Lula Lounge is one of the many independently-owned businesses in the city that decided to reinvent themselves during this ongoing pandemic.
Known as an animated spot for live music and dance, this beloved venue along Dundas West is now embracing three new food pop-ups: Bird Box Toronto, Pizza Azul and the latest addition Flor Mexicana. These recently launched culinary ventures feature juicy chicken sandwiches, sourdough pizza and Mexican street-style food, all executed by Lula Lounge staff who otherwise would be in search of work due to the pandemic halting the venue's regular operations.
Since the large kitchen space was sitting empty, Jose Nieves, one of the original founders of Lula Lounge, decided that it should still be put to good use.
What started as a means of ensuring his staff were employed turned into an opportunity to maintain Lula Lounge's presence in the neighbourhood and a chance to allow his staff to venture into the creation of their own culinary endeavours.
Of the three operations, the first and most popular thus far is Bird Box. With an original storefront in London, Ontario, this franchised location serves up hand-breaded Ontario halal chicken made fresh to order. Marinated in buttermilk and spices, you can order yourself a juicy chicken sandwich drowning in savoury sauces. Amongst them are the Dirty Bird that comes stuffed with cracked pepper aioli, fried onion strings, bacon cheddar cheese and smokey BBQ sauce served on a toasted ciabatta bun and the Southern Chick. This sandwich is perfect for those who love a mix of sweet and salty flavours. The crispy fried chicken is layered within toasted Belgium waffles, Canadian maple bacon, Swiss cheese and a drizzle of Canadian maple syrup.
Pizza Azul is named after Nieves' son Azul and serves up pizza, pasta and a handful of appetizers like stuffed portobello mushrooms and bruschetta. They focus on sourdough pizza, a recipe that took over four months to perfect in texture and flavour. After deciding to begin making pizzas and finding it challenging to get their hands on yeast while the entire city appeared to be baking at home during the first lockdown, the idea to make sourdough products instead came to be. Since the goal is to also expand Pizza Azul's menu to include sourdough sandwiches, the team at Lula Lounge only makes pizzas with their unique sourdough base, one that is arguably easier to digest and more nutritious than your average pizza dough.
Some staff favourites include Mary's Pie which has candied jalapeño peppers, caramelized onions and smoked bacon, as well as the Capricciosa, which is topped with pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives. Both pizzas come with layers of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Flor Mexicana is a Mexican street-style food pop-up inspired by Leonor, the head chef's grandmother. Cherished recipes from the chef's upbringings paired with his creativity in the kitchen are responsible for this menu that features tender Birria Tacos, Carnitas Tacos and a Pizza Al Pastor, which is a pizza that is topped with the filling of an al pastor taco, mainly roasted pork and pineapple, on their sourdough crust.
Definitely don't skip out on dessert here. You'll regret not ordering the two melt-in-your-mouth cakes that, according to Nieves, are "Yummy with a capital 'Y' " in every way. The made from scratch Tres Leches cake and Cheese Flan are must-try desserts. Their Tres Leches cake is soft and fluffy, oozing with sweet strawberries and light cream, while the Cheese Flan is creamy and topped with gooey caramel.
Nieves is dedicated to keeping the presence of Lula Lounge in the neighbourhood strong and is passionate about the fact that his staff are taking over in every way to help these new food pop-ups grow. From the recipe development to taste testing to the graphic design, he notes that "Everyone here has a hand at creativity...everybody is very involved."
When Lula Lounge can open for live events again, Nieves hopes to permanently implement popular items from these pop-ups on the menu and even consider having them still operate, but in their own spot just next door.
"If I was to open to lose more money than I was already losing, it's not the brightest thing in town, but we did and there's many reasons actually. The main is that we have a community, our clients are our community too, not just these guys and slowly we grow together," Nieves explains.
Despite a slow start in getting their name out there, Nieves remains optimistic about the growth of these pop-ups embraced by Lula Lounge, "Been open 8 months now -- still losing money," he laughs, "but these guys are getting paid and that's the key. The community is starting to see what we're doing."
All three pop-ups at the Lula Lounge are open seven days a week, giving you lots of opportunities to drop by and even more options to choose from once you're ready to order.
Find Bird Box, Pizza Azul and Flor Mexicana in the heart of Dundas West from Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 12 a.m. They're also on Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, DoorDash and Ritual.
If you're missing all the live music and events from Lula Lounge, definitely be sure to subscribe to their newsletter to catch them live -- but online and check out their Lulaworld Records label to find your new favourite local artist.
