After a hot visit at the Zoo we stumbled upon this lovely and very accommodating restaurant. The burger, fries and beer special was reasonably priced. The crab cake sandwich as promised, flaky and delicious. Our server was friendly and efficient and the environment cool and comfortable. read more

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I'm a little confused as to how this restaurant can close at 6:00 p.m. on a weekend evening. We had reservations for 5:30 and was told that they would stay open for us to dine even if it was past 6:00 p.m. Regardless, we had an enjoyable time and we finished our meals by 7:00 p.m. We got the lamb shank and schnitzel. Everything about the schnitzel was wonderful. Loved the eggs on top and the breading was nice and crunchy. Potatoes were tasty. The lamb shank wasn't as soft as it could have been but still very nice. I wasn't expecting a tomato sauce over the lamb even though the menu did say there was tomatoes in the dish. Calamari was also very good, though it seemed minimal. Service was excellent and attentive despite a slow start due to a large dining party in the main room. Ambiance was cozy and elegant in the back room. It was also very quiet which we liked for conversation. We thought sitting in the back would make them forget us but they came to check on us multiple times and always with refills of water. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Lamb Shank - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We were visiting DC and looking for some good Italian food. We read reviews and did research only to find this gem. The service was outstanding. Lisa waited on us and she's fantastic. The ambience is quant, homie, and good vibes. The food was phenomenal fresh, cooked and seasoned to perfection. This place is a must try. We'll be back on the next visit. read more

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Delicious happy hour cocktails and appetizers! Lovely patio and awesome service. Augustin was excellent and Dennis is great! Wonderful experience! read more

Very good food, fantastic service, and great ambiance. Friendly neighborhood place that's definitely worth checking out.

Very solid meal. Extremely nice staff who were accommodating of our wide age range. I would say the food feels home cooked--not unusual or expanding any horizons but perfectly nice, warm, and tasty. Wine selection was decent and they suggested a good Malbec that suited our meal. Excellent tiramisu (not too heavy)! Plus they have a neighborhood discount so I'm sure we'll be back! read more

First time eating here and it was very good. I had the chicken francaise. Service was very good and parking on Connecticut avenue was easy after 6:30 read more

Pretty good food. Good service. Reasonably priced. They do add 20% service fee for large parties so make sure you're mindful when tipping. Outside seating is covered with heaters in the cooler months but the fans may be a little noisy if you're sensitive. Otherwise it's a great place slightly offline the beaten path for good Italian. read more

We walked in at 3:15 on a Saturday afternoon to an empty restaurant with only one other couple sitting down. We asked to sit outside and they obliged. We waited 15 mins after getting water with no waitress in sight. I walked back inside to tell the staff we were leaving and all three waitress on staff were sitting and chitchatting. Besides the incredibly overpriced menu, the service was abysmal. read more

We were exploring the neighborhood and came upon Lillies right around dinner time on Tuesday. We walked right in and were seated. We started off with the happy hour wine and an order of the bruschetta. Really enjoyed the flavors! For my main I selected the shrimp florentine - which boasted fat shrimp and a creamy pesto sauce. Very good! The space is intimate, dimly lit and outdoor seating is available. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Great food. Homemade pasta was perfect. Wait staff handled our group of 19 like we were a group of 2. Wish I could rate this place higher than 5 stars! read more

The Alfredo sauce is the best I have ever had. So nice and light. The service was beyond attentive! There are 9 tables, 3 high tops and a stocked bar! The hot chocolate....YUM!!!Come check this place out! You will not be disappointed! read more

We had a great meal at this restaurant. The outdoor seating was very nice. The service was tremendous. They were ready to fill our water glasses at a minute notice. We enjoyed the food. I had the chicken piccata and it was tremendous. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Chicken picatta - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Escaping the mosquitos and running into this cute Italian spot was a great decision. Happy hour all day on Tuesday?! ALL DAY. Count me in. Oh wait, I work on Tuesdays...! (Be responsible...) Marvelous choices for happy hour for apps and drinks. Our dishes were smashing! Bruschetta-- it does have olives. I'm not a fan of olives but this tasted really good. I could barely taste them! Lobster ravioli with some shrimp. Oh Yes, count me in. Like I said in another post-- give me all the carbs! My friend had the house white and the gnocchi with sausage. I had a bite or two as well. I love this food! We order the brownie and icecream too. Honestly, I'm more of a carb freak but this was fairly good. Gooey and rich! Come check this place out- it's close to the zoo! read more

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Everything was delicious. The carbonara was 10/10. Would definitely come back. Ambiance was nice and the service was great. read more

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Great place for brunch. Friendly staff. The mimosas were great too. We all enjoyed ourselves. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - a plate of food - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great atmosphere, great food - they always treat us really well at Lillie's! The house-made tiramisu was so good.

