Though the name Lola’s refers to the Tagalog word for grandmother, the restaurant isn’t a tribute through recipes or traditional dishes. Instead, chef Suzanne Cupps honors her paternal grandmother—a woman who fled the Philippines during World War II with her three young children—through a spirit of resilience, subtle cultural nods, and quiet personal storytelling.
Cupps weaves in elements of her Southern upbringing as well, but the heart of the restaurant is her commitment to seasonal produce, local sourcing, and a precise, vegetable-forward approach.
“Lola’s became a little mishmash of my life, which is just sourcing great things, a little Southern flavor, and a little Asian in technique, flavor, and inspiration,” says Cupps. “But I still wanted it to feel like you’re in New York, in this time.”
The restaurant seats 52 in the main dining room, 10 at the front bar, and eight more at a green terrazzo counter facing the open kitchen. The cozy NoMad space features a natural-wood ceiling fixture, gray-backed booths, neutral tones, and that signature wall of green tile in the rear.
The open kitchen offers a front-row view of Cupps and her team preparing dishes built around what’s fresh and in season—including vegetables, fish, and meat. A few staples anchor the à la carte menu: Crispy Chicken Thighs, marinated in an adobo-style sauce and served with house pickles and fermented hot honey; Fried Fish Lettuce Wraps made with local tilefish, dill tartar sauce, and kohlrabi slaw; and the Paraiso House Salad, a nostalgic mix of gem lettuces, housemade buttermilk ranch, and pretzels from Union Square Pretzel Company. The salad is inspired by one her mother used to make.
“Growing up, my mom would cook dinner seven nights a week, and almost every night we would have iceberg, ranch, and pretzels,” says Cupps. “My mom, because she was Pennsylvania Dutch, pretzels were a big thing—and, you know, it was the ’80s!”
The rest of the menu shifts with the seasons, showcasing dishes like marinated beets and strawberries with goat cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers, pepitas, honey, and a splash of calamansi—a nod to Filipino flavor. The Union Square Bento is a vegetarian tray of Greenmarket finds, often featuring elements like snap peas with ponzu, crushed potatoes, and summer squash with chili crisp.
Cupps and her team visit the Union Square Greenmarket four times a week, and 90 percent of the restaurant’s produce comes from there.
“I like supporting them; they have the freshest produce. We can buy small amounts during the week so there is less waste,” says Cupps. “Majority of how I create is around vegetables and going to the Greenmarket and seeing what’s coming in.”
