Cafe Lily

My husband and I have long wanted go go to this place and finally had the opportunity today. Everyone was so very welcoming and took the time to explain the dish and made great recommendations. We tried guksi, fern salad, manti and pulov (stuffed ourselves!!). We loved all the dish and my favorite was guksi. Very similar to Korean noodles in ingredients but had a unique flavor and the broth was so refreshing! Pulov was amazing too. The rice was cooked to perfection and meat was so tender. It was our first time trying Korean-Uzbek food We’re so glad we went. We will surely come back to try other dishes.

The best Korean(Koryo-saram) - Uzbek food! Try their kebabs. Also amazing. This place is a vibe

This place has real authentic food at Korean/Uzbek style. I really enjoyed the taste food, because it is cooked according to real recipes. It is possible to order takeout. I am very grateful to my friends who recommended this place to me.

Stellar Koryo Saram food. Learned about this restaurant years ago and finally made the long trip from upstate NY to try it. Wonderful experience and worth the trip. Ordered the kuksi, lagman, and plov. All fantastic. Plov was much more flavorful and well seasoned than other places I've been. Good amount of meat too. Kuksi in particular was outstanding. I've eaten a lot of guksu and naengmyeon, the kuksi here is without exaggerating the best I've ever had, out of any Korean noodles I've eaten, cold or hot. Something about the toppings just made it perfect. Felt like I was in somebody's home having a lovely heartfelt dinner. Honest, wholesome, and unique food. A great meal and restaurant with a lot of cultural and historical significance.

Food was so delicious. Beat lagman and pegodya I have tried in NYC. Polite and friendly staff and lovely vibe.

One of my friend from the past leaked that there is this Korean-Uzbek restaurant somewhere deep south in Brooklyn. It was such a random cuisine I’ve ever heard of, so never forgot about it for many years and somehow managed to search it out from Google map. Btw, I’m Korean. -Koosi(국수): Very strange and yet familiar taste at the same time. What I mean is that I can’t exactly name any Korean dish that is equivalent to this one, but the taste hits my mother tongue and old memory. I loved it and wish I could have this more often. 미역냉국에 단맛을 덜고 매콤한 맛을 더한 냉면의 온도를 가진 국수요리…. 라고 표현해볼수 있겠네요. 정말 맛있었습니다. -Manti(만두): Dumpling skin was very nice and something I was familiar with, but the inside is something quite different from Korean cuisine, so I suspect it’s more Uzbek type. Sour cream was really no no combination for me though. -Egg salad(forgot exact name): can’t say this menu was anything special, but have to say I enjoyed it very very much. And it also went very well with the breads we ordered as side menu. My guess is that the owner herself or her great grandfathers are those who had to escape from Korea during Korean war (고려족?). I regret so much for not talking to the owner who kindly came to us, introduced herself, and offered serving foods for us. Will def make my visit again sometime later.

I learned about this cafe from a friend. I came specifically to try their food, but we were met with the words that there was a banquet going on there. No links to their social media profile (they don't have one), no other warning information

This place is definitely unique! If you love korean food and never had uzbeki korean food you have to come try it. The other place that is well known for this cuisine is in Brighton Beach but they serve the same type of food. We got the assorted korean salads, manty, meat keh, and kuksi. If you’ve had korean food before the salad was basically a set of 3 banchan, manty was a cross between a mandu and a pierogi, meat keh was similar to korean stir fried spicy pork, and the kuksi was bibim naengmyeon. The food was amazing. I personally liked the manty because who doesn’t like dumplings? It comes with sour cream and there’s so much meat in it! The meat khe was pretty good too and spicy. It comes with a side of rice. They have an outdoor area but when I went it was nearing winter so definitely want to come back when it is nicer out to check it out.

