First Look: Lola Jean’s Pizza Opens in Southampton

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Courtesy Russell Ping

Lola Jean's pizza has a definite crunch to it.

That special pie is the latest effort from owners Russell Ping and Emily Ping, who opened up shop at 5400 Nottingham Avenue on January 11 in the former home of Lola Jean’s Giveback Coffee.

The Pings are also behind Russell’s Macklind, Fenton and bakeshop locations — and they are excited to keep the good vibes going in their latest effort — and already have big dreams for its future.

“We hope that the wholesale will become so big we can find a warehouse,” Emily Ping said, pointing to the half of the room with boxes, cooling racks and storage, “then make this a full-scale pizza restaurant.” 

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, St. Louisans can preorder takeout on the Lola Jean website, which has a selection of Sicilian staples, such as pepperoni and cheese pizzas, or a twist, like the hearty Russell’s supreme. It also offers a weekly rotating special and desserts, such as a box of freshly baked cookies or a creamy mousse. Prices range from $12 for four chocolate chip cookies to $29 for Russell’s supreme featuring San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, Italian sausage, pickled sweet peppers, black olives, peperoncini and Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

The spot is named for the Ping’s very delightful 7-year-old daughter, who was compiling some LEGOs together to create an epic bracelet on Friday evening last week. Her dog Wally’s portrait gave his approval behind her, and Sinatra played through the overhead speakers. 

Courtesy Russell Ping

Order up! Lola Jean is the namesake for the restaurant.

Those entering the shop are greeted by a homey wall filled with family portraits, quotes from Julia Child and curated art. The furniture in the space comes from an antique store on Cherokee Street, reflecting the old-world charm of the pizza. There’s limited seating, with half of the space belonging to the baking business. But the Pings are encourage customers to stay awhile and relax.

This is the second iteration of Lola Jean’s. Originally, the Pings opened their space in 2018, going all in on pizza and ice cream. However, they got sidetracked with other projects, keeping their businesses going during the pandemic and raising Lola Jean. 

Now that things have settled down a bit, and after an inspirational trip to New York City last year, the Pings decided they want to give it another try. Converting the space into a half-storage unit, half-kitchen, they are able to make what they’ve always wanted: really good pizzas. 

For the moment, it will only be the Pings working at Lola Jean’s “so it will be just carry-out for now,” Emily Ping said.

But the team is planning on making it a permanent part of their restaurant family and expanding the operation as makes sense. 

“Once it gets nice, we plan to open the patio, so people can hang out,” Emily Ping said. “We hope to have pop-up events like a movie night, music or a local market.” 

Lola Jean’s is family first and down to earth. With Emily Ping manning the counter, Russell in the back dishing dough, and Lola Jean stopping by after school occasionally, it’s a welcoming, genuine environment.

Lola Jean’s is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Pizzas are available for preorder and pickup only.