Restaurant in New York City, United States

Ilili

Name: Ilili
Address: 236 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001, New York City, US
Telephone: (212) 683-2929

425Pearl Points

Flatiron Lebanese that punches above its price.

About Ilili

Ilili is New York City's most consistently recognized Lebanese restaurant, ranked #319 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list for 2025 and holding a 4.5 Google rating across more than 4,000 reviews. The shareable-format menu suits groups and solo diners alike. Booking is easy, lunch is quieter, and winter visits reward ordering deep into the protein-led mains.

Ilili, New York City: The Verdict

Ilili sits in Flatiron at a price point that undercuts most of its serious-restaurant peers in Manhattan, and it earns its place as the city's most-cited Lebanese dining address for good reason. With a 4.5 Google rating across 4,007 reviews and back-to-back recognition on the Opinionated About Dining Casual North America list (ranked #319 in 2025, #377 in 2024, and recommended in 2023), it has built a consistent track record that few Lebanese restaurants in the U.S. can match. Book here if you want food-forward Lebanese cooking in a room that takes the cuisine seriously. Skip it if you need a tasting-menu format or are comparing it against prix-fixe institutions.

What to Know Before You Go

Ilili's menu is structured around shareable plates, and that format is at its leading when you let the kitchen's seasonal sourcing drive your order rather than defaulting to the same dishes year-round. Lebanese cooking is more seasonally sensitive than it often gets credit for: spring brings lighter herb-forward preparations, while autumn and winter menus tend to lean into braised proteins and warming spice blends. If you're visiting between May and September, the lighter mezze options and grain-based dishes tend to be where the kitchen shows the most range. Winter visits reward ordering further into the menu, toward the protein-anchored mains where the longer-cook preparations shine. Chef Philippe Massoud has consistently framed the menu around Lebanese culinary tradition with a New York product sensibility, which means the sourcing shifts with availability. On any given visit, following the kitchen's current emphasis is more reliable than repeating a previous order verbatim.

Timing your visit matters beyond season. Lunch runs from 11:30 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday, with a slightly extended Saturday and Sunday service until 3:15 pm. Dinner begins at 5:30 pm on weekdays (5 pm on weekends) and closes at 9:30 pm Sunday and Monday, 10 pm Tuesday through Saturday. For the most relaxed version of the experience, weekday lunch is the practical call: the room is quieter, the pace is more generous, and you're less likely to feel pressure on the table. Weekend dinner is the full production, and the room fills accordingly. Booking is rated easy, so a few days' notice is typically sufficient, though weekend dinner at prime time warrants a week or more in advance given the restaurant's consistent critical attention.

The address is 236 5th Avenue in the Flatiron District. There's no shortage of dinner options in this corridor, but for Lebanese specifically, Ilili has no direct competitor in Manhattan at a comparable level of execution. If you're building a longer New York itinerary, pair this with the rest of our New York City restaurants guide, the New York City hotels guide, and the New York City bars guide for context on the broader Flatiron and Midtown South area.

For travelers who want to benchmark Ilili against Lebanese dining elsewhere in the world, Al Mandaloun in Dubai and Almayass in Abu Dhabi represent the Gulf's most respected Lebanese restaurant formats. Ilili holds its own in that comparison, particularly on depth of menu and seasonal range, though the Gulf venues offer a different formality of service.

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how Ilili stacks up against New York's $$$$ fine-dining tier.

Practical Details

Ilili is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Lunch runs 11:30 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday, 11:30 am to 3:15 pm Saturday and Sunday. Dinner runs 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm on Sundays and Mondays, 5:30 pm to 10 pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 5 pm to 10 pm on Saturdays. The restaurant holds a 3-Star World of Fine Wine accreditation, signalling a wine list with genuine depth. For broader New York planning, see our guides to New York City wineries and New York City experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ilili good for solo dining? Yes. The shareable-plate format is well suited to solo diners ordering two or three smaller dishes — you can build a satisfying meal without the full table spread. Sitting at the bar is a natural option for solo visits; the room is lively enough that you won't feel exposed, and it's a practical way to move through the menu without committing to a full table booking.
Can Ilili accommodate groups? Ilili works well for groups given the mezze-forward format, where sharing is built into the menu structure. Larger parties should book well in advance and flag group size at the time of reservation. For parties of six or more in Manhattan, calling ahead to confirm table configuration is sensible standard practice at any restaurant in this tier.
Does Ilili handle dietary restrictions? Lebanese cuisine is structurally accommodating for many common restrictions: the menu includes substantial vegetable-based and grain-based options alongside proteins. If you have specific requirements, contacting the restaurant directly before your visit is the most reliable approach. The menu's breadth makes it a reasonable choice for mixed dietary groups.
Is lunch or dinner better at Ilili? Lunch is the better practical choice if you want a quieter room and more relaxed pacing. Dinner is the fuller experience, particularly on weekday evenings when the kitchen is running at full output without the weekend crowd pressure. Weekend dinner delivers the most energetic version of the room, which suits some diners and doesn't suit others.
Can I eat at the bar at Ilili? Bar seating is available and is one of the better ways to experience Ilili solo or as a pair without a formal table booking. The bar format fits naturally with the mezze menu structure, and it's a practical option on shorter notice than a main-room table.
How far ahead should I book Ilili? Booking difficulty is rated easy, meaning a few days' notice is typically sufficient for most timeslots. Weekend dinner at peak hours warrants a week or more given the restaurant's sustained critical recognition — Opinionated About Dining has listed it every year since 2023. Weekday lunch is the most accessible slot with minimal lead time required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ilili good for solo dining?

