Lou Lou’s Is What To Do

A desire to take my better half out for dinner and a show led us to one of San Diego's historic properties, The Lafayette Hotel, the only U.S. hotel constructed during World War II, built in 1946, and housing Lou Lou’s Jungle Room. The latest iteration of the nightclub on the Lafayette Hotel property launched in 2024 and has been a hit with San Diego audiences.

We were pleased with the relaxed, upscale experience and enjoyed the show by Gilbert Castellanos & The New Latin Jazz Sextet. The food tasted excellent to my unsophisticated palate and to my partner’s experienced palate, which is good, since I used to see fine dining as a different way to eat asparagus. I don’t like asparagus or other things that are good for you, but that night I did.

The menu changes with the season and is locally sourced. That night, we enjoyed an appetizer, a parsnip velouté shooter. The secret to my enjoying parsnips is that roasting veggies brings out the natural sugars. There were several options: For the vegetarians, there was Charred Romanesco steak. We had the Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Supreme and the Herbed Pork Tenderloin. Both were magnifique!

I was excited to see Gilbert Castellanos & The New Latin Jazz Sextet. Their playing was mesmerizing. The Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms filled the air and fueled the packed dance floor, which pulsed with abandon. Gilbert had admonished the crowd at the beginning of the set, noting a lack of dancers and wondering aloud why he was up there! After that, it stayed packed. There was no choice but to move under the enchanting spell cast by the maestros playing.

Gilbert has been playing on stage since he was 15, and you can tell by the way he speaks through his trumpet. His timing and the way he articulates those notes are the result of years of practice and musical training.

Gilbert has been an advocate for providing formal musical training to those with a gift that would otherwise go unrealized due to a lack of financial resources. To address this, he founded the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory. Giving back to our youth helps ensure continuity with future generations and is much needed. Gilbert is a great ambassador for music.

Dinner is not always offered, and the bar and lounge area get packed on weekends. Dinner shows start at 7 pm, after dinner service ends. The main seating area then opens to club goers for the rest of the evening. Learn more about shows here.