Lillo & Ella

Boyfriend and I are new to the area. So we liked to try new restaurants.
Pros:
Close to our apt.
Ample parking space.
Nicely decorated. Loved the colors.
Waitress was attentive.
He ordered the fish of the day. Which was swordfish on a bed of grits and mushrooms. he absolutely loved it.
I ordered the orange glazed crispy chicken. It was amazing. The sauce was just heavenly.
We ended up ordering dessert because I just can’t resist rice pudding. It was great. I would go back just for that dessert.
Cons:
The hostess was a snob.
The price was a bit expensive.
The chipotle and honey edamame didn’t impress me.

Closed 9÷16÷2015
A press release from Lillo & Ella’s public relations company says that, effective today, the restaurant is closed.

Ho-​hum food. Really nothing special, a little bland. I feel like I could of made this at home and that’s not good.
Service was super awesome! There’s also a dog patio which could be fun for our pup, but the food isn’t worth the journey.
It’s a shame, I was looking forward to enjoying this place!

They have a great outdoor patio that is also dog friendly. By «dog friendly» I mean they have bins for your dog’s «accidents.» And, don’t worry, they are not next to the tables. Your food and nose are safe.
A few girlfriends and I ended up here on a weeknight without remembering it was August. The waitress reminded us that they were participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks as well as how they are the only restaurant participating who gives you an alcoholic beverage with the meal. So, this is great if you’re one who like a beer or wine with meal. I was on allergy medication and needed water, my friend was on antibiotics, and my other friend wasn’t going to drink alone. We decided to forego the HRW Menu. Maybe next year?
All three of us, without trying, ended up with similar meals! We each ordered an individual order of brussel sprouts, and they were heaven! They were just the right amount of crisp and flavor without being overly salty or too soft. We all were in agreement that the brussel sprouts we make at home never turn out this way. And, we all ended up having skewers. I had two yogurt and curry shrimp skewers that were just the right amount of spicy without making me sniffle or cry. One of my friends had a pair of the zucchini and mushroom skewers and the other friend had a pork belly and a beef skewer. We were all full, but my mouth needed some cooling, so I ordered a dessert we could split: A Nutella pie with banana-​palm sugar ice cream, burnt caramel sauce, cocoa nibs for only $ 6.
This is a great date place or a night out with the girls (actually the table next to us was celebrating a birthday) and doesn’t break the bank! And, don’t forget your pooch if you don’t mind sitting outside.

I drive one hour to eat at my new favorite eatery. Each time I come back I try new experiences. So far I have really enjoyed every thing. Tonight I am eating on the veranda chilling to the sound of the rain drops on the sky grid. I ordered 3 entrées. Imagine my surprise when I bit into the «Charred Brussels Sprouts» and found that a veggie which was my childhood enemy was now my best friend. WOW! Yummy for the tummy

This was a great little place to go. Went there for brunch on Sunday. Has a nice outdoor patio, great atmosphere inside, the food is very high quality. I can personally suggest the salmon banh mi and from what I saw on other peoples plates everything looks really good. The had some local musician come up and play. Cool for a less popular well known spot.

Small portions provide a big hit to your wallet at this casual Asian fusion restaurant.
I met some friends here for dinner on pretty short notice. I had never heard of Lillo & Ella so I didn’t really know what to expect. The inside was nice with lots of soothing colors, and it slightly reminded me of a beach-​side restaurant, but I think that’s just me.
My girlfriend and I ordered the Vegetable Pad Thai, and think it came to our table about 3 minutes later. I applaud the kitchen for their quick service, but it almost came out too quickly. After the waitress put the plate on our table, I nearly lost my mind on how small the Pad Thai was. The dinner plates they gave us were almost bigger than the serving dish. We ordered an entrée and got an appetizer, in terms of size.
The worse part is not only was the Pad Thai just disappointingly small, but it was also pretty bland. The vegetables had no seasoning or anything to make them taste like anything but bell pepper. The noodles were fine but the sauce they were in was super light on flavor unless you got a bite with lemongrass in it.
For what is a single portion pretty much anywhere else, this place has the cojones to charge $ 16! It didn’t even have a protein!
The fact that I spent $ 20 after tax and tip, and both my girlfriend and I were not even close to full is ridiculous.
I will not be back.

Came here for a quick lunch with my husband after an appointment at Memorial Hermann Northwest. It is within walking distance of the hospital. We shared the crab fried rice, Brussels sprouts, and Nutella pie. It was a generous amount of food to share without any leftovers to take home. The rice was slightly on the salty side for me, but very flavorful. The Nutella pie was clearly house made and not overly sweet.

