Lili by Deja — Restaurant in Lahore Cantonment Tehsil

UPDATE III (April '25): Adding more stars They've won me over. It's my go-to place now for special occasions or when a friend is visiting from another city. Been there thrice just this month and it was delightful each time. I suggest you make a reservation ahead of time and request some special attention to the service for the best experience.

UPDATE II (June '24):

I was invited back for brunch. The experience this time was delightful. Quite an improvement from the previous two visits. Everything was lovely - the ambiance, service, and the food.

Tried the pizza french toast (flavorful, wonderfully made) and the pina colada waffles. The eggs were poached to perfection. Wanted to try the matcha but it wasn't available (next time, hopefully).

Today's brunch has won me over and I'll surely like to visit again.

It was my first time at Lili (May '24) although I have been to Deja before. The interior and ambiance is nice. Lovely art and decor. Tried the pull apart cheesy brioche (starter) [9/10], really liked it. It comes with three sauces (pesto mayo, marinara and caramelized onions) even though it's flavorful enough to not need anything. The iced blended mocha [7.5/10] was nice (not sure if it's a regular menu item or if they made something for us upon request) , a bit too sweet but you could feel quality ingredients that went into making it. Also had a salted caramel and peanut donut (think Snickers) [8.5/10].

My biggest disappointment was the service and staff. Firstly they did not give us a table that I preferred. I wanted something away from the window because it was quite sunny and hot outdoors and you could feel it in that part as well, despite the AC (that stopped working halfway through my time there). The waiters barely knew anything about the items that were on the menu and the donuts that were on display. Every time I asked a question they'd turn back and go to someone senior in a panic and ironically the senior was no better informed than them. The identified the donut flavors incorrectly, couldn't tell me what sauces accompanied the brioche pull apart (had to request the menu again to check and also show them where it was written). They couldn't guide me about the cold and iced coffee choices. They need to be better trained. It impacts the overall experience of the visitors.

UPDATE I (May '24): Decided to give it another chance because the food was nice. Went with family, next day, for a mother's day brunch. Sadly, the service was no better. Waiters are chaotic and confused. Nobody seems to know anything. Wrong items being sent to the table. Some items forgotten about and were served after we reminded them several times. each time a different waiter would come over who didn't have e any idea what we said to the previous one. Sigh. I have never been this disappointed at the service. Please train the staff better. It impacts the overall experience greatly.

Coming to the food review. Let's start with the eggs [2/10], I asked for fried but got scrambled. Half an hour later my fried eggs arrived and boy was it undercooked. Runny yolk is one thing, having slimy uncooked egg white all around it is another (salmonella risk) . Complimentary bread basked was fine, nice croissant.

Lentil bowl was amazing [10/10]. It was played to beautifully and everything tasted good. It has beetroot hummus, some salad, falafel and feta cheese. Deceptive pricing 990+tax on the menu. 1,700+tax on the bill. Upon being asked about it the next day, they simply said it was the old price.

I really wanted waffles but they weren't available so I had to settle for french toast - From Paris with Love [7/10]. Topped with ganache (a bit too sweet for my liking), brownie bits, honeycomb and comes wotha syrup. It was already so sweet it didn't need syrup.

Tried their feta Sesame puff with Honey and scones with...

If I could leave zero stars, I would. To start the review,

1. we gave our order which the waiter repeated 2 times to make sure nothing was missing and told us the food would come 20 mins later
2. the food came after 40 minutes, over 20 minutes of extra waiting time, yet, they served only 3 out of 5 people
3. after waiting for extended 20 minutes, we waited another 10 minutes for the order to come for the 4th person after consistently reminding them.
4. I found it quite odd that such a high end resturant would serve half the table after making us wait for such a long time.
5. The waiter came and told us that the person who had taken the order for the 5th person, had messed it up, after us repeating the order 2 times
6. so my friend waited 60 minutes for her food, and they served it WRONG
7. she asked for a chicken burger, they gave her beef
8. She waited a total for 1 hour 10 minutes for her food, I would give them the worst food service ever
9. they were not apologetic, didn't compensate for the waiting time, nor for messing up her order
10. we ordered desert, called the gold digger, and the brownies were so dry, it was one of the worst desserts I had in lahore for well over 2000 PKR
11. they added mashed potatos to our bill which we didn't order, and we only noticed after we had paid the bill. Upon calling the manager and the waiter, they said they couldn't do anything since we had paid the bill and the waiter said, "aap parhi likhi hain pehle dekh leteen"

So in short, they served late, served half of the table, forgot to bring one order, brought it not only late but also messed up, overcharged us and instead of compensating, they insulted us.

I have never seen a resturant as badly managed as this one in Lahore, with such pathetic service, and no regard for customer ...

My husband and I came here for my birthday. We were very excited to come but left just as disappointed. The food was so bad that my husband actually got sick at the restaurant. We ordered “pain du fromage” for starters and that was the only thing that tasted good and seemed worth the price. After that it all went downhill. When we placed the order we specified that the drinks should be served with the food, but the server brought the drinks a few moments after we placed the order and then later served us the same drinks with the food. For the mains we ordered the K’s Style Chicken Moroccan. It was fine. Nothing special about it. Not worth the price 3/5. But the worst was the “Vietri Sul Mare”. Literally 0/5. The serving size was a joke, the sauce tasted and smelled rotten and the olives caused my husband to become sick. The beans were served separately and it made no sense for beans to be fried and full of spice. It was horrible and not worth the price at all. And then what was even worse was that my husband wanted to surprise me with dessert and birthday wish at the end, but the server brought the desert in the middle of us having dinner. We ordered the crème brûlée. They served us the same after we had “eaten” and it was a miserable excuse for crème brûlée. I literally could not even eat it. The ambiance was nothing special. The tables had simple white cloth on them. I specifically had to ask for plates with the starter as it was falling on the table. There was only one napkin on the table. And initially they took us to the worst table in the restaurant, and we had to ask them to give us a better table. We spent too much money and it was not worth it at all. My birthday dinner was ruined. Don’t waste your time or money...