Lillie's Victorian Establishment
We’ve heard of Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, and it’s been on a list for a while because it’s a very festive restaurant. It’s always difficult to get last minute reservations, but fortunately as we won theater lottery on a cold single-digit weather, there was not a lot of tourist or foot traffic at all in the Times Square area. I was able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM very easily just a few hours in advance. As you can tell from the picture, there was a lot of snow, and the exterior was already decorated with a lot of winter ornaments.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is definitely very festive with a lot of decorations. The little faux light posts next to the bar had white snow confetti constantly blowing. The last time we came here, it was quite loud with a lot of people grabbing drinks next to the bar. This time around, we sat in the middle table, and the noise level was pretty tolerable.
Food
The Chicken Pot Pie ($26) came with chicken carrots, green peas and onions in a creamy gravy topped with puff pastry. This was pretty basic in that you get the soup and a puff pastry on top. It was a quick attempt at making a chicken pot pie. The flavors are overall very familiar, and there was nothing special about this. The one thing I noticed was that the gravy was a bit too watery for me, and I wished it was thicker.
The side of French Fries ($10) came with some ketchup on the side. The fries were crispy, and it had a lot of nice potato to it. It made me wish I got the burger somewhat.
The Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken ($28) came with marinated whole chicken leg, roasted potatoes, swiss chard, and lemon jus. The chicken leg was tender, but also seasoned a bit heavily on the salt. Overall, this dish was a representation of gastropub food, so there was nothing special about it.
Overall Impression
The food is very typical gastropub-style with not much of an attempt at anything unique or memorable in terms of taste. If not for the decorations, I’d say this place is hardly worth going to unless you really crave for a lively atmosphere and are near the Times Square area.
Yelp & Google Jabs
Even just for a quick drink, it was an experience I will not forget and I would absolutely go back next time I am in the city.
Most super positive reviews were similar to this one, where they rated the ambiance and decorations very high. Most people that ate the food were very indifferent about it.
We were seated next to a very rude and raucous table who kept deliberately sitting on my purse and singing along to the music at the top of their lungs. They were already done eating when we got there, but they didn’t leave until we were almost done… It was the most overpriced and irritating afternoon tea I’ve ever experienced. They didn’t even do anything for my birthday.
It seems word of mouth has gotten out that this is the place to be for a mediocre attempt at afternoon tea and that the non-edible decorations make the whole experience worthwhile.
Solid restaurant offering consistent quality, tasty meals, and polite service. Minor delays aside, everything felt well prepared, fairly priced, and worth revisiting again soon with family or friends nearby often.
For every few bad service reviews, there’s 1 good service review to contradict. Take it from me that this restaurant is a tourist trap. If you want to waste your tourist trap token here, go for it, and you won’t regret with that expectation.
Revisions
- Jan 25, 2026 - Initial revision.