Do not eat here. Inedible and dissapointing. This is the worst meal I have had in new york after living here for 6 years. After eating at Lilia and Misi last year, I was excited to take my fiance here for a meal. We ordered the foccacia, clams, artichoke, and lemon linguine. The clams and artichoke were inedible - the clams were chewy to the point that neither of us could swallow them, and the hostess took them off of our check. The artichokes were also inedible- entirely breadcrumbs and cheese, without the ability to even taste and/or eat the artichoke. For a restaurant that is raved about, that I have eaten at before, this was disappointing and a complete waste of money. The focaccia and linguine were fine, but nothing to write home about given that we could not even eat 1/2 of the meal. read more

After hearing all the hype, both online and from friends and family, I was excited to finally get a reservation. We booked a Friday night table at 9:30 PM and didn't think much of the late time since it was a weekend. Our server was friendly enough, but service felt inattentive throughout the meal. We each only had two drinks over the course of nearly two hours, despite wanting more, and our empty glasses often sat for quite a while before anyone checked on us. By the time our food arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty, and we were surprised to learn the kitchen closed at 10 PM. The meal started off well. The gem salad was fresh and enjoyable, and we also liked the fritelle. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. The mozzarella was so heavily salted that all of us immediately reacted after the first bite. The pastas were cooked well, but they suffered from the same issue. The agnolotti was our favorite, largely because it seemed less affected by the overwhelming amount of parmesan and salt that dominated the other dishes. Overall, we left disappointed. Between the inattentive service, feeling guilty sitting in an empty restaurant when the servers definitely wanted to leave, and food that was consistently over-salted to the point of being borderline inedible, the experience didn't live up to the hype. We won't return sadly. read more

Lilia - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The pasta is really well executed, and the gelato is some of the best I've ever had. It's expensive and a pain to get a table, but worth the hassle once in a while. Cacio e pepe fritelle - really tasty. Pronounced black pepper flavor, creamy on the inside, and perfectly crispy on the outside. Spaghetti - noodles were still firm, and the sauce was light and creamy. The pine nuts added a nice flavor and some textural contrast, and the lemon cut through the sauce nicely. Sheep's milk agnolotti - the most unique pasta I've ever had. Pillowy soft with a creamy filling, and complex flavor from saffron. The dried tomato and honey add some intense sweetness that helps balance everything. Rigatoni - the sauce is pretty unique, with heavy nutmeg cutting through the otherwise simple tomato base. Unfortunately this ended up being the only miss of the night - I found the dish to be way too salty. It was probably a one time mistake, it seems likely that the pasta water was over salted or boiled down too much. The Italian Job - probably makes this restaurant worth visiting just by itself. The gelato is soft serve, which I've never had before, and it's amazing. Intensely creamy and perfectly smooth, topped with olive oil and honey. The honey cools down to a thick gel, so it ends up adding textural contrast as well. The meal is quite expensive, reaching around $80 per person. This probably compares to the higher end West Village spots, but for the same price, the portions are much larger. Try it out if you can snag a table - walking in is pretty much impossible. read more

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It took a while, but finally got a reservation at Lilia. They opened up outdoor seating for the summer, so there's more available tables. The ambiance outside was nice on a warm day in Williamsburg. We ordered the leek foccacia, grilled scallops, sheep's milk agnolotti, and the lamb sausage fettuccine. The good: leek foccacia and sheep's milk agnolotti. The foccacia comes out warm with green garlic butter and is definitely worth ordering! The sheep's milk agnolotti lived up to the hype and was an extremely unique and delicious pasta dish The not so good: the scallops were odd, it included a yogurt base with anchovy and walnuts. They were cooked very well but the odd flavor pairing threw us off. The lamb sausage fettuccine was very average, it was nice but not worth going back for. Overall, there were some standout dishes. But I probably won't be going back since it's hard to get a table and there were a lot of hit or miss items read more

