Lilla Cafe

Not sure if their delivery chef is different from the in-​house one but…
I ordered the same thing I ordered last time. Except that this time it was a delivery rather than eat-​in. Chicken Paté was definitely nowhere near the quality as the one I had when I ate at the restaurant. And it was much too soft. The burger I ordered rare, and got a well done instead. Not even a hint of pink on it. Quite disappointing.

So, this is the 2^nd time I’d been to Lilla. The first time would have me giving a much higher rating but a restaurant shows its true colours when busy and under pressure.
I had talked this place up to my friends after my first experience and after having dinner there recently, there were more than a few things that weren’t nearly close to being up to scratch.
We were seated in the courtyard and quickly decided it was too chilly to stick it out. Moved inside next to a VERY loud group with their 6 kids… bad timing! We ordered a bottle of wine which was delicious and had some of Lilla’s home made bread which too was lovely. Then, I realised that some time had passed and we hadn’t received our appetisers. Somewhere close to an hour I’d say.
We shared the chicken and a kale salad both of which were nice. I ordered a salt crusted fish, which when I saw it being delivered to the table next to us, filled me with excitement. A whole fish, still incased in its salt crust and baked vegetables.
I was disappointed to see that my plate had pieces of fish with overcooked broccolini and rounds of carrots. The waiter explained that the chef had run out of time and fillet the fish for me… Weird! The fish was moist and fresh but it was not what I ordered. My friends steak was cold, my husbands pork chop was overcooked and my other friends seafood pasta came out in an enormous messy heap…
The waiter gave the table a complementary piece of chocolate cake to share (which was too cold and in any case seemed a bit ridiculous amongst 4 people), I felt the gesture was too little too late.
$ 60 on a very average meal.

Loved this place, the service is excellent, and it has a beautiful garden… I will def come back here. Cant give it all of 5 stars because i only tried the dessert here (and it was fantastic!!) But I will definitely be back here to finish my review!

Truth be told, I probably give it 3 stars if it hadn’t come with such high praise (4.5 stars).
We had the calamari in the center, I had the egg sandwich and my wife had the kale salad.
Nothing was bad. But nothing was mind blowing either. Setting in the garden is nice. Service was good. But the biggest issue was that they were out of not one, but TWO dishes that we tried to order prior, and this is at 12:15PM on a Saturday– plus, we were the only people in the place, so it’s not like they weren’t prepared for a mad rush or something. A little unacceptable for a restaurant enjoying such high praise.
Sorry Lilla. I like you, but I’m not in love with you.

This is a charming and delicate café with a beautiful patio and warm interior. The wait staff and the chef were very friendly and personable and the brunch we enjoyed were excellent. Try the Prosciutto and Provolone Omelette.
Try to make it for their live Jazz brunch. Nothing like the sounds of jazz and the grill infusing your pallet.

I live a few blocks away, so have tried most items on the menu and everything has be good to excellent.
Their corn & crab chowder is wonderful with fresh corn! Most fun to shit outside during the warm weather. Their salads are interesting, tasty and large.
I like my hamburgers medium rare and they hit it on the mark. Chicken is juicey, tender and delicious. The entrée specials have been consistently wonderful.
The Queen of Sheba desert is possibly too chocolately — but how can you have something too chococlaely — so I only order when I can split it with my guest.
Their wine & beer selection is small, but no loosers in the group.
Strongly recommended.

Talk about pleasant surprises. Wasn’t sure what we were getting ourselves into as we crossed the BQE. We were looking for Petite Crevette, but due to the inability of 5 fully grown adults armed with smart phones, to decipher an address, we ended up at Lilla, and we did not regret it in the least. I had the roasted chicken. Whatever the sauteed greens beneath is was, it was extremely well done. The chicken was a little crisp, yet still moist. Also tried some of the fish… again well done. Good service, quiet (though it filled in a little after we were seated), and very reasonably priced for some high quality food. I’ll be back.

