Lola Brings Big-Flavored Comfort Food to Covington’s Old Rail Lines

A decorated rail car is not the usual backdrop for a burger and a cocktail, which is precisely why Lola has such a memorable presence in Covington. The restaurant occupies a refurbished old railroad station, keeping the bones and old-time character of the site while adding clean, contemporary restaurant details.

You can settle into the main dining room, take a booth, sit near the bar, head outdoors to the patio or terrace, or dine in the rail car itself. The car is furnished and decorated as a dining space rather than preserved as a bare artifact, giving a meal there a little more occasion than an ordinary lunch stop.

Lola’s food has a similarly wide-ranging spirit. The menu moves easily between burgers, sandwiches, seafood, lasagna, poutine and sweets, with specials regularly adding another reason to look over the board or ask what is available that day.

The railroad setting is not just a theme pasted onto a newer building. One dining area occupies part of the old downtown Covington station, and air-conditioned seating makes the historic surroundings practical in warmer weather.

The overall mix has an old-school New Orleans flavor, but it is not a costume-drama version of the past. Contemporary furnishings, a bar, and lo-fi hip-hop in at least one dining area keep the mood casual and current.

That variety in seating helps Lola work for different kinds of visits. A quick daytime meal can be as simple as choosing a table after ordering, while dinner in the rail car or a booth gives a birthday meal or catch-up with friends a more settled-in pace.

For many everyday visits, Lola uses a counter-order approach. Food and drinks are ordered and paid for at the counter or bar, then diners take a number, choose a seat and have their meal brought to the table.

It is a useful arrangement for lunch, when the meal can move along without the formal rhythm of a full-service restaurant. It also leaves plenty of room for lingering once the food arrives, especially if you have claimed a table in the rail car or outside.

The format can shift with dinner service and special events, so it is best understood as part of Lola’s flexible, informal character rather than a rigid rule for every meal.

The smash burger is a notably substantial one, heavily sauced and large enough that a fork and knife may be the tidier way through it. This is not a precious little bar burger meant to disappear in three bites.

A bacon cheeseburger takes a more layered route, with enough unexpected elements in the mix to give it a bigger personality than its familiar name suggests. The menu’s comfort-food foundation is clear, but Lola seems happiest when it can add a little extra flourish.

The Cuban sandwich has also been a filling choice, paired at times with truffle fries. Other sandwich appearances have included an oyster po’boy and fried chicken sandwich, giving the lunch side of the menu a welcome range beyond burgers alone.

Lola does not limit itself to handheld food. Crispy pork piccata is one of the more distinctive entrées, while the lasagna is notable for the browned, crisp cheese around its edges—the sort of detail that can make a familiar casserole-style dish especially satisfying.

Fish tacos, steak, crabmeat wontons and crab rangoons have also appeared among the savory options. It is a menu that gives a mixed table plenty to discuss before ordering, rather than steering everyone toward one signature dish.

Poutine is another comfort-food detour worth noticing, particularly for its gravy. A dish like that fits the restaurant’s general approach: recognizable, rich and casual, but treated as more than an afterthought.

House-made focaccia arrives with butter, and it has become one of Lola’s especially reliable pleasures. Warm bread can easily be a filler before the main meal; here, it has enough character to deserve attention on its own.

Dessert keeps the same generous attitude. Ooey-gooey butter cake, icebox pie, and oversized cookies studded with chocolate and vanilla chips have all been in the mix.

The house pop-tart-style pastry is a particularly playful finish. Its crisp exterior gives way to a softer, melting interior, offering a far more elaborate send-off than the packaged pastry that inspired the name.

The counter area offers wine, beer and cocktails, making it easy to add a drink to the counter-order routine. Blood-orange sangria has appeared as a special, alongside a blood-orange martini, cosmopolitan and strawberry lemonade.

The rear portion of the rail car has also been used for private dinners, with preselected options for a group gathering. Along with private dining space elsewhere in the restaurant, it gives Lola a useful second life beyond casual walk-in meals.

Special programming has included a drag brunch, another sign that the dining room can take on a different energy depending on the calendar. Menus and service arrangements may vary for those occasions, particularly at brunch or private events.

Street parking is free, though finding an open space can take a little looking. The restaurant’s downtown setting is worth keeping in mind if you are arriving close to a planned dinner time.

Reservations can be useful for dinner planning, especially when the rail-car setting or a group meal is part of the appeal. Seating includes indoor tables, booths, bar-area seats, outdoor space, private areas and the distinctive rail car, but individual areas may not be available at every service.

For a simple lunch, the counter, number and delivered plate keep things straightforward. For a longer evening, Lola offers enough food, drinks, rooms and railroad-era surroundings to let the table stay put awhile.