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About 7 years late I finally made it to Lilia. Misi is close enough to me that I can make the stroll over and try to snag a last minute seat at an odd hour, but for Lilia I was waiting for the random Monday when I'd be compelled to endure a late reservation for the sake of trying their inventive pastas. That Monday was today. The best bites were the oblong agnolotti with a slight smoky sweetness coming from the saffron (a nice redemption after tasting the disgustingly sweet saffron pasta at Barano) and the simple but well-executed pesto gnocchi. The cacio e Pepe fritters were also a crowd-pleaser. The mafaldine was probably my least favorite item. The pasta itself was nicely al denté, but I found the sauce quite noticeably salty. I also would skip the artichoke next time - while tasty, the portion of artichoke meat was rather paltry. The dense olive oil cake is a winner - don't skip dessert here. read more

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Great dine in experience, but can be difficult to get a spot Reservations at the beginning of the week were already full so we walked in. Luckily a spot moved up and we got a seat outside. Food was delicious, but portions were on smaller end. I was sufficiently full, but my party of four would have liked more, they were not full. Very good flavor combinations and pairings. Prices are on the more expensive end, maybe leaning on the $$ or $$$ range instead of $$$$. Service was top notch, especially for outdoor seating. Plates are changed frequently and water always topped up. Interior in the evening has low and warm lighting. Can be crowded on the inside, outdoor seating is decently spaced apart read more

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Re-reviewing yet again. I kept insisting that I dislike this place, but something keeps me coming back. I've finally decided that I enjoy being a contrarian too much for my own good. This is a really solid spot. I'm thrilled that reservations have become easier to come by recently, and I'm fully convinced that their mussels are the best on earth. Service is impeccable, ambiance is amazing, and I'd come back again and again for the seafood alone. Still not completely sold on the pastas, but it's a really nice experience all around read more

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Feb '25. The service here is exceptional. In the last 10 years we've lost really good service but here, your glass of wine won't get below half full without an arm reaching out to refill it. They have a sommelier ready to assist you with any wine decisions you have to make. The pastas are all good of course but I wouldn't come here just for the pasta-- it's good in the way most upscale Italian is good. The best bites of the nights were all the apps. You MUST get the focaccia. I went to bed dreaming about this bread. And the butter with the focaccia I believe is the same as what's on the mussels. No clue what the hell is in there but it's magic in your mouth -- cannot recommend enough. Great spot to order several plates and try a bit of everything! read more

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Did I come on an off day? I'll just come out and say it. I was disappointed in every dish. I don't understand how people can compare this restaurant with Misi, where every dish I have tried is like a work of art. Maybe Lilia is just trying too hard? We had an order of the gem salad, clams, three different pastas and the lamb. There is definitely an overload of salt and herbs and spices that are just not needed. I love grated cheese as much as the next person, but too much, just covers the taste of the food and results in too much salt. On a positive side, the service was wonderful. read more

It look me forever to get a reservation at Lilia, so I was happy to be able to see what all the hype was about. There were things we loved and things that were just "meh:" Loved: -the Select Spritz (it was perfectly balanced and one of the best spritz I've had) -Focaccia (truly a flavorful bread) -Agnolotti (popular for a reason!) Meh and lacking a hint of flavor: Cacio e Pepe Fritter (not bad just expected more - would benefit from a dipping sauce); Acorn Squash; Gnocchi So, did Lilia live up to the hype? In my opinion no, but it is worth trying at least once! read more

Lilia - Select Spritz - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Was very excited to eat here. Went right at 5 to put our names down for walk in on a Sunday. Was told we could be seated at 8:15. We came back at 8:15 and were seated around 8:30 patio seating. The patio is very nice, clean and the table lamps create a nice ambiance. The showstoppers for us were the wine menu and the agnolotti. I'm not much of a wine fan but liked both the white I got and the red my partner got. Loved the agnolotti, very luscious and a great sauce. The tasty but not "remarkable" were the fresh mozarella toast app, the mafaldini pasta, and the olive oil cake. I would not order the scallops again. $29 for 2 regular sized scallops and I found the flavors just a bit mid. Everything else was not that expensive, with the pastas being around $28 and pretty sizeable portions. Overall a nice experience read more