I came here with a group of 5. One member of our party arrived early. They showed her to the patio and gave her bottled water while she waited, which was very kind. We sat in the back patio on a raised platform table with seating on the floor. The table had cushions all around it, as well as carpeting, so it was comfortable to sit. The patio was lovely with faux greenery and flowers adorning the walls and a wooden ceiling. It felt like an oasis. To eat, we shared the korean salad platter. It included carrots, cabbage, and eggplant in a kim chi style. All the vegetables were pickled, but they were well seasoned and tasty. For my main, I had the tofu with spicy sauce. I enjoyed this dish. The tofu was a perfect, firm texture. It was accompanied by peppers and onions. The sauce was flavorful and slightly sweet with a subtle spicy kick. They also provided warm bread and butter for the table. My friends got several of the meat dishes and loved everything. We also got the compote punch. It was fruity, but quite sweet. Similar to a classic fruit punch, but I wouldn't order it again. Our waitress was gracious and welcoming. A lovely restaurant to visit for a very authentic meal.

This place was under renovations when I went. Grateful they fed me regardless as I hadn't eaten all day and it was super late. Food was delicious and prompt. I paid through Venmo. Service was prompt. I liked the spot and hope to return again when renovations are completed.

My friend wanted to try this Korean Uzbek restaurant, and I was open to it as I've never had this type of cuisine before. It was pretty quiet on a Sunday night, and we were allowed to choose where we wanted to sit (indoors or outdoors in the back). We chose to sit outdoors but I didn't have to worry about mosquitos because there was shelter on the top though it has some opening. We asked the staff to recommend us some dishes that we should try and went with it. Interestingly, they served the dishes in order of deliciousness so we filled our tummies with all the yummy food first. Pitcher of fruit punch - 1/5 It was extremely watered down, so I highly don't recommend it. Manty - 3/5 Very filling steamed dumplings with chopped meat and onion inside. I was expecting some juice in it but it was on the dryer end. There is a side of sour cream for dipping which made the dumpling less dry but it didn't feel like they matched. House bread - 5/5 Maybe free stuff just tastes better but their bread was pretty unique. It reminded me of shanghai sesame pancakes. Kimchi - 4/5 Complimentary kimchi like at Korean restaurants. It was ok. Chicken patty with mashed potatoes - 1/5 The mashed potato didn't have any gravy so it was very dry. It would've tasted better if it was heavily seasoned but it was pretty bland. The patties were fried but I didn't like the taste and the texture wasn't it. It was harder than I expected. Plov - 4/5 Very homey taste. No frills but nice enough to keep eating. It was basically Uzbekistan-style fried rice. The rice is long grain and each one was separated from one another, which is what fried rice should be like. Meat with vegetables Korean style - 2/5 Too salty! Or else it would've been a decent but simple dish. Has a spicy kick to it. The workers were really nice. Cash is preferred here.

Lily Cafe is a hidden gem in Brooklyn. The food is fashion Korean Russian. The cold noodles are sooooo good in a hot summer day. Refreshing, chewy and lots of flavors. The super light cold broth is just perfect.

Food taste great Portions are small I would recommend this kitchen if you wanna eat authentic post societ union countries food. Saga is very polite and friendly lady.

I had heard about this place a while ago and I finally got to come here earlier this year for dinner. I was extremely curious to try this place out for myself as I'm ethnically Korean and I'm always curious to see what Korean food from other parts of the world are like. Service was admittedly a little slow at first, but it became more attentive as the night wore on and the restaurant got more and more busy. We decided to get an order of their white fungus salad and lagman to share, and I got their tofu dish as my main while the SO got an order of their beef dish as his main. We also decided to try out some of the Russian sodas they had (Chersi brand, pear and caramel flavors) for fun. The food itself was good and I may be biased, but the tofu dish was basically a homier version of dubu buchim yangnyeom that my mom makes for me from time to time. The white fungus dish was delicious as well, although that certainly was something I wouldn't consider to be Korean, per say. The SO loved his beef dish and the lagman as well. The Chersi sodas were fun, albeit a bit too sweet for me. Funnily enough, our server didn't really speak much English and we didn't know any Uzbek or Russian, so a lot of gesticulating and nodding and chuckling happened. If you're curious about Korean-Uzbek food, I would definitely recommend this place. There aren't too many in NYC, and this place offered some very homey dishes that certainly tasted like your mom's Korean dishes, while also maintaining its own unique flavor.

