Lily’s Italian Bistro

After receiving recommendations to try Lily’s, we finally decided to give it a shot today. We came just after the lunch rush when we knew they would’nt be busy. Our appetizer, the risotto balls were pretty bland and barely lukewarm in the center. One of our party ordered pasta with olives, capers, chicken, etc. It was good, but a little bland and certainly not extraordinary or anything special. The others in our party ordered one of the daily specials, the butternut squash ravioli. The ravioli and sauce were quite good, but one of us received only 4 ravioli and the other received 5 ravioli. It was not close to what I would consider a $ 10 lunch portion. It was appetizer sized and we left hungry. Other dinners appeared to have bread, we never received any. We’ll be having an early dinner as a result and I highly doubt we’ll return.

Best calamari ever! The calamari was lightly breaded and served with 2 dipping sauces that were awesome. Both of our meals were delicious, flavorful, and made with fresh ingredients. We ordered off of the lunch menu and both meals were $ 10 with adequate lunch portions. I had the chicken penne with artichokes, black olives, capers and a lemon sauce. My husband had linguine with clams that had tomatoes and basil in a white wine sauce. Now we have a reason to go to Gastonia!

Wow Gastonia is impressing me here. Great Italian and comfortable outdoor dining. We’ve been for lunch and dinner and haven’t been disappointed. The salad was fresh and low cal champagne vinaigrette dressing was great and didn’t kill the salad. The waiter could’ve been a little faster since most of us only get an hour for lunch.

One only because I can’t go lower. Worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. One hour of poor service only to be given raw chicken. Manager and waiter did not apologize or credit bill. Waiter was terrible and did not care. We had a great experience on our first visit but will never ever go back!!!

Tried this place for the first time today… Food was great. We had the grilled chicken with avocado on ciabatta bread with sweet potato fries. Had a very nice waitress. Very kind and informative. Will be going back for dinner. The dinner menu looks great. Can’t go wrong with this restaurant. Very clean and professional.

A welcome improvement to the dining choices in Gastonia. The décor is a bit off, the walls are painted a cheery shade of Tuscan yellow with random swipes of Tuscan red. I understand the intent, but the swipes look like an unhappy accident. The artwork doesn’t seem to mesh either.
Regardless of the eclectic décor, if you are seeking freshly prepared tasty italian food and a nice glass of wine in Gastonia… this is the place to be at the moment. Fine dining, non-​chain choices are slim in Gastonia so I hope Lily’s does well.

This place is fantastic. We were in town for one night and stumbled across it for dinner. The staff were super friendly and the food is delicious. The trout and the Oso bucu were excellent. They also have an impressive wine list for a little restaurant.

I’m gonna keep this short but super sweet ~ Lily’s is the real deal!!! Good atmosphere, modern décor, very pleasant staff and awesome food! Had the calamari app with 2 dipping sauces (100%yum), main course was the onion crusted salmon w/​creamy risotto and roasted corn hash ~ my God how delicious! I can’t wait to go back, and back & back ~ there were THAT many more things on the menu I’m dying to try! I believe I’ve found the little, hidden gem of Gastonia (ssshhhhhhh don’t tell anyone) … See you soon miss Lily!!!

This place has everything going for it! The food is amazing. You can walk inside and grab a glass of wine while you wait, and you can feel the energy from the chef as he prepares meals. Once the plates are ready, the display is expertly critiqued by the expo, and then served to the table. Having waited tables for several years, I have become quite the critic. Hannah has been our server twice, and each time she has been nothing short of excellent.
The really great thing that you will see here, is that this team truly works together in every aspect. You will see the manager running food, grabbing plates, bringing drinks (Hannah said his name was Win), it shows phenomenal character and work ethic, and that alone would bring me back. To the owner of this restaurant, BRAVO, you have figured it out.

Lily’s is definitely not the kind of place you’d expect to find in Gastonia. It’s a breath of fresh air in a town with limited fine dining choices. The first thing you should know is that if you want to come on a Friday or Saturday night (aka prime time) is that you should probably make a reservation. They do have outdoor seating but obviously in winter it is unusable space for diners.
It’s a pretty cute and inviting space. Nice sized tables with elbow room and bistro feel with white tablecloths. The only decorative aspect I didn’t like were the red paint strokes on the walls everywhere — although some might say «creative flair», it felt more like «crime scene» or an afterthought.
When you walk in, there’s a small bar to the left which was filled with diners and unfortunately not really any other waiting area around the hostess station. This part of the restaurant seems to get bottlenecked pretty easily. We arrived 10 to 15 minutes before our reservation and were lucky enough to be seated early.
The wine menu was fairly impressive and I was able to find a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo for only $ 23. For starters, we had the diver scallops seared and served on risotto and the PEI Mussels with bacon in white wine. The risotto had a nice al dente texture and the sauce the mussels were cooked in was delicious. The Chicken Scarpriello was a four star dish. The chicken was moist and I loved the combo of pepperdew peppers, potatoes, sausage, and Swiss chard, all pulled together in a rich brown sauce; very hearty and a great dish for a cold evening. The Penne with artichokes was unimpressive. Something was lacking. The dish was just too light and plain, which is weird considering it had capers, Kalamata olives, artichokes, roasted peppers and lemon — it was also very watery. A two star dish.
There are definitely enough choices on the menu to find something that appeals to you. Service is really attentive, patient and helpful.

