Lillo Cucina Italiana

Just like an Italy, where you can walk into a nameless storefront and have one of the best meals of your life, Lillo delivers proper and classic dishes that make you feel like you're being fed by a Nonna. His forte are the Roman pastas, and his desserts, as he hails from Rome and is an accomplished baker and chef. Even his sandwiches are second to none. Every meal here is a feel-good experience.

Hole in a wall place, recommend by a friend. Best pasta in the city! Small, quiet place with a variety of pastas to choose from! The owner asks your specific taste and even customises the pasta. This time we had a simple cacio pepe and pasta Arrabbiata. They had one egg free dessert which was delicious and the tiramisu was outstanding!

Okay. Lillo is my favorite place in NYC to eat, and now also my favorite Italian food across the entire United States of America. I’ve eaten at many places, with many different levels of fanciness and quality. Lillo has hole-in-the-wall vibes, homemade deliciousness, and the owner himself serves the food and drinks. The food takes you out of the city and into culinary heaven. The taste and care put into each dish is deserving of at least a Michelin star. Will absolutely be back, many more times.

Got here right before their last seating at 8:15, and it was fabulous! Owner was nice, made us feel ok despite it being near closing time. One of the best Italian meals I’ve had in the city, better than midtown, Arthur Ave, Little Italy, etc…

Food came quick and it was delicious! Meatballs in parm cream were the best, definitely get these. Lasagna was also very tasty. The seafood with linguine was great, very tasty sauce and good amount of seafood. Lemon burrata ravioli were good, and a unique item we enjoyed. Dipping the bread in the sauces was also great, especially the meatball sauce.

Highly recommend this fairly priced, hidden gem!

Lillo is, in a word, incredible. I’ve posted a photo of their bombolone. We got a mix of cream and Nutella filled and both are amazing. They are as soft as pillows and have so much filling you have to be careful on your initial bite!

We did not get any of the pastas on this visit but will certainly be back as soon as we can to try them. We saw a few other diners with pasta dishes that looked straight out of Rome.