This is my 3rd and last give a try place! Prices are way to high for the quality food... In the beginning when they just opened, she really cooked delicious( Korean food) now all is just a joke. Kuksu was tasteless, pegodya.. a big chunk of dough with little bit of meat is $4. I ordered tripe khe which is $16, they brought a portion where literally was 5 pieces of tripe the rest was carrots and onions. Then I asked waitress to tell the owner about it, no response. She even asked me if I wanted "to go"?, what!? Carrots and onions ??? For you to understand a portion is a 1lb plastic container approximately. Rip off! This is my 3rd time when I get Carrots and onions for the price of the tripe khe. Really disappointed. And I posted a picture of marinated cockroach, so careful when you use it.

This is a rather unique restaurant I've had Korean food, Russian Food, and Uzbek food but not this combination but it was nice comparing to the other similar places in my local area or in Sheepshead/Brighton. Anyway, I was here perhaps a month ago or so with a bunch of others. As we were sharing, I unfortunately couldn't try their guksu which a whole lot of people there were ordering. We shared a lot of food and it was next to nothing for everything and we were all quite full and overall the food was good with a mom and pop feel to the place. Nice staff with slight English issues but one of the people there was good enough at translations. The place was BYOB so I also got compote which I shared (as they gave me a pitcher instead of a single glass) and some green tea to help digest along with beers others brought. Appetizer sections (Sorted by best to worst outside of the Khe on top.) Fish Khe/ salad: This was similar and essentially the Korean-Uzbek variation of #/hwe which is essentially a spiced ceviche. It reminded me of German canned herring but a lot tastier. Good flavors. / bracken salad. This was served warm with beef and it was the Uzbek version of Gosari Namul / . I wasn't looking forward to this much as I've never been a fan of that banchan but this was very impressive here. Very well flavored with a good amount of tender beef. An improvement over the more common type. Tashkent salad / with beef tongue, egg, radish, peas, and mayo topped with fried onions. I've had this from other places and the version here was quite nice. Great portion size and not too much mayo. Avocado salad with tomatoes cucumbers, greens, and mayo. I'm not usually an avocado fan (I'd prefer an achichuk instead) but this was tasty. Fresh avocado and the rest of the mix went well. Assorted Korean style salads: The plate came with three types: Morkovcha / / Korean carrot salad: You can find this in a bunch of Russian places also. I've never been too big a fan as the flavors are light and it was fine here. Kimchi: It was a bit lighter and quite crunchy compared to most places. A good amount less spicy Eggplant salad. Lightly flavored. Fine but there's better places for this. Snow fungus/white fungus salad. Unique texture but I wouldn't order it again. A bit too light. Main dishes: Two types of shashlik/ which is the Russian term for shish kebab. In this case, we had chicken and lamb ribs as they were out of lulya. The chicken here was exceptionally moist and very good and better than most other Uzbek/Russian places I've been to. The lamb ribs were good and slightly less fatty than other places. Russian style fried potatoes/ Good though they were unfortunately out of the mushroom they use for it so it was plainer. Manty /: This is the Uzbek/Russian version of manti/mantı which is a type of Turkish dumpling though the Uzbek version is much larger by comparison and it's not already swimming in sour cream. The variation here had a nice filling; not too fatty but with a whole lot of flavor. There was sour cream on the side. Veal liver Turkish style/Arnavut ciğeri: This was a good version though better at the Turkish spots I've been. I generally prefer smaller pieces of liver as they tend to cook more evenly so there wasn't as much of a chew but good flavors. "Korean style beef with vegetables and soy sauce." I think this would be in Korean but I am unsure. This was just alright/I wouldn't recommend it much. The sauce which seemed to have either chili pepper or gochujang was good but the beef was a quite chewy. Alright dish. The only dessert here that we wanted was chakchak/. These are essentially fried miniature dough in a variety of forms topped with honey. They have a chewy texture similar to tteok/Korean rice cakes and the version here was better than at Baku. Good place. The owners were nice and they were happy to speak with the person running the group. Hope they do well but I expect they will continue to if the rest of the menu is as good as the dishes we ordered.

