An acclaimed Italian restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, known for its wood-fired seafood, hand-crafted pastas, and ingredient-driven approach to Italian cuisine.
ItalianSteakhouseSeafoodBakeryVegan-friendlySeafoodUpscaleDinnerCasualCocktail Bar
Last updated: 6/29/2026, 8:04:56 PM
Key Information
Lilia is an ingredient-driven Italian restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, known for its focus on seasonal and regional simplicity. It offers a casual dining experience with wood-fired seafood, hand-crafted pastas, and classic Italian cocktails, emphasizing warm hospitality. The restaurant also features seasonal outdoor dining options.
Customers generally praise Lilia for its delicious and thoughtfully prepared Italian food, with many highlighting the housemade mozzarella, agnolotti, focaccia, and sea bass. Service is frequently described as friendly and attentive. While reservations are notoriously difficult to secure, many reviewers feel the experience is well worth the effort and price, though some find certain dishes, like the focaccia or specific pastas, to be less impressive than anticipated.
Additional Details
The restaurant's philosophy, as seen in its social media, often uses the hashtag #KeepItSimple, reflecting its focus on quality ingredients and straightforward, delicious preparations.
Lilia is a highly sought-after restaurant, making reservations essential, especially for dinner. It is open for dinner Monday-Thursday from 5-10pm and Friday-Sunday from 4-10pm. Booking well in advance is recommended due to its popularity.
5
Super high end place. I loved the set up and in the middle of a heat wave on the 4th of July this place was packed. I ate outside in 80 + degree and totally worth it. The menu was sparse but thoughtful and touched all the bases. I love crostini and had to get it and it was 3 pieces and I only could eat one. They are enormous. The salad was yummy and fresh and really hit the spot. I asked for a side of bread just to drink up the dressing in the salad bowl. Then the LAMB. I love lamb and it should only be RARE medium becuz it burns up sooo quick. This chef knows how to do it. The giant piece of meat came out and it would have a villages I literally could only eat a 1/3 of it. It was crispy on the edges and juicy inside. Literally turned into a soup when I was done cutting into it. I love meat that does NOT need salt or spice and this plate satisfied that immediately.
I could not move it was sooo filling. The vibe is uber hip and everyone was glad they got a table at this place.
Lilia receives mixed reviews, and I really don’t get that. It was an incredible meal from start to finish. The bread is expensive for bread, but it is well worth it, and the agnolotti deserves every bit of hype it receives. Every bite had the perfect balance of freshness and warmth to it. We also had great service and drinks!
Went to Lilia for Valentine's Day and had a great experience! We ordered the housemade mozzarella, scallops, mussels, agnolotti, and lamb leg steak to share. Everything was delicious. The Italian Job for dessert was great too. I've never had olive oil and fennel pollen on gelato before, so was pleasantly surprised by how well it all blended.
The service was great! She was super friendly and attentive throughout the night.
(Review from a visit in Dec 2025): First time to Lilia, after having read all the hype. Really solid all around, pastas were all simple and tasty. We absolutely loved the mafaldini and agnolotti. We ordered too much so leftovers were taken home and we fought over them the next day. I think the star of show may have been the gelato, it’s wonderful. It shouldn’t surprise me as this group knows how to make 5 star gelato. The restaurant space is bigger than looks, with great atmospheric lighting that lends to a relaxing experience. Our only complaint was that service was a little uneven, they kind of disappeared at the end and also lost our leftovers. But they fixed it and it only cost us an extra 20 minutes. Overall, we really enjoyed Lilia! We’ll be back to try more of the menu and it also ranks as a great spot to impress visitors.
I’d wanted to eat at Lilia for almost two years after hearing so many great things, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.
I originally had a reservation earlier in my trip but unfortunately had to cancel because of a last-minute schedule change. Later in the week, we decided to stop by anyway and try our luck. Thankfully, there had been a cancellation, and the staff was able to seat us.
I’m so grateful they did.
We ordered a variety of dishes, and every single one was excellent. The prawns, chicken, and lamb were particular standouts, but honestly there wasn’t anything we ordered that I wouldn’t happily eat again.
Beyond the food, the staff created such a welcoming experience, and I’m thankful they were able to accommodate us despite our original reservation not working out.
This restaurant had been on my list for years, and it completely lived up to the anticipation. Thank you to the entire team, and especially the chefs, for such an incredible meal.
