Lulla’s (169 Graham Ave.), from the team behind family-owned Venezuelan favorite Casa Ora (148 Meserole St.), is opening today, January 28 in Williamsburg.
Greenpointers first announced Lulla’s in September 2024 when it was supposed to open the following month. At that point, co-owner Ivo Diaz told Greenpointers that Lulla’s would be a bakery and coffee shop by day and a cocktail bar and restaurant by night, however, Lulla’s is opening as a daytime bakery and cafe to start.
Lulla’s current opening hours on its website are listed as everyday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the team told Greenpointers that this week, Lulla’s will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and those hours may change next week.
Lulla’s cheery, greenery-clad space is currently offering two daytime menus. The first is a bakery menu with baked goods and coffee drinks.
One highlight of the bakery menu is the cachitos, which are similar to croissants. They are a Venezuelan specialty and can be ordered plain, with ham, or with ham and cheese. There’s also pan de queso, pain au chocolat, and croissants with guava, ham and cheese, or almonds, plus cruffins with Nutella, cream, or guava and cream.
The bakery menu also includes coffee drinks like cafe con leche, lattes, cortados, nitro cold brew, and regular drip coffee, plus a variety of teas.
Lulla’s other menu offers a larger selection of food, which is divided by the time the dishes are available. The first section is called “bites,” and they are available at 7 a.m. This section includes mandocas, which are like corn doughnuts, tequeños, pastelitos, and empanadas.
The second section offers sandwiches starting at 9 a.m. Options include arepas, the campesino sandwich with pork belly, the canilla with tomato and cheese, the frances with beef and cheese, Lulla’s club with ham and cheese, and a hot dog that comes topped with brisket, eggs, and cheese.
The third section called “brunch” is offered at noon and includes cachapa, which is similar to a corn pancake, eggs rancheros-style, fried mashed plantains, guacamole toast, French toast, and heirloom tomato with avocado.
Ivo Diaz previously told Greenpointers that cocktails are his “true passion,” noting that he worked alongside fellow Venezuelan native Leo Robitschek, the bar director at Manhattan’s Eleven Madison Park. Diaz said he was creating a curated coffee cocktail menu for Lulla’s that would include 10-15 alcohol-infused java drinks.
Lulla’s told Greenpointers that the newcomer’s hours will be extended in the future to offer cocktails and dinner as planned, possibly as soon as next week.