Food was good but most of it wasn’t very memorable. I probably wouldn’t come back here unless I was in the area. The one thing that did stand out was the chicken, which was probably the juiciest and most moist chicken I ever had. However, the multiple burgers we ordered were overcooked. The décor is cute and unpretentious — typical of the hood.

Was the food good? Sure. Some things were better than others. The calmari was better than most places, soft not too chewy. The buffalo chicken was better than most places: plump and tender with a touch of buffalo sauce and a big side of an actual blue cheese over some greens. The califlower soup was ok. The burger was ok. The champaigne sorbet, tasted like a spiked snowball of ice.
Was the atmostphere to my liking? Hmm… I have some suggestions for the layout, perhaps make it an open kitchen type of deal, would certainly open up the space more at least visually. We were a party of 10 (a big long table), too big for the place as we were the largest party there. Since were were sitting against the wall, with the kitchen wall beginnings on the other side of us, right in front of the front door with all its cold air rooming in from the outside (January, duh), it felt like we were sitting in the waiting hall. Perhaps a dinner for 2 or may be 4 would have yielded a different experience. Overall, however, this place was missing that je né sais qua.
Most importantly, would I come back? Probably not. I may consider it to have another go at the buffalo chicken.

A friend and I popped in after seeing a show close by — great place! Food and wine was affordable, food tasted great, wine tasted better after a long week … the ambiance is nice, and the restaurant is quaint and welcoming. Our server was very friendly, as was the cook (it was a cold night, so there wasn’t much business — and the staff took that opportunity to be extra attentive). This little gem is recommended for anyone looking for a nice atmosphere and agreeable pricing!

I’ve been there twice, now, and both visits yielded perfectly prepared food.
— The Amish Chicken is out of sight. Best prepared bird I’ve ever had in a restaurant, without a doubt.
— Burger was a dead-​on medium rare. Freshly ground.
— Watermelon Salad was refreshing and creative
— Homemade peach coffee cake was buttery goodness; Excellent bread with a touch of rosemary is baked in-​house.
The place is cute and unpretentious, and service is attentive but not obtrusive. It’s rare to eat at a place where the execution of every dish is this consistent. I feel confident that if I go back a third time with any size group, everything would be spot on.
A really great experience.

Delicious food!
I’m mainly posting this review in case the owner (s) read Unilocal reviews…
My S.O. and I arrived for dinner and wanted to sit outside. It was a beautiful summer night, but out in their garden there were only two tables occupied and inside, maybe one. I instantly spotted the few tables that they have in the very back of the garden. They looked so romantic! I inquired about sitting at one, and the waiter informed me that they were all 4-​tops, so since we were just two, we weren’t allowed to sit there. We ended up sitting at a 2-​top, which was adequate. The rest of the night, we only saw one or two other couples sit down for dinner while the awesome back garden tables remained empty (along with any others). I understand if you’re busy, but if that’s not the case PLEASE! if you are a new business in the hood and you want to remain open, you should accommodate your clients so that they keep coming back. That’s my 2 cents.

Adorable restaurant with a beautiful backyard, excellent service, and lovely, well-​prepared food. It’s named a «café» but is definitely much more than that. Their dishes have seasonal ingredients and very nice presentation. So glad to have Lilla in my new neighborhood — I will definitely be back.

Critics say that you can measure a good restaurant by it’s roasted chicken. Well, Gosh darn it, these guys are amazing. I’m not a huge fan of the «go-​to» chicken offering. I had a craving — and their chicken is juicy with a roasted yet sort of crunchy. One caveat — they manage to do this via DELIVERY.
I read other Unilocal reviews and most negative comments were directed at the décor. I can’t tell you about that because I’ve only ordered but the food is simply divine and amazing. Really good. I mean, REALLY GOOD.
So very worth going to and returning
My man loves the Seafood pasta dish — or any fish dish to be honest.
I have yet to sample much more than the chicken because once I had it, I now crave it.
Did I mention the chicken?
Always gives me us a dessert when we order. Every time. They are awesome
…and by the way, I’m pretty sure the chef or someone from the kitchen actually delivered our food tonight. Man, they are nice.
oh, and the chicken :)

