Such a cute space with great food!
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Solid Italian spot in Williamsburg with hard to snag
Solid Italian spot in Williamsburg with hard to snag reservations in a vibey lofty space.FoodGem Salad - Crunchy, fresh, and acidic with a great aged hard cheese. Loved the crunchy breadcrumbs and would recommend for sharing between two people.Mussels - I have to say, the sauce was a bit too bright green for my liking? It was giving grasshopper vibes and definitely visually was not what I was expecting to come out. However, the taste was great. Buttery, plump, and came right out of the shell. Also great for sharing between 2 people.Mafaldini - An aesthetic take on cacio e pepe by using pink peppercorns. Really good, perfect al dente and textured pasta. The pepper was a bit on the heavy side, though. Not even in a spicy way, but more that I wanted to taste more of the milky cheese taste in the dish instead of it being overpowered by pepper. Sheeps Milk Cheese Filled Agnolotti - Tender and delicious! Definitely a fave and I think one of their most popular pastas. You'll want to bring the lactaid for this one because it is very rich. Italian Job - Some of the best gelato I have ever had. This one was a vanilla gelato base with olive oil, honey, and crunchy fenugreek/pollen. The olive oil was extremely rich and flavorful and the perfect contrast to the sweet. The honey solidifies and also provides some crunch. A must order!!I would say for two people, this was the right amount of food including sharing a dessert!Service- Everyone on staff was very kind and attentive, but I think the restaurant was just extremely busy. Our table was 20 minutes behind our reservation because the couple before us was eating slowly. My waiter also forgot about a drink I ordered.AmbianceWe went at night, and it's got the dim lighting and romantic vibe with candles. High and lofty ceilings. The seats are pretty close together though, so be prepared to be able to hear conversations next to you. There's also a cafe/wine bar in the back that has more casual vibes, but I don't think you can order food there during dinner service. It's more a place to wait while you are waiting for your table to open up. Would definitely recommend -- great date night spot. Make sure to get a reservation!
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I saw a reservation at Lilia and jumped to take it.
I have previously been to Misi and Fini but had yet to try Lilia. If you go you must get the focaccia. I was hesitant to get it, as it is on menus of so many NYC Italian restaurants. But this focaccia was different. It was warm and fluffy but so crunchy at the same time. The spring onion butter complimented it perfectly.We tried the Radicchio salad as well, which I would skip next time, good but nothing special. Our mains were the black bass and agnolotti. The bass was good but again, nothing out of the ordinary. I love the agnolotti. It was salty and sweet and savory and melted in your mouth. I thought Lilia was great, but for the bread/pasta. We ended with the gelato dessert finished with olive oil and salt. I loved the herbaceous, peppery olive oil paired with the cold, sweet gelato. In all, for me, the vegetable and pasta forward menu at Misi was preferable.
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Excellent food, service and ambiance.
Absolutely a must if in NYC, try almost everything on the menu its worth it!
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This is a cute little restaurant in Brooklyn! The food was
This is a cute little restaurant in Brooklyn! The food was great and came out very quickly. Definitely very hard to get a reservation but is totally worth it. The restaurant was not overcrowded or tight for space which was incredible and unlike other very popular restaurants. I would definitely go back here!
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The kitchen staff is obviously very technically skilled,
The kitchen staff is obviously very technically skilled, however the 3 pasta dishes we ordered (agnolotti, mafaldini, and rigatoni) were completely lacking in flavor. At this price point, I expect the food to taste good.
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I don't normally like to leave bad reviews but our
I don't normally like to leave bad reviews but our experience at Lilia yesterday really left a bad taste.At the outset, our server apologized about the building being cold and drafty and offered us complimentary hot lemon water. We didn't mind that at all as we were looking forward to the food and went on to order 5 dishes for 2 people based on their suggestion. The leek focaccia with garlic butter was very tasty and that got us excited for the anti pasti and main courses but what followed was a complete letdown:The grilled prawns had a spicy Cajun flavor that seemed at odds with the bread we just had. The mafaldini was dry, salty and very undercooked (not al dente). It was like chewing on rubber. The rigatoni sauce was bland and felt like tomato purée with no seasoning. The agnolotti looked heavy but was surprisingly light and flavorful. The sheep's milk cheese inside was delicious and unexpected. We couldn't finish a single pasta we ordered in spite of having walked in with a large appetite primarily because the first few dishes were so disappointing.I understand that all restaurants have good and bad days so I wouldn't have bothered writing this review but that night my husband also complained of a really bad stomach ache which I can't help but attribute to the food we ate - the prawns I believe, since I barely ate those.P.S. great service though.