I'm not sure why this place isn't more highly rated. I walked down from the National Zoo looking for a quick lunch; fortunately, this was a short walk. It was Monday so the place was largely empty. The vibe is halfway between casual and upscale. The lunch menu had pretty good options, but I went with a pretty standard buffalo wrap and side salad. Service was good and the wrap was tasty. Prices were reasonable. Maybe not 5 full stars but a very solid 4. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Two months ago, I had a very horrible experience at this restaurant--and today, two months later, I had another very horrible experience. During my first visit, an older woman who works there brought my card back after swiping it for another table's much larger order. When I told her I wasn't comfortable with her swiping my card again, she told me, "Don't worry about it, you come here all the time." That was already a red flag. Fast forward to today. I came back, and that same woman came to my table, slammed salt and pepper down in front of me, and proceeded to be rude, nasty, ignorant, immature, and everything in between. She accused me of not paying for my plate and the other table's order from two months ago--again, a mistake she made. I calmly and professionally explained how out of line her behavior was--truly only by the grace of God. I asked to speak with the manager. She said he wasn't there. That was a lie. Another employee overheard everything and went to get him. The manager apologized but said, "She's worked here a long time," which is basically code for "Nothing is going to change." He offered me a free meal, but the damage was already done. Let me be absolutely clear: DO NOT eat at this place. DO NOT spend your money here. DO NOT support this kind of customer treatment. You've been warned. read more

The food was sub par for the price spent there each plate ranges about 30 bucks and it's not a huge portion the flavor you can get better at olive garden ...we were starving from a day at the zoo and that was the closest. Very pretty inside service was slow for being the only ones there but they waiters were kind. Would not return unfortunately due to lack of flavor for the price read more

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On Valentines Day, I typically go for my main places but this year because of COVID19 I wanted to give back to small businesses and I came here! I made reservations on a different platform and wasn't notified of the pre-set menu. I came - got seated - and left. I was super disappointed about a pre-set menu. They have a huge menu that I was so eager to try. I'll have to come back to enjoy it all. Until next time! read more

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Great service! Very attentive waitress. Pretty good deals for a range of common food options. Pesto tortellini was super creamy and cheesy, portobello mushroom burger was very yummy and filling, but biggest let down was fish and chips which really didn't have enough fish to breading ratio. read more

My Crabcake sandwich was so fresh and deliciously seasoned. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable! read more

We come here regularly for lunch, and I should have posted a 5-star review earlier. It's a very friendly place serving delicious food, and Nora is a great bartender! read more

I hosted a dinner (30 people) and a brunch (20 people) at Lillies recently. I can't say enough nice things about those events. The manager, Ryan, and I worked on the planning in advance (reserving room, menus, etc). Everything went exactly as planned and was stress-free for me and my wife. The food and drinks were excellent. We heard nothing but compliments from our guests. Dennis and Noura were all class and charming servers. I would recommend Lillies for events (and for small quiet dinners). read more

$18 for a rueban that had no flavor. I could get the same meal for less at a pub that would taste much better Ambiance was a mixture of decor that made no sense. Service was very slow. Not recommended unless going for a quick brunch and in need. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Rueban and salad. - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My husband and I had high hopes for this little hole in the wall in NW DC. We made a brunch reservation for around 12pm on a Sunday before planning to head to the zoo. Upon arriving, we were greeted by an elderly woman who took our name and number of guests, and we told her we had a reservation. She quickly disappeared into the restaurant. Suddenly, two other servers told us to leave and that we would not be seated. They shooed us away and said we had to leave. We were stunned! We couldn't even get out that we had a reservation! The elderly woman (now swaying and holding a glass of champagne) and another hostess came out of the restaurant. The elderly woman said "they have a reservation, but I don't work here I just know the owners" and sauntered off. The young hostess said "they have a reservation they can be seated. So sorry we just have a large party inside today so that's the hold up." Finally, we were escorted by one of the servers who originally told us to leave into the restaurant but bizarrely were taken to a side room that didn't even have the lights on! The waitress flipped on the lights in a makeshift basement with chairs stacked up in the corner and dusty glasses covering the table. After seating us, several minutes went by and no one came to give us water, check on us, say "I'll be right with you," nothing. We quickly realized this place was not worth our business and left (especially when the menu posted outside the restaurant did not match the menu we were given and the $20+ price tag for a salad!) Large parties and busy days happen in the service industry. But it speaks volumes that LiLLiES has been established in DC for almost 15 years and they do not know how to handle a large party/event in their restaurant (i.e., close the restaurant for a few hours, close the restaurant for the entire day for a special event, or modify the times and dates that guests can reserve on OpenTable). If guests have a reservation they should not be turned away or left unattended. Period. Yelp, where is the zero star option? read more

