Lulu Petite
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
200 reviews
Neighborhood: Financial District
"With the hundreds of restaurants in downtown, I choose to go to sellers markets because I know the food has been good every time I have…" read more »
106 Reviews for Lulu Petite
I love Lulu's...but I just don't care for this place at all. I will still stop by on occasion and grab a small package of homemade potato chips, that have gone from $1.25 to about $2.50 now I think. The sandwiches are pretty bland and minimal filling. I have tried the cassoulet and it was also boring, not at all rich like it should be. Yeah...just meh.
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My warm salmon sandwich "splurgewich" (thanks Laurence W.) was absolutely delicious. I am not going to bitch about lack of seating at the Ferry Building, nor the price. I don't expect to find seating at the crowded Ferry Building or a low price for good food. But I have to testify that the warm salmon sandwich was very, very good.
Had two stellar sandwiches here for lunch (yes I shared - don't judge). You don't go to Lulu's if you plan on sitting and eating, grabbing one of six (I think) seats at the tiny bar is unlikely. The pork sandwich had a subtle, yet incredible flavor of blood orange (it said so on the menu, but I did not expect it to actually be there). The taste is very inviting and comforting, almost warming. The turkey club was loaded - but I tend to question the sauce. It seemed a bit on the sweet side for me, but was original and memorable. Both sandwiches came out PIPING hot and on thick, fresh bread. The prepared food looked just so-so, but the made to order sandwiches were better than almost any quick lunch spot I have tried.
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Went to Lulu for breakfast this morning after dropping a friend off at the Ferry Building before work. Now the horrible thing about the ferry building is that nothing really opens until 11am. It's not a breakfast place. My choices consisted of Lulu's and Acme bakery.
So I went to lulu's and had a spinach and goat cheese croissant and a cup of coffee. The coffee was drinkable, but nothing special or out of the ordinary. The staff behind the counter were friendly and kind enough to heat up my croissant before giving it to me. The crust was greasy... not buttery and not flaky. It was a decent pastry and a deliciously salty, fattening breakfast, but not what i want out of something that calls itself a "croissant".
As I left the ferry building just after 9am, I saw that Cowgirl creamery next door to Acme was just opening its doors for business. "Damn," I thought to myself, "I should have waited and just gotten a roll and a piece of cheese"
Lulu's was passable and will do in a pinch. I don't know about their lunches, but I am much more inclined to go to acme for sandwiches rather than lulus. They are, however, a bit on the pricey side as my mediocre croissant was $3.50 plus tax. It filled the spot, but there are better places to spend your money in the ferry building and in the FiDi in general.
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FOOD:
Beet salad: small, expensive and not all that. Potato chips: OK, a big greasy.
SERVICE:
Horrible. Me and my bf stood at the counter for a while.
The counter gal ignores us.
I said "HI". She actually *scowls*.
"Can we pay for this?"
The gal looks at us, then turns around and SCREAMS at the little latino boy at the other end of the counter:
"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY?? I'M NOT DOING IT!!!"
Whoa. She was BUSY.
Was she in the middle of cooking? NO.
Was she she taking another order? NO.
Was she on a break? NO, I don't think so.
Was she eating a cheez wiz sandwich that she made at home?
Was she trimming her nails?
What was more important than helping customers? Screaming at fellow workers and ignoring customers is NOT acceptable.
Although I was going to an event which served food after this I couldn't resist trying some tasty bites while browsing through the Ferry Building. We arrived at Lulu Petite and they had just opened and fresh quiches were in the display just calling out our name.
My auntie and cousin were pondering whether to try it so we ended up deciding upon one slice of the spinach quiche to share so we don't ruin our appetites later.
I went up to the counter to order and was shocked at the behavior of the total biatch behind the cash register. She completely dissed me. When I asked her a question, she stared at me and then turned around and walked off to chat to the other girl. I was like WTF!!! If you've been to this place you would know how small it is and there is no mistake that someone is talking to you.
I then went, "excuse me" and she continued to ignore me. At this point I was getting rather irritated. The guy with an apron moved forward and was nice enough to serve me. He heated up the spinach quiche and we sat down to enjoy it.
The quiche itself was very eggy, didn't taste like there was any cheese in there at all although I'm sure there was since isn't cheese a component of quiche besides egg? As we were eating I noticed that biatch serving other customers in the same hostile, curt manner. No smiles, just glares and stares. I really wanted to go bitch slap her already. The line was getting long and she was behaving this way like she was on the rag.
I have no patience for service folks who are like this. If you can't be pleasant then this maybe isn't the line of work you should be in. I've done this sort of work before and your feelings and emotions leave as soon as you start working. That's just the way it is.
The quiche was 3 stars and another off for the woman who should've stayed in bed that morning.
