Really enjoyed the food here. Lots of options. Not just the pasta and pizza but amazing Steaks. Some great veg options too. I've never been the biggest fan of eggplant. But loved that dish. Wait staff were very knowledgeable and helpful too and provided us with a great experience.
We have been wanting to come here for a while but the lack of ability to make a booking had turned us off coming. But I am so glad we finally came. We were a group of 4 plus two babies that came for dinner on a Friday night. Got there at 5pm and grabbed a table but the place was instantly busy - such a good sign.
We ordered a variety of dishes to share: the bread (so good that we ordered two serves), the chicken liver parfait (so yum), the lamb ribs (crispy but with nice amount of fat. Really good), the venison and the chorizo pizza and the eggplant. Didn’t love the pizza as found it a bit sweet and oily and thought the eggplant could have been cooked a bit longer as it was still quite hard jn the middle but everything else was delicious. Food came out in good succession.
Such a yummy meal with good service. So glad we finally made it here!
Food, service, atmosphere, 5 stars across the board, could not fault the experience. Woodfired bread was amazing, like a cross between Naan and a Pita pocket, substantial and tasty, and perfect to soak up the Anchovie Butter and Chicken Liver Parfait. We had the grilled octopus as well which was beautifully cooked with a lovely char while still tender in the middle. Along with 2 beers the bill was bang on $100 and we were not hungry when we left so its good value for food of this quality, can't wait to go back
Smart, casual, neighbourhood, Restaurant Exquisite bistro-style food, excellent funky wine and beverage list. Perfectly matching there offering. Marry this up with passionate, empowered staff and you have the winner. that is Lillian🙏🕊️💕!!!!
Lilian provides a cozy ambience with excellent service. Lilian is primarily walk-in; however, there are a few local bars nearby where you can wait at while a table is getting ready. Have come here multiple times and have throughly enjoy the changing menu items. In particular the octopus, market fish and duck breast have been excellent. I would recommend ordering multiple different dishes and sharing amongst your group if possible.
Super delectable dishes. I am so impressed and tummy so happy. We had dinner here for my birthday and thank God we made the right choice to celebrate with my friends.
Everything we had beginning to end was super delicioso. The woodfired bread with burrata was divine and I rarely eat steak but I really enjoyed their TBone steak.
Nothing to fault from the dishes we ordered. For our first time experience at Lilian, I should say that truly delivered. Staff was so friendly and attentive so that was a real plus. We will be back for more. Only downside is we can't book in advance if less than 8 people. Thanks Lilian hopefully you would be around for a long time.
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Overall, this is a long, honest review because we absolutely loved the food, yet the total Lilian experience feels like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be yet; stuck somewhere in the middle between casual and fine dining and because of that, it's hard to know if we'd go out of our way to come back.
So, I'm honestly having a hard time finding a representative number rating based on how we feel because we talked about it a lot; I'd say overall 3.5 if I could. To start with the good, the woodfire pork sausage pizza was without a doubt one of the bestngourmet pizzas we've ever had and if we were to come back, it'd definitely be for that. The grilled octopus was also surprisingly great because unlike every other one I've ever had in various countries, this one wasn't tough and chewy so was pleasantly surprising. Cocktails were also very unique and very tasty too, so from all the food side, 5/5 for sure and I can see why there was heaps of people walking in trying to get a table.
But the points of contention we had were mainly about the overall atmosphere and service experience in that when we compare the price to dining experiences at similar high-end / boutique restaurants, what they have is that extra touch. The tables could have a little more uniqueness to them. The outside seating could have something to make it more visually appealing than what feels like any other bar with seating basically on the sidewalk looking at the street (eg fairy lights wrapped around the poles alone could do wonders for the aesthetics, something like that to make the outside seating feel more inclusive and special). Then at similar calibre places, when you're given a variety of dishes, you usually get new plates bc like after eating grilled peaches with ricotta followed by octopus, I really don't then want to use that same plate for pizza too and have all these unique flavours mixed together. The last note is that whilst the servers were VERY nice, it still just felt very casual and disconnected between how everyone was dressed as if it was no different for a cafe, yet you'd never be spending $200 on a two person date night meal at a cafe. Then the toilets and inside seating have almost like a rustic appeal, but I wonder if this was more unintentional than intentional (bc like whilst the bathroom sink looks rusticly special, the toilets and doors do not).
