The crab cakes are back at LuLu’s Maryland-Style Chicken and Seafood

Why it matters: LuLu’s, which opened in 2019, made a splash during the pandemic. The restaurant and its jumbo crab cakes regularly drew lines that stretched around the building, Axios’ Michael Graff noted. 

• Owner Jay Davis sees this reopening as a “second chance.”

“In a time where many restaurants have closed their doors for good, I am thankful that I was able to keep our original location,” he said in a press release. 

Context: The popular Black-owned restaurant, known for its baseball-sized crab cakes, closed last August so its owners could focus on opening a new location on Central Avenue. That location closed after less than a year in business.

• Davis reopened the original location on Tuckaseegee this past January.

Yes, but: It’s been a tumultuous year for Davis, who recently separated from his wife and former business partner. The restaurant also experienced multiple break-ins and burglaries while it was closed; Davis is still searching for someone who can fix the door, which has been boarded up since its last break-in late last year.

Davis tells Axios that his priority right now is getting LuLu’s back to its original glory, rather than just focusing on cosmetic touch-ups. “It’s just not my main focus,” he said.

What to expect: Many of the original menu items are back, including their beloved crab cakes, chicken and waffles and “the hookup” (with shrimp, crab and chicken), to name a few. 

• Plus, Davis says he’s planning on adding new menu items like baked honey pepper wings. He’ll also bring back old favorites like the crab cake egg rolls.

Details: LuLu’s is located at 2400 Tuckaseegee Road.

• It’s open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11 am-10pm, Fridays 11am-11pm, Saturdays 11am-midnight and Sundays noon-8pm.

My thought bubble: What LuLu’s lacks in frills it makes up in service and quality food. I had to go back a second time to get my hands on a crab cake and the server greeted me by name as I walked through the door. They talk to you like you’re family and you feel the warmth as soon as you walk in.

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