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-Egg salad sandwich with truffled artichokes: $8.50
-Those amazing house-made potato chips: $1.50
-Coke in a bottle: $1.50
-Knowing that some dumb schmoe is eating at McDonald's while my friends and I are sitting on the waterfront in the sunshine eating gourmet sandwiches: ok, well, not quite priceless, but still pretty dear.
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I needed a break from my usual Ferry Building Choice of Out the Door (which I'm obsessed with), and thought it'd be nice to have a small sandwich to satisfy my lunch-time cravings. Lulu has a very cute exterior and a nice little seating area, very rare for its small Ferry Building location. I ordered the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. It was totally delicious, and the herbs de provence (I think I spelled that wrong) spread that they rubbed on the chicken was amazing. I'm definitely coming back. I was pleasantly surprised. They also have an entire wall of rubs, spreads, sauces, and vinegrettes for you to take home if you are so inclined. Yum!
There's very little seating and often a long line, but if the wait doesn't look too bad, I like to stop for a slice of quiche, a crispy chicken sandwich (which comes with delicious lavender honey and mustard as spreads), or one of their pastries. Their brownies are truly yummy.
Lulu loses stars, however, for having very few veggie friendly options and for their lack of a real kitchen. Everything is pre-cooked at the main restaurant and then trucked over in the morning to be heated up when ordered. Still, pretty good.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in the city today, and I decided to make like a tourist and head to the water to meet some friends. When we got to the Ferry Building, I beelined straight for Lulu Petite. A sister restaurant of Lulu and Azie (and Zibibbo in Palo Alto), Lulu Petite serves up breakfast food, salads, and sandwiches from a small counter in the Ferry Building.
I picked up the Duck Rillettes sandwich for $9, and it was great. The duck was tender, and the sauce (though a little too sweet) complemented it well. Seating inside is limited (about 8 seats at the counter and one table with 4 chairs), but there are obviously plenty of nice places to sit and eat by the water.
I am surprised by the reviews that mention bad service or food, since I have been here a couple of times now and I have never been disappointed. Maybe next time I'll try the brownies?
Their quiche is the best quiche in the world (that I have tasted and I can't imagine any room for improvement). Brownie sounds tasty but is quite dry. Their yogurt parfait is pretty fantastic too.
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OMG...is that stringy thing what I think it is...it's staring me right in the face inside my insanely soggy garlicky egg salad sandwich...
.
.
.
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yup...it is....someone's skanky kinked sliver of hair mashed into my egg salad! YEWWWWWWW! Even the kids were looking at it and making vomiting noises. I know it ain't mine cause it was short (it looked like pubes!!!)
Docking stars as vomit rises in my mouth....spew!!!!! I could forgive the nasty chunks of garlic making the top of my bread become like watery mash...but that was the stickler...no place should serve nasty pube-like hair in food...that's just wrong.
The extra star is for the homemade potato chips. At least you know anything fried in high temperature whether there's hair or not...will be germ free *smiles...barf*
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LuLu Petite is the only reason why I go to the Ferry Building. The cashier is very down to earth which is a nice change from the typical uppity-yuppity crowd at the Ferry Building on the weekends. And I always order the same thing, the honey ham and cheese sandwich. It is fabulous! Very filling and worth the $10, I think.
Love it, love it, love it. I stopped in here for lunch while cruising the Saturday farmer's market. Despite the fact that the farmer's market makes the whole area absolutely nuts, the staff was amazing. She gave me great recommendations on what to eat, let me sample a few things, and was not in a rush to move on to the next customer in the 10 person line behind me. All of my indecisiveness well worth it - the chicken salad sandwich and the brownie were both delicious. I can almost guarantee I will pop in here anytime I am in the area.
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I hate sanwiches. They are quite possibly the most pedestrian form of food. I don't know why, but I thought Lulu Petite would change my point of view and transform me into a proselytizing, cult-crazy lover of all things sandwich. Meh. Not so much.
The line to this place on this Saturday morning is out of control. "Really? A 15 minute wait just to place my sandwich order?", I thought. I saw this on a PBS show, so I decided to give it a try...strictly for snobbery purposes.
My order was an expertly made hot ham and fontina sandwich with honey (foodies of the world: honey + pork products = hot sex) on ciabatta bread. Yes, my sammich was excellent, but hardly worth the wait.
Side note to the bitch cashier: Why do you find it hard to believe this fat Mexican needs help pronouncing "ciabatta"? Fuck you. I was eating ciabatta when you were still eating Wonder Bread.
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Lulu Petite is your spot for a splurgewich. A splurgewich, of course, is a sandwich that costs twice as much -- and tastes twice as good -- as most sandwiches. I've tried the crispy chicken and duck rilette sandwiches, both of which were expensive but tasty. It's all made fresh to order there (which takes a bit of time during the lunch rush), but the result is worthwhile and a nice change of pace compared to some of the other Ferry Building options.