Don't understand some of the negative reviews placed on this establishment but I'm here to defend and even the score. A first korean/uzbek/russian cuisine experience for me. A very homely restaurant and localized. The neighborhood it's located in isn't very lavish and doesn't look like much on the outside. But the food definitely is stellar and wow does it make up for everything. The kuksi salad, plov, potatoes dish was very flavorful, much spicier than your usual Uzbek cuisine. Love the korean fusion touches on several dishes. My manti dumplings were very stuffed and filling. Even the borcht soup was very rich and zesty. We loved the food so much, the owner herself stepped out to personally greet us while dining on the cold winter day - such a sweet lady. She went into detail about her menu cover choice, the restaurant name, and her wish to bring her home Uzbek Korean fusion cooking to New York because of the lack of restaurants dedicated to this type of food. As a cook, I appreciated the story behind the food and her journey too. A personal favorite for me as I loved all the dishes and is a perfect treat when coming home with a huge accomplishment. One of my favorite fusion places and unique to boot.

Food is normally good here but had a fairly disappointing take out. The HOMESTyLE POTATOES were soggy (stored in sealed aluminum tray with plastic top) and for the MANTI, it didnt come with any sour cream T_T.. the sour cream made it so much better. I guess if you order it next time, make sure u ask them for sour cream. The kuksi was still good tho

The storefront looks totally closed but don't be fooled - it's open AND they have a large outdoor patio! That said, the patio is mostly enclosed with exposure to the elements - but it is also very spread out. I've been really excited to try Cafe Lily with my Korean friends because I was so curious about the natural Uzbek-Korean fusion. I'm actually finally writing this review over a year later because I actually totally forgot about my past experience. I came today with a Russian friend and some other people, and we ordered a ton of food. Today, we sat inside, and it was definitely much nicer - we got the seating with the couch by the front under a chandelier, which was very fun. + Tashkent ($13) - 9/10 - This sounds really unappetizing (beef tongue, egg, white radish, "green peas," and mayo) but it was actually really delicious. I think they meant to say dill instead of green peas, and there were crispy onion bits that gave this dish a nice crunch. The egg was shredded, which I've never seen before, and the mayo lightly coats everything. The whole dish came together perfectly because everything just complements each other so well, making it refreshing, light, and flavorful at the same time. Everyone really loved it. + Korean fern salad with meat ($16) - 9/10 - I'm not sure how authentic this was, but I thought it was absolutely delicious. I wish I had my Korean friends with me to critique this dish because the ferns were definitely very Korean, and I was addicted to the sauce. I started sopping up the sauce with the bread to eat because it was that good. It's very flavorful though so it might not be for everyone. + Kuksi ($14) - 7/10 - This is a milder version of a Korean guksu; it's quite light and refreshing, and they do provide a lot of extra spicy sauce to add (much recommended). + Kharcho ($10) - 8/10 - This is apparently a Georgian soup, and I thought it was really comforting. It's tomato-based with meat and cilantro, and it tasted really familiar even though I've definitely never had it. Also very excellent with the extra spicy sauce. + Borsh ($10) - 7/10 - This is a hot borscht, and it was pretty good served with sour cream. I feel like other borschts I've had were too intensely beet-y, but this one was mild and everyone liked it. + Plov ($13-14) - 8/10 - This was on two separate parts of the menu; not sure how much we were actually charged for it. I thought this was really good and I would totally get it again, though my Russian friend said it was not the best he's had, as the lamb was not as tender as it could have been. I though the rice was really well-flavored and the lamb was tasty. Would totally get this again, and apparently it's THE Uzbek dish to get. + Meat khe ($17) - 9/10 - This was really delicious, and totally Korean-Uzbek fusion because it tasted kind of like the beef from Korean bibimbap but way more spicy (in a great way) and with cumin and other unfamiliar spices. Totally loved it. + Manty ($12) - 7/10 - I love how large and pillowy these dumplings are - kind of like a mix between an Asian dumpling and something Eastern European because the filling is definitely not Asian, and pairing with sour cream is totally different. + Homemade potatoes ($8) - 6/10 - These were a surprise dish that my friend ordered for us, but he was expecting something else. These are basically fried potato wedges (very well done) with dill and some mushrooms. Tasty, but I don't think I would've gotten this - especially since we were really full by this point. + Compote ($3 for a glass, $10 for a pitcher) - 9/10 - This was really excellent; we got a glass to try first, and then we immediately opted for the pitcher. It's such a good deal - we had a good amount for five of us. It wasn't too sweet, and reminded me a bit of blackcurrant juice. It's a homemade punch that is apparently made with dried apples, prunes, and other fruit. + Russian lemonade ($3.50) - 4/10 - There are 3 flavors, and I got the pear one. It comes in a bottle and it was a sparkling drink that tasted pretty artificial - definitely did not like it anywhere near as much as the compote. + Ayran ($4) - 9/10 - One of our friends was shocked because apparently he grew up drinking this in Pakistan - upon closer inspection, it says it's made in Saudi Arabia! I really liked this salty milky drink; someone described it as drinking "cheese water" which sounds gross but I did think this was really refreshing and interesting. Overall, I had a great meal and I really enjoyed my time here; I would've given five stars but for two things: 1) both times that I have eaten here during covid times, none of the staff wore masks. 2) We got a 10% dine-in charge that was not written anywhere on the menu or communicated to us verbally. The prices are low enough that I don't mind, but it's more about the principle.

