lili's bistro on magnolia

things you must try before you die.. from start to finish vance continues to provide both amazing service and delicious food. we went tonight to celebrate a friends birthday and although our tastes vary we all found something we loved. from the tabouli salad and baba gunoush {yes i said baba gunoush} appetizers to my perfect and delicious steak medallions with black pepper gnocchi i was in heaven.and our server recommended a bottle of wine that complimented our meal perfectly{ the prisoner} i just got home and already can't wait to go again it is well worth the drive! thanks again to vance and all the crew .

my once fav burger in town has gone down hill. the quality is suspect. it's now some meat-like composite between a great bun. seriously, why??

beware of the burger.. i had their "burger" as take out, and i couldn't hardly get past the second bite. they don't say it on their menu but, i think their "burger" is turkey or something. don"t sell me a "burger" without telling me it is not beef!! i threw the rest away.


-----09 sep, 2010-----

yum!. we went to lilie's last night for our anniversary and was not disappointed. everything was great. we had been meaning to check this place out because of it's great reviews and are only sorry that we didn't visit sooner. we had the blackened flat iron steak and the tenderloin brochettes...yum. also the gorgonzola fries and caiamari apps.. all good. i had the banana upside down cake for desert and it was incredible. the only negative was that for the price of this meal, they didn't have bread at the table.

satisfactory, not great. went here for dinner on a wednesday evening and were seated immediately. food was okay, but not great. i had the greek wedge salad and the macaroon fish. salad was as expected, but the fish left me disappointed. it was served cooler than i'd prefer and there was too much breading on it. the kung fu girl reisling wine was good. wait staff was average. it's located right on the street, so outdoor dining doesn't offer much atmosphere.

best food in fort worth!. my boyfriend and i absolutely love lilis! the menu is extensive and intriguing, whether you're there for lunch or dinner. everything on the menu that we have tried has been so delicious! the gorgonzola fries are to die for. even a simple grilled cheese has been phenomenal. if you live in fort worth, you must try this place! or if you're just visiting the city, i definitely would recommend trying this great little bistro.

heavenly dessert. wooed by the red wine chocolate cake. convinced that it is the best dessert that i've ever had.

perfect. ate there twice in the last 10 days. once for lunch and then dinner. both times great food and service.

we love it!. despite the bickering comments below, lili's is a great restaurant. if you are in a rush and want "typical" american food, then it's not for you. but if you want to have an enjoyable romantic night out and try some (always changing) gourmet food, then it's great! it's super small which makes the ambiance that much better. sometimes you have to wait, even with a reservation, but there is a nearby bar that has great drinks and atmosphere, so we usually want to wait. :) if you want something better than the average chain restaurant then lili's is a must try!

this place is just ok. the atmosphere was nice, small and quaint. the piano player ruined it for me though... played the entire phantom of the opera musical, love it but variety is great! my wedge salad looked like it came from some cheap italian place with two small pieces of cold pita that tasted like they were out of a plastic bag. heat them up, they'll taste better! my calamari fettucini was just ok too. there was nothing that popped about it. it was a slightly spicy light marinara/vodka sauce. the calimari were average and the panchetta was almost non-existent. this dish was $19... give me a freaking break!!! it's flour and water and cheap additions. that dish was worth $10 tops to me. the only thing that saved the night was darrell at the bar. excellent wine knowledge, he reccomended some decent wine off of their ok wine list. proceed with caution!

eh...ok. went there tonight on a date night with my wife. it started out hopefully with the gorgonzola fries which were decent. but, that where it ends. i had the manny's steak which looked appetizing, but when i bit into it it had a weird, almost mexican like taste. the steak was not the best of quality which was covered by the weird array of sauces. the mashed potatoes underneath were not half bad. my wife got the calamari fettuccine which was also ok... probably better than my steak.
it was kind of a shame as we were expecting a lot more. very limited menu and probably over-priced. i am not a food smug in any way but i think i could cook a better steak than they put out for me. the chef did come by and asked me how everything was. i didn't want to tell her the complete truth so i said "it was great." i think i may have lied on that one.
i am interested in what the owner could do to get me back in there. i am not sure we would ever go back.

lili's bistro - fort worth. had 7:30 reservations, arrived 5 minutes early, checked in, was told our table would be ready in about 5 minutes. fine. 35 minutes later we were still waiting for our table.
it took 3 trips to the hostess to inquire and the same "stock answer" your table will be ready in 5 minutes. finally, approaced the owner who seems to be very cordial to those people he knew. when a table did clear and we thought that would be our table was told he needed that table for 5 people (there were only 3 of us) and the 5 had a reservation at a later time than our time.
the owner did; however, offer us two choices one table in a noisier part of the restaurant or wait(another 30 minutes) for a quieter place. we opted for the noiser location. the waiteress seemed to be in a hurry to get our drink order, took awhile for her to come take the dinner order, once it came we never saw the waitperson again till it was time to order dessert. the dessert menu was sort just thrown to us on the table. the restaurant is suppose to have good food; but more importantly in today's world it should also be a people business. the owner never came by to apologize for our long, past due reservation time, never came by to see how our food was, though did notice he was very congenial with the people at the bar (guess bar drinks have more profit than food). having grown up in fort worth with very few eating establishments it is now coming into its own. however, eating establishments come and go when the reservations are not acknowleged, wait staff is rude and the food is mediocre. the owner could take some lessons in running a first rate place with a little more awareness to promptness and/or how to accept reservations. fort worth is hungry for new restaurants; but people will not stand for rudness and lack of concern for their patrons. would i go back not after my experience, nor would i tell my friends to try it. there are too many other restaurants...they need to take a lesson from their competitor down the street ellerbe restaurant where the owner runs the place beautifully, that is why you cannot get a reservation there for over a week in advance. take notice lili's...if you treat all of your customers (whether you know them or not)like we were treated
you will be out of business.

lili's bistro great find on magnolia. magnolia street is an "artsy" street on the south side of ft. worth, tx with a number of interesting & quaint eating establishment, one being lili's bistro on magnolia. we got there early around 11am since we had an appointment just after noon, good thing because the bistro filled up fast by noon. needless to say the food, service & the owner were outstanding, we will go again. fyi, the name lili is the name of the owner's daughter, a very nice man i failed to get his name. their website is http://lilisbistro.com/ the bistro consists of two eating areas, one having the bar & a piano, piano music in the afternoon & evenings. there is parking in the rear with a rear entrance to the bistro fyi. we'll see you there some day, "do drop in", you won't be disappointed *ü*

just ate there with my girlfriend last friday, can't think of a better place for a date night. in fact, she insists that all future date nights be at this establishment. the petite beef wellington is incredible, as is the service and atmosphere. my girlfriend had the macaroon flounder, also wonderful. the owner actually chatted us up for a few minutes and made us feel very welcome. in the words of my girl friend "vance is just a doll!" he spoke to many of his patrons, and if anyone wasn't his friend, i couldn't tell. he's a gracious host and kind of added to the small restaurant's charming ambiance. oh, and in response to anna's review, he was wearing a shirt and not lustfully staring at my date. thanks for a great experience, lilis.

first time tonight! i plan on adding it to the regular rotation! i'll be back!

good sevice crapy food. we went with a party of 11 and were well served by our waitress. in my opinion the food was way over priced and not a great quality. they served my daughter bacon wrapped scallops that were burnt to a crisp. then they charged my credit card four times. after contacting them every day they have told us there is nothing they can do. it has been 3 days and the charges are still on my account. the manager was a total jerk. my family and i will not be returning to this place ever again. hide you credit cards people.