Lilly’s Café

I’ve been to Lilly’s many times but have only gotten around to reviewing it now. Shame on me! In my never ending quest to find the best bowl of Phở in New Orleans, I’ve eaten at many places and Lilly’s still consistently ranks at the top for me.
Firstly, their broth is fantastic. The key to any good bowl of Phở is the broth — it takes a lot of time, care, and attention to develop the rich flavors of a great phở broth and Lilly’s has some of the best in the city. Extremely flavorful and rich, it definitely does not taste «watered down» like some of the phở I’ve had at other restaurants. Lilly’s does it right!
Portion sizes are very reasonable — you get a large amount of meat in your bowl and a super generous helping of veg (basil, lime, jalapenos, sprouts) to dump into your phở. The extra veg is crucial — I hate places that skimp out on that because it adds so much to the phở, so kudos to Lilly’s for giving out such good portions.
Aside from the phở, the spicy fried tofu is EXCELLENT. I’m not a huge tofu fan but I love the crunch and the spiciness… Would definitely recommend picking up a side of these as appetizers just to try. They’re not «atomically» spicy but will give you a runny nose after eating a couple, so spice sensitive people be warned!
OVERALL: ⁴⁄₅. Some of the best Phở in New Orleans, and probably the best in the city proper (my personal favorite, Dong Phuong is like 30 min east of the city). Lilly’s has what I would call a perfect bowl of Phở — rich broth, great portion sizes, and excellent flavor. All my fellow phở-​natics should hit this place up if you haven’t already!

The place we go to every week! Never failed us with their phở and bunh! Tried a few other vietnamese restaurants around as we love vietnamese food, this is definitely a winner!

Best phở in the general uptown area. Amazing service, great location. Got flank and brisket phở, egg rolls, spring rolls and everything was perfect. Lily’s is my new favorite Vietnamese joint in NOLA proper, second only to Tan Dihn.

We were headed to the airport and wanted to grab a lunch bite before hand. Most places had a line. By chance happened upon Lilly’s…LUCKY US
We each had Phở, all for the first time, and all thoroughly enjoyed.
ThankYou!

The best phở in Nola. Hands down delicious. Been going here for years and doesn’t disappoint.

relaxing, family Vietnamese restaurant. Fresh and well-​trpared selections with generous portions. Vietnamse iced ice resembled an iced coffee, but lighter. Pleadant and relaxed service. Looks like mainly a local clientele. Worth a lunch stop if you in this area of Magazine Street boutique shopping. Selections are basic, not fancy or complex.

Cute little place on the edge of Uptown. Looks inviting from outside, and friendly people inside. I came by for lunch, and was seated and had water within minutes. I got a nice jasmine Iced tea.
I felt a little rushed, being my first time there the waitress asked me if I wanted an appetizer as I was putting on my glasses to look at the menu. Not in a discourteous way, just a bit quick.
I got Lily’s Spring Roll, which are 2 rolls of Shrimp, pork, ham, avocado, strawberry, lettuce, mint and vermicelli in a rice paper wrap. Served with a thick peanut sauce.
EXCELLENT!
Yeah. Flavorful by itself, then you try in the sauce.better.
I tried a touch of sirracha. It added another layer of tastiness.
It’s also beautiful, with the see-​through wrap, you see the red of the strawberry, and the green of avocado. Nice.
I ordered the Phở Combo. It’s only the 2^nd time I’ve had Phở, but it was fantastic. The broth had so much flavor by itself, but THIS Phở had rare flank (kind of cooks a bit as it sits in the hot broth, brisket, and beef balls, rice noodles, bok choy, broccoli, and green onion. I also got a side of sprouts, basil, mint, jalapeño, and lime.
This had SO much flavor, at the same time it was light and a great summer lunch.
So happy I live down the street now Cuz I’m gonna be a regular!
It’s clean here too.
The only downside was from other customers (not Lily’s fault). The guy yelling into his cell phone in Russian or some other language at the table next to me for 15 minutes was disturbing, and people… if your kid is not old enough to know how to behave in a restaurant (1 – 3 yrs old), get a babysitter, or order to go. I don’t go out to eat to listen to screaming and/​or crying. It’s not cute, and others shouldn’t have to listen to it.
OK.
That sounded a bit pricky.
Sorry.
I shouldn’t have said that, or left it in the review.

