Last night we decided to give Lilou Brasserie a try, and I’m so glad we did. From the moment we sat down, the experience was wonderful. The warm baguette was perfect, the cheeses were flavorful and thoughtfully selected, and the main dishes were absolute perfection. And the crème brûlée was hands down my favorite and easily one of the best I’ve had. We will definitely be back, and honestly, we’re a little sad we didn’t stop by sooner. If you’re looking for incredible French cuisine in Knoxville, I highly recommend Lilou Brasserie.
S C
Not a good experience. Flank steak, ordered mid rare, came out black and blue. Duck confit in the pappardelle tasted old. Grainy profiteroles, runny creme brulee. Meager wine pours (4oz). It's almost like everything in this restaurant is rushed (they were not busy; very quiet Monday night).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Rachel Ray
The server was unfortunately abrasive to the point that I may be contacting the restaurant. The food and drinks were average for dining in Knoxville and the French onion soup was absolutely disgusting. I will not be returning, and honestly I loved my first experience at this restaurant so I am sadly going to have to choose elsewhere. Whatever is going on with this restaurant is unfortunate. And that server is probably the meanest person I've encountered without them actually being mean to me. We were a large party celebrating a birthday and we were kind the entire time, though the server provided sub-par service, and she was clearly unhappy and frankly created a negative experience for us all.
It was really sad because it was my very good friend's birthday and we were all having a great time, but while the service was slow, the server was also clearly unhappy and abrasive. All other employees in the restaurant were stoic but kind. I hope she was just having a bad day, but ultimately, it feels like an either a bad Monday for the restaurant, or just a struggling restaurant. I was excited for my friend to have a good birthday, and I think as friends we helped that happen, but the restaurant did not.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Shannon Lee
The food was to die for! Amazing service and the ambience was on point!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Erica
Dining at Lilu was a very nice experience. The manager went above and beyond for us in making up for a misunderstanding with a previous reservation we had made. We started with cheeses imported from France and ordered the mussels and bread and butter which were cooked nicely. The manager , Brad, sent over complimentary escargot which was served in a cast iron dish submerged in a delicious earthy and sweet herbal mixture which was enjoyed on the bread. I’ve had escargot before and so far I would say this was my favorite for flavor and texture. We had the 8oz wagyu flank steak for our entree. I was not a fan of the sauce served to pair with the fries it was a bit too tangy for me so the waitress offered an alternative. We choose the Profiteroles because it’s is different and we were dining for French fare - it was a perfect sweet and savory desert to end the night with. We enjoyed ourselves very much here and will be returning to explore other menu selections.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
J H
Went for a date night and we had the best time. With great food! We love to sit at the bar! We had the Rossini- a melt in your mouth filet with fois gras and the best potatoes! We also had the Beef Bourguigon which is like a French stew. Simply put this dish gave me all the feels of wonderful home cooked meal! Not pictured the steaming hot escargot and the warm pull apart baguette with the best butter imaginable! We liked to dip the baguette in the garlicky butter sauce of the escargot as well! Also being pregnant they made me a fancy chocolate milk martini with an orange twist! We have been several times to Lilou and have even come for brunch and have not left disappointed! Highly recommend for a cocktail and appetizer, date night, or even for breakfast/ brunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jake Geismar
top notch all the way around
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela Breeding
We went to brunch at Lilou to celebrate 2 birthdays and were disappointed in the service. Twice the servers got the order wrong. When we brought the errors to the attention of the server, we got an attitude NOT an apology. The food was good but overpriced. I really want to look forward to returning but the service has left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). I love having a French cafe in Knoxville and I hope Lilou can improve upon its service and kitchen issues.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
KEVIN JARDET
Flavor was good. My fish was undercooked and for the price I would have expected it to be perfect. Service was great.
This restaurant has an extensive wine list and tasty cocktails. The food is good and ambience is nice. I think they are just a little overpriced. Delicious, but expensive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Renee Lee
We had an absolutely amazing experience. We tried 3 different cheeses, oysters with caviar and a cream. The flavors of the oysters were amazing. I had the filet mignon, which was one of the best filet mignon I’ve ever had. The drinks were all great absolutely loved my pickle martini. I also had the espresso martini, and we even tried a martini that had a small macaroon. My husband also had a steak with fries, which were all cooked great and tasted very great. Amazing flavors if you’re looking for a great French restaurant, this is definitely it.
Renee Perkins
The food and service was amazing! The restaurant Is very nostalgic with lots of downtown history. The food was amazing. We had 3 different cheeses, baguette, Oysters with amazing flavors, my filet mignon was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The drinks were all great and loved my pickle martini. We will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Mohut
Very good food and exceptional service ! Will come back for sure !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kathryn Morcos
Cute little restaurant in Cleo, a hotel owned by the Marriott group. Service was prompt and friendly. I went for breakfast. They do not offer milk alternatives but that is okay as the Espresso was good! The croissant, although the best I’ve had in Knoxville, was on the heavy side, slightly over cooked and left a little too much oily residue. If they made the croissant lighter and airier, it would be perfect.
