Dilly Dally

Solid, family-friendly addition to the Vanderbilt Ave restaurant scene. Went here for brunch on Saturday with my wife and 10 month old baby. We arrived for our 1:45 reservation and it was busy! Make sure to book a reservation. Loved that they were super baby friendly - they provided a high chair and a kid-friendly stainless steel cup for the little one to use. Not a ton of space to park a stroller so you may want to leave that behind, although I did see that they did have a covered outdoor space in the back where a family with a baby stroller was hanging out. Overall, service was great, ambiance was awesome and food was good and we’ll definitely come back. It’s a little pricey for what you get - the “Eggs in Purgatory” was a downer, just two eggs in a ton of sauce. My breakfast burrito was solid and the chorizo was tasty. The best dish we tried was the quiche. Staff were super friendly and prompt. Recommend.

I came back. Service was not good amd the food was lacking. It was FILLED with kids. I was just trying to enjoy dinner and kids were screaming and crying. The drinks weren't good. Had to flag down people to get a second drink. I previously shared this privately and never heard back. Overpriced and somehow we were rushed out. This place was really good. Best ceaser salad I've ever had hands down. Great service. Didn't love the cocktail on tap but whatever. Btw this place IS NOT kid friendly. Please leave your children at home ☺️

*Pleasant time. Food is fine, but expensive for what it is.* Their website and Instagram didn't really show what the menu was like so took a chance. Looking at the menu it's hard to tell what kind of restaurant they want to be. Assumed it would be New American, but then had dishes that felt they were trying to be kind of Italian? Spiced nuts with Mediterranean spices? While some dishes were good, just felt overall OK. Best dish was the Seared Steelhead Trout with very good seasoning/sauce on the skin - you must eat it all. The $28 burger was meh and smaller especially for that price! For that same amount you should get the Emily Burger or Au Cheval which are way better. The $22 meatball was tasty, but again hard to justify that for meatballs that aren't that big. The lasagna has good texture as it was soft to cut through, but could use more flavor. Wanted to like it more, but overall not very memorable aside from the fun name of the place. In the end, it's very expensive for what it is.

Dilly Dally! What a cute spot! I had the good fortune to eat here during the first week they opened and wow, did they exceed expectations. Firstly, the spot is so cute. It is bright and inviting and even the door handles match the branding. I know it doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things, but when any restaurant puts in this much effort into the details it always makes a big difference to my overall experience. I sat down with my friend and the server, Casey, was great! He not only had a wonderful mustache, but also explained how to order from the menu a way that would make the meal flow best. Appetizers: We got the Caesar Salad and the Big ‘Ol Meatballs. Simply put, it was one of the best Caesar salad I have ever had in New York. Simple, Fresh, beautiful greens, lots of cheese on top. The Big ‘Ol Meatball did not FXXK around! Two huge meatballs that were perfectly prepared in a pleasantly acidic red sauce, this is a must order. I suggest ordering this with the sourdough bread so you can have something to dip in all the delicious extra sauce. Mains: We ordered both the Squash Ravioli and the Lasagna. The Squash ravioli had a wonderful balance of sweet filling and savory sauce, while the Lasagna was divine. They used a similar acidic red sauce to top the lasagna which was a lovely balance with the sweeter bechamel sauce. The whole atmosphere of the restaurant was bright, cute, and comfortable. They have nice aesthetic touches like different colored flatware, interesting art and lush plants in the patio out back. I will certainly return shortly.

A great addition to the Vanderbilt Avenue restaurant scene in Prospect Heights. Friendly people (the door, the bar, the runners) and a whimsical approach to some design elements only make enjoying the food even easier. We shared the Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, smoked trout dip (kudos for getting the ratio of cracker to dip just right!) and lasagna (which was so good it didn’t last long enough to take a picture). All of them perfect and wonderful.

Dilly Dally is exactly what’s needed on Vanderbilt and in Prospect Heights. The vibe in the restaurant is Coming Soon (quirky, diverse art, fun light fixtures, great furniture, table settings) meets cool bar, and the staff are down to earth and attentive. The food is pretty perfect. We had the bread, Caesar salad, meatballs, trout and skirt steak. All were perfect. The bread is crusty, so moist and paired with the butter is so good. The meatballs are wildly soft and decadent with a perfect red sauce. The mains are really well balanced and delicious. We didn’t get the burger; the next time we go we will. I am skeptical about a $30 burger, but they’re doing all the right things!

Okay so I think this place just opened and OMG. It's the cutest place I've been into for ages. Design wise, it's impeccable. Music was great (vibe and volume), the decor was fab, service was perfect. And a note about the service. It was relaxed, cool, and informed. Our server was cool, but not TOO COOL for us. They made us feel extremely welcomed. Everyone was attentive. For drinks, we got the NA Bev. We don't drink, and it is hard to get a mocktail that doesn't suck. And this was absolutely delicious. It had a great balanced flavour, and a wonderful mouthfeel and actually had body to it. You can tell they put equal care into their NA cocktails as they did their regular bar program. The wine list also looked excellent. For food, we got: Squash (the Pepitas pesto was divine). The Caesar salad was bomb. So flavorful. And fresh. The lasagna was elevated and elegant. Fresh . And then the fish (steelhead) was the star. What a beautiful cut of fish. Everything blew us away. Service and FOOD. we will be going back. It's the kind of spot that you feel taken care of in. But the food is phenomenal!! Enjoy the photos of half eaten food and empty plates because I low key couldn't help myself.

