A colleague and I were in the area, finishing a meeting and were looking for somewhere to have dinner on our last night in town. We are big fans of Mediterranean food and found this place when we searched. When we walked in, we were greeted by a host and got sat pretty quickly. Our server was welcoming and while they were able to meet our request, had to go to the kitchen or a manager multiple times to make a case. The food was tasty-- I ordered the salmon steak and they were willing to give me all greens for my sides. The gambas had too much oil for my liking as well as the calamari. read more

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I came here for a weekend dinner with some friends and we were seated right away at a table for four, which was great. The interior had a dim, cozy atmosphere with an upscale vibe at night. The staff and server were very friendly, super attentive, patient with all our questions, and even brought us extra bread, which was very nice of them! Where the experience fell short for me was the food. The soup from the special menu was the highlight of the night. It was super hearty, flavorful, and delicious. Unfortunately, the seafood pasta from the special menu was disappointing. The noodles were pretty undercooked and lacked flavor. While the staff did their best to fix it by replacing the noodles, the dish overall still felt very underwhelming, especially considering the price point. Overall, great service and atmosphere, but the food did not quite live up to expectations. read more

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Randomly came here for lunch. Had 2 cosmos for $10 so let's start there ‍ next I had a chargrilled chicken sandwich and some soup. The hostess and 2 servers are working hard! The food was nice and I like the theme of the cafe. read more

Café Lily - Chargrilled Moroccan Jerk Chicken with fontal cheese & shrimp bisque - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

I came here for brunch. Our server, Axel was amazing...very professional and always anticipated our needs. I had the Lily breakfast. It's unfortunate that they only cook the eggs 2 ways (scrambled or poached) but that crispy thiiiiiick cut bacon definitely made up for that. I had a bite of my friend's French toast and it's probably the best French toast I've ever had. The Bloody Mary was really good too! Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and I can't wait to come back! read more

Café Lily - Lily breakfast - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

I've lived nearby and passed Cafe Lily for YEARS and only visited recently. This definitely should not have been my first visit. I decided to dine here before heading to an event because I figured I could order fairly quickly. I ordered the Calamari a la Plancha and the Orange-Blossom salad and I was VERY pleased with my choices. I love how the calamari is served, sizzling hot with a squeeze of lemon at the table. I can still taste it. The orange-blossom salad was a perfect pairing the the calamari. It had all of the elements of a delicious salad; sweet, savory, crunchy. I also had a cardamom old fashioned, so good. Perhaps it was the time I came, but really appreciate that it wasn't super busy. Cafe Lily is certainly a good alternative to other restaurants in downtown Decatur if you're looking for quality service. read more

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Cafe Lily has been a mainstay in Decatur for many years. In the past 10 years, I've eaten there at least two dozen times and the food and service have been reliably good and of high quality. CL has been a dependable neighborhood choice out of the dozens of restaurants in Decatur. Before yesterday, my last visit there was 6 months ago. Yesterday, though, was surprisingly disappointing. Three of us met there to celebrate a birthday. To make a long story short: the problems were with the service, the food and the management. My friend ordered the special--Chicken Marsala- and was served another dish altogether! The dish that she ordered was not what she got. When she questioned whether or not she'd been served the right dish, TWO(!) waiters said that yes, it was indeed "Chicken Marsala" and that the (non-existent) mushrooms were "tiny" and "chopped up." After another couple of bites, my friend realized that she'd been served fish--not chicken! We alerted the server who took the plate away to the kitchen. She returned --with the plate admitting that she had put in the wrong menu "number," but that the kitchen and manager said that nothing could be done because my friend had eaten some of it. We asked if my friend could have what she originally tried to order (Chicken Marsala). The answer was "yes," but we were told that the MANAGER said that she would still have to pay for the mistake since she'd eaten some of it. The server acknowledged that she didn't know what the dish was supposed to look like. Apparently servers can only identify the "nightly specials" dishes by number and not by sight. In other words, the staff didn't (doesn't?) know WHAT they were bringing to the table! What happened to quality control and oversight? We asked if Cafe Lily would compensate my friend in some way for their mistake (comp that meal; offer to comp drinks, etc). We were also disappointed (and surprised) that the manager didn't come over to discuss what happened or to apologize for the mix-up. This is not a way to say "we care." To add insult to injury, when the bill came, we were charged not for what she actually had ordered, but for the dish that they had mistakenly served (and sent back to the kitchen)--which was more expensive! Additionally, the other meals (salmon and the moroccan chicken dish) were not particularly tasty (the salmon was not that fresh). Overall, it was an expensive (appx $200 for 3) and disappointing experience. Sadly, Cafe Lily seems to be slipping in quality and service. I am crossing this once reliable mainstay off our list. read more