Ilili works for solo diners, though its shareable-plate format is better suited to two or more. A solo visit at the bar or counter lets you order three to four plates without over-committing on food or spend. Chef Philippe Massoud's Lebanese menu is built around variety, so you'll still get a broad read on the kitchen even dining alone.

Can Ilili accommodate groups?

Yes — Ilili's shareable format is genuinely well-suited to groups of four to eight. Larger parties should check the venue's official channels to arrange seating, as the Flatiron dining room at 236 5th Ave has capacity but benefits from advance coordination. OAD has ranked Ilili in its Casual North America list since 2023, which signals a kitchen that can handle volume without dropping execution.

Does Ilili handle dietary restrictions?

Lebanese cuisine as a category is naturally accommodating: vegetables, legumes, and grains feature heavily across the menu. Contact Ilili directly before your booking to confirm specific allergen or dietary needs — the kitchen's seasonal sourcing means dish composition can shift, and advance notice is more reliable than asking on arrival.

Is lunch or dinner better at Ilili?

Dinner is the stronger call if you want the full shareable-plate experience and more time at the table. Ilili's lunch window runs about 90 minutes on weekdays before the kitchen closes at 3 pm, which limits how many plates you can move through. If you're using Ilili as a Flatiron lunch stop, it works — but the dinner service from 5:30 pm gives you more room to eat the way the menu is designed.

Can I eat at the bar at Ilili?

Bar seating at Ilili gives you a lower-commitment entry point, and it's a practical option if you haven't booked ahead. The full menu is typically available at the bar, so you're not limited to a reduced list. For a first visit, the bar is a reasonable way to assess the kitchen before committing to a full table reservation.

How far ahead should I book Ilili?

Book one to two weeks out for weekday dinner; aim for two to three weeks for Friday or Saturday evening. Ilili's OAD ranking and consistent demand in Flatiron mean weekend prime-time slots fill steadily. Lunch is more accessible and often bookable with less lead time, making it a useful fallback if your preferred dinner slot is gone.

Location

236 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

New York City, United States

Compare Ilili

The Complete Picture: Ilili and Peers

Venue	Cuisine	Awards	Booking Difficulty	Value
Ilili	Lebanese	{"wbwl_source": {"slug": "ilili", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "3-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Ilili"}}; Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #319 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #377 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Recommended (2023)	Easy	—
Le Bernardin	French, Seafood	Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best	Unknown	—
Atomix	Modern Korean, Korean	Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best	Unknown	—
Eleven Madison Park	French, Vegan	Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best	Unknown	—
Masa	Sushi, Japanese	Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best	Unknown	—
Per Se	French, Contemporary	Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best	Unknown	—

Key differences to consider before you reserve.

Also Consider

Le Bernardin — French, Seafood, $$$$
Atomix — Modern Korean, Korean, $$$$
Eleven Madison Park — French, Vegan, $$$$
Masa — Sushi, Japanese, $$$$
Per Se — French, Contemporary, $$$$

Ilili sits in a different tier from New York's $$$$ tasting-menu institutions, and that distinction matters when you're deciding where to spend. Le Bernardin, Per Se, and Eleven Madison Park are all prix-fixe commitments with price tags to match — typically $300–$350+ per person before wine. Ilili operates à la carte with a shareable structure, which means you control the spend and the pace. If your question is whether to book Ilili or one of those rooms for a special occasion, the honest answer is that they're not competing for the same occasion: the $$$$ venues are buying a fixed theatrical experience; Ilili is buying a dinner.

Against Atomix and Masa, the comparison is similarly misaligned by format. Atomix's tasting menu and Masa's omakase are both format-first experiences where you are entirely in the kitchen's hands. Ilili gives you more control over the meal's arc, which suits diners who prefer to build their own progression through a menu. Booking difficulty also favours Ilili: Atomix and Masa both require significant advance planning, while Ilili is accessible with a few days' notice in most cases.

For the food-focused traveler building a New York itinerary across categories, Ilili fills a gap that the $$$$ tier doesn't cover: serious, awarded, cuisine-specific cooking at a price point that allows you to eat well multiple times on the same trip. If Lebanese cuisine is the draw specifically, there is no direct Manhattan competitor at a comparable level of critical recognition. Pair it with Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, or The French Laundry in Napa as reference points for what sustained critical attention looks like in different formats — Ilili earns its place in that conversation on consistency alone.