I had the summer rolls and Phở Tai. It was decent, but far from good phở. The service was also decent.

Received another message from the owner and it wasn’t a friendly one. If you don’t write a good review for this place, they will harass you and send you these type of messages calling you stupid and narrow-​minded because you didn’t like their phở. They said only smart people will think their food is great.
Kiet L: who: asked you to change your review? I told you there are lots of places outhere for you.
we only have nice, kind and Educated customers. Others don’t belong here
What is Stupid? Uneducated: You: agreed
why: I responded: I cared to voice my opinion to whom are not honest and uneducated about food
where: reviews are for customers’opionions with an open mind about food. Not narrow minded and stupidity about food

This spot is an absolute gem! The owner and staff make you feel right at home. I’m so happy to have found this place! I was feeling sick and this was just what I needed to get me back to my regular self.

Vegan phở and bun bowls? How can you say no to this place???
I came here earlier today after my hubby and I visited the WWII museum. We took a semi short walk (less than a mile) into the lower garden district to get our Asian fix! Only so long a girl can eat southern before her blood turned into butter.
We were immediate greeted and sat. Waters and menus were quickly brought to our table. The ambience is nice and homey and the place is actually fairly large. We came at an off time, like 2:30pm on a Wednesday and the place was still half full.
We started with the vegan egg rolls. They came out very quickly and piping hot with a delicious dipping sauce. Shortly after came out our main meal came out. Man they are speedy!!! I ordered the spicy tofu bun with a fried egg. The tofu was indeed spicy but also a little too oily for my taste. But you get a lot of it!!! I would definitely order this again! The fried egg was perfectly cooked sunny side up so the yolk oozed out over the noodles and salad. My husband ordered he chicken and quail egg phở. He said it was possibly the best phở he’s ever had. It came with a lot of quail eggs too, maybe 5 – 6! Plus, a lot of very fresh chicken he said. They don’t skimp on the protein here.
They have tons of vegan and veggie items but lots for the carnivores out there too. Just keep in mind this isn’t you traditional phở place. To be frank, while we normally dine in Los Angeles and my husband is the only white person… At this place, I was the only Asian person!
Next time we are in Nola, we will be back. A good local place to go in an adorable area. I’d suggest it to anyone who is up to get out of the French quarter and explore so other food than southern.

We came here on a cold and insanely rainy day. We were quickly greeted with smiles and seated. The phở really hit the spot. All of us agreed it was probably the best phở we’ve ever had. The toppings that came with it were really fresh too. Plus you can add more steamed veggies to the phở for a small $ 2 surcharge, which while I skipped the veggies I thought that was a pretty nice option. Husband enjoyed his bahn mi even though he’s not a big Vietnamese food fan. We ordered some hot tea and it was decent but not great. No booze here. Some other people walked in with their booze and the owner turned them around and sent them outside. Bummer. Only thing that could make this place better is booze or better tea.

If you’re in the uptown area and you’re craving some phở or anything even remotely Vietnamese authentic, PLEASE come to Lilly’s. They have such a great variety of drink selections (my favorite being the chrysanthemum iced tea as well as their guava juice and lychee juice) and everything I’ve had there has been fantastic.
A great spot for vegans and vegetarians as they do make phở broth that is 100% vegetarian (beware of other places that say they do when they don’t) and their fried tofu appetizer is great! Their spring rolls are always super fresh and light with the addition of strawberries, and they make the BEST crab rangoons in town (she uses real crab meat)!
I used to be a regular at this place before my work schedule got changed around, and I used to come every Friday with a group of friends. Even though I don’t show up as often, the staff still remember me (and my order of a Phở Dac Biet [combination phở], flank on the side, and chili oil) as well as my friends and welcome me with open arms every time I come in. Very sweet and attentive staff. Take care of them and they will definitely take care of you. A family owned restaurant that’s deserving of every bit of praise they get! Hands down the ABSOLUTE BEST Vietnamese spot in the entire uptown area. If you’ve had a bad experience, I urge you to give them another try. They’re seriously that great.