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Really cool place, great service, great experience.
Our waiter was fantastic. Some hits and some misses with food, but overall definitely worth a visit. Cacio e Pepe fritelle - they're delicious but super heavy. Can't go wrong with a fried cheese ball. Probably better for a big group or if you're looking to get full off of only a few dishesItalian broccoli - I typically like bitter but this was a miss for me. Not much flavor other than cheese Mussels - phenomenal, prepared very well, great sauce (though a bit too heavy on the butter)Mafaldini - favorite dish of the night, the pink peppercorn is unusual but works well Sheep's milk cheese agnolotti - this is going to be unpopular, but I wasn't a fan. The way the flavors came together just didn't really work for me. The sweetness of the cheese is a little too overpoweringGelato - not my favorite gelato I've had, I'd try the chocolate or the Italian job if I went back Be prepared for LOTS of butter & cheese!!
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What in the world -- this place has all the good reviews of
What in the world -- this place has all the good reviews of the world but it's not good ya'll. It's bland - I have been all over Italy and had food that was stunning .. this ain't it. What the hell was it that I ate . Bland pasta with a bland sauce -bland pasta with bland cheese .. child please -- that's not good. Even the wine wasn't so great. I have travelled alll over Italy. I know good Italian food and that ain't it
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Amazing service and food! We were fortunate to snag a last
Amazing service and food! We were fortunate to snag a last minute resy with our cousins. Everything we ordered was great - we ordered 2 apps, 5 pastas and 2 desserts to share amongst 4 people. Our favorites were the Whole Artichoke and Roasted Squash appetizer. For pastas, we loved the Broccoli Pesto Gnocchi, Sheep's Milk Agnolotti, Rigatoni Diavola, and of course the Pink Peppercorn Mafaldini. The Olive Oil Cake was good like L'Artusi, but the Apple Crisp was out of this world - famous perfect amount of sweetness and the crust was delicious.
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I really wish that I could give 5 stars, but how do you run
I really wish that I could give 5 stars, but how do you run out of the agnolotti? Everything we ate was truly amazing. We ordered the focaccia, mussels, grilled artichokes, cacio e pepe balls, malfadini, spaghetti limon and the leg of lamb steak. Everything was really good. All I would change in the agnolotti instead of the spaghetti limon.
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First off, love the ambiance!! It's perfect for a date
First off, love the ambiance!! It's perfect for a date night or catch up with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. The service was also great, our waitress was super helpful in recommending which dishes to try. We also had a lovely red wine recommended to us that we both really loved!On to the food, so we started with the roasted squash. That was so unique, great crispy texture and the pesto on top really brought it all together. We shared the rigatoni, mafaldini, and agnolotti pastas. We really loved the rigatoni, it had a bit of a kick to it which was nice. The mafaldini was okay, too pepper-y for our tastes and just dry. And the agnolotti was probably my favorite pasta, it was so good!! We also shared the sea bass and you shouldn't skip it. It was perfectly cooked and just incredible.
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The. Best. Food. Literally compares to the food I've eaten
The. Best. Food. Literally compares to the food I've eaten in Italy. Definitely more on the special occasion ranking since it's hard to get a table and on the pricy side, but SO worth it, hands down my favorite restaurant in Brooklyn. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic, great for a date. And the service is great, they offer wine tasting prior to ordering a glass and are great with clearing the table and resetting utensils before the next course. If you go, MUST order the malfaldini, clams, and get TWO of the garlic bread (before they sell out for the night)!!!
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If you have some extra extra money to spend it's worth
If you have some extra extra money to spend it's worth coming to once. The service is really top tier in our experience. They course the meals, you take your time, it's a really a lovely time and you will spend a minimum of two hours here (depending on how much you order). Everything is typically made to share. There flavors are very unique. I would absolutely PASS on the Agnolotti. I think you have to be a cheese enthusiast to really like the flavor of sheep's milk cheese. That was a no for us. I couldn't eat it. The Malfidini was good, def a unique flavor you wouldn't typically get for pasta. Grilled prawns a YES, Mussels a YES. We ordered the olive oil cake for dessert, SO GOOD. And we ordered a dessert I can't remember the name of but it was a gelato with bee pollen. The bee pollen is a distinct flavor so I'll leave it up to your discretion to try!
