Lola's Handcrafted Churros Makes Sweet Memories In Lisle

LISLE, IL — For years, Mayra Serna struggled to find a churro that reminded her of the ones her mother used to make in Mexico. Now, she's serving up her own homemade churros, taking inspiration from the churros she grew up on, and adding her own little twist at Lola's Handcrafted Churros in Lisle.

Serna founded the churro shop with her sisters, Naomi and Lulu, with that mission in mind.

“Finding the right texture is awesome for a good churro," Serna told Patch. “All the churros I had had here are too thick. They’re too much."

Serna, her mother and her siblings moved to the United States when she was 14 to join Serna's father. Before she left for the U.S., Serna says she has a distinct memory of a man selling fresh churros in a plaza near her home's downtown.

“I have really good memories of how happy that little moment made me. It’s something I cannot get back, but it still lives in my memory," she said.

Serna asked her mother how the churros were made and her mother suggested they try making some at home, so Serna and her siblings sat at the kitchen table, playing with dough as their mother meticulously blended ingredients and fried the churros to perfection.

Serna said her mom has been her biggest fan since she started on her journey to open Lola's Handcrafted Churros, even from the early days, when Serna was just using an inexpensive churro maker she bought online.

Eventually, she experimented with topping the churros with sprinkles, guava jelly and other items.“It’s like dressing up the churro," Serna told Patch.

This simple bit of flair gave Serna the last bit of inspiration she needed to open Lola's Handcrafted Churros, which is known for its deliciously over-the-top churros. The shop's churros rely on the traditional churro texture and flavor as a base, but are twisted into an oval-shaped "loop" and topped with colorful sprinkles, coated in chocolate or accented with Fruity Pebbles.

The shop couldn't have opened at a better time for Serna, who explains, “I was a stay-at-home mom. I was craving more of life.”

The name of the shop came easily, too, with "Lola" serving as a variation of Serna's mother's name, Lula.

To get the churros as close as she can to the ones she grew up with, Serna starts by using flour she sources from Utah. She told Patch the flour must have a high percentage of protein for the churro texture to turn out just right.

From there, she "dresses up" the churros to make them sweeter to both the eye and the tastebuds.

The menu at Lola's Handcrafted Churros features large churro loops that come perched atop a cup of soft serve ice cream and accompanied by pink chocolate, Oreo crumbles and other goodies.

Some standout menu items include the Cookie Butter Crunch, which is served with Biscoff cookies and the Matcha and Fruity Pebbles, a nod to Serna's favorite drink, matcha, during her earlier days as a Starbucks barista.

Customers who can't make up their minds can indulge in a Lola's Mini Loop Box, which comes with six miniature churros that come in all traditional cinnamon and sugar or include five flavor variations, along with one cinnamon and sugar churro.

Serna's time as a barista helped influence the beverage menu at Lola's Churros, where diners can sip a traditional latte, cortadito, or americano, or opt for a more inventive drink like a marzipan latte. Another fun option is the Lola's latte, which features pink horchata milk.

Since opening the churro shop in mid-April, Serna says it's been "humbling" to feel the outpouring of love and support from residents in Lisle.

“I cannot explain how amazing that feels when someone comes up to you and says, ‘I had the best churro of my life.'" she told Patch.

Serna says she enjoys seeing customers return with their friends, partners and children, eager to introduce them to her churros.

“The fact that you bring someone you love to my shop means a lot," she explained. “There’s no money you can pay me that makes me feel good like that."

Serna said she enjoys seeing that connection between family members because her ties with her family, especially her mother, are at the heart of what Lola's Churros represents.

“I love my mom. I love my family. My family is the most important thing in the world and that’s why it means so much," Serna told Patch.

“Moms are always there and we take them for granted a lot. Now that I've grown and I have a kid of my own, I want to make a statement of women empowerment with Lola's," she said.

“If my mom taught me anything it’s that you always have to go with your heart. If you do things from the heart there’s no way you can do wrong.”