This restaurant completely nails the ambiance -- the interior is sleek, modern, and effortlessly cozy. I loved how minimalist yet inviting the space felt. The service was also top-notch; although there was a minor mix-up with our order, the staff handled it with such warmth and professionalism. They walked us through the menu with genuine enthusiasm, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. Now onto the food! The focaccia was easily the best I've ever had -- perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and so well-seasoned it didn't even need dipping (5/5, hands down). The pastas were creative and visually stunning, though they didn't completely blow me away flavor-wise -- still a solid 4/5 for their unique twists. Dessert was a delightful surprise. We had the "Italian Job," which balanced sweet and spicy in the most unexpected but delicious way -- it was bold, refreshing, and memorable. All in all, this place is absolutely worth a visit. The vibe, service, and food (especially that focaccia!) made for a fantastic night out. I'd definitely come back and recommend it to people :)

I wanna love this place and it's very good, but it's pretty hit or miss. I've been to Misi, the sister restaurant and I think it's just as good and much less of a hassle to get reservations. Cocktails here are fine but nothing unique, they have all the basics but nothing special. First time we came here started with the Cacio e Pepe Frittelle and loved them and the Grilled Clams, which were good but I've had better. Next tried a squash seasonal special and that was amazing. For pastas we had the infamous Sheep's Milk Cheese Agnolotti and liked this very much. Second pasta was Rigatoni Diavola and it was pretty bland and kind of a let down. It was like a base that was missing the main ingredient. For dessert they were out of almost everything. So we had the chocolate gelato with candied orange and the olive oil cake. The gelato was pretty delicious, olive oil cake was just ok. Second time we came here, got the Cacio e Pepe Frittelle and Roasted Leek Focaccia. Both dishes were kind of the same, I guess we ordered wrong, but they were both bread heavy and I wish we had ordered something else. Definitely got the Sheep's Milk Cheese Agnolotti again but the star of the show and honestly the reason I will come back here is the Mafaldini, Pink Peppercorn, Parmigiano pasta, OMG this was the one thing that was for real mind blowing. Then we wanted dessert and guess what, they were out of everything except the chocolate gelato and the olive oil cake, so we passed.

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

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).

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.

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.

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!

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

This was on my list for such a long time, and finally - my friend was able to get a reservation for us! Overall the food was delicious - my friend and I got the mozzarella and garlic bread, the grilled clams, the grilled artichoke, and two pastas to share. The garlic bread doesn't have a particularly noticeable garlicky flavor, but the mozzarella was creamy and fresh. The grilled clams were covered in this Calabrian chili paste, which had a nice kick. Initially we were not sure about how to eat the grilled artichoke (surprising this is the first time we ate a complete artichoke haha). But once we figured it out, it was absolutely delicious. Now in the pastas: they were fresh and cooked perfectly al dente. The rigatoni diavolo had a wonderful sauce. The other pasta was also yummy, but I'm not sure if it was the pasta dish we ordered. I thought we ordered the Linguini with lamb sausage and tomato pasta too, but instead the dish we got had a nice creamy cacio e pepe flavor. Still though, we enjoyed the food. The restaurant ambience had a romantic vibe, and was just a really chill place for more intimate get-togethers. Not sure if it is all worth the difficulty in getting a reservation, but the food is good, and the vibes are lovely!