It's unfortunate that people including myself only leave reviews if it's fantastic or horrible but I guess it's to share news either way. Honestly, it was just not good and I would strongly recommend if you're choosing between this restaurant and another, go elsewhere. The only redeeming aspect of tonight was the staff. The waitress, waiter and hostess were all extremely kind and pleasant company. The food was just point blank bad. Never have I felt insulted by an appetizer before, but that photo of the calamari was before we ate any of it. It was an $18 appetizer for roughly 14 pieces of squid. The main entrees were much larger portions (which again is not a requirement for us, just should be somewhat correlative with the price range which these seemed much larger than we were expecting after that app). The main entrees were good, nothing amazing. I had the carbonara. And let's just say, I would never recommend it. Honestly I'd avoid it if you are craving a good carbonara because it is far from that. All around It tasted like the quality of food a banquet staff at a hotel would make where they're prepping lots of food but none good quality. The shrimp looked fantastic. The Interior was also rough but some places can have the best food for a hole in the wall. This place was just not that. the only truly bad thing was that appetizer. (Taste was fine/even good, but $18 for that is outright stealing). read more

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We were back in Atlanta visiting family and went out for dinner at Cafe Lily. We both ordered the Seafood Pasta a La Crème. It was a delightful dish, with scallops that melted in your mouth, succulent tasty, little shrimp, and fettuccine that was cooked perfectly. Cherry tomatoes and slices of asparagus were also served in a light lemon-cream sauce, that was delicious. I want to stress the 'light' in 'light lemon cream sauce' - I had expected a creamier sauce, that would have adhered to the fettuccine. But it was a watery sauce that sat in the bottom of our plates. While I can appreciate a lighter pasta sauce, I believe, while very tasty, this sauce was too watery, and thickening it would greatly enhance the dish. read more

Café Lily - Seafood Pasta a La Crème - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

We went with friends who live nearby and frequent Cafe Lily often. Parking was great, we did eat early. Ambiance and greeting by wait staff was excellent. Harrison our server was great! We had a great cocktail. Their cardomom old fashion was awesome. The apps were delicious we had the octopus and lamb on pita, amazing and so tasty! One of their entree specials the chicken with harissa spices served over polenta did not deliver. It was bland and not much flavor. Definitely no heat in terms of spices. However, the other entrées of my table mates were delicious and beautiful. They just need to work on that one entrée. We will be back! read more

My husband and I came here for date night on a Friday evening around 7:15 pm. I made reservations in advance and we' were seated in the Peacock room which was a quiet, peaceful space. The bar was in the same area, but it did not impact the mood. Our server, Axl, was full of enthusiasm and offered many suggestions as we told her it was our first time there. We started with the calamari which was served on a hot plate and which was outstanding! The basket of bread was hearty and was served with olive oil as a free starter. I tried the half order of butternut squash ravioli which was tasty, and husband ordered the lamb house special which he liked. For dessert, we shared the seasonal pumpkin bread pudding served with vanilla gelato. It was a delightful culinary experience and I am excited to bring the whole family next time we come! read more

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Decided to give this place a chance again, since I was turned away the first time due to the wrong hours being posted.... And let me tell you, I'm so glad I did! The host sat me at the bar due to table reservations and I was a walk-in. The bartender Andrew was very attentive and made sure I was well taken care of (tip him good!). For food, I tried the shrimp tapas, crabcake tapas as my appetizers and sea scallop risotto as my entrée. Ask for the tiramisu martini and you won't be disappointed. You can't go wrong with the lemon sponge cake as a dessert option...Yummy! Can't wait to return to this Decatur staple read more

Café Lily - Starter bread - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

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Service was great, salads and cauliflower soup were yummy, but the flavor profile for the pasta I ordered wasn't my favorite.