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egg salad with artichoke tapenade on brioche!
delicious, slightly messy, and a little more than you asked for!
just like me!
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Fast service, decent price, yummy sandwich, great outdoor seating... hey what else can i ask for? i always go back for their egg custard sandwich...
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Sandwiches one v. small tick above average
I finally got to try the sandwiches here for myself and am not sure whether I'm happy they are just average, since the Ferry Building mostly exists to part tourists with their money, or sad that they are just average, since I love a good sandwich. On the minus side their sandwiches are overpriced, miniature, pretty tasteless, and do not travel well (not even three blocks). On the plus side, it's a short walk from here to Out The Door or Birley or even Cafe Algiers!
On Sunday, I was in a rush to get a local author and her assistant to the Vallejo ferry after a LaborFest book reading. The two women at the counter were SOOO courteous and helpful. They prepared the food in a jiff and nicely packaged it for taking on the ferry. After they got home, the two women emailed me about their EXCELLENT lunch of beet salad and crispy chicken sandwiches. I just needed a snack and had the Meyer Lemon broiche. TOTAL YUM.
I met a friend here for lunch. It was good but not great. Expensive too, like everything in the Ferry Building. I'd rather eat at Out the Door any day.
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gourmet sandwiches - high quality ingredients with a unique blend of flavors, all for under $10!
# of visits: 14
This place rocks! The carrot soup was so creamy and filling and the duck rillette sandwich with cherry and fig balsamic glaze and arugula on ciabatta bread was awesome! It was delicate, sweet and juicy. The Ferry Building location is ideal and makes lunch more exciting! Afterwards you can walk around and do up-to-date market exploring, there is such a variety of shops and the waterfront makes for a great place to sit with a friend and eat or alone with a good book.
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Awful. My friend and I got their before the lunch crowd and had lunch at the only table there. Awful and cheap tasting (except the potato chips which were yummy). Price wasn't worth the food. Go elsewhere in the Ferry Building for a much better meal.
Turkey Club with roma tomatoes, romaine, bacon (I order without the swine, thank you very much), avocado, meyer lemon and caramelized onion marmalade on brioche.
It sounds good, no?
I thought so too, until I unwrapped my sandwich and took a bite and realized I'd just purchased a $11.10 turkey sandwich on soggy, falling apart, French toast with dirty, bitter iceberg (who do you think you're fooling Lulu? That's white trash lettuce you're throwing on your sandos).
Next time I decide to dine at the ferry building I'll just buy a few wheels of cheese from Cowgirl Creamery and hide under the stairs before going back to my AWESOME temp. job where Raggedy Anne haired bitches treat me like I just came from Brooks Career College or the rodeo.
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For a simple sandwich place, it's definitely above average. The warm salmon sandwich is pretty nice, the BLT is one of the best I've had, the crispy chicken is mediocre. Nice chips, too. But it is very pricey, not surprising considering it's in the Ferry Marketplace.
Been here more than a few times(I hang out @ the Ferry Building) before my visit today and nothing was memorable. The staff is always courteous.
The baked egg and roasted pepper with fontina cheese and grilled vegetable & tomato sauce on levain which I consumed today was basically flavorless.
While I was sitting down and eating my meal some idiot ordered a BLT without the bacon. Why?
Uh-oh, Lucy and Ethel are having a spat...
Ethel: "I refuse to go to the theater with anyone who thinks I'm a hippopotamus?"
Ricky: "Did you call her that?"
Lucy: "No, all I did was intimate that she was a little hippy...but on second glance, she has got the biggest "potamus" I've ever seen."
Doesn't Lulu sound like the name of a hippopotamus in a tutu? (http://www.youtube.com...) I picture her with a little parasol on a little tricycle. So the image of a Lulu Petite makes me think Lulu is trying without success to fit into a pair of petite-size pantyhose. Turns out I'm right. Sort of. Lulu Petite is a glorified mini-lunch counter and gourmet mini-mart at, yet again, the Ferry Building. It was probably what I ordered, but I wasn't terribly impressed.
I beat the lunch rush and had the $8.95 Duck Rillettes sandwich. It sounded good off the menu with a fig and cherry balsamic glaze and layered with arugula in a ciabatta roll. I guess my Denny's-trained mind didn't know that rillettes meant mincing the duck to a pulp. Shame on me. But shame on them, too...it was dry, almost inedible and fully overwhelmed by the ciabatta.
When you order to go, they seem to use a yard of butcher paper. I could have written a novella about rillettes on all that paper. I think it's back to the San Francisco Fish Company for me if I'm in the mood to go a little upscale for lunch.