Hands down the best Phở in this town! I’ve tried phở from a lot of places in search of the best one. My personal favorite is the brisket phở. They also have excellent Vietnamese coffee. But don’t drink it too late because it is strong and sugary and will keep up for a long time.
I’ve also tried the vermicelli bun. It comes with crushed peanuts on top so be careful if you are allergic! The staff are super friendly too which is great!

Ahhh what can I say, it’s my favorite vietnamese restaurant in Magazine area. The little waitress is friendly and always smiles and their food is consistently fresh and well prepared. Tried everything from Phở to vermicelli noodle and rice salad to eggrolls. Everything was yummy.

I had to stop by this place for Viet food. I was told that NOLA has a pretty large Viet population so I expected good food. Meh. When you sit down and start noticing the other types of patrons and what they order, you realize you’ve made a mistake. (Phở with vegetables[???] and no noodles[???].)
The owner came out to talk to all the customers, but when she got to our table, she just said hi and moved on to the next table. When I ordered in Vietnamese, the man looked at me like an alien and said nothing. Rude.
As for the phở, it was soooo salty. If it hadn’t been salty, I would’ve said the broth was delicious. I couldn’t finish the soup, fearing death from hypertension.
Wouldn’t return. And wouldn’t recommend to anyone else.

Lilly’s is one of the only places in town where you can get tofu and it isn’t just plain. The spicy or garlic tofu (appetizer or bun) are OUT OF CONTROL delicious. Definitely worth a stop in for omni or veg eaters.

Fantastic food and service. Everything we got was delicious (big portions!) and staff was super friendly and helpful. I’m so glad we dropped by here.

Veggie spring rolls with a delicious peanut sauce, followed by a Beef banh mi that was also great dipped in peanut sauce. Ugh, BEST iced coffee yet.

Came to Lily’s on a Saturday for lunch. Most tables were full. I had the Shrimp Vermicelli and it was quite tasty. I thought I may get the Spicy Shrimp, but opted for regular instead… better choice. The grilled shrimp had flavor and you could add your own Sriracha if you wanted to spice it up. Also ordered was the Flank Phở, seemed to be enjoyed as well. If you order a soda, they bring you a can and glass of ice. That is fine by me, that way you at least know how much soda you are in-​taking. The servers were busting it, only two for the whole restaurant, but they made it work. If you are in the Lower Garden, Lilly’s should be on your list of places to eat!

This is my favorite phở in the city. Now that winter is finally here, I find myself eating way more of the stuff. My go to here is the rare flank & brisket phở. Their broth is slightly sweeter than others but not in a weird way; the beef flavor stands out in an extraordinary way. They are way more generous with the meat than lots of other places. I also love that they let you add quail eggs to your phở, that’s not something I’ve seen anywhere else in the NOLA metro. They also have iced chrysanthemum tea, which has the perfect floral taste and just the right amount of sweetness.
The service is always great and they remember you if you’re even semi-​regular.
I drive past at least three other Vietnamese places to eat at Lilly’s.

Since the departure of Phở Tau Bay I’ve been at a lost for a good Phở and Báhn Mi. Lily’s surely delivers on both.
Last time I stopped by was during a very busy dinner service to try their vegan spicy tofu Bánh Mi which was rated as one of the top 15 in the city. It was delicious! Vegetables and bun were fresh and tofu delivered on the heat.
The Phos are also very good and nice size and I swear that kitchen works at warp speed.
Good for lunch, dinner dates or large gatherings.

After inferring that there was a significant Vietnamese population in New Orleans (only because a random white dude tried to hit on us NOT with a «ni hao» but with a Vietnamese greeting), I had to find some good Vietnamese food here to fulfill my cravings. Lilly’s Café came to the rescue! It’s off the main hubhub that is the French Quarter and in the more hipster Garden District.
The phở here is definitely above average. It’s tasty and delicious — I would not recommend getting the brisket phở as the brisket ends up tough and sinewy, but the raw beef version is pretty good. The phở could be less salty and more beef-​flavored, but it had an extra spicy kick to it borne out of the star anise and cinnamon and cloves, I believe, that was quite unique.
Service here was unpleasantly hurried, with the server trying to whisk my bowl away even on a quiet weekday afternoon. Not having had any other Vietnamese food in New Orleans, I can’t say if the taste of the food or the service is the norm, but I’d say it’s worth checking out.

