Li-Lis

This place is CLOSED. Really annoying that one can still make a reservation through Unilocal.We showed up there Saturday night for our reservation to find it shut down.

I made a reservation on Unilocal but when we showed up they were closed. Make sure you call before going. That’s all I have to say. Nothing else to see here. Move along.

Had a nice birthday dinner here.
The short rib stew was pretty awesome, incredibly soft, tender meat and flavorful.
Only short coming — service was a little too slow, especially considering the restaurant was not busy by any means.
Also — price vs food ratio…
It’s one of those huge fancy white plate with a tiny bit of fancy food in the middle type of place.
Certainly would love to see portions at the very least double the size.

First of all, this place is very cozy and if you are going to date, Li-​lis is a good choice. Second, the food is great. Me and my friend ordered duck foie gras, duck breast and lamb chop. The duck foie gras has a nice texture and its taste is rich. The duck breast and lamp chop are cooked perfectly. It has been a long time since I found a restaurant that cooks the lamb perfectly like that!!! They also have many wine choices, too. I’m in love with this place and definitely gonna come back.

What a wonderful place! It has two levels with different arrangements. — good set ups for drinks, dinner and probably private events. The wine list is well curated and reasonably priced. Cocktails and beers interesting. Most importantly, this is a great menu of Asian/​French fusion. A great variety of apps and dinners. We had the Chilean sea bass and the beef borgogne, both were excellent.
And above all, the service was excellent! How nice! Lots of amuse bouch that were great!

Spent Valentine’s Day here.
The service was an up and down and the food was a big up.
Our apps came very late and things started to seem shady. The server and food runners/​bussers were clearly busy and inexperienced (dropped food at the wrong table, hesitant to provide details). But a server who wasn’t even assigned to our section, Lucas if I remember right, along with a brunette hostess/​bartender?, were very very eager for this to be a good valentines for us. They took care of us well for our troubles, going a little beyond what was necessary to make a good impression.
We had the foie gras, escargot/​scallops to start and filetmignon with fingerlings, the seabass, and the duck. I don’t pretend to know much about Duck liver and snails but they tasted amazing compared to what I’ve had so far. What I could tell was that the scallops were slightly overcooked and used a little too much duck skin. Everything else was really amazing.
Overall the finish is the most important thing in dining, and they delivered.

We popped in here on a Tuesday evening and found this place completely empty. With the great reviews, we were a bit taken back but thought maybe the weather had something to do with it, who knows? The ambiance is inviting and very modern. There is a little lounge area in the entrance, long bar behind that and then leads into the dining area of maybe 20 or so tables in the back close to the kitchen.
Getting to the food, we started with the tuna tartate (so fresh and had excellent texture), the foie gras (done well and flavorful), the Maine lobster and porcini risotto (good flavors and creamy), and the endive salad (simple but good). For our mains, we tried the duck (a bit too fatty for my liking but ok), the filet (overcooked and a bit tough to eat), the roasted chicken (simple but cooked well) and the garganelli (al dente and flavorful). To wrap things up, we tried the crème brûlée (standard but good), mixed sorbet (unique flavors that we were not ready for as we didn’t enjoy the dry aftertastes), the almond pear tart with ice cream (simple but good), and the flour-​less chocolate cake (can’t go wrong with ice cream).
Overall, the service was friendly but a bit slow with an empty restaurant. There were several occurrences when they dropped a drink or even some complimentary cookies when serving us (maybe a bit flustered?). For what we paid, the prices were a bit steeper given our overall experience, but it did have some positives and negatives throughout our dining experience.
Buon appetito.

Very nice place! Love the environment, great place for a couple to come.
My server he was great and cute! I don’t know if it’s only for the Valentine’s Day or not but my server gave us a lily! Absolutely NICE and WARMING!
The food was great! A great mixture of French and Asian style. I love it! Meet the chef in person and he’s a great person.
I know for sure I will definitely come back to this place because I live around here.

— overall rating: 4.5
— found both the ambiance and staff very welcoming
— dinner came with a complimentary amuse bouche (shrimp dumpling) and squash soup, both were delicate and well executed
— date night intimacy
— impressive plating
— though the waitress didn’t ask for the temperature I’d like my duck to be cooked, it was a perfect medium rare (however the skin could’ve been left to sear longer to render away some of the fat)
— recommend: hok blast cocktail; cucumber/​lime, refreshing and slightly sweet

I had my birthday dinner there recently with several friends. It was a bold move since I’d never eaten there before and I knew it just opened recently. I reserved a table after reading some wonderful reviews.
Long story short, the food is spectacular. Service? I’d say it’s okay. When we walked in the door there was no one there to greet us. Each time we needed our glasses refilled, we had to wave at the waiter and wait a bit. And 30 minutes after we put in our orders, our waiter came to us and said that the computer didn’t process the order and that we had to order again… I understand it might have been a busy night. But that’s what I have to say for my own experience. Despite the slightly awkward mishaps, everyone was very friendly. The food was just beautifully made and everyone at my table loved his/​her dish! It is sort of crazy how every dish had a sense of both French and Asian in it. I salute the chef because we absolutely loved it since we’re Chinese and who doesn’t love French cuisine lol! I’ll definitely come back in the future

Li-​Lis is like a calm within the storm of the LES. I went here on a Saturday night with a big group, and it was a great spot not only b/​c the interior and ambiance is nice — its rather spacious for a NYC restaurant in this area so there is room to spread out.
I would recommend the sea bass dumplings, the Gruyère mac and cheese, the tuna tacos and the tiger prawns. The kale salad could have been massaged a little more so I was not a huge fan of this dish. The cocktail menu is rather girly if you are into flavorful drinks but not wanting to get too wasted. I got a Snap Dragon cocktail that had ginger in it — delicious and very subtle, I could have had 2 or 3 more if I wanted to get tipsy. Overall a great place, I would go back for a girl’s night out or for a birthday party.

