Lilia
Italian restaurant · Williamsburg
567 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Highlights
Wood-fired Italian fare, housemade pastas, and creative cocktails.
Wood-fired Italian fare, housemade pastas, and creative cocktails.
"There are a ton of Italian restaurants in Brooklyn, but there’s nothing else like Lilia. The space feels like a glamorous, whitewashed warehouse, and their modern Italian food is always perfectly executed. While this place is great for special occasion dates and impressing out-of-towners, our favorite way to eat here is by grabbing a few seats at the bar. Start with a Negroni and an order of squishy focaccia, and plan to go deep on pastas. The agnolotti is a required order, and the cacio e pepe-style mafaldini should be in front of you as well." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, tiffany yannetta
"How Far In Advance Should You Book? Four weeks, but check same-day availability too. We used to spend a few hours every week fielding questions on how to get into Lilia. The Williamsburg restaurant’s reservations page was perpetually barren. Then, in the past year, something strange happened. We started seeing tables available online—mostly for dates four weeks out, but same-day ones as well. Eat at 5:15pm if you have to. The signature grilled clams and honey-drizzled agnolotti are worth it." - bryan kim
"Coming to Lilia in Williamsburg grants you access to a special society: those who have eaten at the city’s most exclusive Italian restaurants. Once you sit down, though, Lilia’s industrial-looking space feels nothing like a glitzy club where diners hope they get blue Instagram checks with dessert—instead, the restaurant is a temple of simplicity in pasta. Besides the occasional addition of shrimp or squid to a fra diavolo, you’ll find bare bones near-perfection here. As an added bonus, you can tell your friends you had your anniversary at Lilia." - bryan kim, kenny yang, will hartman
"It happened. You did it. You finally got a reservation at Lilia in Williamsburg. Build your order around as much pasta as possible. The mafaldini with pink peppercorns is one of the most refreshing pastas in Brooklyn, but you can't go wrong. The pastas are made in-house and accented with wood-fired meats and extremely good cheese." - willa moore, bryan kim, neha talreja, carlo mantuano
"Occasionally, we think to ourselves: “Maybe Lilia is easier to get into now.” And we’re always disappointed. But Missy Robbins’ perfectly cooked, modern Italian food is totally worth it when you finally score a table. Our favorite way to experience this whitewashed, warehouse-like space is by grabbing a few seats at the bar. Start with a negroni and an order of squishy focaccia, and be sure to get the agnolotti and cacio e pepe-style mafaldini." - kenny yang, carina finn koeppicus, bryan kim, neha talreja, nikko duren, hannah albertine
