LiLLiES Restaurant & Bar

Went here after Zoo Lights. We were a group of 12 and they were able to accommodate us and split the checks for each of us. The service was excellent as well as the food. I got the calamari, bruschetta, and sweet potato fries to share. Everything was great and flavorful!

We were on our way to Zoo Lights and my tummy started grumbling, so I diverted us to the closest food spot and this was it!
We stopped in at the end of Happy Hour and grabbed a drink and a two appetizers — the Bruschetta and the Fried Mozzarella. Neither of the dishes were noteworthy, but the house wine was tasty, and the prices were good.
The restaurant only had 6 other people in it, but the service was inexplicably slow.
I don’t believe we’ll go back any time soon.

I saw this restaurant while taking a bus up Connecticut Ave and knew I had to try it. I was not disappointed. I took my dad and sister for an early brunch (9:00 am) on a Sunday morning and was greeted by the owner of the restaurant. The tea and coffee were well presented with their own trays and tea pots. Also, a happy surprise there are much more gluten free options than the menu indicates. (my whole family has a genetic intolerance.) The food was really good, the atmosphere was wonderful, and it was not too pricey compared to many other places in DC. I will definitely be going back!

We live in the neighborhood and this is absolutely our favorite Italian in the area. Nice outdoor seating or great ambience inside. The tilapia is my favorite dish but ravioli and clams with pasta are great as well. A great quiet spot!

Great food, great wine, great company! My boyfriend and I recently discovered Lillies when looking for a cozy, fun lunch spot walking distance to the zoo to celebrate my birthday. Lillies was perfect. It is beautifully decorated and great for a special occasion but also casual enough that we could walk in from the zoo.
We started with the Josh’s Cabernet Sauvignon, a suggestion by the owner, which went perfectly with our two entrees of shrimp tortellini and shrimp florentine. The portions were generous and the pesto cream sauce was simply amazing. After our entrees, our server brought us a huge slice of their homemade Tiramisu with a candle for my birthday, which was the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
If you are lucky enough to meet the owner Yasmin, you are in for a real treat! Her bubbly and warm personality made us feel right at home. We look forward to going back again soon!

Had a great experience. Food was fantastic! We were 4 adults & 2 children. They have a children’s menu, but also offered any entrée as half. We ordered salmon for children. Was perfectly cooked. They asked before adding any sauce knowing how children can be. Gave children ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. The lemon chicken soup was to die for. We had clams casino & others before meal. They were wonderful. Our entrée were also great. Dessert of lemon cello cake & more. Service was pleasant, efficient & friendly. We cannot wait to return. The décor is understated and warm. Their is a separate room foro parties/​groups. Nice place also just to stop in for wine or one of their many desserts. We had a great experience.

Very nice place for brunch with kids. Great outdoor patio. Tasty simple food that hits home. Go for the panda pancakes they are a true treat. Crab cake sandwich and Reuben were excellent too. Would highly recommend!

A friend and I were visiting the zoo, and stopped in for brunch. I highly recommend the Breakfast Panini. It’s not as big as it sounds! Also anything peach … mojito, iced tea … tastes like they sqeeze fresh peach into the drinks!

This place is supposedly Italian cuisine, yet there are only a handful of Italian dishes on the menu.
Ordered the Greek Salad. It was mediocre. Olives were squishy and sad… /​:
Had also ordered dinner bread with oil and vinegar. The bread was literally a hamburger bun cut into four squares?
I’m Italian and have been in Italy many times, this was not even remotely similar to Italian cooking.

I came here because of the location, and I’ve just seen it around DC sites before and thought it would be worth checking out.
The ambiance was very nice. We sat outside and the tables and chairs were very comfortable-​great for people watching! It started to rain so we moved inside, which has a much more official feel, kind of like a hotel lobby. It was a mix between a warm, nice décor and weirdly formal.
The waitstaff was friendly and fine, but the food really wasn’t impressive, especially for the price. I ordered some fruity cocktail that was tasty but cost 12 dollars. And a fish pasta that was bland and just not that great. Perhaps we ordered poorly but it isn’t a place I would go back to.

