Jimmy Hula's

We heard that there was a new restaurant that had just opened in Lake Mary, a chain, and so we decided to give Jimmy Hula's a try shortly before Christmas. I am always a bit wary of visiting a new place until they've had some "burn in" time, time to get things in order and smoothed out. This visit proved me right. The actual food itself was quite good, only the timing suffered a bit. Let me explain.

We walked in and were a bit confused about what to do, but the person at the counter was helpful and we soon had a menu in hand.  You order at the counter, then you get a number and they bring the food out to you. We placed our order and took a seat. It's a nice place and newly remodelled. Originally the site of our then-favorite Italian Restaurant, that had changed hands and went downhill. So Jimmy Hula's took over the space and gave it an extensive remodel. It feels a bit "Jimmy Buffet" and  bit "Key West." With garage doors that open it to the outside, i can imagine it'll be a great place to hang out when the weather improves a bit. Anyway, we placed our order and found a place to sit.

It was not a long wait before my burger came out. I ordered the Hulu's Burger, swiss cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and ceasar salad. It was quite good, actually. Yes, a bit on the messy side, but a decent burger. They did not ask me how i wanted it cooked and it came out medium well. I'd prefer closer to medium or medium rare, but it was decent. Well, now I had my burger, but my friend Tommy did not yet have his food. In a few minutes (maybe one or two) when someone came to check on us, we asked about it, they said they'd check. In another minute or two, someone else asked how it was and we again asked about Tommy's meal--they said they'd check. Now someone did come back and tell us they had a problem in the kitchen, then came back again and said they were remaking the order, and apologized for the wait.

Eventually the food did arrive, along with their apologies. Though we were just happy to have the food, the waitress was insistent that they'd refund the cost of it. I was glad they offered but was willing to pay for what we got, but she was insistent, so they did take it off the bill plus made the tacos.

Now, a word about the food: Tommy had two fish tacos, each different, and each good. They were pretty decent fish tacos. The fish was fresh, the salsa (especially the mango salsa) very good, and all the ingredients fresh. They were good and I'd order them again, for sure. They were accompanied by some chips which seemed a bit out of place, but so it goes.

Later on, as we were nearing the end of our meal, a manager came out and brought us a complimentary dessert and again apologize for the mix up and delay with our order. I was quite pleased with the customer service. Yes, it's a new place and you can expect some issues while they work out the kinks. I thought the food was good and decent and that they really outdid themselves in trying to make their mistake right. I will return, I'm sure. It looks like a fun place and a nice addition to the Lake Mary food scene.