They also gave me a post card at the end which I could keep or fill out and they would post. I thought this was lovely, thoughtful and a unique experience.
Last night we decided to give Lilou Brasserie a try, and I’m so glad we did. From the moment we sat down, the experience was wonderful. The warm baguette was perfect, the cheeses were flavorful and thoughtfully selected, and the main dishes were absolute perfection. And the crème brûlée was hands down my favorite and easily one of the best I’ve had. We will definitely be back, and honestly, we’re a little sad we didn’t stop by sooner. If you’re looking for incredible French cuisine in Knoxville, I highly recommend Lilou Brasserie.
Not a good experience. Flank steak, ordered mid rare, came out black and blue. Duck confit in the pappardelle tasted old. Grainy profiteroles, runny creme brulee. Meager wine pours (4oz). It's almost like everything in this restaurant is rushed (they were not busy; very quiet Monday night).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
The server was unfortunately abrasive to the point that I may be contacting the restaurant. The food and drinks were average for dining in Knoxville and the French onion soup was absolutely disgusting. I will not be returning, and honestly I loved my first experience at this restaurant so I am sadly going to have to choose elsewhere. Whatever is going on with this restaurant is unfortunate. And that server is probably the meanest person I've encountered without them actually being mean to me. We were a large party celebrating a birthday and we were kind the entire time, though the server provided sub-par service, and she was clearly unhappy and frankly created a negative experience for us all.
It was really sad because it was my very good friend's birthday and we were all having a great time, but while the service was slow, the server was also clearly unhappy and abrasive. All other employees in the restaurant were stoic but kind. I hope she was just having a bad day, but ultimately, it feels like an either a bad Monday for the restaurant, or just a struggling restaurant. I was excited for my friend to have a good birthday, and I think as friends we helped that happen, but the restaurant did not.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
The food was to die for! Amazing service and the ambience was on point!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dining at Lilu was a very nice experience. The manager went above and beyond for us in making up for a misunderstanding with a previous reservation we had made. We started with cheeses imported from France and ordered the mussels and bread and butter which were cooked nicely. The manager , Brad, sent over complimentary escargot which was served in a cast iron dish submerged in a delicious earthy and sweet herbal mixture which was enjoyed on the bread. I’ve had escargot before and so far I would say this was my favorite for flavor and texture. We had the 8oz wagyu flank steak for our entree. I was not a fan of the sauce served to pair with the fries it was a bit too tangy for me so the waitress offered an alternative. We choose the Profiteroles because it’s is different and we were dining for French fare - it was a perfect sweet and savory desert to end the night with. We enjoyed ourselves very much here and will be returning to explore other menu selections.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Went for a date night and we had the best time. With great food! We love to sit at the bar! We had the Rossini- a melt in your mouth filet with fois gras and the best potatoes! We also had the Beef Bourguigon which is like a French stew. Simply put this dish gave me all the feels of wonderful home cooked meal! Not pictured the steaming hot escargot and the warm pull apart baguette with the best butter imaginable! We liked to dip the baguette in the garlicky butter sauce of the escargot as well! Also being pregnant they made me a fancy chocolate milk martini with an orange twist! We have been several times to Lilou and have even come for brunch and have not left disappointed! Highly recommend for a cocktail and appetizer, date night, or even for breakfast/ brunch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
top notch all the way around
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went to brunch at Lilou to celebrate 2 birthdays and were disappointed in the service. Twice the servers got the order wrong. When we brought the errors to the attention of the server, we got an attitude NOT an apology. The food was good but overpriced.
I really want to look forward to returning but the service has left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). I love having a French cafe in Knoxville and I hope Lilou can improve upon its service and kitchen issues.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Flavor was good. My fish was undercooked and for the price I would have expected it to be perfect. Service was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Not even close to French food
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
This restaurant has an extensive wine list and tasty cocktails. The food is good and ambience is nice. I think they are just a little overpriced. Delicious, but expensive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We had an absolutely amazing experience. We tried 3 different cheeses, oysters with caviar and a cream. The flavors of the oysters were amazing. I had the filet mignon, which was one of the best filet mignon I’ve ever had. The drinks were all great absolutely loved my pickle martini. I also had the espresso martini, and we even tried a martini that had a small macaroon. My husband also had a steak with fries, which were all cooked great and tasted very great. Amazing flavors if you’re looking for a great French restaurant, this is definitely it.
The food and service was amazing! The restaurant Is very nostalgic with lots of downtown history. The food was amazing. We had 3 different cheeses, baguette, Oysters with amazing flavors, my filet mignon was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The drinks were all great and loved my pickle martini. We will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very good food and exceptional service ! Will come back for sure !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute little restaurant in Cleo, a hotel owned by the Marriott group. Service was prompt and friendly. I went for breakfast. They do not offer milk alternatives but that is okay as the Espresso was good! The croissant, although the best I’ve had in Knoxville, was on the heavy side, slightly over cooked and left a little too much oily residue. If they made the croissant lighter and airier, it would be perfect.
They also gave me a post card at the end which I could keep or fill out and they would post. I thought this was lovely, thoughtful and a unique experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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