First visit — on a rare cool evening and sat outside.
This place is a winner — great and unusual dishes. We liked most everything (exceptions below).
We started with three of their unusual cocktails (well priced at $ 7 each) — one was a bit over gingered.
The charred brussel sprouts (a different take than Uchi’s) and crispy calamari were very good and decent sized (more than enough for 3 to share).
Entrees were mussels, crispy chicken, and braised pork belly (latter more of an appetizer at $ 6 but after too much appetizers.). All VERY good — issues were not all the mussels were cooked properly — a few could not be opened — and crispy chicken was a tad light on chicken.
Throw in 2 beers and tip — damages for 3 were $ 115.
We’ll be back — probably not order the mussels again. Give them a try. BTW — a large private parking lot.

Interesting concept with unique but confusing dishes. Basically just top dollar appetizers. If you feel comfortable paying the equivalent of $ 1.50 per piece of shrimp then come on over!
They should change their name to Lillo $ Ella.

I really wanted to like this place. My husband and I used to live in Upper Kirby and are huge fans of Roost, so when we heard they had opened up a new spot near where we live now, we were thrilled. Despite seeing some of the mediocre reviews we went with open minds, yet left very disappointed.
The atmosphere (at least the outdoor patio) is lovely, and the service was attentive (sans the menu, which was stained with sauce or something. C’mon guys… this isn’t Chuck E Cheese).
The drinks were fine, and the cool cocktail glasses were a nice touch. But the food…
We ordered the brussels sprouts (hoping for a win along the lines of the amazing fried bonito cauliflower at Roost), a pork belly skewer, the duck egg roll, and shared the Thai Muu noodles. The first three items came out in less than 5 minutes, which was surprising — and the first red flag.
Everything tasted like it had been made an hour before and had been wilting under a hot lamp in the kitchen. The sprouts were anything but crispy, unevenly cooked, and barely lukewarm. The pork belly skewer wasn’t bad (I mean, it’s pork belly, right? How hard can it be to mess up?), but it wasn’t warm either. The duck spring rolls were the best of the three, though still no better than mediocre.
The noodles, which we shared, were just plain awful. Again, lukewarm, soggy noodles drenched in some sauce in which the flavors seemed more muddled than balanced, with limp pieces of green beans. Neither of us finished our meal.
To top it off, we were sitting by the entrance of what I think may have been the kitchen, and an awful dirty water/​sewage smell wafted out occasionally.
This place could be amazing… if it had Roost’s kitchen staff and management. But something is clearly off at Lillo & Ella. With the location and the décor it has potential, but a major overhaul has to be done in terms of food quality and attention to detail.

I liked Lilo and Ella much better than the tequila bar that used to occupy this space. The the food and drink menus were both interesting, my favorite part was the Zatoichi’s Revenge drink — named for the blind swordsman who has been a staple of Samurai Saturday on IFC.
While this place was a little on the pricey side it was not ridiculous, the food and service were both good. When I go again I will probably get one of the noodle dishes, they looked delicious.

Clarification — 4 stars for the service — 1 for the food
For a supposed award winning Chef’s restaurant this place was totally underwhelming. We had the spare ribs and egg roll to start and then the Cumin Chicken and Muu Noodles as entrée’s and all of them were way below our expectations — mostly overcooked & tough meats and generally under seasoned. Don’t think we finished a single dish.
Wait staff were kind, attentive and quick to assist us with the menu, however the food just totally ruined the experience.

The staff was very kind and the whole atmosphere of the restaurant is awesome. It’s a cute little spot and well decorated.
The food on the other hand was very disappointing. I love Asian cuisine and I’m all about places that are trying to really modernize and westernize Asian dishes… but this place wasn’t the right place to go for it. The best thing we had was probably the Honey Chipotle Edamame.
The blue crab fried rice, toasted garlic, chinese sausage, snow pea and basil was a blend that I was really looking forward to tasting but for some odd reason, it did not taste as delicious as I anticipated. It just did not taste good. The sausage was good on its own but it seemed like there were too many things fighting for my taste buds.
The Thai muu noodles, ground pork shoulder and chili tossed with egg noodles, long beans, bean sprouts and herbs was probably the worst. It seemed very watery and didn’t have enough flavoring to the dish.
And the egg rolls. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. It just falls apart when you grab it and it’s a horrible interpretation of a «westernized Asian egg roll.»

