We got back from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida about three weeks ago. The first day we got there, August 9th, we decided to eat at Lulu’s Bait Shack in Beach Place - the mall in front of the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott off A1A and near the ending of Las Olas Blvd. Lulu’s has locations in Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Orlando.

We decided to eat at Cajun-theme Lulu’s because we wanted good food - we still had the taste of Snyder’s Pretzels from the plane. Ick! The Lulu’s is located next to a Hooter’s on the second level of the mall. We went up a set of escalators, took a left and walked right into the restaurant. We asked for a table near the outside of the restaurant so we could get a nice breeze. We were told it would be a 15-minute wait for the window table.

The restaurant has a very cool atmosphere; it’s not located indoors. There are open-air shutters that don’t have window glass. The restaurant offers a live band sometimes, and when the band isn’t playing, Jamaican songs are played over the speakers. The restaurant is very clean and has stools for each seat along the windows of the restaurant. Only the tables in the inside have regular chairs.

When seated, we were given the menu by a friendly waitress. She listed the specials of the day then let us browse the menu on our own....

The menu isn’t the hugest. There are several Po’boy sandwiches which were the only affordable meals. About $8 per sandwich comes with the type of meat ordered (chicken, shrimp, etc) and fries. The sandwich is called “Po’boy” to represent a “Poor boy’s” sandwich. This means that there is no mayo - nothing - except for lettuce and tomato. One can always ask for ketchup.

I got the chicken Po’boy which was okay - I don’t like plain sandwiches. It was well cooked, but the chicken piece was just a bit too large for the buns. The fries on the side were very good - extremely filling, very tasty and well cooked unlike those at McDonald’s. The meal was served in a basket.

Before ordering our main courses, we decided to order gumbo. We could have ordered a cup of it for $4 or a bowl for $6. We ordered the bowl so we could share. It arrived in a huge bowl with a lot of shrimp and spices. Gumbo, the New Orleans home soup, is known to be spicy but delicious wherever one gets it. There were many pieces of shrimp - I wasn’t ripped off for a bunch of liquid like some other restaurants do.

I want to tell you a bit about Lulu’s Bait Shack’s menu before you end up going. You won’t find your everyday menu items there - kind of like Bahama Breeze. The only “normal” items they offer are chicken fingers and a cheeseburger in the kids’ menu. However, the other items they offer are mouth watering, and you won’t find them at Friendly’s. For example, they offer Shrimp Scampi, mahi tacos, crawfish, crab cakes, Cajun popcorn and a seafood salad.

It took about ten minutes for our soup to arrive, and about 15 minutes after that for our main courses to come. That’s pretty good for such a popular restaurant in such a busy city. The service was friendly and was always maintained at a professional level. They were so nice to even give us Mardi Gras beads.

I’d like to eat at Lulu’s Bait Shack again, and I would recommend that you eat there if you happen to run across one of the three locations. The food was pretty good, but I would really like to see a larger menu. The service was friendly and the restaurant is clean - that’s the most important aspect. If you’re looking for a good place in a laid back atmosphere, Lulu’s is the place for you. Just don’t forget to bring some larger bills as you will need them.

Hours: 10:30AM - 2:00AM
Credit Cards: Master Card, Visa, Discover, American Express

Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Those natchos from the table next to us looked pretty good! Mmmmm.....
Best Suited For: Friends