Prices were good and the food was even better than expected
Having tried Misi a few months ago I was eager to try Lilia so we walked in on a cold Saturday at 4pm. There was a small queue but we actually got seated at the bar very quickly. The pastas were tasty and the prawns were excellent. The portions are good for sharing. Service was great. However I thought Misi had a higher standard
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Stay Away! Don't care about the customer
How is this place still busy? They have all these policies with their food. For example, I tried to take something home to my husband, and they said per management, and the nature of their food, to go orders are forbidden in their restaurant. As a restaurant, you can do whatever you want but honestly, their food is just okie. It's really nothing special to the point where you have to make a reservation 1 month in advance. Also, I explained I have a huge party already reserved coming in 2 months and they didn't care. I plan on canceling my reservations for 15 and going to another restaurant where they value their customers
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First visit to Lilia, and I'm already dreaming about when I
First visit to Lilia, and I'm already dreaming about when I can go back again. My friend scored a 4:45 reservation mid-week for the patio. It was surprisingly breezy and comfortable during the heat wave, with plenty of shade from nearby umbrellas. We were a group of three who love to eat, so we decided to go family style with our ordering so we could try as much as possible. My one friend has fined her often (lucky!) so we followed some of her recommendations. Do NOT miss out on the homemade mozzarella on garlic bread with lemon. We ended up getting two, which was an excellent choice. The Italian Broccoli with parmigiano, chili oil and lemon was bright and tasty with a nice little kick. For pastas, we went with the mafaldini, agnolotti, and a corn filled cappelletti...you must get that last one...the sweetness of the corn and the pairing of the sauce were absolutely divine. Finished out our meal with the Italian Job (vanilla gelato + olive oil...the pairing I didn't know I needed in my life) and the olive oil cake. Our server was incredibly attentive and let us take our time to savor every morsel. I definitely want to try some of their wines next time, and was very happy with their Aperol Spritz!
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Oh no, it turns out Lilia can and does make mistakes.
3/5 by 👻
@K P. on 07/25/2022
This was the case yesterday, as my radicchio salad was terrible...wilted and flavorless. We had one bite each and sent it back. This was not the same salad I get every single time. The lamb steak was also so unenjoyable. The cut was tough and somehow the temperature was cold, though the meat was also overcooked past medium rare, as requested and normally cooked. Soooo disappointing, as I enjoyed this dish so much last time. We should've sent it back, but we were over it. Lastly, the Italian Job was unavailable, as the machine was broken...Um, what???? (Literally, the main reason my friend and I decided to retry Lilia together since our combined birthday meal last year.) So upsetting that my third dining experience here was the worst so far...
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I've lived in Williamsburg for 7 years, going out
I've lived in Williamsburg for 7 years, going out everywhere we can, anytime we can, to support all our local restaurants, and have only been to Lilia once, right when it opened, around 2016. And it wasn't a great experience. The service was a little rigid, they were behind on our reservation keeping us waiting, and our swordfish entrée arrived partially raw. When we complained, they actually argued, insisting that's how their swordfish was meant to be served (it's not, swordfish is notorious for worms, it should never be raw).Fast-forward a few years, and while no Michelin stars have ever been accrued to Missy Robbin's' mini Williamsburg empire, Lilia has become one of the hardest reservations to get in the neighborhood. However, this time I found Lilia to be a much-transformed, quite wonderful experience, both in terms of the food and service.While I prefer Misi's more modern, open layout with a view of the waterfront, Lilia, in a converted auto body shop, has its charms. It's actually *very* Williamsburg circa 2016, with a wood beamed ceiling, relaxed open kitchen, and giant factory windows that look out onto Union Ave. They still have no place for you to wait when they are inevitably (this time only a minute!) behind on your reservation, forcing you to stand outside on the street. Lilia has a more intimate, narrow feel, the only downside being occasional bottlenecks at the two main bathrooms in back, and loud-voiced banker types in button downs right on top of you DISCUSSING THE MARKET and HAMPTONS TIME SHARES.While the prices are bizarrely not displayed on their website, they are in no way outrageous. It was simply too hot for us to go in hard on any of their meatier dishes, but what we did sample was splendiferous. I do not recommend you leave Lilia without trying their housemade mozzarella, with lemon, on garlic bread or their mortadella filled tortelli, as these were two of the best things I've tasted in quite some time. But ALL their pastas were delicious, all their small vegetable plates were great, and the scallops were phenomenal.Our server was both friendly and exceedingly informed. When I switched over from cocktails to a glass of wine halfway through the meal, I simply described what I was in the mood for, and a glass of exactly my mood appeared in front me a minute or so later. A very easy five stars to Lilia.They do have lunch here, just in their café part, and it's a bit of a neighborhood secret. But their sandwiches and pastries are divine, you can grab an iced coffee, and sit anywhere you like outside.Keep those Resy Notifys on, and you'll get lucky eventually.