The waiter are pretty nice and the food are fair. Place looks fancy can go once a while

It's food is insanely good! I couldn't forget its Kuksi, and I visited again, and wow everything was on the spot!!! Welcoming and kind staff members(I love their sincere hospitality), and GREAT FOODS(I'd recommend any kinds of salad, Kuksi, and Manti). Love love the sincere and honestly hard-working people, and its chef is really talented, amazing!

Had the pilaf and begodya. My wife had the meat kfe I think that's how you spell it. Everything was super fresh and tasty and had an insane amount of Spices. A lot of different flavors. Lily the owner came out after and made some small talk. Real sweet woman .

Amazing restaurant serving Uzbek Korean food. Came for lunch on a Friday, the owner came out and chatted with us because it was our first time. Got the cold noodles (Kuksi) which were excellent. Fern salad was delicious, warm with meat and pairs well with rice. Assorted salad is a must. Mantys (dumpling) were good as well, just know these are thiccc boys. 10/10 would come again. They should have more business

Special thanks to the owner Lily who has been our friend for many years. She is a very kind, friendly and beautiful person. I am very glad that I had the chance to be able to see her again. Very delicious and fresh food that reminded me of my childhood. I highly recommend coming here and we will definitely be sure to return again.

Amazing Uzbek-Korean mom-and-pop restaurant in Bensonhurst. Only in NY (and CA) do you get a mix of cultures like this. Total mom-and-pop atmosphere - literally the family takes turns serving you, while they eat as a group in the corner and take turns going to the kitchen. Even feels like you're at someone's house - couch in the back, TV on the front (playing dramatic Russian music videos), cozy ambience. Above all is the FOOD - excellent quality, perfect cooking, and wildly interesting diversity of influences. Korean, Central Asian, Russian, etc.. How many places can you get naengmyeon (Kuksi here) and kimchi, alongside Lagman and Plov, alongside Pelmeni, Borscht and Herring...etc etc. Had perfectly constructed Manty (with cumim & lamb! - at a "Korean" restaurant?) and Begodya (steamed bun with meat and cabbage), like a large bao but served E. Europe style with sour cream?! (and spicy chili/soy sauce). Also "Korean fern salad" and "Meat Khe" were terrific. Finished it off with a classic Tarragon soda, always better than American root beer. Support this local business, give them a try!

Unique cuisine and very filling. The service could've been a little more attentive but that could've been because it was the afternoon. I had the begodya, which was filled with meat and cabbage and tasted great. The lamb pilaf was my main course; it was rich and the lamb prepared well. Would come back!