FOOD - 3 stars...meh sandwich, especially for the price
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...it's the Ferry Building...watch out for bulldozing tourists and clueless Euro-trash
SERVICE - 4 stars...they were courteous
TOTAL - 3 stars...a hippo in a tutu...yep, that's what it sounds like
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My experience with Lulu Petite suffered from too much buildup. It's like the movie all your friends are trying to get you to see: they go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about its brilliance, commenting on the plot, the actors, the special effects, the cinematography. Then you ask them what the hell they know about Cinematography. Like what, they have a subscription to American Cinematographer, the industry quarterly? No? Well then shut your mouth. Geez, talking about the cinematography. What a bunch of pretentious bullshiate.
Anyway, people went out of their way to rave to me about the sandwiches and potato chips at Lulu Petite. And so I finally went and had a sandwich and potato chips. And guess what? They were okay.
I liked the cinematography, though. Very film noir-esque.
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Once in a while I splurge and walk to the ferry building for lunch. Based upon the reputation, I thought a lamb sandwich from Lulu would be a party in my mouth. This $11 sandwich was neither tasty, great quality, or big enough to be considered sufficient as a meal.
Went here yesterday for lunch. We popped over from the yoga conference. My friend and I each ordered different things and split them.
I ordered the Portobella Mushroom sandwich (it's served cold but I asked them to heat it up to which they graciously said yes), it was served on a foccacia with red peppers and olive tapenade and some other stuff. It was excellent. My friend ordered the warm salmon sandwich and it too was excellent. (I'm really not getting the people who compared it to McDonalds 'cause although I haven't eaten a fish sandwich from them in years--I can't imagine McD's has improved that much :) )
Service was great. People behind the counter were friendly and fast.
They don't have seating because it's a take out place. There's one little bar and may two tables but you wouldn't want to eat there anyway because there always seems to be a line. There are plenty of places outside near the water. We ate in the sunshine and enjoyed the day.
Also, yes, it's expensive but so is everything in the Ferry Building (how else are they going to recoup the cost of that $50 million renovation?)
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Lulu's is great if you love sammiches and also salads but not great if you want to do things like eat it comfortably.
The chances of you and your pal scoring a seat is so slim that you might as well pay someone to hang around the "restaurant" for a few hours before you arrive so they can then give you their seat(s).
Aside from that totally fucked up situation Lulu's is just OK. Nothing to write home about. There are plenty of other restaurants within 300 yards that will not only give you a sammich but also a seat. I say go for the seat.
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Service was quick but I was disappointed with the duck sandwich...we ended up fighting over the Acme sandwich instead. Three stars for quick service and the homemade potato chips. I'll be back for those!
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Their sandwiches are a debacle. All of them sound good, but when you actually eat them they are devoid of any flavor. Poo on you Lulu!
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Wow, that duck sandwich with aoili and greens sure sounds good - I think I'll order it. And what a charming, funny barista. This place must be awesome, there's so many people eating at the bar!
No. My baguette sandwich featured pulled duck dripping in some kind of bbq sauce, and the aforementioned greens meant two soggy pieces of arugala. My duck was so dry it may as well have been pork.
And I ended up paying about 12 bucks for a *tragically* disappointing sandwich. I'd rather have a good sammich made with simple ingredients than a fancy-pants one that sucks.
Also, if I'm spending over ten bucks on lunch, I don't really want to order at the counter and sit on some stairs to eat it.
Lulu Petit = not getting my business again.
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I ate here the other day and it knocked my socks off. I got a ham and cheese sandwich and a desert. The food was so incredible I could have kept eating all day.
It's heaven.
Every sandwich I've tried here, while incredibly delicious, is extraordinarily messy. The tomato and blood orange braised pork sandwich I ate today is no exception. I'm excited to continue tasting its delights for the remainder of the day whenever I lick my shirt.
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Turkey club is fantastic and I highly suggest you eat it there. If you tote it back to work you'll run the risk of noshing on a soggy sandwich.
The duck sandwich is pretty good, so are the chips. I would come back for a special occasion.
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[overdue] but check my next review if you're bored at work... =)
Eh. Idk ... I really DONT know... not to the point of having my hair blown away with the wind...
Friendly staff (+1)
LIMITED seatings (-1) even though they have the outdoors, it was drizzling few days ago...
Prices not worth it (-1).
We both split this salmon sandwich which literally tasted like the Filet of Fish from McD $9... I wouldn't say it was delish, but it was better than my ham and cheese. Ham & Fontina Cheese for $9? Not in my world, and I swear, I had to get tapatio on the side to get some what of a kick.
It's an OK place to grab lunch... not something you'd come on a weekend and enjoy a sandwich, more or less, a quick bite to go during work hours...
Def warm and nice, and toasty for one's perfection...
I expected it to be a lot better because I skimmed through at least 5 reviews...
eh...
mediocre...
I give one star for my company. LoL and I give another star because the salmon was edible... if I never tried the Filet of Fish, then I'd say, this shit was good...
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