Average at best. Wait staff was ok. Very disappointed expected more. Many transient Brooklyn people over rated this place. Food was average but service not so much. Again disappointed. read more

40 minutes to get 2 pastas, after the hostess was rude what a coincidence. : i can do that at home. Didnt taste that much more special for waiting 40 mins compared to EVERYWHERE ELSE in new york. Dont buy the hype. read more

Service was pretty good, but nothing spectacular. Ambiance was casual and cute. The food was very good! We tried the mozzarella, artichoke, the bread, 3 pastas, and 2 desserts- all items were very good! read more

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One of the best meals I've ever had. We had the leek focaccia, artichokes, prawns, mussels, lemon pasta, rigatoni diavola, and sheep's milk cheese agnolotti. I would highly recommend any of the dishes but particularly the focaccia, artichokes, and agnolotti. Also, the drinks could have been a bit better. Service was phenomenal once we were seated but took an hour to seat us with a reservation. Still very worth it for the food! read more

Lilia - Rigatoni Diavola, Sheeps Milk Cheese Filled Agnolotti, and lemon spaghetti - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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great service. walked in and drank and wine while we waiting for a table. love the open kitchen concept and the lively atmosphere. great for a high-ending leaning but still casual dinner with drinks and friends. i still think about the agnolotti everytime im in the area. whenever friends are in the area visiting this is a go to recommendation. read more

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Wow, what amazing flavors! Started with a delicious focaccia with yummy green garlic butter then a grilled green bean and tomato dish with a spicy vinaigrette...outstanding. A great scallop with walnut yogurt. Next their signature pasta dishes, so simple but delicious...'spaghetti with pine nuts , lemon & cheese and mafadini with pink peppercorns. We finished with a superb moist grilled chicken with roasted potatoes and garlic. A marvelous meal! read more

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Been wanting to try this place for a while since I've heard great things and finally snagged a reservation for 2 on a monday late evening a couple of hrs after reservations opened for a few weeks out! Note that there are a few doors but you can only enter from one side at night and the door is pretty heavy. We waited for a bit for our seats to be ready. I had previously booked seats at the bar but luckily we were able to get a table, which was nice. The tables were nicely spaced out between parties and the place was pretty big. It's a nice spot for a date with great dim light intimate setting. For food we tried the mozzarella and garlic bread, the grilled clams, the grilled artichoke, rigatoni diavolo and the Mafaldini. The garlic bread was cruncy but didn't have much garlic flavor as I expected. The mozzarella was creamy and fresh but the combination felt a bit out of place. Nonetheless it was delicious. The pastas were fresh and cooked perfectly al dente. For flavors I loved the tomato sauce with light spice in the rigaotni. The Mafadini was good but it was a bit more tart than I preferred. Overall, it was a good experience to try this place! Portion size is on the smaller side read more

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While I was here, my group full of women of color was not even offered the option of a reservation or even at the bar. I have to be honest, also, and I don't usually write reviews like this, but I was aware that the demographic seemed problematically white. Which is disappointing, given the fact that Brooklyn has an originally very diverse and inclusive population. This is my first experience having this thus far in Brooklyn and the tristate. I would 100% recommend that POC avoid this location. Do not dine in here - if the staff is not interested in us then they do not deserve our money. Even when I was looking at the staff and patrons, I didn't see any diversity... the particular staff that we interacted with were Paola and Katrina. Again, this is my first experience thus far in New York across the boroughs, where I wasn't even offered the opportunity to even make a reservation. Again, I've been here for about 15 minutes with my friends who are now eating next to her at La Petite Joia, which even has a more diverse audience. read more