This place was such a disappointment. I just stopped by for a snack with my friend. And the moment I walked in I was not greeted with friendly service.
The servers did not even stop to say hello. I had to deduct a few stars due to the very poor service I received.
As far as the food, it was better than I thought.
However, I found some problems with my meal.
1.) my chicken had two large feathers still attached to the wings
2.) the wings were dry, I can tell they used frozen wings and fried the wings frozen.
3.) the buffalo wing sauce was almost acidic due to the overwhelming amount of hot sauce they used.
However, I really enjoyed the mushrooms. They were well cooked and not too overcooked. With that said, the sauce was creamy yet too overwhelming.
I really appreciated the fresh bread they served before the meal. The bread comes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Overall, I don’t believe I would ever eat here again unless I am promised a five star dinning service.

This restaurant is fantastic! Everything from service to my three courses was top notch. Granted, I used a LivingSocial voucher for $ 30 which made my meal more than manageable, cost-​wise; however, the location is perfectly situated for folks headed to or from the zoo, out on a stroll, or just looking for a nice hidden gem.

The atmosphere is cute, it’s a bit cramped but has lots of personal touches and feels like a neighborhood spot. I thought our server was a real big jerk though. I felt really judged when I asked for ketchup and ordered my meal with a special instruction to avoid cheese. I hate feeling condescended.
Another dislike I had was the lack of food! The portions seemed extremely small for a meal and for the price, I am a light eater and still left the meal unsatisfied. I went home and actually stuffed my face with wheat thins. whomp whompppp :(

«It’s much too cold out there, let me add you a little more,» the lovely woman behind the bar said as she poured my booze into my drink for an inordinately long time. Then, with a smile, she set it in front of me and added, «Let me know if it’s too strong.» (If I ever answer yes to that, someone kill me. Seriously.)
My date and I wandered in here for the sole reasons that a) it had a glowing sign beckoning us in from the dismal night and b) it looked less crowded than the vastly overrated «Zoo Bar» down the street. What we discovered was a low-​key hidden gem. The prices are pretty on-​par for the neighborhood, but they do have daily specials AND delectable free snacks! (Little irritates me more than the latest trend of charging for normal bar nibbles; «Oh, you want some assorted nuts and wasabi peas? Here you go. That will be $ 13.») The cocktails are inventive and they have a commendable selection of draft and bottled specialty beers, if that’s more your speed. While we didn’t order meals, the menu looks good. The bartender is EXTREMELY friendly, and while it wasn’t super busy, there were several tables of what seemed to be happy regulars having a nice time. So it appears to be a low-​key local fave.
Verdict: A really delightful place to rest your feet and rehydrate after a day of trekking through the zoo crowds. Two thumbs up!

