Last updated: August 25, 2025

Re-Opening Thoughts

by TM Petaccia

Second chances rarely happen in the restaurant business. Once a place closes, that’s it. Lola Ceviche and Peruvian Tapas in Pineville is one of the rare exceptions. Originally opened in February 2023, the restaurant closed last June with promises to return. Most of the time, that’s just wishful thinking. Happily, owner JC Rodríguez kept his promise. The spot reopened last month in its original location on N. Polk Street, hopefully for a more extended run.

Located in the Perimeter Center South shopping center, the restaurant’s interior is welcoming and stylish, without being over the top. The one statement that comes across from all the staff is “Peruvian Pride.” Everyone is happy, eager, and almost evangelistic to explain their country’s dishes and the ingredients that go in them — further reflected by the fact that almost every dish is served with a small Peruvian flag implanted in it, a little kitchy, perhaps, but also quite delightful.

As we’ve learned with places like Yunta Nikkei in South End, modern Peruvian cuisine has adopted Asian cultures into its overall culinary zeitgeist. The U.S.A. isn’t the only melting pot country, and that is clearly evident with Lola.

Cauliflower tempura served with a smoked acevichada sauce is a snapshot of how the Japanese and Peruvian cultures have merged. The sauce combines several chiles with hondashi (dried Japanese broth) and togarashi, resulting in a uniquely flavorful and easily sharable dish.

The integration of Chinese techniques and ingredients into Peruvian cuisine, known as “chifa,” is also evident in dishes like the “Lomo Saltado Al Wok” — a stir fry of beef, onions and tomatoes, served with both rice and fries, an homage to both cultures’ ancient starches. The dish itself is well-seasoned and tasty, but the choice to “restaurant” it up with filet mignon instead of the more traditional sirloin or skirt steak is a bit questionable. The relative light flavor of the upscale meat takes away the beefy headiness the other cuts provide. Also, for a filet, it was a bit on the tougher side.

Papas a La Huancaina, potatoes in mildly spicy Peruvian yellow pepper cream sauce, garnished with egg and olives, is more traditional Peruvian. Some may find it a bit too mild, although still a nice sharable bite.

As it says in its name, ceviche is a main focus at Lola. The restaurant offers several options, including its “El Mixto,” a combination of mahi-mahi, squid, octopus, and shrimp — accompanied by leche de tigre, sweet potatoes, fresh onions, and what they call “Peruvian corn” — something we know here in North Carolina “hominy.” You can order it mildly spicy or very spicy. You can ask for mild and get the more spicy sauce on the side if you want to experiment or if your tablemates are a little spice-shy. The spicy sauce is quite intense, bit the refreshing coolness of the ceviche makes for a nice counterpoint.

Desserts are mostly focused on the native Peruvian fruit lucuma. It looks like an apple/avocado/mango hybrid with a maple sweet potato flavor. It appears in several variations on the dessert menu, but Lola makes the decision easier with its “Lucuma Experience,” a trio of lucuma ice cream, lucuma cake with dulce de leche, and a lucuma alfajor (sandwich cookie). It’s worth the drive to Pineville for this alone. It is immensely enjoyable, sharable, and a great way to end a meal.

The restauatant offers a nice array of cocktails, including Peru’s national cocktail, the pisco sour. Mocktails are also available, but you may have to do a little advance research. Lola’s website lists a nice collection of mocktails, but they don’t appear on any of the menus. You will need to make a specific request.

Lola is open six days per week (closed Mondays) and offers Tuesday-Friday lunch service as well as Sunday brunch.

Lola’s comeback is an inspiring reaffirmation of Peruvian identity, and the steadfastness of its people. It’s not perfect, but Lola doesn’t need to polish its charm. In an industry that rarely grants second chances, Lola makes its return count.