Lillius Restaurant

Dined here with my husband for a special birthday; and it’s been a long while since I could truly say I’ve had such consistently spectacular food in Auckland. It’s five star without being pretentious; just enough whimsy to be surprising; and the matching wines were all extremely well considered. More people should be enjoying this hidden treasure! We are also both gluten free and they made everything for us perfectly (we did let them know in advance) - everything was amazing

Had the set menu which was absolutely delicious! The small plates in between were a delightful addition. Casual elegant decor. Highly recommended.

A birthday celebration well spent. The food was divine, thoughtful pairings and great service. Thoroughly recommend!

Nice food. Dessert can be better

I was excited to finally dine at Lillius after much anticipation and wonderful feedback. The restaurant upon entering is highly impressive and sleek, with polished concrete floors and matte walls with pops of gold and royal blue in the seating and booths. It was very aesthetically pleasing and the staff was simply exceptional, so hospitable, warming and engaging.The options within three course menu were exciting and featured NZ sourced produce at its best. I was so excited to sample the food and the wine, starting off with a North Otago Pinot Noir which was smooth and silky on the palate.As a prelude to my first course, I was offered some starters of sweet corn smoked custard with popped rice, tuatua with hollandaise and smoked pork finger and cured pork with creamed egg in rice wafer and these were mouth watering and the perfect preparation to dinner. Next to arrive was their home baked warm sourdough bread with buffalo milk butter and that was extraordinary.My first course was pressed arrow squid with layered smoked trevally in buttermilk with radishes. This dish was a cold dish and the textures were lovely with the squid being the highlight.For my main, I thoroughly enjoyed the Houhora pork featuring pork belly and pork loin with parsnip purée and an assortment of charred brassicas featuring Savoy cabbage, cauliflower stems and broccolini. The pork loin was simply heavenly and so tender. The entire dish was so loving and nurturing with the various textures and flavours which complemented perfectly. It was my favorite pork dish I’ve had in a very long time.I ordered a rose hip hibiscus gin cocktail with freeze dried berries and dried hibiscus atop, it was simply delightful and to accompany my closing dish of NZ cheeses with lavosh, crusty sourdough bread and preserves, I ordered a chilled Yarra Valley Syrah.The entire dining experience was exquisite and truly memorable from the cuisine to the the beverages and the spectacular service. I will most definitely return and am happy to have discovered a new favorite restaurant. What I appreciated most about the dishes was reminiscing about childhood food flavour memories that evoked at a more elevated level. The use of local produce was front and center stage.This really is a 5 Star restaurant and it was a true privilege to experience dining here. Highly recommended with distinction!

Good vibe and friendly staff. We had degustation. The plating was good. The food was very tasty but I just didn't feel it reached a wow taste. However, please take my review with a grain of salt as taste is a subjective factor.

The 2 mains are superrrrr salty, especially the second main course, the duck and vege beside are felt like just took from salt bottle.Other courses are good, The waiter is also very nice. But the whole set still let us feel not worth $200 pp.