What a great dining experience. Food was amazing, service was excellent. Even seated next to the toilets, not one person came back smelling. How magical.
Best dishes for me were the Anchovies pizza and the Pana cotta. A close second were the octopus and clams.
If I had to critique anything, the lamb had a bit too much char on them, slightly burnt bitter taste, and the Tiramisu was watery in the centre as though it had spent too much time in freezer.
Overall a fantastic place for a meal. Definitely will go again.
Highly recommend booking in advance as restaurant itself is small ! Food is really really good, recommend the wood fire bread with burrata and the lamb ribs. The prosciutto pizza was very salty despite having the grapes to offset it. The Cosmo drink was very interesting, loved the hint of chilli, apple and basil. Overall, come here with a group of friends so you can try all the delicious dishes.
Octopus - a bit pricy but very yummy, I found the sauces too sour for me
Courgette Pizza - phenomenal dough, good ricotta just a bit strange to have the lemon hint
Eggplant - very good
Good luck in finding a table my friend!
Descent italian Restaurant. We ordered by the reco from very kind FOH girl. Bread, roasted pepper and chicken liver partait, egplabt, cabbagre, lmb ribs, grape Pizza, octopus, market fish and every Dessert.
All food taste was okay, but you will only taste char flavor and sweetness. Every dish has same flavor so i wouldnt order Many food to try. Please try bread, chicken liver partait and eggplant. Those three dishes will explain every dish there. :)
It is shared concept but no folk and knife to to share. Weird.
What a splendid meal at Lilian! Had seen great reviews of their menu and had to give it a try myself!
We ordered fresh market oysters, wood fired bread and the smoothest chicken liver parfait I have ever had! They were out of tua tua that night, but instead we had juicy diamond clams with a spicy 'Nduja as well as a woodfired pizza with prosciutto, grapes, parmesan and thyme.
Lilian doesn't take bookings unless it's for groups of 6 or more. So we went early at around 5:45 on a Friday and still had to wait 20 minutes for a table. However, it was worth the wait!
This restaurant is simply gorgeous. 10/10 atmosphere, vibes, staff, and 20/10 food. Get the wood fired bread with confit tomato and stracciatella and never look back. You will emerge a new person.
Oh yeah. Ok, so wow. Got to be the best pizza I have had in NZ. But let’s not just say it’s pizza. Amazing steak, fish, veggies, cheese and bread.
Wood fire oven doing the heavy lifting here. Smoky and charred deliciousness, has to be one of the best restaurants in tamaki makaurau get amongst it.
Lilian perfected every detail of my dining experience. From the amiable but professional service to the classically upmarket atmosphere my initial impression sparked high hopes. I was NOT disappointed as the flavour of every dish was exquisite. I personally recommend the wood fried bread topped with the anchovie butter, buratta and olives as these starters combined into the winning dish. Best meal I’ve had in a long time! Thank you.
Some of the best pizza I ever had! An impressive wine list with excellent food recommendations from the server. Wonderful service, always topping up water and asking how the food was! The chorizo pizza and lemon dessert were outstanding! Such a lovely evening!
My best chicken river parfait in the world!!!
So delicious and best with wood fire bread.
The perfect Grey Lynn spot, staff are always kind and clearly take great care in providing a wonderful dining experience. They know the menu well so take the recommendations! You will not be disappointed. The kitchen and bar also clearly work hard to provide delicious food and beverages in record time. Thank you Lilian!
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