Great burger..very rich so great for sharing. We received amazing service from Oscar at the bar. Music was strange and too loud. I think it has the bones of a great neighborhood place just needs a few tweaks to the menu and better lighting at the bar.

"is this what people mean by a 'culinary experience'?" "Yeah, I think so" "God damn."

Dilly Dally second time visiting, first time dining. Service is top notch, everyone working there greets you with a smile. Good vibes inside is what I'm sayin. (We loved the back patio) Burger is quality, solid portion served with fries. Fried eggplant is crispy and cooked to perfection. Beets salad with ricotta is quickly becoming one of my more favorite apps to get while out dining. This place doesn't miss with their version. Salad was slightly over salted, can be fixed by just asking for dressing on the side. Thank you for the good times Dilly Dally keep doing what you are doing. Match books for guests would be cool addition :) 5 stars

New casual dining in a space that can't keep a resto in there. I hope this one sticks cause despite me not loving it. I think they are on the verge of being really good. Burger is the bomb. I don't think the menu does justice in describing what it is and how it comes but def get it. I was underwhelmed with the lasagna. It came barely warm and I asked to reheat and it just didn't hit the mark for me. We didn't get the meatballs but that and the caesar looked good. Service was ok. Again, I think it will keep getting better. Wines are mainly natural and they have a decent cocktails menu with not exuberant prices.

Awesome dinner experience at Dilly Dally! The servers were super friendly and the space itself is cute and cozy. My friend and I got the crispy eggplant and bean dip to share. The eggplant was delicious and had the perfect level of crisp. The bean dip was good but too salty. I felt like I needed to get the right amount of dip on the right amount of bread in order to offset this. The flavors in the dip were great though. I got the steak and fingerling potatoes for my main. The steak was tender but a little overcooked for medium-- I still very much enjoyed every bite. I also appreciated that the steak was grass-fed. All in all, I'd definitely return!

We went there for brunch on a Saturday at 10:45am. Great time if you want to beat the crowds! We both ordered the breakfast plate. Mine came with scrambled eggs and confit tomatoes (yum), hash browns (yum!), sausage Patty and beans. Great meal and service was excellent! The restaurant reminded me of a 50s soda shop but sophisticated. Airy and bright. My husband had the homemade grapefruit soda which was delicious and very adult! I would come back here and recommend to my friends!

I know so much goes into a restaurant so I hesitate giving this place a bad review... and it's always possible that it was an off night but I so did not enjoy my food or experience that I almost would like a refund. The dip was extremely salty and I have a high salt tolerance. Both I and my company kept trying to eat it because we came hungry but it was just so salty that it was inedible. It also was cold and I think a cannellini dip should not be cold. The bread served with it should have been warmer or fresher tasting - it was kinda warm but not toasted? Semi warm? I had the fish and I thought it tasted fishy. The sides that it was resting on felt overly and unnecessarily oily and I didn't understand the seasoning. The fries were nice and my friend enjoyed his burger enough but other than that we both left with bad tastes in our mouths. It also felt understaffed in a strange way. I'm all for casual dining but at this price point it didn't feel right. Also, I appreciate an open kitchen but it's a little off putting when it feels like my own kitchen with hamburger buns being removed from a cellophane wrapper. I don't know. If it's meant to be super casual it needs to be more clear and maybe a lot less expensive. It almost felt like there was no management... that no one tasted the food.... Like no one really cared that much. I hope it improves and it's possible that it will.

I'm going to attempt to be constructive here this being a new restaurant, but this was a pretty rough experience. The bean dip was too salty and overly thick like someone was experimenting with making hummus for the first time and then left it out for a day. The burger was just ok. Far too large and nothing special despite being $26. The trout entree also wasn't good. Our waitress disappeared about halfway through the meal without saying anything and left the restaurant. This would all be more forgivable if the food wasn't so expensive. It's really not ok to charge such high prices if you aren't getting everything right or at least clearly trying to get things right. There are just too many far better options in this neighborhood.

This is a bright and cheery new spot in a location that has seen a lot of turn over. The servers at Dilly Dally are warm, casual and kid friendly. The $16 No More Golf Umbrellas cocktail - a boozy Arnold Palmer - was so balanced and refreshing that we decided to split a second one. I especially liked the roasted garlic butter on the bread and the eggplant chips. The $17 small Caesar salad has good flavor, but the croutons should be crispy and the lettuce was too watery. The design of this spot is light and bright with lots to look at - like Apartment Therapy come to life. I don't see tomato soup red used often in restaurant design so it was energizing to see it used so well here. Treat yourself to the $15 brownie sundae! I'm excited to have a new restaurant option that's practical. The kind of place we could go to regularly. It felt a little bit expensive to be a regular hang, but I'll be back soon for sure.

Excellent vibe and service, great wine and drinks. Had a ton of apps and all were excellent - as a pescetarian I had many options. Get the trout dip, eggplant app and shrimp cocktail for sure. Definitely recommend!