Take a beautiful location and add an impressive brunch and you have the experience writer Leslie Long had at LoLa 41 in Palm Beach. Here, she tells (and shows!) RealFoodTraveler.com readers what to expect when you go.

Save this article about LoLa 41 to Pinterest to help you plan your visit. Photos by Leslie Long and Ovi Mustea. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Read about the three railroaders who built Florida.

LoLa 41 Palm Beach: A stylish, Asian-inspired brunch in Florida

Based on wealth, water and history, Palm Beach is a particular kind of place where just about everything is pretty, perfect and manicured. Reminiscent of earlier times, well-heeled visitors and locals alike dress up when they go out shopping, strolling or dining. Elegantly attired men and women of all ages, along with sweetly smocked little girls and boys in smart resort wear, often in prints and pastels, are seen all over town. Houses and commercial buildings are picture perfect, often painted the colors of Sweet Tarts.

On my last visit in February, I was happy to discover LoLa 41, a fairly new addition to town. This 156-seat global bistro and sushi bar is hiding in plain sight on Sunset Avenue, a quiet street just a block from the far busier Royal Poinciana Way. Sharing space with The White Elephant, a luxurious boutique hotel, the restaurant marks the expansion of the popular Nantucket-based LoLa brand by restauranteur Marco Coelho and Team Hospitality. 

Crisp black and white awnings are part of the hotel’s design and the restaurant courtyard carries that through with big, striped patio umbrellas. Banquettes with multi-colored pillows line the perimeter. On a sunny afternoon or warm evening, the courtyard is the place to be, but the inside of the restaurant is also lovely, with dark wood, black and white tiles and a large curvy bar.

Nestled inside the The White Elephant boutique hotel, the courtyard of LoLa 41 offers a spectacular setting in which to enjoy their global menu. Photo by Ovi Mustea.

LoLa 41 Palm Beach: The 41st parallel is where it all began

Named for the latitudinal location (Lo=longitude and La=latitude) of its flagship location on Nantucket, LoLa 41 Palm Beach features an eclectic menu inspired by the cuisine of countries located along the 41st parallel. Signature dishes range from an exceptional selection of sushi rolls and sashimi to global dishes such as King Crab Rangoon, Hoisin Lacquered Baby Back Ribs, Portuguese-style Grilled Octopus and Lobster Fried Rice. South Florida seafood includes swordfish, grouper, and Florida shrimp. An impressive array of wine, sake, craft beers and creative cocktails complement the menu.

As one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, the Hoisin Lacquered Baby Backed Ribs are varnished with depth and flavor. Photo by Ovi Mustea.

While open for dinner and weekday lunch, we visited for Saturday brunch which featured lighter offerings of small plates, salads, burgers, sandwiches, sushi and breakfast specialties.

Sunny skies, sushi and so much to choose from at Lola 41.

In true Palm Beach fashion, we were shown to our outdoor table by a woman wearing a beautiful dress printed with pale hydrangeas (which I coveted!). Without wasting time, we ordered LoLa Sangrias, a magenta concoction with rich berry flavors and matching flowers on top. 

It doesn’t hurt when a drink looks as good as it tastes like this sangria. Photo by Leslie Long.

Smaller Plates include edamame with Maldon Sea Salt, Cantonese Style Pork Pot Sticks, oysters, and tuna tartare. 

Knowing I was headed in the direction of sushi, I started with duck buns (especially after seeing the couple at the next table devour theirs). With orange hoisin sauce, they were tender and meaty — and surely didn’t last long enough. My husband ordered the Hong Kong Chicken Lettuce Wraps composed of small, savory bits of chicken infused with ginger and scallions, served with several fresh lettuce leaves. 

Hong Kong Chicken Lettuce Cups. Photo by Leslie Long.

Hungry for more? Read about Leslie’s special lunch on Anguilla.

I decided on the Hoka Sake Roll, one of the ten specialty rolls, since it embodied many of my favorite elements of sushi: Hamachi, Avocado, Torched Salmon, and Unagi Sauce. With fish that tender, it couldn’t have been any better. In addition to the specialty rolls, classics like rainbow, California and spicy tuna were also on the brunch menu, along with cut rolls, hand rolls, and sashimi.

The torched salmon on top of hamachi and avocado made the Hoka Sake Roll one to remember. Photo by Leslie Long.

 The LoLa Burger keeps passing by.

The Burgers and Sandwiches section offers a wide array of choices. As we were deciding, we noticed many servers delivering amazing looking LoLa Burgers. Served on oversized English muffins topped with aged cheddar cheese, red onion compote and a side of foie gras gravy (that doubles as a dipping sauce for the excellent fries), it’s no wonder kids and adults were ordering them left and right. There’s also a LoLa Classic Burger on a brioche bun and the LoLa Vegan Burger. The B.L.T with pepper bacon on multigrain bread and Crispy Soft Shell Crab Sandwich round out the offerings. 

With Cabot cheddar and an onion compote, the LoLa Burger is an all-season favorite. Photo by Ovi Mustea.

The Asian Inspired Tuna Burger was my husband’s choice, always opting for locally caught fish. Also on an English Muffin, it was vibrant with wasabi mayonnaise and ginger soy beurre blanc. All of the sandwiches come with a choice of fries or tater tots.

For those who want more breakfast-y food, there’s Avocado Toast with Blue Crab, Brioche French Toast, even bagels and lox.

Dessert was a round key lime pie on a buttery cracker crust topped with fruit sauce and a brûléed dollop of meringue that was silky in several ways. Light and luscious, it was the perfect ending to a picture-perfect Palm Beach brunch.

Why doesn’t everyone give the brûlée treatment to key lime pie? Photo by Leslie Long.

LoLa 41 Palm Beach
290 Sunset Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
561-599-5652
Learn more on their website.

-Story by Leslie Long