Chez Lulu

When Carole Griffin first conceived of Chez Lulu she wanted to develop aCafe that was unlike any other restaurant in Birmingham's independent restaurant community. She designed a menu that featured the artisan breads she was already creating next door in the Continental Bakery: soups made daily from fresh local produce, vegetable tartes and of course sandwiches. She employed local artist Tracy Martin to create the tables as a tribute to Birmingham's iron days and to hand wrought mosaic tiles to inlay in retired baking pans for the smaller tables. Before theCafe opened, Carole described its lush red walls, swag lamps and crushed velvet pillows to a French friend. He replied, "My, you've got a real Chez Madame Lulu on your hands". He explained that in France Chez Madame Lulu is a euphemism for a bordello. And so Chez Lulu was born. Our menu has always been vegetarian-friendly and our dishes are oven based rather than grilled or fried. Over the years we have introduced the Birmingham public to: skirt wearing waiters from Australia, late night poetry jams & dance parties, a Brazilian drum corps that played on the street in front of theCafe (the same band featured on Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints), a streaking bartender, an African Mbira quartet, a wine tasting with Randall Graham (the vintner of Bonny Doon wines), a re-enactment of the beheading of Marie Antoinette (who incidentally said, "let them eat brioche" not cake), Moroccan gypsy fiddlers, a French Acadian band and an accordion playing, cowboy boot wearing, wandering Jewish minstrel named Shalom Sherman, and oh-so much more. So come be a part of the "joie de vie"!