ilili Restaurant

WOW! Finally a memorable dining experience out of all of these places that have popped up in the last 3-5 years. DC has done Mediterranean well with spots like Zaytinya.. Ambar.. heck even The Greek Spot, and Ilili is no disappointment! Service was slightly confusing because it seemed like i had 2 waiters until one just stopped checking on me.. dont know if they got their wires crossed or what but my waitress was great. My water glass never went empty thanks to the bussers. I started with the Tabbouleh and Chankleesh, which was deeelicious- i'd never had it before but it was a great starter and went really nicely with the duck shawarma. That duck shawarma... oh man. The duck was perfect and the accompaniments took it over the top. The prawns fell kinda flat in comparison but they were well-executed and a great size! My cocktails were delicious. 5 stars all around for Ilili!

Love this place for date night or meals with groups. We stopped in before a show at The Anthem. Although we had a reservations, we had to wait ~25 minutes to be seated. We ordered Levantine lemonades, delicious herbaceous bottled lemonades. Roasted Cauliflower served with a creamy sauce reminiscent of a very mild blue cheese to me. We also got the mixed grill. While all the meats were well seasoned, the chicken and steak were stand outs for flavor--but the steak and lamb were cooked beyond our requested temp. Carrots were amazing-- slightly sweet with warm spices and they maintained a good crunch.This was the perfect amount of food for two people, but I wish we would have had time to enjoy dessert as well.

Eat here! This is one of the best places I've ever eaten (not a short list). Service and ambiance are best in class, but the FOOD is genuinely outstanding. Every single bite was a delight. Every one of their non-alcoholic cocktails was expertly crafted with multiple layers of flavor.You will likely need a reservation.

Went for restaurant week and can't say enough positive things. The restaurant itself is gorgeous and perfect for a beautiful brunch but would also be great at dinner time. The service is attentive but not overbearing. Your needs are fully met and our water glasses stayed full. The food itself was phenomenal and perfect for sharing. Some foods were just meh to us (like the falafel and shakshuka) but the French toast and dips blew us away. We will 1000% be back to try more things from the menu

I was excited to try this spot with all the hype I've been hearing but as a vegetarian, it just didn't live up to the standards. The ambiance is beautiful with live plants and lighting well placed around the restaurant, but the staff was helpful but sometimes not as informed. Also, although the food is good, it's nothing to rave about for me as there were limited options for a main meal (not mezze) for a vegetarian and the portion sizes were a bit small for the price. Although, the baklava was a winning point for me! Decent, but not dying to go back!

We decided to enjoy lunch at ilili during the winter Restaurant week. ilili was offering a $35 per person prix fixe meal and as my wife enjoyed our experience here before, gave it a try. It was frankly a disappointment.The restaurant wasn't full at 1PM but that was no issue and we chose our table. The ambiance in ilili is wonderful. With all of the windows looking out on the Wharf and the plants inside, it's a really nice feeling. We received the prix fixe menu. There was a nice variety of appetizers, some of our favorites and these we enjoyed a lot. We chose the Baba Ghannouj, Flalafel, Fattoush and Mouhamara. All of these were very tasty, served with their puffed up pita bread. The choice of entrees was limited to a lamb burger, chicken that was prepared on a skewer (Shish Taouk, served on a plate), stuffed vegetarian grape leaves and beef. There were no fish offerings. The grape leaves were mushy. Instead of being somewhat firm, al dente, they were soft. It's clear that they had been cooked a while before and just heated up. The grape leaves was served on a bed of cooked onions. It was mediocre at best. The chicken dish was better, but clearly not to the standard of what we'd had during our previous meals. The dessert, Mouhalabiyyeh was a milk pudding with orange zest. This was light, flavorful and not too sweet.Our server, Massan A was just wonderful. He gets 5* for sure. And he brings the entire experience up a notch.I really like ilili, but I DO NOT recommend the restaurant week experience.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is how eye-catching the venue is, but what's waiting for you is EVEN BETTER food! It is better to order at least 4 dishes and share family-style to truly enjoy the menu. All dishes were boldly flavored and potion sized were great!The BATATA HARRA (spicy potatoes) and MOUSSAKA Eggplant were fan favorite at our table. For dessert, you can't go wrong with choosing either the ilili Candy bar or Baklava....in fact, get both!! Overall: Perfect for group dinners and to impress out of town guests. This is where you go if you want to satisfy both your eyes and mouth!

While this restaurant is absolutely stunning and conveniently located just steps away from the parking garage, the service was a bit disappointing. The food was delicious, and there are plenty of items available for various dietary restrictions. The ambiance is gorgeous and perfect for taking pictures with friends and family. I was just disappointed with the staff, from the bartenders to the hostess. They weren't very welcoming or attentive, and failed to take the time explaining the meals and beverage options.

I came here for my birthday and it was so flavorful. The chicken was so juicy and perfectly cooked it was a great dish to share. I do wish it came with more of a yogurt dip and had more potato over radish but that's just my preference! The duck shawarma was so juicy I loved! The yogurt dip was light and tasted even better with the duck. Our waiter was attentive and kind. This is more of a upscale dinner great for birthday or anniversary celebrations

Food 10/10. We got the lunch pre fixe. The portions are huge and I had to bring some home. I ordered baba gannoush, fattoush salad, lamb burger and the milk pudding. My husband ordered, batata harra, beef and lamb meat balls, shish touk and baklava. Everything I tried was great. Drinks 3/10 plus overpriced. Ordered a gin drink. It was literally a fancier version of dilute dirty gin martini without gin. My husband ordered Negroni and that was not it either. Must try place. May be order wine instead though.