Lilia - Lack of diversity - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Agnolotti with saffron and ricotta was the star of the show but honestly every dish we ordered was really good! the artichoke was fun to eat and had a similar topping as the clams casino. the focaccia with green garlic butter had o-kay focaccia but the green garlic butter tasted like a garlic avocado in the best way possible. the pink peppercorn pasta was less interesting in terms of flavor but the texture of the pasta was cool. finally, we loved the italian job dessert which was like a crossover between a gelato and soft serve. the servers were a bit pushy with ordering more but we feel like we ordered a good amount for 3 people. ambiance is awesome! read more

This is a fabulous spot for Italian food! They have indoor and outdoor seating- they have huge windows with lots of natural light. The place was very busy when we got there. For starters we ordered the cacio e pepe frittelle, roasted ramp focaccia, & mussels. The cacio e pepe frittelle is decent sized and extra cheese. The roasted ramp Focaccia is fluffy, soft, fresh & goes great with the pasta. The mussels are presented beautifully & enough to share as a small appetizer. For pasta we ordered the Mafaldine & Sheep's milk cheese agnolotti. The Mafaldine is a solid staple with its pink peppercorn flavor. The sheep's milk cheese agnolotti was definitely my favorite. The pasta filling was fluffy, cheesy & smooth- and I loved the sun dried tomato / honey combo. For dessert we shared a chocolate & vanilla swirl since it's made in house- great for a sweet finish! read more

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The service was amazing. The food was great but not amazing, at least not all of the dishes. We ordered 3 appetizers and 4 entries. The focaccia bread was very delicious, the muscles were ok. The artichoke was blend. The sheep's milk pasta was probably the best dish of all. The chicken was very tasty as well. The gnocchi was dry. read more

reservations are still hard to get, but not impossible -- we came on a whim when we saw a 4pm resy available the day before. all the food was good but we weren't super wowed by anything other than the sheep's milk agnolotti which is def worth the hype. also liked the calms, particularly with a little leek butter from the focaccia read more

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What's to say that already hasn't been said? Hands down one of the best Italian spots in nyc. The pasta is the reason to come, but any of the items on the menu are remarkable. If it's your first time, I highly recommend the sheep's milk pasta. The service is impeccable and the vibe is thoughtful, but not loud. Prices are what you would expect to pay at a quality restaurant in nyc. Absolutely try to get a reservation! read more

Lilia - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Went once and never again. To say it was disappointing is not enough. Lilia's dishes show that the chef does not understand how to use ingredients and prepare them as they need to be. Clams 1/10. I had the most flavorless rubbery clams of my life here. The breadcrumbs on top became soggy, so the entire texture was disgusting. It is like chewing bland gum. For an established restaurant, I think this is unacceptable. Puntarelle 2/10. The puntarelle was also insanely oily and soggy from being cooked. The bitterness of it was amplified by the use of too much lemon. The gorgonzola goop in the middle felt thoughtless and did not compliment the puntarelle. It was like a bitter sour oiled veggie with a funky bitter creamy sauce. This ingredient is best as a cold salad. Agnolotti 6/10. okay, very familiar flavors. But the edges were undercooked and crunchy like pasta cooked in water for 5 minutes. Beet pasta 7/10- the most decent one here. The smokiness from the cheese and peppercorn was good. Although I wouldn't say it went super well with the sweetness of the beet. For a place known for their pasta, it's more than disappointing to have them not get it right. I've wanted to eat here since 11 years ago, before it got hype. Now having eaten here, I'm so disappointed. We did not leave full either. It's sad to see this business only thriving off of hype and hard-to-get reservations. It's not a place for people who truly enjoy food and appreciate tasty food and proper cooking. read more

Came here with a friend who snagged a last minute reservation. It was a Wednesday night and slammed - waited 20+min past our time before we were seated. We split the broccolini, focaccia with herby garlic butter, and of courssseeee each got the agnolotti pasta. Everything was incredible. Broccolini was probably the least exciting item, wouldn't order again - but would absolutely order the other two items! The pasta lives up to the hype, the sauce is this honey, spicy, buttery delicious situation. Dirty martini was delicious as well! This place lives up to the hype. read more

