ilili Restaurant Review

Average food with the worst waiters ever Never come back here again!

How do you turn a great restaurant experience on it's head? Bad hosting! Saying you are about to experience a rush and no tables are available when every time slot on Opentable is free for the rest of the night is not a way to get repeat business. Food was good overall and the bartender makes great drinks but will not be coming back.

Food was fabulous. Beautifully designed restaurant with great for and staff. Sat with Jules and she was lovely. Will come again.

Beautiful interior (especially the bathroom lounge) and incredibly tasty, elegantly ethnic foods. Great for chilling at the lounge/bar area, and creative, but again culturally relevant drink options. Do yourself a favor and order the dessert with rose water and clotted cream.

Amazing food and amazing service every time I am there!!! Fantastic!!!

Although I loved the food last time, at this visit, I really did not like most dishes (and some were the same as last time). I suspect that either they was a different chef, or someone had a tremor as they used the salt, as the level of saltiness was almost unbearable in several dishes. Service remains attentive and pleasant. I hope that this was an aberration rather than the current usual preparation.

Been waiting for Lebanese food for a very long time! Best restaurant in NYC. I highly recommend it! The staff was awesome!

High end Lebanese food, which can be tough to find. Also, really interesting wine list featuring Lebanese bottles

Very tasty food, luxurious place and high standard service, reservation requires a better place to sit

I guess people of certain races is not welcome at this restaurant.

This is definitely my favorite Mediterranean restaurant.

Great service and great food! It's a very contemporary and modern looking place, the variety in the menu was pretty refreshing to see. Service was outstanding and just got as the food.

Delicious mixed grill, easy walk from 33rd St station.

Great food and great service - a bit on the expensive side but in my opinion it is worth it for the amazing traditional food!!

Not really sure why so many good reviews. Prices are pretty high, quality is average, service is dodgy (snobby waiters). But I guess this is what you ha e to put up with in Manhattan. I know of many great places with half the price. Seems they got very high rent.

Awesome Lebanese Food. They keep bringing on more ... love the Hummus!

I was a little reluctant to head to Ilili's strange location, but after giving in it became one of my favorite places in NYC. The Mixed Grill entree is a great share for two. The fatoosh, babaghanoush and above all, the brussel sprouts must be ordered. The cocktail menu is a little tired, but the full bar and helpful staff make up for it.

Get the brussel sprouts. Even if you don't like brussel sprouts. Trust me.

Fun place, great crowd, lovely food, you must try the duck shawarma

Really good food. This place, however, should be an anniversary gift for your significant other. I cannot see myself coming here everyday for $50 lamb chops! This place was also my first time trying tartare and it was absolutely delish! I could never imagine myself eating raw meat until then, haha.

Very nice and trendy restaurant in Manhattan for fast Lebanese food with a distinctive touch and quality.

Great food, a very good wine list. A pleasent place t have a great dinner.

Food was great taste with miniture quantity. The problem it was lacking the mid. Identity as other restaurants. Name of the foods were kind of ok but totally not labense at all. Service were great and prices does not worth the type and quantity of food.

Ok so this restaurant has been on my list for sometime now. Restaurant week was the perfect time to check them out!

So my first impression of Ilili was the ambiance was very calming and well...sexy! I was with one of my girls, but would definitely recommend for a date night. It's the perfect place to have a great conversation. The vibe is spot on!

Service- I would say my standards are pretty hight but not unrealistic. This is one of the reasons for my 5 star rating. My guest and I was attended to right away. ( I did have reservations) there was no delay. I was greeted by a friendly hostess and then escorted to my table. The restaurant has a huge lounge area, bar and dining area. I believe there is an upstairs, but I didn't see that part. So from what I saw as far as where we were dining, I would definitely recommend reservations. Once seated, there isn't an abundance of space between you and the guests next to you. However, once I was seated, it wasn't a nuisance. Our server Maurico came over promptly and offered water options, and the drink menu. I have to say his timing for everything was impeccable! It's like he had a rhythm to his flow! Makes sense? Lol! He was even able to read my lips without alerting my friend that we were celebrating her birthday! We didnt feel rushed and once we were ready for the check, he was prepared. Just the perfect evening !

Ok now...FOOD!

Let me start by saying YUM!!! If you're looking for a flavor party in your mouth, Ilili is a must try! We ordered the following dishes.

