New Naples restaurant opens downtown near Fifth Avenue South: What to know
Making dinner plans? There’s a new spot to add to your list.
After much anticipation, LoLa 41 opened its doors to great fanfare on March 29. The new restaurant is currently open for dinner only. Lunch and brunch may be added next season.
Other locations in LoLa Hospitality’s current portfolio include the Nantucket original plus Boston and Palm Beach, where it provides food and beverages for White Elephant, a chic boutique hotel.
LoLa 41 takes its name from mariners’ coordinating points for Nantucket, making for the cute longitude-latitude acronym, even though the other locations have different latitudes. Palm Beach is 26, as is Naples, while Boston is 42.
Is clubby-glam a new restaurant decor trend?
Décor-wise, the front dining room is clubby-glam, with bold red Venetian plastered walls adding luster like a Chanel lipstick and a dash of sophistication. When walking in, the first accents you might spot are the fun chandeliers dripping with mother-of-pearl-tinged Capiz shells. Look up further for the noise-absorbing black tin tiles.
The barroom’s signature artwork is a gigantic chalkboard with shimmery metallic drawings of a globe, palms, and Birds of Paradise plants created by Boston-based artist Joan Aylward, better known as ChalkBOS.
On the bar's curves, subtle brushed brass accents with each country's nameplate look somewhat antique-y. Atop the bar, a sampling of coins from each country is pressed into it.
Patio dining will likely be a big ado. The covered space is dark and lush, with tropical plants and an extraordinarily large L-shaped banquette with pops of color provided by a mix of fun patterned pillows.
Why is Naples LoLa 41's newest address?
CEO Mark Daley started as bar manager at LoLa 41’s first location in Nantucket in 2006, where guests frequently mistook him for the owner.
In 2012-13, he became co-founder Marco Coelho’s partner, rising to CEO after Coelho moved on.
Maybe it’s because of where he works, but the gent has a way with numbers.
When asked where he grew up (Arlington, Massachusetts), he initially described it as southwest of Boston.
Then he got specific.
“The starting line of the marathon was a couple minutes from my house, so roughly 26.4 miles southwest.”
Since taking the helm, expansion is on his mind, potentially to Aspen (latitude 39) and San Juan (18).
“I don't know that we had quite the aspirations we do now to grow. We've got such a winning concept; there's really nothing like Lola. Say you have a group of six people, and four want sushi, and someone wants steak. With the global bistro menu, nobody's left out; everybody has a great time.”
Speaking of menus
Nodding to the original location, LoLa 41’s eclectic menu aims to be a crowd-pleaser and features popular dishes from countries on the 41st parallel.
Since I had visited before its official opening and hadn't yet eaten there, I asked Daley what he usually orders: a few appetizers followed by sushi rolls.
Executive Chef Pablo Torre's favorite dishes include beef bulgogi because of “the layers of flavor with hints of spice, sweetness, and bitterness. It’s a very balanced dish.”
His tippy top favorite is beef tartare which he makes from Australian Wagyu 7X cut with a marble score of 8 or 9.
Torre's priority? Making guests comfortable with their food decisions.
“We touch every country on the parallel. It’s a fun and interactive menu.”
Following a sous cheffing stint at SLS in Brickell, Torre was poached by Coelho and started in Nantucket before opening the Palm Beach location. He grew up in Miami, but his family is from Madrid.
He’s been with LoLa for more than five years, spending the last four at the Boston location, where he met his lovely wife, Michele Mansur. She hails from Brazil and has sales and marketing expertise in travel and tourism. She is the restaurant’s general manager.
The couple is newly settled in Naples, and our terrific weather played a part in their decision.
What to know
Where is it? 560 Ninth St. S., Naples; 239-399-3300; lola41.com
Parking: The easiest is the garage at 600 Eighth St. S., around the corner and mere seconds from the restaurant's entrance.
Pricing: $10 to $34 for small plates; $28 to $125 (Peking duck) for entrees; sushi rolls $12 to $42 and nigiri/sashimi from $15 to $27.
Hours: Daily from 4 to 10 p.m.
The international wine list includes the usual suspects in California plus selections from France, Portugal, Spain and Greece. Sake, beer, cocktails too.
The patio does not get direct sun.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: New restaurant preview: LoLa 41 opens in downtown Naples, what to know