Lilia - Sheeps Milk Cheese Filled Agnolotti - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I walked in on a weekday evening when they opened for a table for 2 and was told we could get seated in 15 minutes. Roasted Leek Foccacia (10/10): My favorite dish of the night. The bread was warm and soft, and the compound garlic butter was absolutely perfect paired with it. Malfadini (4/10): I think the concept is promising and it's a flavor combination I haven't had before. The pasta shape was cool but I didn't think this was anything special. Agnolotti (9/10): The filling was perfect and I was happy that the serving size was pretty big. I couldn't taste too much of the saffron though, but the honey flavor came through. I thought the appetizers here were better than Misi, but that Misi's pastas were better. Overall, I would want to go back to try their Caramelized onion ravioli and their desserts. We were too full after these three dishes (almost uncomfortably so, even though we had ordered the same series of dishes at Misi and felt fine). read more

This place is in my top 10 Italian places! We couldn't get a reservation, but we showed up right before they opened and we were able to walk in and get a table, although we had to leave by a certain time. Our waiter was really nice and even though we had limited time, we didn't feel rushed or anything. We got the ramp bread and butter, cesear salad, peppercorn malfadini, and broccoli pesto. Everything was amazing! The pasta was cooked perfectly and was so flavorful. I wasn't a huge fan of the malfadini because it really is only peppercorn flavored. The ramp bread was to die for!! I would go back just to get 10 orders of that bread. read more

Lilia - Ricotta Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Fantastic restaurant in Brooklyn with great appetizers, pasta, and lamb chop. We ordered 4 dishes to share and 2 glasses of wine. - Focaccia with garlic butter: 100/10 (lovedddd the bread and the garlic butter. This might be some of the best bread I've had in a restaurant-- it closely follows the bread I had in the four horsemen!) - Goat cheese agnolotti: 10/10 (yummy! Loved how creamy and slightly sweet the pasta was.) - Lamb steak: 100/10 (fantastic lamb steak! Loveddddd the curry-esque sauce that was on top of the lamb. The portion size was also humongous!) - Olive oil cake: 9/10 (good cake that's not too sweet) - Wine: 6/10 (wine was subpar) The ambiance during dinner was fantastic-- loved the open kitchen concept and loved how dark the whole restaurant was! Perf for date-night. Service was good but the pacing was a bit too slow-- we were in the restaurant for almost 2 hours! read more

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Well executed 4 star - Lilia is the sister restaurant of Misi. However, I do prefer the ricotta toast of Misi as the appetizer. We had the mozzarella on toast which was good, but not fall-out-of-my-chair amazing. The clams were great and the pasta were oerfectly el-dente. The signature dish that you absolutely cannot go wrong here are the agnolottis. Perfectly rich and creamy, not too heavy or bland, I would definitely order this the next time I come back. read more

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The food is excellent. I loved the agnolotti and the seabass. The wine selection was also pretty extensive. read more

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I was initially thrilled to finally snag a reservation to Lilia, BUT it sadly did not live up to its reputation of being the best Italian fare in Williamsburg. The waitstaff is exceptional and they are very attentive and make a point of knowing exactly what you need before even uttering a word. The food was very lackluster. We had the spaghetti, gnocchi, scallops (2), prosciutto & leek bread. Each dish was more unmemorable than the next. The vanilla and chocolate gelato were the best part of the entire $250 meal. They pride themselves on keeping the ingredients simple, but there is such a thing as too simple. Save your money and either go elsewhere or prepare something at home. You will undoubtedly be more satisfied for a fraction of the cost. Not worth it. Also, the restaurant was cold on a freezing night and the door to enter the restaurant weighed an absolute ton and there are only 2 poorly lit toilets. There are no pictures because the food was so unimpressive. read more

We had a 4 pm reservation. The atmosphere is chic industrial which is fitting for its location in Brooklyn. Friendly and attentive wait staff who offered good recommendations. Food is del ious but portions are small. They recommend sharing plates. Would go back to try more of the pastas. A lot of vegetarian options which I appreciated read more