This place is definitely unique! If you love Korean food and never had uzbeki korean food you have to come try it. The other place that is well known for this cuisine is in Brighton Beach but they serve the same type of food. We got the assorted korean salads, manty, meat keh, and kuksi. If you've had korean food before the salad was basically a set of 3 banchan, manty was a cross between a mandu and a pierogi, meat keh was similar to korean stir fried spicy pork, and the kuksi was bibim naengmyeon. The food was amazing. I personally liked the manty because who doesn't like dumplings? It comes with sour cream and there's so much meat in it! I could just eat manty for the whole meal, but everything else was really good too. The meat khe was flavorful and spicy. It comes with a side of rice. The kuksi had lots of veggies in a cold broth with chewy noodles. Very refreshing if it was the summer, but nonetheless tasty. The korean salads I was ok about. Nothing special there. I wanted to see if there was anything different between korean and Uzbeki Korean sides but they tasted pretty normal. If you like to have a variety of salads though I would go for it. They have an outdoor area but when I went it was nearing winter so definitely want to come back when it is nicer out to check it out.

I ordered lunch from there and went pick up. A lady came out from the kitchen without mask on. She made me wait for few minutes and then there is a guy came out and carried my food. He also didn't wear mask . I don't feel comfortable for eating their food. I don't know how the food tasted, but It is still covid pandemic. If you don't want to get sick, stay away.

I was super excited to try this place I had read about on the internet. I never had heard about Uzbek-Korean food. I have been to Bensonhurst maybe 5 times in my entire life so I'm glad that on this trip I made it to Cafe Lily The articles about the owner are true. She really is there working with her family and she's so sweet! Loved the food. I eat Korean food all the time but I had never had it with flavors like cumin and sour cream. They also had a lot of lamb in their cuisine. We ordered too much food with the bill coming out to $60 but we could've easily fed 4 people for dinner. They also do deliveries

ALL THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS! Not many places can say this, and everything was fresh. It was great to know such a good place is so close to home (I live a few blocks away). We ate "Al Fresco" (outside) in the backyard table area. The people who work here are like a large, multi-ethnic family (Russian and Korean) and they are very happy to cook serve you delicious food. I asked our waitress Galina: "What's good?" And man... She brought it! We had everything from soup,Korean salad, dumplings, spicy beef, shish kabobs... WOW!!! I posted a bunch of pictures, but they cannot tell you how delicious and fresh everything was. The only critique I have is I wish the shish kabobs were bigger! This is a very warm friendly, casual place. I saw families having fun alongside couples out on a date. I rarely see such a multi-cultural clientele in one restaurant. I guess it doesn't matter when the food is this good. I never had compote with Uzbek-Korean food, but it was perfect! There were also a few dads having a shot before dinner (BYOB) and some very happy kids running around - I plan on going back in the near future to try more of their dishes. Great food, casual friendly atmosphere. A great place to go, eat and have fun!

Loved the assorted salad and the Khe was really good too! Kuksi was good but I do prefer more eggs in mine. Portion is quite generous. Recommend for the Koryo Saran experience!

Amazing food and so affordable, wanted to pay twice more because food was that great. Service was also great:) will come back again and again thank you!

Been coming here for a while. Always a great service and a very delicious food. Its great to know that they serve Central Asian Korean food because I am one. Thank you for not letting us forget our food culture. Amazing place!!

What a hidden gem this place really is.. OMG. I had an amazing dinner there last night and I can't wait to come back. Everything is fresh, authentic and so delicious. I am a customer for life.

The kuksi (cold noodle soup)here is DELICIOUS. They were out of manti that day so can't review (I subbed with a pigoyda, which seemed similar to a giant Chinese bun and wasn't in love), but this may be the best kuksi I've had so far. I will be back the next time I'm in this area. The inside looks like a favorite European immigrant grandmas living room, complete with comfy black leather (86th-street-circa-1994) couches, pink walls, plastic flowers, and vinyl tablecloth. There was a boisterous family laughing behind us, and many kids (I assume family members) running in and out of the restaurant. I had moved out of Bensonhurst years ago, and that vibe really made me nostalgic for the little moments I remembered growing up. The kuksi is, of course, similar to the Korean cold noodle soup naengmyun, with a boost from different spices. (Not spicy spices)

omg. I love this place. Had dinner here Saturday night (2/10/2018) My girlfriend and I ordered their assorted pickled veggies, lagman, and a beef stir fry dish. The food is delicious! I'm sad that this place is all the way in NY and I'm in California. The staff is attentive, even on a busy night. Saved a table for us even though they had a few big groups the same night. I'll def visit this place again next time I'm in NY