LiLLiES is getting pummeled with less than favorable reviews as of recent. I kind of get why because my experience unfortunately wasn’t the exception.
Likes:
* The ambiance is cute. With a mix of hightops and regular tables I can see this being a good place for business dinners or for older couples coming in for dinner. It doesn’t spike me as the 20 somethings establishment which I actually appreciate. The noise level was medium, and not overwhelming for a Friday evening.
* Greg was our server. He was such a huge smart ass which totally blended well with my personality. He was professional, yet, had a good wit about him. It wasn’t overbearing during our meal. I instigated his smart assness to come out. He has a good sense of humor.
* I like the wine and cocktail menu. They have a little bit of everything. Cocktails were a bit steep per drink at $ 12 a pop. My friend got a couple of their margaritas which she liked. They have 3 or 4 different types of margaritas to choose from. I got of 2 glasses of wine.
* Waters were refilled consistently, and didn’t leave much gap for it to get empty. This is always a plus for me.
Dislikes:
* The food is the reason for the 3 stars. We ordered 3 apps, and none of them were spectacular. Mediocre at best. We ordered their chicken wings, fried calamari, and shrimp scampi that we split between the two of us.
I don’t know how they get off with selling the shrimp scampi at $ 15 for 6 shrimp. All I could taste was marinara sauce, and very little of anything else. No hint of lemon garlic anything. For me to taste only marinara sauce cheapened the dish. It tasted like something I would get at the grocery store and throw together myself at home out of laziness. Anyone can buy raw shrimp and marinara sauce. I wanted something more flavorful. It sounded like it had a lot of flavor… see description below.
The menu description sounds a lot more appetizing than what it tasted…
Shrimp Scampi $ 15
Shrimp sauteed with lemon garlic white sauce, garnished with chopped tomatoes and garlic crostini
Chicken wings — standard fare. Not overly spicy, but the chicken was dry. Dry chicken under any circumstances is never a good thing. For those of you who can’t do spice, this dish would be okay for you to order if you have a slight tolerance for spice.
Fried calamari was alright. The last time I had calamari I got food poisoning. So, I am happy to report that didn’t happen this time. It should be noted the food poisoning did NOT take place here. Kudos for cooking your seafood correctly! I think their herb aioli sauce was nice.
The verdict:
With all things said — I think I might give this place a second chance. I would have to be in the area to do it. Since I am not ever up near the zoo that might be awhile, but if I did return it would be for happy hour or for their main entrees when I have more money to sling.
The way I look at your restaurant is this …
If the appetizer is the preview, and it wasn’t 100%, what will draw me in to stay to watch the complete presentation? I think there needs to be some changes in the kitchen. By reading the other reviews before writing my own, I think my thoughts echo the majority when we say there needs something to be adjusted. You seem to have great potential. You’re location is great, and you have the right idea on where to go, you just need to go there and get settled. With the way things are currently, the reviews probably won’t change.
Good luck.

There are few things I love more than bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. However, theirs could not be more disappointing. It’s like they bought random items from the grocery store, put em on a plate and expected them to just work. They don’t know what some good quality balsamic and fresh bread could do for them!
I ordered the date salad, one of the primary reasons was for the strawberries listed in the description, but it instead included two measly raspberries. To be fair, it did include plenty of craisans and dates, which I guess they have jars of in stock.
For my entrée, I had the crusted tilapia. As a breaded fish, I expected it to be crispy but it was rather soggy, and the texture was off. Probably frozen fish and it just didn’t work.
Server was very nice and prompt, but the food is not good. Won’t be back!

The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very cozy. We arrived around 6pm and they close at 7pm. I have never seen staff in more of a hurry to get people out of the restaurant. They came to our table three times to ask if we were done when food was still on the table.
I watched as they turned away numerous patrons as early as 615, telling them that they were closing soon. In my opinion, if you’re open until 7pm, you take patrons until at least 645. They must not like revenue here.
Additionally, I ordered a mojito that was made with too much club soda and in which the mint leaves were not muddled at all. They attempted, unsuccessfully, to remake it and ended up having to take it off the bill.
Would I come back? I’m not sure. For these prices I expect better service and definitely a better mojito.

Skip dessert. Got chocolate cake. I said it tasted like costco cake. My mom replied. «No! Costco is better!!» Just saved you $ 7. Your welcome.
Kids meals are $ 12 but include drink. Portion was small soup bowl of Mac and cheese and fruit cup. Not Kraft but real cheese.

Had lunch after visiting the National Zoo. Service was great and attentive. Service was quick and refills on drinks were timely. Food was much better than what I expected after reading other reviews. My children ate all the food on their plate and my wife and I enjoyed our chicken kabob and cheese-​stake sandwich.
I «checked in» and got free desert, apple pie and ice cream. How can you complain about that!!!
Great meal and experience. Only complaint was big square plates on small round table, but we sat at the only round table in the restaurant!
Pricing was not a great deal but the free desert helped. Was better food and less expensive than the food at the zoo.

My husband and I had lunch here because we had to be in the area, and I’m glad we came in. The food was good– they had a lunch menu with special prices– but you can also order from the dinner menu. I made an unwise choice (meat lasagna on a patio on a hot summer day– what the heck was I thinking?). It was tasty and a large portion served with bread. Anyway, my husband had a more weather appropriate pasta with fresh vegetables and enjoyed it as well.
There were lots of nice looking things on the menu that would have been more appropriate for the weather and the patio. Our server and the manager were very attentive and had great timing– let us enjoy the peaceful weekday lunch hour but kept our glasses full.