulky glass and steel light fixtures, and large floor to ceiling windows. It feels modern and upscale but still manages to have a very casual vibe. People order drinks off of the bangin’ happy hour menu ($3 for a glass of a decent pinot grigio? Yes please) and drift to the outdoor portion of the restaurant to watch the sunset. 

If you arrive when the sun is setting into the canal that flows right through Lulu’s backyard, you’ll be met with a dreamy ambiance. There is a boardwalk and dock that stretches out over the water, and beautiful landscaping complete with lush green grass, tropical plants and tiki torches that boast small flames scattered throughout the lawn. 

There are tables nestled under a large pavilion that has string lights dangling from one end to the other and nearby, there’s a small stage with a few lawn chairs in front of it – complete with a bonfire in the middle for people to lounge around and keep warm as the sun goes down. 

We were sat at one of the tables outside, and as a local singer-songwriter sung “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran from the stage, I thought it might be the most Instagrammable dining experience I’d ever had, and we hadn’t even eaten yet.

At this point, I was more than happy to be eating fries for dinner, but was pleasantly surprised when I was met with an extensive menu that had several southern-accented choices without seafood, though the seafood options were plentiful. They had a signature burger, several salads and pastas, grilled cheese, chicken tenders and more. Even better, it was decently priced with most entrees and a side coming in at about $10.

I ordered a fried chicken sandwich with smoked bacon, gouda cheese, red onions and basil pesto aioli and a light house-made slaw. My side was pimento cheese grits. I always order grits as my side when I have the option, and these were genuinely the best I’ve ever had. I really love a sharp cheese flavor, and these had it. They were creamy as hell too. I mean, just great stuff. 

Other orders at the table included baja tacos with the catch of the day, shrimp scampi, “Captain Bob’s” Jambalaya, shrimp and grits, salmon and a crab cake sandwich. I acknowledge the fact that I’m writing a review on a seafood restaurant and I don’t eat seafood, but the consensus from the table was that the dishes were prepared beautifully and tasted great. 

The salmon was cooked well and actually had great flavor. The hush puppies were to die for – much larger than your average hush puppy, yet still satisfyingly fried and crunchy. The Jambalaya was well-balanced with large Mayport Shrimp, chicken and fish, Creole stewed tomatoes, Trinity, white rice, cheddar jack cheese and green onions.

Lulu’s pleasantly surprised me. For my seafood loving friends, it was a fun and tasty, and they left satisfied. And for my seafood-hating self, it was fun and tasty, and I left satisfied. The ambiance alone is something I’d come back for, but the menu and cuisine are enough for me to add it to my favorites. It’s officially the first seafood joint that I can say I look forward to returning to.