Interesting restaurant! Decent amount of vegetarian options. The service was phenomenal, our server Axl was so polite and attentive. The salad was a bit small, I thought it would be a bit bigger. The hummus was pretty good! My husband had the swordfish special and he wasn't terribly excited about it. The restaurant decor was very unique, there is a peacock room and comics on the wall. Worth a visit! read more

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I don't write bad reviews often but, this may have been the worst restaurant I've dined at, food wise only. What a huge disappointment......We came here for Mother's Day brunch with high expectations from online research on top restaurants for brunch. We ordered a bellini with peach and raspberry. Both for me where not great compared to others I've had in the past. I ordered the special which was lobster ravioli and then a side of home fries. Weird combo but all the other side would have been. My husband ordered the steak and eggs. Our dishes come out and I immediately notice the ravioli sauce is bright Yellow. I was hoping it was cheesy but definitely not. At first, I thought it was some sort of curry spice but after thinking more, realized perhaps saffron. Very earthy. It didn't taste great at all and neither did the lobster inside the ravioli. Zero taste of european flavor that I was hoping for. I ate it for the sake of not making my husband feel bad for the choice of restaurant. My husbands steak came pre sliced and the eggs looked amazing. Then we realized the end of the steak was raw. He put those pieces aside and didn't mention. In the middle it was cooked correctly, I tried a piece and it tasted good. He did mention it wasn't seasoned enough. We ended it with what was titled as "home made" tiramisu...... This was the absolute worst tiramisu I've had in my entire life. So bad, I'm never going order it anywhere ever again. It was like a 5 year old poorly followed a recipe and decided they would put mostly marscapone, didn't have enough lady finger because they ate some, and then didn't have any coffee to soak them in. I decided I would fork out the marscapone and get to what little lady fingers there were. Still disappointing, zero flavor. Then I looked the embarrassing plate of mangled lady finger and marscapone block (that what I now title the dish), and I just started laughing uncontrollably at how it looked. Photo provided. Not a ruined day since I have a great attitude but it left me wanting to eat somewhere else immediately to make up for it. read more

Café Lily - Marscapone lady finger block - aka - the tiramisu. DON'T ORDER.... Unless you want to be extremely disappointed. - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

Recommend this place for dinner, but the brunch left a lot to be desired. The biscuits were good and everything else was meh. Although it is a cafe, there is not much emphasis on coffee (no alternative milk, no flavors). Not kid friendly. Came with my husband and our 2 kids and they don't have a kids menu or kids cups. read more

I went in a party of 4 people who eat out constantly. We all agreed the meal was excellent. The environment was pleasant, subdued lighting but bright enough. Importantly, ambient noise wasn't too bad, unlike most restaurants these days. It's good to see some places still have linen tablecloths and bring (good) bread to the table, as all restaurants used to do if they wished to be considered good. The young lady serving us was very competent, helpful and charming. I had the lamb, their signature dish - it was excellent. My companions were similarly pleased. It was a sophisticated dinner without the pretentiousness which often accompanies such events. I hope to return soon. BTW, I forgot to use my Soundprint app, but encourage you to get and use it - it measures the noisiness of locations and records it online so that those of us who prefer quiet conversation and find somewhere to enjoy it. read more

Hello fellow reader! A popping place after 5pm! What do I think of it? A lot of little things. There is an interesting collection of food from pasta to meat and vegetable entrees. I tried to lamb entree and the tuna niçoise salad. I also tried to calamari appetizer. They don't exactly taste like your average Italian restaurant because they're mediterranean! :) The lamb is too gamy for me but great if you like quality lamb. The salad was fresh but the dressing was too bland. The calamari was great but very buttery. Overall I give it at its best a 4/5 and at its worst a 3/5. The waiters were great: kind, witty and thoughtful. They sometimes cleared a little too soon but would stop if asked. I give them a 4.2/5. The ambiance is cute. Not to loud, not to quiet. Would bring family, friends or dates here. Can accommodate large or small parties. Would I come back? Yes for the ambiance. I'm on the fence on food but there's a 55% chance. That's nothing against their food by the way, but just my cravings lean elsewhere. So if you're in the food but enjoy mediterranean, I recommend you try it, and honestly, you'll like it :) -C. read more

Very bad food. Super processed. I always eat my meal.... ate 1/4 and could stand no more. Cafe Lily wasn't like this 10 years ago. Bad!

