Lilly’s

Simply the best. Easily wins my favorite Chinese restaraunt in Berkeley. You get delicious food for cheap/​reasonable prices. I recommend Lilly’s to all!

We went to Lilly’s tonight for the first time in a few months and noticed, like Rachel C., that the dishes were less flavored (i.e. not so salty or peppered). This is great news for those of us (my wife and I are in our 70s) who need to restrict their sodium intake. The table has plenty of extra soy sauce, hot chili oil and vinegar for those who desire this extra flavor. We had the Dinner D for 2: soup (we chose hot and sour), mu shu pork, prawns with broccoli, and mushroom & greens, and steamed rice. The vegetables were gently cooked and had plenty of crunch left. The serving was generous (we took home almost half the meal). I had forgotten what I especially appreciate — they serve freshly pickled cabbage and carrots as an appetizer with the tea almost as soon as you sit down. The only downside was the not so fresh prawns, but overall we came away with a more than healthy dose of fresh, delicately cooked vegetables. BTW they seem to do a bustling take out business.

I used to love this restaurant but the quality and flavor from last week’s meal, and ones over ¹⁰⁄₁₅ and ¹¹⁄₁₅ makes me think it’s in different hands. They seem to have lost the sparkling flavor of the hot and sour soup, which was bland, and the Cold Spicy Noodles I loved so much before were not spiced and barely sauced. They did look nice with a fresh layer of shredded carrots and cucumber and sprouts, so I give credit there. But gone was the flavorful tofu, the bountiful shredded chicken, the not-​sweet-​at-​all peanut sauce. Replaced with a dab of peanut butter.

I have been coming to the restaurant for so many years. There have been ownership changes, but the latest just isn’t working for me. I call in my take out orders with special requests, which are often ignored. The prices keep rising. Today’s order was enough. They cut way back on the portions usually provided. Need to find another place. So sad :-(\

Went in – looked at menu – lunch specials served Monday through Sat – 11−3 – it’s Saturday at 12:30
Waitress comes asks if we are ready to order – we say a couple minutes – she says «oh by the way ala carte only” – ok-​not sure how we could have been ready to order not even knowing what menu was available – but ok — $ 2 – 3 extra for dish – no appetiser included – then we find out we have to pay $ 1.25 per person for rice — ok — I order hot and spicy Chuli garlic chicken – food comes out in 75 seconds – not cooked to order apparently – no garlic, no hot – in fact – it’s really very small pieces of chicken – [small as in small] — –and its in a sweet and sour sauce of some kind—
I don’t mind if there is a problem and the normal menu is not available etc – but it should be noted somewhere – (watched three other people come in and go through the same «surprise» drill) even if it’s on the door. Likely not a conspiracy here – but coupled with the quality of the food that was pre cooked – not a very satisfying experience.
On the positive side, portions were large – people were nice – you get a pot of tea – and lunch for two without tip was $ 20.
If you are a local – you are part of a captive audience – if you are shopping and passing though and need a snack – go next door and grab a slice and a drink – pizza next door is great and multiple layers of confusion do not come with the meal — Jake

Been coming here for years and never once had a bad expierence and so i highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to have a nice lunch and good food that fills you up and tasts great too ive been coming here since jr. High and i dont regret one single moment

A simple Chinese restaurant. They always give generous portions and at the right price! I have been coming here for a while and the servers are always happy to see us. The wor wonton soup and hot and sour soup are my favorites. Cashew chicken, eggplant, and pan fried noodles are always delicious. Sometimes i venture into Mongolian beef and lemon chicken and they are also pretty solid. Make sure you stop by for lunch. They give you free soup with your meal and the lunch menu is very cheap.

This is a Family favorite. We love the Mapo Tofu (spicy tofu), spring onion pancakes, mushu veggies with pancakes, and many others. Very comfortable. The owners are very kind and will always fuss over my elderly parents, assisting them with their canes, etc.

Great food and in a charming location. They served picked vegetables and hot tea before ordering. The food was made fresh to order and it was hot and tasty. Service was a tad bit slow, but it’s a small place and only 2 people were working the room, so it wasn’t a big deal. I will go back for fresh, tasty Chinese food. Thanks Lilly’s!

As usual, always very nice people here. My favorite is the crunchy bird’s nest. I asked for the noodles to be separate from the sauce and vegetables, as I love my crunch which they did with no qualms or attitude. Very accommodating and sweet people. I wish they would bring back the pickled vegetables again that used to come prior to ordering. It was very good.