Imagine this: A windy, RAINY night in NOLA. A massive hunger brought about by a full day of traveling. A welcoming smile. A warm greeting. Quick service. And phở. Real phở. Un-​phở-​gettable phở. Made by someone from the land of phở.
Phở here comes in one size only. Come hungry. You will leave replete. …but don’t shy away from the appetizers — the Spring Rolls were spot on!
Come hungry… but come. You’re welcome.

My first time trying phở and I was impressed.
I had the combo phở with: flank, brisket and meatball; and a vegetable spring roll. I’m not a meat eater, but I wanted to try it. I could stomach everything except the «mystery» meatball. Not sure what it’s made of but I scooped it out. Second complaint would be the flank. It’s served rare, and I get that but the smell of raw meat for me is so off putting, but once in the broth it was fine. Last complaint would be the waitress… She was super nice, but kept coming to our table asking the same thing. Lady I haven’t seen my friend in 4yrs! Let me talk to her in peace! To make matters worse the place wasn’t crowded.
Getting back on track… I want to go again. I’m kinda hooked now.
Bit of advice: you get enough food to make you full. I took my leftovers home and rewarmed it the next day… Still good.

I’m a big fan of this cuisine. This is the first visit for this place and it definitely won’t be my last. I have to come back a few more times and try some more before I give anyone 5 stars but this may be a done deal for me. The Phở Ga here is one of the best I have ever had. Their use of aromatics and warm spices was really brilliant. The staff was friendly, the prices fair and the space was really nice. I would like to order some Bun and some appetizers next time. If you like Vietnamese, you should definitely try Lilly’s Café!

This is my new neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I was’t all that hungry on my visit, so I ordered the spicy roll, a shrimp, pork and jalapeño fresh roll that was delicious. I also tried my husband’s phở ga, and will return for that soon. They put a lot of thought into this broth, and it was redolent with warm spices such as cinnamon and clove, and had just the right touch of heat. Service was friendly and quick.

I debated whether to give Lilly’s four stars or three. I think the food is a solid four but the service is a two. Hence the three stars.
If you want phở that will hit the spot on a rainy day, Lilly’s is a great choice. The broth is light and the noodles plenty. The spring and summer rolls are delicious, too. The summer roll is especially well-​balanced, with none of the ingredients overpowering the others. However, the peanut sauce is wanting as it tasted watered-​down and seriously lacked the thick-​nutty taste of a peanut sauce.
Onto the service: We visited twice — once for the spring rolls for an afternoon snack and once for lunch. On both occasions, we were given our checks prior to finishing our meals. I can maybe get over it during lunch time because the restaurant was packed, but there were less than five tables occupied during the afternoon. I think something small like that really makes you feel unwelcomed at the restaurant and all they want you to do is pay up and leave.

Freshness you can taste. Spicy tofu bun for the win. The space is bright with a nice level of lunch business which makes it feel like a place that people make a point of getting to during that crunch of time. Lots of options and I consulted my friend who loves the place for direction on what to get. I don’t think I would’ve been disappointed with anything because as I looked around everything seemed really beautifully presented and fresh. $ 10 bowl was filling!

I’m going to get a massive blow for this, but I never get the whole Team Lilly’s deal in NOLA.
I’ve been here numerous times, and I will admit that Lilly is a sweetheart. I really wish her all the best in her business.
However, this is never really my go-​to Vietnamese food in the area, because I feel very unwelcome (d) here. The atmosphere is not relaxing. I have even come during off hours, and I feel so rushed all the time. The last time took the cake, however. Our server, although a nice young man, came up to us four to five times in less than ten minutes asking us if we were ready to order. While I was, my friend wasn’t. We also gave the social cues that we weren’t based on our menus being held up and our eyes looking down. It was so aggravating. My friend finally ordered, and at the last minute he said they couldn’t make the meal because there was only one guy working at the kitchen. Something about the tofu? Although I ordered the Tofu phở, and was served? I don’t know. Total bummer.
The food is good, but I prefer smaller more relaxed venues.