My husband and I tried to come here to eat, but it was extremely disappointing and we weren't able to order. We got seated fairly quickly, but that was the only bright spot. It took our server 13 minutes to come to our table, and she never acknowledged the long wait. She didn't bring water until I had to ask after waiting another 10 or so minutes. We had ordered bottomless mimosas but again, had been waiting so long we had to flag her down. Thank GOODNESS we asked to finally order because this was the final straw unfortunately. She said they were out of biscuits, French toast, potatoes, and bacon. Literally everything we wanted to order, minus the shrimp and grits. The brunch menu is already very limited, so it felt like a waste. Given we had been there now close to half an hour without any food or cocktails, we opted to leave instead. I'm so disappointed because I really looked forward to trying this restaurant. read more

Such a wonderful dinner! I ordered the ravioli, my sister, the salmon. Delicious to say the least. And great service too - ask for Charles, who was so attentive, so warm, so professional. I live in Maryland, and come to Decatur 2-3 times a year to visit. We'll be back soon. read more

I recently visited this place for brunch. I got the gyro platter, bottomless mimosas and a cappuccino The mimosas were good. The only caveat is your server has to bring them one by one which I can imagine can be difficult if hype place gets busy. The cappuccino was incredible just perfect. The lamb on the other hand left something to be desired. The presentation was not the best. The lamb itself lacked flavor however the tzatziki sauce was delish and the the potatoes were very flavorful Overall the service was good so I will be back to try another dish read more

Café Lily - Lamb Gyros - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

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Entree was on of the "specials" - trout that was overcooked and served over a sea of flavorless lentils swimming in a sea of oil. The carrot humus "special" was bland and not carroty. Advice: order off the main menu and avoid specials. Service was nice, cocktails very good and the mezze was good. read more

That eat there often if it was closer. Very good food good service great environment, and ambience. I definitely recommend.

I've been coming to Café Lily for decades. It's quality remains top-notch. The food was delicious. The service continues to be superior. The ambience is still intimate. read more

We have been patrons of this great restaurant the past 6 years and have had the same, consistent dining experience every time-amazingly fresh, well-prepared Mediterranean food, relaxing and beautiful dining area and excellent, friendly customer service. Who could ask for more at a long-standing reliable Atlanta restaurant. We will be back, bringing all our in and out of town friends for an amazing dining experience. read more

They have the most amazing food! The only problem is I can't order anything else besides one dish cause I love it so much. It's honestly the best customer service and ambience as well! I love it so much and I will be here forever customer! read more

I held an engagement brunch here in their semiprivate room. It was great. The food was nice for brunch and a good portion size. I had the salmon salad. It was delicious. I heard the French Toast was good. We had an awesome server that knew exactly how to serve our party of 16 without being overwhelmed. He took our order in a timely manner and communicated everything that was going on with us the entire time. We were allowed to decorate. I would say it was a little dark. read more

Café Lily - The Bride-to-Be entering. - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

Recently checked this restaurant out with friends as we were craving something local in the city of Decatur. We arrived 9pm and the service was welcoming as we were greeted by the host. Our server was also amazing. To start, the menu have a variety of options . The food was also delicious with a nice chilled ambiance! read more

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Great food! Everything we had was delicious. The calamari appetizer was fantastic. My wife had a duck special that she absolutely loved. Risotto with scallops was delicious. read more

Went for Valentine's Day. I always drive by here and go to other lcds in the area. This place was very crowded and for good reason the food was very good. Service was on par with the food. I will definitely go back. Had the shrimp appetizer and the mussels both were good. For entrees we did t the lamb , the steak frites and the lobster ravioli. I'd love to go back and try more from the menu. Nice place for a date, very romantic. read more

Café Lily - Menu - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

I went here with some friends and we had an amazing time! The service was incredible and so accommodating. We ordered the calamari for starters. It was soooo good and wasn't breaded. The bread they bring out is great as well. For dinner I ordered the mussels and frites. I enjoyed the mussels and the frites. My friends enjoyed their meals as well. I would definitely return. We came on a Wednesday and enjoyed the 1/2 bottles of wine. Such a good deal! read more