Shrimp and lamb hummus- first thought was there was an overbearing taste of lime. But once paired with the shrimp/lamb and fresh pitas bread, it all made sense. It was like the perfect pair!

Falafel- first thought was it looked hard. But oh it's not! Once you take a bite and pair it with the sauce....YUM! It's actually an outside crunch with a fluffy inside. (Ok by now you've figured out that I'm not a food critic, but work with me here, I'm going somewhere. Picture it!)

Kebab Kerez- sweet and spicy lamb and beef meatballs. You will taste the spice first, and the sweet comes after. Packed with flavor!

So those were just the apps!

Our mains...

Lamb chops- I can't personally speak for the flavor, but my friend almost ate the bone

Lamb makloubeh - now this dish has dirty rice, fried eggplant, cucumber yogurt and mixed nuts. Now, I normally don't like nuts in my food. In my eyes, nuts are pocket snacks. I usually opt to take them out of dishes, but I will say I'm not disappointed for leaving them in there. For whatever reason, it did something for me with this dish. I savored each and every bite! The lamb was tender, flavorful and cooked to perfection! I cleaned my plate ( and I'm a lady, so we never want to look to greedy! But then my Mama said to never waste food! So....yeah!) When I return, I would have to try this dish again before I move on. It was that good!

Dessert- Ashta which is a traditional Lebanese clotted cream, berries. Think of a light blend of fresh cream that's not too sweet with ripe fruit. It was good, but I wouldn't say I'd order again.

The Ilili candy bar reminded me of a Twix. It tasted like an upscale twix, whatever that is. but the ice cream on the side is

Ok, sorry for the book. But I really enjoyed my experience. Now go make a reservation!

*note: even though its restaurant week and they're offering a prefix menu for $42 dinner. You will be uncharged for certain additions to the food. Nothing excessive, just giving a heads up! The amount is on the menu next to the dish.*

Pretty pricy. Food is good, but drinks are nono. Happy hour is very disappointing.

Terrific Lebanese tapas restaurant, and a great dinner destination with a small group of friends (4 to 8 people). The menu might be a bit difficult to decipher, but their friendly staff are more than happy (and patient) to help you out (our waiter went through every single item on the menu, as well as some off-menu items, with us). Their steak tartar (kibbe naye beirutieh), chicken livers, and mouhamara (walnuts, sun dried peppers, pomegranate molasses) are absolutely delicious! For non-alcoholic drinks, check out their strawberry basil ice tea.

Excellent food. Way overpriced restaurant. The atmosphere is great. Service was good. Great music.

Everything we ordered was fantastic. We will be revisiting soon

Great happy hour, and some of the best hummus in thr Flatiron District. Modern rustic feel with a lounge that feels like a contemporary take on traditional Middle Eastern decor.

Love the food here. Service was attentive. We were there for brunch on a Saturday and it was not hard to get a reservation the day before.

From Japan :)
Very delicious Jordanian cuisine. I thought it might be expensive, but the volume is amazing. I was hungry with a single falafel and wrapped it.

Excellent Lebanese food. Service was good but a little slow.

Food was great, but every glass I touched felt dirty.

Nice venue, food was so so. The space upstairs was not nice.

the food was fresh, and deliciious.....staff were attentive and professional. Will definitely return

Dined at ilili during restaurant week. Deliciously good food, decent portions! Highly recommend the lamb makloubeh and chicken liver..

Delicious food. Quality service. Went with coworkers and everyone had a great time.

The best thing about his place is the interior design and decoration. Very fancy and cute . The food was ok. The lamb sausage was very good

Fantastic experience!! Family from Beirut paid a visit to the states so we had to check this place out. The food was phenomenal! Every single dish was perfection. (Removed one star because of the long waits between courses)

Love Ilili! It has a very romantic vibe and service was very friendly and attentive. We were here during Restaurant Week but the food was amazing. We started with 4 appetizers and they are generous size. We got this sauteed shrimp, which is close to ASian flavor and is absolutely delicious. Their hummus is also creamy, rich and goes so smoothly with warm pita bread. The tuna tartar was fresh, tender and juicy.

My entree was steal head trout with grains and vegetable. Surprisingly it tastes just like salmon except it is not as fatty and rich. However, it has the same tender and smooth consistency. The sauce was excellent and I love the crispy skin from the fish!

MY husband got the lamb kabab and it was tender and the flavor was really good. We ended our dinner with their sweet desserts. I love the "Candy Bar", which is essentially Chocolate cake with crispy wafer and other mysterious ingredients. It is a must-order. The cheese cake was excellent too.

