LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle in Monterey

LouLou’s is a fun little cafe, right on Municipal Wharf 2 in Monterey. It’s a fantastic place for a home-cooked meal for the whole family, assuming you can find a spot at the counter. Come hungry as the pancakes are bigger than the plate, and you will leave full. I got a chance to check it out a few weeks ago, here is all the information.

Details

• Cost: $8-$12
• Location: Municipal Wharf 2, Monterey, CA 93940
• Come as early as you can on the weekends as it is popular
• Information from my visit in 2016 and 2019

The restaurant has eight seats at the bar and four small tables. During the summer, they have outdoor seating as well, but when it is colder, the seating shrinks. This adds to the atmosphere and fun of this restaurant though, as everyone seems to be joking with each other and just enjoying their time.

The wait was about 25 minutes when I got there at 8:30 AM on a Sunday, but you can sit in your car and wait or just enjoy walking the pier. Parking is available on the pier itself for $1.50 an hour if you can find a spot.

The menu has a lot of fun items on it, such as “calamari and eggs,” but I went with the pancake and seasonal fruit. The fruit when I went was strawberries, and the waiter told me to add chocolate chips as well, which I happily did.

The first thing they brought out was syrup in a to-go coffee cup as you would need that to take the pancake down. The pancake arrived overflowing the plate, and it was full of strawberries and chocolate chips. You can see the photo below with my hand for comparison.

 It was a good fluffy pancake with lots of toppings and more food than one person could eat. I didn’t even get halfway, as it was so much food and I wished I had a second person to eat it with. It was a fun experience though, and I was even encouraged on by the friendly couple that sat next to me, before throwing in the towel and admitting defeat.

I enjoyed my time at LouLou’s, the staff was friendly, the food was good, and the location was hard to beat. Be sure to get there early if you go on a weekend, and let me know in the comments if you can eat the entire pancake!