Invited a friend here for lunch; never been here before. Upon entering, I really wasn't greeted, but eventually seated. While waiting for my lunch companion, I noticed a worker (who turned out to be the manager) who energetically engaged with the next group of customers that came in. I overheard them being asked how they were doing, if they had ever been there before, given the specials, etc. I was taken a back because I had never been here, and I definitely did not receive a greeting like those customers and felt basically ignored and unimportant. We both ordered the lamb burger which was nothing impressive. It was dry/overcooked, the simple toppings, e.g., lettuce, were scarcely visible (as if they cost a small fortune), and the dill sauce was bland and did not help much, definitely was not worth $20! After our uneventful lunch, I asked for a manager to express my disdain with the display of excellent customer service extended to the customers seated right AFTER me. I was told that since the server was behind with that particular table.....yadayada, basically fluff and nothing that I or my dining companion cared to hear, entertain, or believe. As a restaurant, if you want to succeed in excellent service, you give the same service to everyone regardless of what is going on. Giving excuses as to why some customers received the royal treatment and others do not is beyond gross and unacceptable. Unfortunately, the complimentary bread pudding (which was actually the best part of the lunch, nice try but no cigar), did NOT cover the mishap of providing excellent service or bland food at all! Won't be back or recommend. read more

I came here thursday and friday! Thursday they had a great deal which was selected wines are half off! that day I got the Pinchitos! Which was cooked to perfection and absolutely loved the white sweet potatoes! Friday i just need to shoutout Lucile bc was absolutely amazing and gave us the best recs! We got the daily cocktail which i cant remember the name but it was soo refreshing and love anything with egg foam! Then we had the hummus bi tahini! Great portion size imo! And we were not super hungry so we went for the seafood pasta a la creme which was incredible! both days i loved my service and the food and i definitely recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner in decatur read more

Café Lily - Thursday wine night select wine are half prices - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

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Nice atmosphere and good food. Varied menu with decent portion sizes for reasonable costs. Great cocktails too.

brunch was BOMBBB and i loved the bottomless cocktails! our server was named axel i think? they were awesome. i had shrimp and grits and i ate the whole thing! plus the ambiance was so pretty and cute! 10/10 would go back for brunch read more

I stopped in CL with my partner on a Tuesday night for a date. It was walking distance from our staycation hotel. We were instantly greeted and seated. Our waiter came over promptly and was attentive but not too intrusive throughout the meal. There were martini Tuesday specials (picture added). The restaurant is primarily seafood but there are some other items. We started with the hummus di tahini. I have a photo but we were so hungry we had already eaten a portion of it. For main dishes, I had the Moroccan jerk chicken and my partner had a half order of Ravioli Formaggio di Capra with Chicken. I have added photos of both. My food was good, the chicken was slightly over cooked but nothing worth complaining about. For drinks on the special I had a cosmopolitan and lemon drop. The lemon drop was great while my cosmo was excellent, my partner also ordered one and his was -- not good. My partner also has the French 75 Gin which thoroughly enjoyed. The poor taste of the cosmo was sad, but we didn't feel it escalated to a point of having them remake it. The restaurant staff did offer. I ordered the Peaches on my Mind off the regular drink menu, and it was the best drink I had all night. We finished with a peach sorbet, which was absolutely excellent and full of flavor. Overall, we plan to return and explore a bit more. Perhaps on a Tuesday to try more of the drinks on special. read more

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Service mixed but many were new Food okay, bread was stale, lamb burger over cooked , This place has definitely gone down in quality and service Drink specials good read more

I decided to have lunch with a client based on the reviews Aug 6, 2024. I arrived ahead of my client to check out the restaurant. It's very nice and clean. The waiter wasn't very friendly and was very impatient when I asked a few questions about substituting side items on the menu. Very rude! We ordered the crab cakes and they were the worse I've ever eaten. My client ate one and agreed the worst he's ever had too. No flavor over fried and tasteless. Don't order the crab cakes. Never ever will go to this restaurant again. read more

We came here for Tipsy Tuesday ($5 gin/vodka cocktails) and had such a great time! The server was very patient even though we requested to move table twice. The food was also pretty decent. I loved the Gamberi Alla Rossa, which is a pasta with red sauce and wild shrimp. The tiramisu was also great for dessert. We ordered the Falafels & eggplants for appetizers - those were mediocre. read more

Café Lily - Gamberi Alla Rossa - Mediterranean Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

Highly Do Not Recommend this restaurant at all. Every table was served obviously burned bread. I even noticed a table near us where the burger buns were obviously inedible due to burnt buns but served to guests anyway. My salad had old arugula covering old mushy moldy beets, served to me anyway. This place obviously doesn't care about its guests. We also ordered very overcooked salmon and chicken parm. Even though we shared the issues with staff, no one seemed to care. We both felt nauseous after eating here. Will never go back. read more

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