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Very rude poor quality hostess tonight I usually come in
Very rude poor quality hostess tonight I usually come in and hope to get a table and usually score a table - say 7/10 tries Tonight the dear hostess decided to be rude when I came in to ask if there's any chance a table is available for tonight or bar Her low level response was oh yeah sure I can put you in for some time in September - I was confused is she serious or mocking ? Yeah it's hot out tonight but you should be more patient Online reservations are never available so don't understand why she had to be this rude oh well hopefully we don't see her next time we try to come in for dinner
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This place has a special place in my heart.
I've always wanted to eat here and it really lived up to the expectations. I love how sharable the plates are. Intimate enough for a 1 on 1 or with a small group. We tried a little of everything - total of 3 appetizers and 1 entree to share, dessert and a bottle of wine. Was the perfect amount of food for us two. We really enjoyed the orange wine. The service was outstanding. Every person that interacted with us was so kind and friendly.
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Risked it all and arrived at 5:15 WITHOUT a reservation.
Luckily it was a Tuesday and was able to snag 2 seats at the bar.The 1-3 star reviews are very confusing to me? The famous agnolotti and the mafaldini was outstanding. The portions were perfect and the flavors did not fall short. 100/100.
Five stars do not seem nearly enough. This place is so integral to our story, it is the kind of place to take someone special in your life to create unforgettable memories. There is something about it that borders on the mystical. And I'm not talking about the universal acclaim that it draws; more so I am talking about what it means to each person who eats here as they create their own experience. When you dine at Lilia, savor it. Not just the food, ALL of it.The atmosphere is super friendly. There is seating both inside and al fresco (most of the year). You wouldn't think that a restaurant located in a former garage could create such a casually elegant environment (is that a thing?) but it does. From the bar seats, you can even watch the food being prepared.The food here is beyond compare. To fully enjoy the meal you are going to want to luxuriate over each bite from the hors d'ouvres to dessert. Speaking of the former, we never pass on the focaccia; it changes season to season. Do not miss the butter! This time we opted for the scallops as well for an appetizer. They were huge and prepared absolutely perfectly. Although there are other main courses, the pasta here is the headliner, all handmade. There are so many choices to try, but we always seem to gravitate to at least one entree of the angolotti with sheepmilk cheese, honey and saffron. Pure bliss. On this occasion we also got the fettuccine with lamb and tomatoes. The zingy nature of the dish was a nice contrast to the angolotti. One thing we like to do as couple to maximize the experience is to order two different pastas and switch halfway through. Why try one when you can try two??? The desserts are fabulous as well. Don't sleep on the olive oil cake. It doesn't sound fancy, but it will knock your socks off.All in all, Lilia gets my absolute highest recommendation; I truly cannot say enough wonderful things to do it justice. Truly a special dining experience. Definitely make sure to make reservations because it does tend to fill up. If you do not have reservations, I recommend trying to get there as early as possible perhaps even for bar seating.
Pastas were cold, nothing special about the flavors. We got the agnolotti and the malfadini, and started with the cacio e pepe fritelle.
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Everything was outstanding.
The aperol spritz was my favorite of the summer and the food was all delectable. Here's what we had: The little gem salad - great basic. Refreshing way to start the mealGrilled artichoke - every time I order a grilled artichoke I forget how awkward it is to eat it. But this one was definitely worth the messiness. So delicious and full of garlic and parmesan and breadcrumbs. Yum.Sheep's milk filled agnolotti - so light and melted in your mouth.Spaghetti with pine nuts and lemon - also great. Very simple so we almost didn't order but I'm glad we did.Linguine with three types of garlic - garlic lover's dream. I'm hungry just thinking about it. Olive oil gelato (I think this was called the Italian job?) - really recommend this for dessert! I've never tasted gelato this good. The olive oil and sea salt and bee pollen add so much.
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Place is a scene out of a basic b*tch insta feed.
The garlic bread and the pasta that everyone gets are the only reason to come to the place. Our waiter was definitely a sex offender but I guess that is ok in Brooklyn. Save your time and money and go for some real Italian.
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Outstanding Meal at this Brooklyn Gem
Outstanding meal at this hard to get into restaurant. I now know why. Started off with the ramp focaccia for a starter followed by escarole (my 2 guests) and the little gem salad (myself). The breadcrumbs had a garlicky flavor and the salad was excellent. Shared the grilled clams (very good) and chicken liver crostini. For pasta, we chose 2 dishes that we split--mafaldini (very unique shaped pasta) and the spaghetti with pine nuts and parmigiano reggiano. Finished off the meal with "The Italian Job" (vanilla gelato with olive oil). Very good food, outstanding and non rushed service (our meal lasted more than 2 hours) and very reasonably priced for all the delicious food we ate.