Lilou Brasserie — Restaurant in Knoxville

We had four in our group so we were able to get a great sampling of offerings. Started with drinks which were all amazing. I had the Claude and being a fan of Old Fashions thought this version stood up to many. The use of Grand Monier added a tasty depth to the walnut and orange bitters... I had two! My oldest son enjoyed a Sazerac which was not on the menu but well made, my second son had the Chagall. Although I'm not a fan of gin drinks, he enjoyed it. Our waitress (wish I had gotten her name) was AMAZINGLY educated on all aspects of the menu and wine offerings. Not only could she help with questions, she added more information that eventually lead us in the right direction all night. When it came to choosing wine parings for our entrees, she found one for each of our plates and likings, spot on! We started with two appetizers, Soupe à l'Oignon and a three cheese plate with mini baguettes. The soup was fantastic and the cheese plate was fun as we did not know much about French cheeses. Again, our waitress led us in the right direction. On to the four entrees, Magret de Canard (duck breast - medium rare, crispy skin and well prepared), Kokotxe (pork cheek tortellini, a little more chew in the pasta than I prefer but nonetheless, wonderful), Bourguignon (ox tail soup you would believe Julia Child herself made!) and Ris de Veau (veal sweetbreads prepared French traditional... first time in on sweetbreads and were prepared excellently. Go for the traditional rather than the "crispy for Americans" choice. All four of us enjoyed this dish). Each entree had a different French sauce that are definitely great versions of three of the Four Mother Sauces and heightened the flavors of all our plates, well done Chef. Desert! Tarte Tatin (the French version of a deconstructed apple pie with creme fraiche... oh my, heart warming!), Gâteau Basque (a traditional Basque cake was well executed) and we were surprised with a Crème Brûlée celebrating my wife's and first son's birthdays... a nice gesture that allowed us to enjoy another one of Lilou's menu offerings. All in all, an experience Knoxville has been missing (and needing) until Lilou opened a few weeks ago. We highly recommend Lilou for the food, atmosphere, staff knowledge and guidance. Go with an open mind, try something you normally wouldn't as you will be glad you did a the end of the night. Expect a traditional two hour seating for a group of four... you won't notice the time while...

Torn on how many stars to give as we have come twice and had two very different experiences.

Came for dinner in May for our anniversary. Made reservations. Service was fantastic, food was great, though a bit overpriced. Best part of the meal was the bread service & cheese plate. We vowed to come back and just have a meal of bread/wine/cheese because it was that good. Restaurant was crowded & loud, and our table was too small. Would have given that experience 4 stars mostly credited to the food & service.

Today we had 8am reservations to try breakfast. We arrived at 7:50 and were told the restaurant wasn’t open yet and we had to wait. I told them I had a reservation thinking maybe they’d go ahead and seat us, but they stared at me blankly. At 8 they said we could go in. Again I stood at the front desk waiting to be seated since we had a reservation. Finally a waitress told us to sit wherever.

We ordered coffees and an espresso martini which were both very good (though the coffees were small). After ordering our food, we waited 40 minutes in an empty restaurant. When the food came, it was lackluster. The lemon crepes had powdered sugar dumped on top (rather than dusted/sifted), and was missing the Chantilly cream & fruit advertised on the menu. They were bland and disappointing.

The omelette (which the waitress told us was the second one because there was a “mishap” with the first) was brown/burnt and missing the creme fraiche. The kouign amann was pretty good. The croque monsieur was probably the most flavorful thing we ordered. Salad served on the side of the sandwich and omelette was flavorless & a waste of space.

There was only one other table of 4 in the restaurant, and yet we could hear the chef rudely yelling at the waitress constantly for “hands!” / “service!”. Unprofessional that we could hear all the loud conversations happening in the kitchen from the front of house.

Overall for subpar service and subpar food, $93 was entirely overpriced for breakfast. Wished we would’ve gone to Status dough and spent $15 on coffee & donuts. We may return for bread/cheese/wine but will not be back...

I have had the pleasure of coming to this restaurant for both brunch and dinner. I brought clients here as well as friends and can attest to their French influence.

The brunch menu offers a unique, impaired down choice compared to their dinner menu, and you get a lot of brunch classics on it. The portions are fairly sized and are quite filling. Their salads are double the size of most restaurants, and their French onion soup is stellar!

While I enjoyed my brunch, I recommend dinner instead (especially if you only have time for one). Dinner by far exceeds expectations and offers a lot of exceptionally delicious French classics. The dinner menu has a lot more variety. However prices are quite steep, comparatively to other restaurants in the area. I love the steak frites as well as the tartare. I do have vegetarian friends who can eat here, but the menu doesn’t offer many options for them. If you’re looking for more vegetarian or vegan choices, this is not the first place I would recommend.

Service is okay here. It has improved since it first opened. Compared to other restaurants, their wait staff seem to be very busy and not as attentive, which can be resolved by having a few more staff members on hand.

If you want to come here for an early dinner, I highly recommend sitting in their outdoor patio space out front. Especially on nice weather days, their patio offers an authentic French feel. That is if you do not mind people watching you as you eat, as it offers little cover for you. I will say the two seat tables which are closer to the door offer a more intimate dining experience outside.

One of the perks of this being a part of the Hotel Cleo, is that their waiting area also offers you if you seats to enjoy a cocktail as well.

Their bartenders are truly exceptional. I highly recommend their espresso martini. It’s one of the best items on the menu - and in Knoxville! The bar seating is one of my personal favorite places to sit, as you watch the bartenders create cocktails, it feels like...