Depressingly dark interior. Pleasant service. Same vegetables served with most dishes day after day. Largely undercooked with little flavor. Small shrimp ok for the price ok

delicious, fast service, very quiet and clean, served fancy tea promptly, waitstaff very nice.

I wish Unilocal had half stars… I do frequent this spot for quick and easy Chinese. I can no longer say cheap as their prices have climbed so much recently. The service is super inconsistent and any dish with meat will have far more veg/​cabbage/​onion than meat which is a clear cost cutting measure but irritating to customers.
That being said, I can count on Lillies for decent broccoli beef or Mu Shu Pork (cabbage) for a week night meal.
It’s solid rib sticking Chinese, but nothing particularly special or different. There are a lot of choices for better Chinese near by.

I love this place, the food is soo yummy. Just arrived from Los Angeles area and had a craving for Chinese food. My family recommended Lillys and I couldn’t be more happy.

This is the best Chinese Food in Berkeley. I have now had the take out and dine in experience. Both were equally enjoyable. The people there are friendly and their English is good. No fear of miscommunication with this restaurant.
They don’t skimp and everything is thick and creamy like you wish other chinese food places are. And the kicker is that they are cheap! For the area they are actually under pricing their portions.
As a bonus no bubble guts after eating here. The only thing I would change is me finding them sooner.

I love this place. I’ve been coming here for almost forty years! The food may not be five star every time, but it always feels like home. The staff have always been friendly to the point of feeling like family.

**vegetarian review**
Just to clarify that the food here is a decent 4-​stars IF you don’t have dietary restrictions. I think most vegetarians reading this review will know what I mean when I say that this restaurant doesn’t understand vegetarian food.
I stopped by for Tuesday lunch, because Great China (my favorite Chinese restaurant in Berkeley) is closed on Tuesdays. I asked about vegetarian lunch specials and she pointed out the eggplant tofu. I asked if it has oyster sauce, and she said yes. I then asked to order a vegetarian lunch special off the menu, but I would like to substitute fried rice for extra charge. Large portions, but my fried rice had bits of chicken in it (it wasn’t very obvious until I started eating it), the soup had a chicken broth base, and I suspect my vegetable tofu has a chicken broth base too.
I suppose I could have been very explicit with my requests, but I think it’s clear that this restaurant isn’t conscientious with vegetarian customers. Disappointing and tummy doesn’t feel good now…

I live nearby and come here for take out and occasionally for lunch or dinner. The food is consistently good, with my only criticism being occasional stale pot stickers. Can be difficult over the phone due to language. Their woh won ton is among my favorites anywhere.
In the past they have made inconvenient errors in my take out orders, and poor service, but those problems are fixed.

If you live in North Berkeley, you should stop by Mon-​Sat for a lunch special (really cheap with large portions).
Or, if you’re getting take-​out or dinner anytime, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the combination pan-​fried noodles. You won’t regret it.

After a nice walk at Pt. Isabel, we decided to find some lunch. While driving around, a Unilocal «what’s open now, in this area» search got us heading to Gioia Pizza. We parked and as we approached Gioia, we saw Lilly’s. The ratings were okay and the reviews were mixed but when we lookied inside, the furniture intrigued us.
It’s difficult to describe other than the chairs were very rough hewn looking? Large and clunky, not anything you’d expect to find in a Chinese restaurant. Maybe a BBQ place somewhere in the south?
For a small place, there was a constant turnover of guests. Service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant looked reasonably clean. We were each served a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup shortly after sitting down but did not receive the pckled cabbage that others had mentioned. The menus appeared to be new as they were laminated and did not close flat.
The inexpensive lunch specials were available which is always nice to find on a holiday. We ordered Potstickers, Lamb and Scallions with Steamed Rice and Pan Fried Noodles (Hong Kong Style Chow Mein) with Tomato Beef.
The potstickers are homemade and large. A good amount of pork inside along with cabbage. Personally, I prefer more cabbage and a thinner skin but that’s just me. The bottoms were nicely fried while the rest of the dumpling was steamed.
The lamb and scallions also featured a good amount of white onions and a large portion of steamed rice. My dining companion said that it was a bit salty but not so bad with the rice.
One thing that I always look for with Tomato Beef is a slight amount of charring on the tomatos, green bell peppers and onions. To accomplish this, the kitchen has to have some pretty hefty burners under the wok and the cooks have to be experienced in working with such high heat or everything will burn. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find this anymore and Lilly’s did not have it either. The noodles were well done but the rest of the dish was about average. A good amount of beef and veg but, slightly too sweet and otherwise bland.
To sum it up. Lilly’s is a decent place for a quick inexpensive lunch with an extensive menu but it is not gourmet.