I am glad I came and I can't wait to return to sample more!

Good upscale restaurant with a great choice of food.

Classy Lebanese restaurant! We had a group of 6 of us, so shared a bunch of dishes. Favorites include: the shrimp, octopus, and the burrata!

Not one of the many hostess there approached my friends to take our order in the lounge area for approximately 20 minutes, we left.

It was a nice and ambient place to enjoy Lebanese Food.

Delicious ... Super good atmosphere. The fried quipes, tipile, raw quipe

Very large space. It can accommodate large or intimate groups. Good service. Gorgeous decor. The food was great accompanied by an extensive wine list.

Loved the ambience and lots of vegetarian options !

The mezza was excellent in flavor and presentation. The wait staff pronounced each order in perfect Lebanese even though they obviously weren't Lebanese.
Even though it is priced higher than any other Lebanese restaurant I have been a patron of...I definitely recommend ILILI...the wines are from Lebanon as well.

My favorite spot in NYC for Lebanese food. The hummus with lamb and pine nuts is my very favorite dish. It s also great for group outings so that you re able to share a number of the smaller plates without needing to have a main course.

The food was absolutely mediocre. Don't come here if you want to eat real lebanese food. The place and ambience is nice though.

I love this place. Get the Brussels sprouts! Best ever!

We've been here at least four times and always bring our out of town family here to show them the best of NYC.

Plus Lauren has been our waiter twice and she always makes our experience memorable.

Best Lebanese place in NYC. Incredible food. Awesome atmosphere. Great wine list. You might want to make a reservation because it is always packed. Worth the wait. Make sure to try desserts. WOW!

this place is amazing. great food, great ambiance, fair price. great place for a first date.

Absolutely amazing place. Food was fantastic. Staff were supper attentive and always making sure we had water in our glasses as well as drinks. The venue itself is gorgeous, very inceptiony. Definitely coming back here on a regular bases.

Finally a great Lebanese food restaurant.
Service is perfect, food is beyond good. The taboule is lemony and made to perfection. The baba ghanouge . I highly recommend the kebbeh nayeh as well the BBQ kaftah...
It takes a lot to perfect food and this is perfection.

We have the opportunity to dine at Ilili restaurant. It is a beautiful place with several rooms and a bar in the flatiron district of Manhattan. We enjoyed appetizers of hummus, baba ghannouj, and moussaka. We shared entrees of falafel, beef shawarma, lamb chops, stuffed grape leafs and the mixed grill. Everything dish was authentic and delicious. The service was attentive and great. The restaurant was crowded and was noisy. The drinks were good and very pricey. Bottom line: This is a fantastic high priced Lebanese restaurant.

Wasn't as good as the hype. And on the expensive side.. Beautiful room. good service. the falafel was over cooked. Portions small. need to order 3 dishes to make up 1 main. The shawarma we tried was dried out with little flavor. Could not eat the lamb shawarma. The Brussel sprouts were amazing as was the baba ganoush. The french fries were also different and a treat.

Food is the tastiest thing in it .. Beautiful place Great service .. I would recommend it

This was my second time at Ilili, and the first time for lunch. The food is consistently wonderful and authentic. The variety of flavors and quality of ingredients made me want to keep eating, even after I was full. Everything I've tried on the menu has been great to outstanding. The range of dishes will satisfy carnivores and vegetarians alike. The servers are welcoming, efficient, and knowledgeable. The setting is both relaxed and upscale. It's well worth coming across town for. I highly recommend Ilili to everyone, and I'll definitely be returning.

Not worth the hype at all. Food was a bit too sweet for my liking

The food is boring with no flavors at very high prices. I sat down for dinner and ordered a glass of wine, about an hour went by and still no wine. The food is nothing special, the venue isinice but they need to turn up the air conditioning. Had much better food all over the city. Never going back.

The service and atmosphere were impeccable! We ordered the octopus, falafel, moussaka, and hummus. They were all very tasty. I also ordered a cocktail from the bar which was also very good.

We sat at the bar and ordered the brussel sprouts - some of the best I've had in the city. The warm eggplant dish was also delicious. The falafel and hummus were fine... I have to remember NOT to order those two dishes in the future. There's nothing wrong with them, but with their vast menu, you'll be able to find tastier dishes vs. the classics which are just as good elsewhere.