Lilac Cafe

We came for Seattle Restaurant Week and I have to say wow, this place is amazing! First, they start you off with warm bread and then they have this CRACK INFUSED cream cheese butter. Big points to them not judging us for asking for more bread or accosting for us for it being Seattle Restaurant Week (I am looking at you, Barking Frog). For appetizers, the deep fried risotto ball was so good! It was lighty battered on the outside and on the inside it had pork cheek meat with risotto and cheese covered in a marinara sauce. I descriptively remembered all this because the waitstaff here is so friendly and accomodating! For the main course, the Lamb was cooked so perfectly that it fell right off the bone! We didn't even pick up a knife for this meal as everything was so tender. The accompanying mashed potato and asparagus were good too, but there wasn't anything awe-inspiring about it. For dessert the gelato was the big standout. It was hazelnut gelato with cookie crisps on the inside... so good! I am very selective about where I go for Seattle Restaurant Week and the big reason why I came here was because this place has a 4.6 average rating on Google. I find that when a place has anything higher than a 4.5 average rating it's a hidden gem that must be visited and I am so glad I came to this place!

This meal was off the charts amazing! We came here for restaurant week and were blown away by the quality, atmosphere and overall experience. I got the short ribs and my friend got the lamb shank and we started with Ghnocci and Bruschetta. The meat in both dishes was sooooo tender and fall-off-the-fork amazing, the red wine braised short ribs had the most incredible flavor. The ghnocci was cooked perfectly, everything was just incredible. Go go go!!!

We just had a wonderful experience celebrating a dear friend's birthday tonight. Our lovely server was wonderfully helpful and accomodating with our guest of honor's dietary restrictions and noise level toleration. She was incredible at setting us at ease and taking care of the details (special food preparation, serving our custom birthday cake, etc.) to make the night special. The food was fresh and well-prepared. This spot has amazing service and an intimate setting for special meals with friends. Highly recommended for superb hospitality.

Went here for dinner one evening. We went early (5:30) after a long day out and about. The mixed drink selection was quite strong. We had the deep fried risotto and mozz cheese balls for an appetizer and they were really good. For entrees, I had the four cheese gnocchi and my companion had one of the specials: lemon ricotta ravioli. We shared bites and we were both pleased. The ambiance was nice and our server's knowledge of the menu and the preparation was unusually strong. I highly recommend and I will go back.

Perfection sums up our experience at Lilac Cafe. The food is delectable. Everyone at our table loved their meal. The decor is classy, we could all hear each other which is a great benefit (my mother-in-law wears a hearing aid and was actively engaged in the conversation), and the waiter was friendly and helpful. We were so happy to have found this gem of a restaurant tucked away from the core of the hustle and bustle of downtown Kirkland.

Went for lunch on a Tuesday. It was towards the end of their lunch hours but we were the only ones there the entire time. Had the steak sandwich and a beer. The sandwich was pretty solid, but nothing super special. It had nice decor inside, and the dining room was very small. My impression was that it was ok but I wouldn't go rushing back. But then again I wouldn't rule it out to try for dinner after a few months.