I wanted to visit the place for a while, but couldn't get out of the city due to work and other priorities. Tonight I had some free time and decided to visit Cafe Lily. And it was definitely worth the trip! As a Korean born in Central Asia, I immediately recognized that familiar smell of tasty dishes that I could only smell at my grandparents home. It brought warm memories, and I've ordered my favorite food, Kuksi, a cold noodle soup with beef and veggies, and Pigodya, steamed dough with meat and cabbage. It tasted exactly how it's supposed to, with all the spices, proportions in place. I was so impressed that I had to order more food to go, including my favorite appetizers and manty. I chatted with the owners a bit. And I can tell that they are just pleasant hard working people who take pride in making an amazing traditional food. This is definitely a place to try if you'd like to try authentic food of Koreans from Central Asia, Russia, and I'd assume Northern Korea. My recommendation is to go for the Korean food specifically. This is definitely their specialty and they are amazingly good at it. Also, this is the type of a cuisine​ that is hard to find anywhere outside of Central Asia. Don't make assumptions, by comparing to South Korean food, as it will taste differently. Just go and experience! And I'm sure you'd be happy you did!

The best place ever I have seen. everything is delicious as at home or like a grandmother. it is very comfortable here, and the prices are generally funny

We came here at 8 and ordered a salad, a soup, Manti, and bass. It's 9:30 now, and we've only received 3 dishes. The bass still hasn't come, but we have been served 2 wrong dishes twice that belonged to another party, and they said we ordered bread on the receipt but we haven't. And the owner is in the room singing Karaoke trying to start a party, making it impossible to hold a conversation. As a restaurant, I would expect them to have Karaoke in another room aa a courtesy to those who don't want to listen to your singing, but the cafe is small and i have a cramp and don't want to come up and dance. I normally wouldn't mind the loud music Tbh, but with such shitty service... It's a small cafe, so I don't know why it takes over 2 hours to get my dishes prepared. And on top of that, they had the Audacity to include tip on the receipt for my party of 2. With this service, they're lucky I tip them at all

Had the cold noodles, which was good. Also had hot green tea which was surprisingly real tea (no sugar) and tasted great. Avocado salad with oil good and is good enough for two people. My friend had the borscht and it tasted like tomato soup with scraps of radish and beets. The waiter served everyone in the restaurant who looked Uzbek/Russian/Eastern European before me and my friend. I had to ask the waiter for tea after I saw other Russian speaking diners who were seated after us, getting served first. So, service is just so so if you're not Eastern European. Very interesting place for the Korean-Uzbek-Russian curious.

Uzbez, Korean and Russian restaurant in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Only in New York do you find a mix of cuisines like this. Apparently this place was featured on the New York Times. There's some tasty dishes here, although the food is relatively new to me. Their kebabs and sauce is off the hook here. Excellent bread (not shown) too. Very tasty manty (dumplings) as well, kind of like a mix of perogies and Chinese dumplings. Plov was decent. Their kimchi is very different than traditional Korean ones, less spicy and a heavier type of cabbage. No frills layout, very Russian like interior with a massage palor kind of feel to it. Starring at the staff here because everyone looks Korean but they all speak Uzbek or Russian. Hidden gem with solid food and relatively low prices.

I had a very late lunch at Cafe Lily today and it was super yummy. The flavors were amazing and complex. I love a bit of a kick, being of Trini descent but the food wasn't very spicy. If I could change one thing that would be that. The owner and her son were super nice and patient. I think I might try to bring a group of friends here sometime soon. And I want to try more things on the menu. Also, I loved watching the Uzbek music videos on the two big tvs. Super entertaining! Last thing, it's BYOB so brings your favorite vodka. We noticed a few other folks came prepared. We did not. But it was ok the food was delightful. Enjoy!

Nigora is a great host. She can tell you all the dishes you should try. The U-Kadaya is a wonderful beef Korean soup. Add in the salt, garlic, parsley and it really becomes hearty. We also had Pilaff which comes with beef and lamb. This was definitely my favorite dish of the night. We also had a beef veggie with rice dish which was ok since I wasn't a big fan of the vinegary sauce. The Lulya kebab (Lamb and beef mix) was also very good because it was so moist unlike other places where they are typically very dry. Overall I think the food was excellent and really different from what I'm used to. Ask for the promotion video to be played if you want to learn about how the koreans migrated to Uzbekistan. Only negative is that the decor needs a lot of work but the wonderful service and amazing dishes more than make up for it.