Lilia - Focaccia - Italian Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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These days nabbing a table at Lilia is a little easier, but make sure you order the right things. Don't miss the Sheep's Milk Cheese Agnolotti which, despite my own lactose intolerance, I could not stop eating. Where the Agnolotti shined, other menu items took a hit. The Ricotta Gnocchi includes a well made pesto but ate a little dry. The Cacio e Pepe Frittelle (fancy fried mac & cheese balls) is heavy and the Scallops are well made but the walnuts and sauce felt disjointed. The Roasted Leek Focaccia is fantastic but the Green Garlic Butter was a little soulless. The most disappointing of all was the Apple Crostata, which came out cold and was topped with a cream instead of their signature gelato, an obvious miss. Despite all of this, I would go back many times over just for that Angelotti. In terms of vibe it's more casual than you think - I watched a woman in a strapless nude bandeau dress and six inch Louboutin's awkwardly sit at the bar with a scarf over her shoulders, obviously regretting her outfit choice. I would keep it trendy but not over the top, and would avoid coming here with a big rowdy group of friends. @alex.eats.365 read more

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Came here on a Sunday in a whim. They open at 4 pm for dinner, start taking reservations 28 days in advance and thought "no way" I would get in. At 3:30 pm the doors were open so I asked the hostess if there was a chance of getting a table for two. She was very accommodating and said she had a table if we were done by 5:45 pm which was fine. Despite a few mixed reviews, most people love Lilia. We had a great experience and you can tell the staff is well trained, courteous, has the customer in mind and they are well staffed. Kudos to the owner. Great ambience, nice vibe, awesome bar and seating, people were willing to sit outside, even though it was a little chilly. The restaurant provides blankets. They put a nice spin on the dishes. They find a way to put a unique flavor. They are a little pricey, some dishes are a little on the small size, and I would have liked to see more variety on the menus for entrees. They are know for their pasta dishes. I had a margarita which was good, although a little on the small side. We started with the house made mozzarella on toasted garlic bread. It was very fresh and flavorful, you can taste all the seasoning. We shared three mains, two were pastas. Loved the spaghetti, pine nuts and lemon reggiano. Also the fettuccine with lamb sausage, lemon passato and pecorino romano cheese. We also had the grilled bass, salsa verde over coal roasted Yukon golden potatoes. Couldn't pass up on desert. Had the lemon ice which was vanilla gelato, candied lemons, and lemon granita. Also had the apple crostata with honey and creme freiche. We spoke to several repeat customers who were extremely happy. They also have a small cafe in the back of the restaurant with a separate door. They have a nice following. I would definitely recommend them. read more

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Walked in and was seated around 4pm on a Friday and had quite possibly one of the best meals of my life. The foccasia with green garlic butter was so delicious. Soft crunchy bread, crispy onions, and garlicky butter - I couldn't ask for more. We also got an artichoke heart which was citrusy, soft, lemony and overall delicious. My friend and I split two pastas: the Mafaldini and the sheep's milk agnolotti which were mind blowingly delicious. The mafaldini was peppery and salty it was simple but good. The agnolotti is a must order! So sweet and creamy. Now for dessert. You absolutely must must must order the Italian Job. Never have I ever had such amazing, high quality vanilla gelato topped with olive oil, sea salt, and a couple other seasonings I can't name. Though, this was the highlight of my dinner and dare I say one of the best desserts I've ever consumed in my existence. Please get this dessert and give olive oil gelato a try when you come here! read more

