Lilly's Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Midland

The best kept secret in the 705!

I was recommended to try Lilly's Italian Eatery from a local hotel. I arrived about 830pm, traveling solo, while in town for work. I was pleasantly greeted and chose a seat at the bar. I was appreciative they could take me, as it was close to closing.

Behind the bar was a server diligently polishing wine glasses, putting both effort and care into each glass. I can really respect when staff care about their job and put forth the effort as this server did.

My server was extremely pleasant, knowledgeable about the menu, the evenings dinner specials and the wine list. It became apparent that all the serving staff worked with enthusiasm and a passion for their job, which was strikingly refreshing.

I requested the 'soup of the day', while I reviewed the menu. A fabulous glass of red wine appeared in front of me in the cleanest wine glass I have ever used.

The menu was filled with many delectable choices, with something for every palate. The daily specials listed on the display board both sounded good. My stomach chose the Pork Schnitzel. I didn't choose an appetizer, as I was warned about the substantial size of the Schnitzel plate.

My order arrived quickly, the plate was indeed covered in the largest Pork Schnitzel I had ever seen. The sheer size of the piece of meat, combined with the sides and the presentation made me grin and think to myself, Dynamite!

I cut into it, hot, crispy and tender, it smelled amazing and the first taste was nothing short of pure bliss to my senses.

The meal came with delicious oven roasted potatoes which were seasoned and cooked perfectly and coleslaw. Typically, I'm not a lover of coleslaw,  however, this coleslaw was unlike any coleslaw I have ever had - it was superb. The dressing was housemade, creamy and light. It contained the perfect amount of everything to make it simply the best coleslaw I have ever had, and I really enjoyed it.

This was truely a meal that I would order again and again. I couldn't have chosen a better menu item to suit my taste.

All the dessert items sounded equally delicious,  however I had to opt out of dessert,  as I was quite comfortably stuffed. The perfect food induced coma feeling to end my night.

I couldn't have had a better meal and overall dining experience. I'm thankful this restaurant was recommended to me, and I will definitely go out of my way to eat here again at the next opportunity.

A true gem in the town of Midland.

Thank you to the serving staff, Monica, Ellie, and Jess for raising the bar with your excellent service, and thank you to Corey for a job well done with the overall atmosphere and the impressive...

June 23, 2023 we went to Lilly's for the first time to celebrate our anniversary. We were appropriately seated at a table for two and the server took our drink order (non alcoholic). Another couple came in 10 minutes after us and were seated right next to our table, despite the restaurant being less than half full with several other tables available. Not a big deal. We then ordered an appetizer and our entrees. The couple beside us, who came in after us, received their appetizers, and we waited. The same couple then were served their entrees while still we waited for our appetizer. 45 minutes had now passed. Not once during this time did our waitress Monica stop by our table. We had to get the attention of another server, to inquire about our food (we did this 2 more times with 2 different servers). Finally our server came to our table after being waved at, and informed us that she neglected to order our appetizer, but our main should be almost ready. "Did we still want our appetizer?", no we did not. 15 minutes later they brought out one of our entrees but not the other. We waited another 15 minutes for the other entree to be brought out, all the while my "special" was getting cold. When the other entree was finally brought out, mine was now room temperature, and again we waited while she took mine back to "reheat", leaving the other food on the table to cool off. Finally after 1 hour and 20 minutes, both entries were on the table. We declined ordering desert, and informed our server (tactfully and politely) that the service we received was completely unacceptable. She returned to the table with our bill, which had no adjustment on it to make up for the complete disaster handling our experience at Lilly"s.

Would I recommend the food at Lilly's?...perhaps, it was tasty and appropriately priced.

The atmosphere and decor....fine.

Would we return and subject ourselves to the service we received and the complete indifference from the...

An intimate, lively and laid back experience. Lilly's has a modern restaurant appearance with a traditional family restaurant approach one can sense the moment they walk in the door. From that point of walking in they do everything right. Service is personal, immediate, casual and fun. The staff are engaged and friendly. They like being at work. Apathy is not in their vocabulary. The wine, cocktail and beer menus are well planned with selection. All the right choices, no repetition and something for all. The food menu has just the right amount of variety and choice. Hits the Italian greatest hits with some influence from other cuisines to make the menu an unexpected pleasure. Servings are the exact right size. You will not leave hungry nor feeling overstuffed. It's just the right balance which dining should be. It's a total experience. Do not go in thinking you can half a half hour meal and make a 7pm movie. This is your evening experience and the time spent is worth it. My wife and I had desert, a main and dessert. We were with her parents, two friends and our 7 week old son. We came away feeling cared for and respected. Our server found a candle for our homemade cheesecake knowing it was my wife's birthday. They unfortunately were out of birthday candles and he went beyond to make sure she had something to celebrate the dessert. I'm not a dessert eater and I would have this cheesecake daily. I have worked in restaurants for 25 years, managed for 20 years in small independent venues to running large corporate stores. Lily's does an incredible job combining the two worlds. The family and the staff should be proud of what they have achieved. If you have the chance book a table a Lilly's. It is dining in the truest sense. You are there to enjoy, eat, drink and experience in the company of friends; the ones you brought with you and the ones...