Restaurant Review: Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio

One of the first things you'll notice when you walk in the door of Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio is that the place is totally packed. It can be a Tuesday night at 4:30 or a Saturday afternoon-no matter what time or day it is, the place is always filled to the brim, mostly with people who've been going to Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio since the McCarthy era. The second thing you'll notice about Lima's Casa Lu Al are the two friendly Italian guys who are greeters, bartenders, hosts, and a number of other things all at once. These are the owners and they are always there and will always treat you like family, putting the chain Olive Garden to shame with its undeserved slogan "when you're here, you're family." All rumors of mafia ties aside, the restaurant is very warm and welcoming and if you can get over the thousand of local ads plastered to nearly everything in sight (the tables, placemats, entire surface area of the long, large wooden bar, etc.) then you'll be just fine. The third thing you'll notice is the noise level. It is almost always very loud in the Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio and with this in mind, despite the great food, it is not the ideal location for a date night unless you have nothing to talk about anyway.

The Casa Lu Al restaurant in Lima, Ohio has some of the best Italian food in the area and draws crowds from all over Allen County. One of the best aspects of their menu is the wide selection of appetizers, my personal favorite being the fried ravioli. While it might sound a little strange, it is an excellent starter to any meal. For entrées the Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio offers the standard range of Italian dishes, including excellent spaghetti with meatballs to die for and great lasagna and other pasta dishes. Many people I know go there for the steak and seafood offerings and they are some of the best available in Lima, Ohio, even better than at Burgundy's. While it's not quite as fancy as Burgundy's in terms of food presentation, it is quite a bit better in quality and you can always expect the same taste each time you go since most of the recipes have been the same since the restaurant first opened in 1960. Aside from the great entrees and appetizers, the drink menu is rather extensive and kids always enjoy their famous "Shirley Temple" complete with the requisite plastic neon sword and stabbed cherry in the center. Speaking of kids, there is a kid's menu there although in my opinion, although it's a family restaurant, it's better for groups of adults or older children. It's too cramped to try to cram in a high chair and often too busy to expect a great deal of special attention or quieter atmosphere for a younger child.

In Lima, people have either never heard of the place or they've been going there since they were young. This is partially because of the Casa Lu Al's somewhat out-of-the-way location on N. West Street in Lima, Ohio. You drive through town, past Northland, and for a moment, you almost start to think you must have passed it. The building itself is not anything remarkable on the outside. In fact, it almost looks like a garage from the one side but does have an old-timey sign that looks like it hasn't changed since the restaurant was started.

The only thing that bothers me about the Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio are all the ads. They are everywhere; on the tables (yes, the actual tables you sit at) on the placemats, the entire length of the bar, the walls, the bathrooms, everywhere! After living in bigger cities for a long time, this is something that does not escape my notice and does not fail to bug the heck out of me. Most people ignore it or don't think it's weird or a problem. The fact is, the Casa Lu Al makes money hand over fist, is home to a successful catering company, and is owned by one of the most powerful families in Lima, Ohio. Why all the ads? Is it necessary to compromise the beauty of a restaurant for a few extra bucks in ill-placed, intrusive, and unsightly ads? I guess so. Nonetheless, I guess this is just one other aspect that makes the Casa Lu Al in Lima, Ohio unique.

The Casa Lu Al is located 2323 N. West Street in Lima, Ohio, near Brower Road, about a mile from Northland. No you didn't pass it unless you get to the old prison. I swear. In true old-school Lima restaurant fashion, they don't have a website.