I liked LiLLies. We went on a Saturday afternoon when we went to the zoo. There were three parties there and the place was pretty dead. Stood at the host stand and no one came out so we went inside and still didn't see anyone. We almost left but then someone finally came out. We were seated on the covered patio which was lovely. We could watch all the people walk by and it wasn't very loud. Service was good after getting seated. I ordered the breakfast panini which I enjoyed. The potatoes were great and the sandwich was pretty good. My boyfriend got the western omelette which I tried, of course. That was really awesome! But the toast was not good. We didnt eat it and gave it to a friend who ordered the fish and chips. He really did not like the fish. It was cold and he had an upset stomach later. Wouldn't recommend that. The bathroom inside was really nice and the place itself has a lot of indoor and outdoor seating. Its a good place for a nice quiet meal. read more

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American brunch at what I thought was an Italian/Italian-American restaurant that lasts until 3pm on a Sunday? My wife and I walked in at almost 1pm wanting to eat some pasta for lunch after visiting the Zoo. Unfortunately almost everything on the menu was breakfasty (steak & eggs, pancakes!). We asked if we could get something off the lunch menu and they could not accommodate. Our server and host were wonderfully attentive but whoever is making the decisions here is questionable. My wife and I left since we could not get what we came for, as did pretty much every other person around us that had just sat down. As we left we heard our server explain this situation to another worker. We ended up making the trek to Grazie Nonna's instead, which was FANTASTIC! read more

Stepped in for brunch after the zoo. Coffee was really good. I had Chicken Hummus Wrap, she had Paillard salad (Schnitzel-like). They were very good. I had a small Caesar salad as a side and it was good too. Prices weren't out of the norm for DC. read more

This was an excellent service and food. Wonderful customer service. very attentive and helpful with my family. I highly recommend this restaurant. The food was amazing and filled me right up. It's a nice and cute setting. Please check this place out! read more

Goodness. The service here is miserable. I had to flag someone down literally multiple times for coffee and at the end for our check. Our group was stuffed in the back with no daylight, and the food took quite awhile. My Lilies Benedict wasn't great. One egg was overcooked (not poached or runny), the potatoes were dry and not salty, the side of fruit was inconsistent (my friend got pineapple and I didn't??). Overall... wouldn't come back. Coffee was fine though. read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - Lillies Benedict - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The service was good (is it one family running the place?). The food was even better, with a huge bonus of the place being very close to the DC national zoo! This is a place I'd love to return to in the future! read more

The staff is extremely rude. I have never been to a place with such unprofessional staff in this area. Since it was too late to find a reservation at another restaurant near by on Saturday night, we decided to stay and order the food. My chicken piccata was too salty. Never again! read more

Great brunch spot! My wife and I enjoyed awesome French toast and I swallowed the worst Martini that I have had in my entire life. It was awful!! It was briny like a dirty Martini and tasted like it was shaken with ice from unfiltered tap water...I ordered a Sapphire Martjni, stirred, up, no olive/no twist. Nevertheless, the cannolis and French toast made up for it! Next time we will try the Panda pancakes! read more

LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar - French toast was awesome! - Mediterranean Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Had a great experience! We sat inside since the mosquitos were out in full force this night but it was a lovely experience. We enjoyed the seafood ravioli and gnocchi as well as some wine from the happy hour menu. They have specials almost every night of the week. read more

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Casual dining experience, came for a quick in and out dinner. Was not a fan of the signature cocktails; they felt old and outdated.

Was really disappointed. Service took FOREVER. Vegetable lasagne portion was small and not worth the price...at all. A lean cuisine frozen lasagne dinner would have been better. Could not believe I waited a long time for this. Friend orderd Chicken parm. It was ok, but nothing special. Ambience is ok, but also nothing special. Will not return. As I have small children it is rare I get the chance to go out to eat. This was my first time out in a long time and was so upset my big chance of a night out was wasted on this place. read more

What I got (weekday dinnertime): Lillies Martini, Chicken soup, Tortellini in Pesto Sauce, Garlic bread. -- Everything was good. Ambience: Good / dimly lit with candles on the tables. The one oddity/curiosity/headsup: All of their salads, (even a basic mixed house salad) are $18. Overall: Two thumbs up, and would return. read more

I already had an accepted reservation on OpenTable for this place, but I called anyway to confirm (OT is sometimes inaccurate). I asked the hostess who answered the phone, "Hi, are you open for dine-in this evening?" To which she goes, "Yea *sigh* but it's been a slow day, and we want to close at 5 today." Mind you, it was 4:15 pm. I said, "Well, I have a reservation at 5:30pm." She goes "Well, can you just come now?" What in the world?! I cannot even get into how unprofessional--I immediately canceled my reservation because no one wants to eat at a restaurant that doesn't want to serve. I can only imagine how poor the experience would have been had I gone. read more