Lillo Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in New York

I have been back to Lillo more times than any day other restaurant in my neighborhood in the past few months. It has become one of our favorite restaurants. It pains me to write this review since Lillo is gaining more and more recognition and popularity which means it will soon be harder to get one of the 6 tables in this quaint neighborhood spot. There are many pro-s to Lillo Cucina. First you will be warmly greeted in Italian by Giuseppe, the owner, who will politely tell you how long it will take to get a table. Once seated Giuseppe will also set your table, take your order and serve your food. He might be cooking is as well. The vibe here is warm and cheerful. Ambiance is “no-frills.” The menu is actually written on a brown paper bag and taped to the wall. Prices are great —$10-13 for a generous portion of exquisitely prepared pasta cannot be beat. Around $16 for mains, not many, but include meatballs and chicken milanese. This pasta is so good you will be sopping up every bit of sauce from the plate with bread. Photos show the famous cacio e pepe, pasta alla gricia (rigatoni with bacon & cheese), pasta al ragu (house meat sauce) and pink gnocchi. It’s so good that once we saw a party leave with what looked like a weeks worth of food to stock their fridge. The desserts are terrific and traditional. Baba rum cakes, italian cheesecake, are all light as a feather and not too sweet. One time, We told Giuseppe we came to celebrate a friend’s birthday and he comped us a lovely impromptu homemade “birthday cake” comprised of layers of chocolate mousse and puff pastry with hand cut paper numbers 3 & 8 for his age. Only minor downsides are no bathroom, no alcohol (no BYOB) and no real waiting area but there are many bars within 1 block. The love in this food and hospitality is palpable and while i want it to be a secret only for me, i know that Lillo has so much love to...

Grubstreet recently reviewed Lillo and I am so happy that they highlighted this neighborhood gem. It's in Brooklyn Heights but it feels like a nice cafe in Rome. It's a nice stroll from the subway and once you arrive, you feel like you are stepping into a nonna's kitchen. Instead of a nonna, you find Lillo. He is one of the sweetest and warm man you will meet. You are welcomed immediately and time to look at the menu.

There are lots of pastas and sandwiches to choose from. There are some pastries to choose to end the meal as well. The pastas are all made in house and with lots of love. You can taste the love that is added to each dish. We ordered meatballs with peppers, sauteed mushrooms, pink gnocchi and the fettuccine with speck and zucchini. Each dish had something special about it.

The meatballs are so tender and the peppers are so soft that you barely need to chew. They add a sweetness to the dish. The mushrooms are out of this world. It's a simple dish that has so many layers of flavor. There is the usual meatiness you get with mushrooms. However, you can also taste the wine that it was sauteed in. It is just a joy to eat this dish.

The two pastas that we ordered, the fettuccine was the favorite. It was creamy and cooked to the perfect al dente. Each bite just slipped down with a smile. The gnocchi was creamy as well but a bit dense to my liking. There is a hint of the beet that added some earthiness to the dish.

The restaurant doesn't have a bathroom and it is a small space. If you come, when it's busy you will have to wait. I would do it. I would travel for this...

I’m beginning to wonder about the tastebuds of my fellow New Yorkers. How did this place get such high reviews?? My husband and I went here yesterday. We ordered broccoli rabe, arrabbiata and the pork ribs with potatoes. First the broccoli rabe was mushy, watery and bitter all at the same time, it tasted like frozen vegetables that was microwaved, and not properly at that because, the temperature was warm in the middle and lukewarm on the outside, we all know how an improperly microwaved meal taste, then they poured olive oil on top and put a garlic clove on the side, for authenticity I guess?🤷🏾‍♀️ I actually felt bad for the garlic clove it didn’t need to be associated with the rest of the dish. Moving along, the arriabiata was meh. I tasted the sauce and instantly thought of Rao’s sauce, we all know what that tastes like. 🍝 Last but not least. The pork ribs. Boy oh boy. First they were paler than my husband….he’s white. And on top of that, absolutely no flavor, I did see some kind of seasoning applied but it didn’t carry through to flavor the meat. And now my biggest disappointment. I am a huge fan of potatoes. Anyway you make em…Imma eat ‘em. Now at this spot I don’t know how they managed to mess up potatoes but they did. The potatoes were both rubbery and raw at the same time!!! How is that even possible??? How do you serve that to customers?? And everything needed salt!!!! Suffice to say we left there and had delicious tacos from Taqueria Al Pastor afterwards cause we were...