This place seems to be a big deal on line. Finally tried it! It definitely served the purpose and fulfilled my curiosity. The service is good!
Vietnam style rice noodles are tasty. The texture is just right. If you like noodles, this little restaurant is a great choice! Their menu is limited but to almost perfection.

quick stop before we head back to Nashville, Tennessee … Very good and authentic! So pleased that we found this spot before our trip back home. Very accommodating, great selection. Great service, food was delievered in a timely manner. Last but not least, delicious!
* great for families.

I love it here.
Service is always INCREDIBLE. The food is always AMAZING.
Go for the beef phở. Or the vegan egg rolls. Or the spring rolls. Or anything. It’s all. so. damn. good.

I love everything. That’s all I can say… nah I’m just playing lol.
So phở-​lovers, Vietnamese food lovers… come one, come all. Man, I love the food here, seriously. There was NOT a single time I was ever disappointed in the food here. Real talk. For appetizers, if you can handle the heat, then do try the spicy garlic tofu. It’s gooood! Also all of their spring rolls are refreshing and delicious! The Lilly Roll is a popular one here it comes with strawberry and avocado with boiled shrimp and vermicelli wrapped with a spring wrapper. No people, it’s not an egg roll. I know people get it mixed up a lot bc other restaurants call their egg rolls, spring rolls, so I get it. BUT, if you do want egg rolls, do order it here, too. I don’t know what it is they do but the egg rolls here are banging. Yes, I’m Asian, don’t I get tired of egg rolls? no indeed. I love egg rolls and can never hey tired of it. It’s so crispy and flaky and just… Yum! I swear I would order a whole box to go if I could. haha.
So, I grew up disliking any kind of dry (no soup) vermicelli dish bc, idk I just did. But, the way they execute their vermicelli bowls here I just couldn’t turn away. I tried their garlic tofu vermicelli bowl with a fried egg and egg roll. It was good! (There is hope after all. Praise the food Gods! Halleluyerrrr !!). Their beef and chicken vermicelli bowls are delicious as well!
Now, when it comes to their phở, I love to order their chicken phở w/​quail eggs. I love quail eggs in all my soups! They have a variety of phở and DO cater to you vegetarian/​vegans if anybody is wondering.
BTW, their banh mi is banging guys. Make sure you get it with the fried egg in there. I like BOTH the chicken and beef banh mi.

I was feeling a little under the weather, and the Spicy Shrimp Phở here helped revive me! I’ve only ever had phở made with beef parts, so this was something of a revelation to me.
The shrimp broth is clear, savory, and a little sweet; it tastes clean and comforting, and was very different from a typical beef phở broth. There were plenty of rice stick noodles, scallion bits, fried shallots, and shrimp (7 fairly large shrimp in my bowl), and of course, the accompanying Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeño, and lime. I also liked the slick of chili oil over the top of this phở, which is the «spicy» component — the broth itself isn’t really spicy. I didn’t add any hot sauce or hoisin to this broth, so it was really good stuff.
I came in here during a weekday lunchtime and the place was pretty quiet — maybe 5 other parties, so service was quick. The soundtrack left something to be desired (acoustic guitar covers of the worst 2000 era soft pop songs) but I can’t really give them too much grief for that. All in all, this was a great comfort meal for $ 12 with tax and tip, and it’s too bad that the people of New Orleans can’t experience how wonderful this hot phở would be on a reaaaallly cold day!

A nice change of pace restaurant in a rich food town. I had my first visit to NOLA last March and after 4 days of eating my way through the city, I had a mad craving for some Asian food. I had heard good things about this restaurant on Unilocal and decided to try it.
When I walked into this place, the first thing that struck me was the cute décor. It is full of vibrant colors and pictures and nice staff.
I try to have Phở at least once a month and tried it all across the country. I am not Vietnamese, so I will never speak as to authenticity, but I know what I like. I liked this phở, but did not love it. I ordered phở combo which was rare flank, brisket and beef balls. I was hoping for some tripe and tendon in the combo, but this phở still did the trick. My wife ordered the steamed veggies with rice, which was ludicrously simple, but again, it fully satisfied the need for Asian food. The real stand out was the Lily Rolls, which were Vietnamese spring rolls, but they also had strawberries and avocado. A very odd combination, but it just worked for me.
In sum, for any Asians or Asian food lovers in the NOLA area, needing an oasis in the city, this is a solid choice.

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