Went here with a friend since we both heard good things from others. The décor is casual and they do have their own parking lot which helps. They don’t take reservations for small parties so come early and try your luck.
Luckily it wasn’t too crowded and we were seated without too much delay. There is small bar with some seating if you have a wait. They also have a patio and are dog friendly.
Ok, enough with the background, onto the food. We ordered the brussel sprouts, edamamme, the shrimp skewers and the calamari. Everything was awesome. The brussel sprouts were the some of the best I’ve had. The calamari breading wasn’t too heavy and the edammamme had a sweet and spicy glaze which was nice. The shrimp skewers were delicious.
The do have a small wine and beer list, but there is a rotating microbrew tap. The bar is full service and they have specialty cocktails. We had a couple but nothing really memorable.
The staff is friendly and accommodating. Overall a nice new find,

Great atmosphere… laid back and warm/​energetic.
The food was great. Some of the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had. Excellent noodle dish. Will def be back.

It was a fairly disappointing dinner at Lillo & Ella: their food is way too expensive for the $$ price. I’d compare it to a fresher, more upscale Pei Wei with much higher prices. But if you go, the blue crab fried rice was the best thing we had. The brussel sprouts were WAY too salty, and the thai muu noodles and beef sesame skewers were OK but nothing to write home about.
And the staff really seemed like they hated being there and couldn’t understand why we were there too. Strange.

I was very impressed with the food here. My man and I came here with another couple. The menu is really perfect for ordering many items and sharing, so that’s what we did. Here’s what we ordered… the calamari, charred Brussels sprouts, chicken wings, blue crab fried rice, thai muu noodles, the yogurt & curry shrimp skewer… AND the nutella pie… Wow that’s a lot. All items were well priced in the $ 8 — $ 15 range so you could definitely eat here on a budget or you could go big depending on what and how much you order.
The charred Brussels sprouts are the 2^nd best I’ve ever had (1^st being Catalan, circa 2006, R.I.P.). They were perfectly cooked with a delicious black bean garlic sauce. The portion was very large, all 4 of us were able to have a substantial portion. The calamari is another that was most memorable. The sweet yet spicy sauce was a great change from the typical calamari dish. Everything else was wonderful too. I appreciated the unique combination of ingredients that were prevalent in most of the dishes. I am looking forward to coming back and trying more menu items, but also having those Brussels sprouts again!
As other reviewers mentioned, get that poor hostess a hostess stand. The gal looked so awkward just standing near the entrance with no area to call her own.

At first glance Lillo & Ello is a fun, chill place to eat in the Heights. There’s ample outdoor seating to hang out at and the menu offers a variety of small plates. Which is great for sharing between a group. While the staff was friendly and the food came out quickly, I just wasn’t impressed with the food.
For this visit I tried the Salty Viet Wings, Thai Muu Noodles, and the Black Pepper Steak. The wings weren’t fried enough to get that crisp skin for the sauce to stick to. Which was unfortunate as the sauce was tasty but sat at the bottom of the dish. I found the noodles to be bland. There was no heat despite the token slices of chilies and the blanched beans only made it worse. Thankfully the pepper steak was very flavorful and was my favorite dish of the meal.
I can see L&E being a good place to chill at, but wouldn’t come for a full meal. The menu is varied and reads to be flavorful. However the actual product doesn’t always live up to the description.

Lady and the Tramp it over a bowl of Thai Muu Noodles.
Lunch Bunch it with your girlfriends and Bao it up.
Catch up with the bros over a few brews and some bar bites.
Lillo & Ella is a chic yet rough around the edges atmosphere that brings a different kind of tapas experience to the Heights area. The main dining room is suited for a couples night out or a gathering of old friends. Wood and brick aesthetics with campy picnic tables and sleek booths. Round the corner is the bar area with adequate seating and a few high tops.
When you think of tapas, you tend to think small bites that everyone gets a little taste. So I ask you, take that idea — and throw it out the window while your cruising down Ella on your way here. The «shared bites» are large enough to feed 2 to 4, being hefty portions, I might add.
On a recent date here, we were only able to have the Thai Muu Noodles, the Charred Brussels, and a few beers before having to call it quits. It was simply a ton of food. Both dishes were prepared very well, but did need the assistance of the flavor caddy on the table that contained the usual salt and pepper but also a nice variety of siracha and hot sauce.
The bar doesn’t carry quite the selection one would hope for in the beer area but their cocktail menu is quite impressive. It seems to have an array of combinations that would tickle both the stiff and airy drinkers. Prices are a little on the high end but I think it could easily be attributed not wanting this to become «just another bar» but a funky new eatery in H town.
The best value of getting to try an assortment of their food would be their Bao special at lunch. Its a choice of 3 from the selection w/​soup or salad for $ 16. I’ve yet to try it but— did someone say anise pickles on Korean fried chicken?
I. Just. Drooled. A little.
I would like to say, I enjoyed the staff here. We sat and talked with the bartender, who also doubled as our server, for sometime. After the first introduction, he was able to remember both our names and called us both by them frequently. It was a personal touch of customer service I think lacks, so good job, dude.
See what’s poppin’ off in the Heights, you won’t be disappointed.