This place deserves a 5 star rating if only for how high quality our dinner was when we ate here. This meal stood out relative to the range of places I have eaten at living nearby in Carroll Gardens.
I could see how not everything would click for some of the lower reviewers, it is a small place and may not have been run tickity-​boo, and I cannot speak to brunch, but this place is worth checking out for dinner at least once to see for yourself– the food was exceptional.

yum.
yum.
still yum.
yummy yum yum.
my only fear is that it will be doomed like all other restaurants in this same location before them. therefore, i really hope folks from all over come trekkin’ to keep this restaurant rolling. for god sakes, chef grows his own herb in the back garden, say what?
that tri tip steak and veal scallopini was almighty heavenly… def didn’t expect it to be this damn good. and price wise, it’s fair game. you’re in carroll gardens/​redhook.

I stopped in here last night with my Mom & the boy!
We had a lovely evening here. I personally found the décor comfortable and welcoming. The light filters into this nice space giving it a very natural feel. To complete that natural feel the menu is seasonal and they strive to serve organic, antibiotic free food! I love that this place is BYOB at the moment and they even offered us an ice bucket to go along with our wine. We enjoyed the warm bread that we received immediately and continued to enjoy the meal from there. We ordered the daily squash side as an appetizer and then I got the fish, My Mom got the chicken and the boy got the steak. We all enjoyed the simple yet tasty food immensely. The chef made a quick appearance and asked how our food was and we were happy to give our compliments. I will definitely keep this spot in mind for the future, it’s a great place to bring the folks as it’s not overly crowded or too hectic!

BYOB alert!!!
I’m a big fan of Lilla. We’ve been coming here since they first opened. By chance we were the first people to get served brunch at Lilla, and the service has always been so nice. There are absolutely NO pretenses, and the food is always savory and fresh.
The prices are a bit more than we’d typically like to spend but it’s a good treat to have next door to our apartment.
The décor is clean and comfortable. I’m not sure why people are micro-​analyzing the décor: the décor is pleasant and the décor reminds me of a restaurant, done and done.
The bathroom has a changing station for the little ones (a nice touch for families), and the bathroom was impeccably clean.
Lilla is a welcome addition to the ‘hood.

The food was decent, especially the brussels sprouts, but the décor, plating, and service hurt them.
The paint is too bright and the wall hangings are a distraction. Our server took our BYOB bottle away as soon as we entered and didn’t return with it for several minutes. Then she made us second guess our order – if you really want to recommend something, tell us when you seat us & inform us of the specials, not after we’ve told you what we want – and she forgot part of our order and had to come back to ask. The bread was meted out piece by piece instead of in a basket at the table, and she removed our bread plates every time we finished a piece.
My steak was fine – a good cut, prepared as I asked, but why was it served on a plate with lettuce & tomato? I didn’t order a burger. My boyfriend’s pork belly was good, but the spaetzle was gummy.

It feels very old world, with the dark wooden furniture, the hanging trellis garden and the super high white ceilings overlooking tables covered with simple tablecloths.
There’s a moment when you almost believe you’ve gone even deeper into Italy than Carroll Gardens West and ended up at a hillside café in Campania for a little dinner. Everything is as you expect, the careful homey decoration, the sincere and gracious staff and the gorgeous shaded garden. Then you look at the menu and you realize that the chef has a few other locales in mind.
There’s an octopus salad, which is beautiful, so pillowy and melt in your mouth it feels like you’re eating the most tender cut of meat imaginable. There is a chicken liver pâté, moist and firm with excellent flavor, and there is a very good striped bass that will please any mother in law.
Lilla Café is a neighborhood gem, unpretending and sincere, with a menu and staff to match.