We read a review of this place and thought what a wonderful concept of food - Russian, Korean and Uzbek!!! It is delicious! We only order a few dishes like the Korean mix salad, the grill mix meats, cold fish salad, manty, pigodya and the beef soup Korean style. Will be back for other stuff!!! The best part? BYOB!!!!

Love this place! The food is delicious, and the owner, Lily, is very sweet and warm. I highly recommend this place!

If you like: garlic, spice, rich foods then come here and enjoy an amazing meal. Delicious. Lily herself came to our table to check on us several times, introduce herself, show us how to mix our soup, how to eat our dumplings, etc... incredibly gracious and welcoming.

The interior needed renovation! But the Korean food was very delicious and owners are very friendly. Thanks for keeping family traditions.

Yummy food. The owner was very nice and friendly. My family and I always get pigodis from there it's so yummy

Home cooking makes you feel like you're home, even if it's not your own culture's. That's how I feel whenever I eat here, that I'm sitting in a family room and someone's mom/grandma is serving me made-with-love unpretentious home cooking. Everything I've tried so far was delicious; cold noodle soup and fish khe was refreshing and tangy, beef soup was warm and hearty and perfect for a cold winter day; manty dumplings had perfectly thin skins, beef kebabs were juicy and tender. All these have a really unique taste to them that you definitely won't find in typical "korean" cuisine.

Just amazing when in New York definitely have to stop by just the fusion between the two cultures is just amazing. You can just close your eye and point and you'll be happy on what you select

I've been here multiple times and everything I've had here is delicious! The manty or dumplings are delicious, all the salads including the Korean noodle salad, Korean cucumber salad, and the regular salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. The plov is delicious as well as the lamb kebab. Everything tastes like a home cooked meal. The atmosphere is not elegant or chic, but it doesn't matter the food makes up for it and it's a very relaxed environment. Perfect place to come when you don't feel like cooking and want a home cooked meal with lots of flavor! I will definitely continue coming!

Surrounded by Uzbek cuisine, lamb shish-kebab was a must for me. It took around 10 minutes for them to prepare it. The portions are fairly standard compared to other places that serve similar food. The smell of the shish-kebab craves your appetite. The juice comes out with every bite you take. Potatoes with mushrooms is also something worthy of trying. It was incredible! Overall the food is quiet filling and tasty :) In terms of service, the waiters are friendly when it comes to suggestions. They provide suggestions on their most popular food(s) if you are stuck on what to order. Overall, the place is worth giving a try to receive satisfaction.

Tried the cold noodle soup, the soup broth was way too sweet and also oddly sour. Also, I was charged more than the menu price, and it took them over 15 minutes to prepare the dish for me as well.

This place is really great. They are very quiet during the day but this place fills up for dinner. They have a singing area in the back. All the food is super delicious and fresh. Mantys which are dumplings are delicious. Their lamb kebabs are delicious and flavorful too. All their food for comfort in the cold. They do takeout too. They have two TVs that plays some foreign show, prob in Uzbek. The staff talks in their home languages as well. But they've been here forever. Pretty cheap food. I can't believe I haven't come here earlier.

Cafe Lily provides a unique menu of Uzbek, Korean, and Russian cuisine. We had the Fish Khe (rehydrated dried fish marinated in spicy sauce), Lagman (beef noodle soup), and Manti (huge meat-filled dumplings). The owner also have is banchan, or small dishes. Would definitely recommend the Fish Khe and Manti. Service was friendly and helpful. Good for families and larger groups.

Cafe Lily is my favorite place. They have amazing korean cuisine! Kuk su is the best I've ever tried in New York. Taste like home. Also the owner is very friendly. The first day i came she greeted me by the entrance. After having lunch she asked me if i like the dish and gave me complimentary desert.

Know Lily for a long time, always fresh and tasty food. Nice and friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend to try Korean cold noodles( kuk-si) it's delicious.