Having just opened a month ago, been meaning to try this new spot out. With a group of 9, we had the chance to try almost all the items on the menu. Dishes that really stood out and the entire group loved:
Kale Salad
Tuna tacos (only on the bar menu)
Fried Seabass Dumplings (not on the menu)
Lobster Risotto
Sea Bass
Mac & Cheese
Crème brûlée
Gelato and sorbet (although it was hard to eat)
Service was great and staff was very friendly. Only beer and wine so hoping they get a liquor license soon. Very classy place and not loud, making it ideal for catching up with friends or impressing a date. Overall, a great addition to the LES neighborhood.

Stopped in here for drinks before dinner and loved the results. Beer and wine, and fantastic wine-​inspired cocktails. I had one with port that was surprisingly light and refreshing, not too sweet. We were treated with a small bite at the bar and I look forward to going back for a full meal. Bartender Tai was super sweet, someone you’d want to come back and see!

Yellowfin tuna tarta is my favorite appetizer, oh and foie gras of course, couldn’t be more tender. For entrée recommend tiger prawns, taste good and look good. Duck is another great choice, marinated with wine and a selection of herbs, yummy.
Tip: good looking chef crew behind open kitchen. ;)

What an experience! The food is top notch and unlike most place, not over salted! I got the clams and escargots with some shishito peppers followed by the bass with mushrooms and artichoke hearts with ponzu and my bf got a filet mignon with watercress and fingerling potatoes.
All the dishes had a little kick to them enough to taste the spice but not mouth burning. It definitely brought out the flavors of the ingredients. For desert we had a delicious hazelnut chocolate mousse with salted caramel ice cream that was to die for. Try it for yourself, you’ll see!

The food are amazing! From appetizer to entrée, they just get better and better. The steak that I had was stellar. It was cooked at the right level, where the appearance was perfect and the taste was deliciously enjoyable. I absolutely loved the desert, especially the chocolate cake. it just simply melt into your mouth the moment you ate it. Although the food was top notched, what impressed me the most was the service. It’s really the first time that I thought even 30% tips was way inadequate for their excellent service. They will make sure all of your requests are served, and all your questions are answered. I came with my girlfriend, and she loved the experience at this restaurant too. This is a place where you will get great food with amazing service, you won’t be disappointed.
P.S I love how they put a curtain at the entrance, where you don’t feel like everyone is staring at you the moment you step into the restaurant. A small thing that really makes this experience enjoyable and unique.

Lovely space, delicious for food. Nice date night spot. Few and far between in LES gems.

Great service, excellent food and they serve really good foie gras. Loved the open kitchen. Good selection of wine and dessert.

Cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. The foie gras was good and must try but the pork was way too sweet. Desserts are delicious! Didn’t get a chance to try the duck breast this time. Hopefully they will have soup and escargot on the menu next time I go. Overall pleasant experience!

Usually the first impression can tell you a lot about a restaurant. Right when I walked in, I felt a sense of coziness from the grand curtains by the entrance and the dimmed lights. The interior of the restaurant had an elegant modern rustic feel to it. Perfect for a date or a night out with your best friends. I loved the attention to detail like the wooden panels against the bar, the marble dividers in the restroom, the antique mirrors throughout the restaurant, and the unique light fixtures.
As for the food, I had the wonderful opportunity to try a variety of dishes:
Hudson valley foie gras — pickled ramps, honshimeji mushrooms, & truffle fig glaze
Chilean sea bass — crispy tiger prawns, asparagus, & wasabi beurre blanc
Pork loin & pig’s cheek — butter bean ragout, shishito peppers, & ginger-​ponzu sauce
Angus steak — fingerling potatoes, celery root parsley purée, & szechuan pepper sauce
+ a selection of desserts
It was my first time having the delicacy, foie gras, and it was indisputably delicious. The chilean sea bass was served in a crab cake-​like shape and tasted fantastic with the wasabi butter sauce. You can tell the pig’s cheek was braised for a while because it was moist and broke down easily. The angus steak dish was my favorite because who doesn’t love steak? The meat was cut thinly and evenly and cooked to perfection at a medium rare. The purée and steak paired well when eaten together. It was also my first time having crème brûlée and it was heavenly. It wasn’t overly sweet and the layer of hard caramel added great texture to the dessert.
Overall I enjoyed my experience here and their service was impeccable. I can’t wait to see what more this restaurant has to offer. New restaurants are always looking for ways to improve so I’m really looking forward to watching this restaurant develop. I definitely recommend checking this place out!