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There was a LOT of hype before going and in the end I get it. It's certainly hard to get a reservation and there's a reason for it. We had somewhat thought out what we wanted ahead of time and were super pumped to try the agnolotti, as this seemed to be quite popular. Unfortunately, this was not available the day we went-womp womp. We ended up starting with the mozzarella toast. I'm usually really into toast like this but this one kind of missed the mark for me. The toast itself was a bit too substantial and I truly did not appreciate the bottarga, as it didn't go well with the cheese (or any cheese?). We also went with the little gem salad. I enjoyed this! Love a salad that uses breadcrumbs like this and the texture I enjoyed. Finally to start were the grilled clams. There's a reason every single person has this in their pictures-it's delicious and a must when you're here. The clams are pre-shucked, which is clutch, and perfectly breaded. Quite easy to eat and a nice portion. We chose two pastas: the malfadini and the gnocchi. Malfadini is not a pasta we really ever eat, so it was a nice option. It took me a while to warm up to whether I enjoyed the taste of the peppercorn sauce but in the end found it to be a nice balance of zest and cheese. The latter (the gnocchi) I preferred but it would be difficult to make a pesto dish I didn't enjoy. Particularly enjoyed the addition of the pistachios. I will say I wish that the pasta options had more meat representation, as I don't typically love a meatless pasta by itself. We weren't so inspired by any of the main meat dishes so opted out of this. The experience itself was quite nice. We were sat outside, which I typically don't love but it was a lovely night. The service was prompt and pleasant and overall was a smooth experience. Definitely worth the effort to get a reservation. read more

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Great place for pasta lovers! Lilia and Misi are two of the best pasta places in Williamsburg. Highly recommended to try the agnolotti and mafaldini. If you are a cheese lover, try cacio e Pape fritelle. But never forget to save some space for dessert! The Italian job gelato is the best olive oil gelato I ever have before! It is ever better than a lots of gelato shop! read more

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Sorry to report this place is actually worth the hype! I came 20 minutes before opening on Thursday and got seated 10 minutes later without a reservation. (I'd recommend coming early - on a weekday - if you're like me and don't plan your dinners months out.) I sat at the bar which got crammed after a while so if you can get table seating inside or outside. I ordered the Focaccia, Grilled Pawns and Sheep's Milk Agnolotti. It was interesting how everything came out slowly and one at a time so I would plan for atleast 2 hours to eat here. Honestly the food was amazing! I wish I had room to try the Italian job but that gave me an excuse to come back. Must try!! read more

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I'm glad I got to finally try Lilia for dinner and bummed I don't live closer, as I'd love to swing by and try out their more casual caffe options during the day. But dinner was great. I enjoyed the pastas and dessert as much as I thought I would, but I was impressed with pretty much everything, from the starters to the service. Starters: -Italian Broccoli (Parmigiano, Chili Oil, Lemon): a surprise hit! This was so good! Equal parts spicy, citrusy, and cheesy. Not at all broccoli-y. -Cacio e Pepe Frittelle: not bad at all, but a little heavy with a good bit of each bite being heavily fried. Of everything we ordered, I'd skip this one. Pastas: -Mafaldini (pink peppercorn, parmigiano): sometimes simplest is best. This one was my favorite pasta and another friend's favorite as well. Just like the broccoli, it was lemony, peppery, and cheesy. A clear focus on the quality of the ingredients and the preparation allowed the gorgeous al dente ribbon-shaped pasta to shine. -Sheep's Milk Cheese Agnolotti (Saffron, Dried Tomato, Honey): the favorite of my other two friends. Also really good. Each bite is suuuuper creamy and cheesy, and a little sweet and herbal. -Rigatoni Diavola (San Marzano Tomatoes, Chili, Marjoram, Pecorino): still great, just a little boring in comparison. The rigatoni were big and pillowy, and the savory marjoram nicely complemented the red sauce. Mains: -Grilled Chicken Thigh & Leg: Extremely tender and juicy, hints of anise.-Grilled Lamb Leg Steak (Roman Spices, Celery Heart, Pecorino): flavorful spices and the lamb was tender, but we ended up taking a lot of this home and it does not reheat super well. Odds and ends: -Italian job (vanilla gelato, olive oil, honey, sea salt, fennel pollen): maybe my favorite thing I ate at Lilia. It was salty, sweet, savory, ugh, perfection. The sweetness and fennel reminded me of Indian cuisine a bit. -I was obsessed with their white by-the-glass sparkling, the Riccardo Zanotto Rivolto Spumante Extra Dry. So good. -Espresso martini: Yes. No notes. read more