Fantastic!- Service. Atmosphere and food. Tanya, our server, was super sweet and professional and even helped us surprise my mom. I had the tagliatelle and calamari and Caesar– All were exceptional. Cj, the bar tender was super accommodating and polite and the manager saw us off with gratitude and a handshake which is super awesome.
Excellent high end dining option. Will visit again soon.

Drove through Gastonia during a trip and saw the Unilocal reviews for this place and decided to stop by for dinner. I’m so glad that we did. The baby spinach salad was delicious; the dressing was light, sweet and didn’t overpower the taste of the beets, berries, and other natural flavors. The calzone was delicious and the sauce on the side was very fresh. They grated fresh Parmesan onto the food and that as very nice and tasty. We also ordered the potato herb pizza and that was unbelievable. The cheese to sauce ratio was perfect and it was full of flavor!
For dessert we had the Italian style cheesecake, it was moist and fluffy as opposed to the traditional New York cheesecakes that are rich and creamy. It was decent.
Server was very nice and the atmosphere of this restaurant was very friendly and welcoming.

It was just ok. My wife really liked her tomato-​based penne pasta dish. Two of us had the calzone. It was large, but bland.
The service was a little lacking. Our server had only been there a week. Our drink glasses emptied a couple of times without him noticing. When we asked for silverware, he forgot it.
The cheesecake was mediocre.

Not much happening in downtown Gastonia, but this little gem is definitely worth a visit. The food was excellent, the staff was attentive. Best Italian food in the area, definitely worth the visit!

5^th star! Daily specials are out of this world. Always always ask for the daily specials. AND with the addition of wine pairing dinners and participation in Charlotte Restaurant week, this place is here to stay!

Downtown Gastonia is pretty dead. Lily was a pretty nice little bistro in an otherwise dismal looking area.
We had a larger group.
The appetizers were good and huge. If you order the lobster Mac and cheese, prepare for it to be your meal. It is served family style.
As for the entrees, everything looked pretty good and the portions were HUGE.
I had the special — beef short rib. It was good, but not great.
The only downside is the service. It was very slow. The server was attentive, but the food came out of the kitchen slowly. And, it took about 10 minutes from the first dish to be served to our table vs the last.
Pros
Neat little place in Gastonia — who knew?
Food was plentiful
Service was decent
Cons
Food could be better
Speed of food delivery from the kitchen
I’d try it again.

I was visiting family and they gave us a few options of restaurants to try. It was decided to try Lily’s. Service was great! Immediately after getting seated they asked us about drinks which we ordered a bottle of Chianti. Started of with a bowl of pasta e fagioli soup which was the best I have ever had. I am still craving a bowl 3 days later and wish I could make it at home.
I ordered the salmon and it was delicious! The risotto was cheesy but not too much and it paired well with the corn succotash. My husband had the chicken (not sure what it was called) and he loved it as well.
I will be back next time I am in Gastonia. Highly recommend!

Loved, loved, LOVED. Did you read my previous review of Milanos? (*shudder*) Well, Lily’s in downtown G-​town is the absolute opposite. This place is a foodie’s wet dream. They have amazing pastas and authentic dishes that are a joy to look at and eat. Housemade gelato? Tiramisu? Ohhh yeahhhhh… the service is funny, friendly and attentive. If you love great Italian food, you can’t lose at Lily’s.

I was referred here by a friend of mine who knew the chef. Boy, was I in for a treat!
My friend and I got there around 7. The place was already packed — which I took to be a good sign! I was told to tell the hostess that the «foodies» we’re there. She was a little confused, but happy to do it! We waited at the bar until it was time to be seated.
I had a glass of – hands down — the most delicious wine I’ve ever had. It was a red, but unfortunately I can’t remember the name of it. You can’t just a glass of all their wines, so it’s a good idea to take a look on their website before you go if you’re like me and need a minute (or ten!) to figure out what you want.
Once we were seated at a table (it was about a 25 – 30 minute wait) our waitress was attentive and VERY knowledgeable about the menu. She was happy to answer questions. I ordered the Tagliatelle Amatriciana.
Just… wow. I am not a «pasta» person. But this was incredible. Just a little bit of a kick to it – enough to give it flavor. The sauce was so tasty. I was very pleased.
My friend and I split a crème brûlée for dessert. Wow. They do not do crème brûlée the regular way. It’s layered, drizzled with chocolate and fruit sauce, and decorated with blueberries and strawberries. I was glad I split it with my friend!
All in all it was a great trip, and well worth the short wait before our meal. I definitely plan to go back if I’m ever in the area again!

OMG!!! We had the Tagliatelle Amatriciana! It was fabulous! The romaine wedge was huge and tasty! Wine list is unique and wonderful! Had the chocolate bag with fruit for desert! Holy Cow!!! Yum!!! My friends dinners are salmon and fillet