Ilili Midtown East Lebanese spread

CJNewYork said in a Sept. 1 post on X that ilili Midtown in Midtown East stood out for a Lebanese-Mediterranean spread built around dips, breads and dessert. The post cited hummus, babaganoush, muhammara with sweet breads, baklava and passion fruit sorbet. The social post matches several dishes listed on ilili Midtown’s current official menu, including hummus, baba ghannouj, mouhamara and mixed baklava. (ililirestaurants.com) Ilili Midtown is located at 157 East 53rd Street in Manhattan, according to the restaurant’s website. The company describes the location as serving modern Lebanese cuisine in Midtown and lists lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday. (ililirestaurants.com) ### Which dishes in the post can be checked against ilili Midtown’s menu? Ilili Midtown’s official menu lists Hummus, Baba Ghannouj and Mouhamara under “Les Mezza.” The menu describes hummus as chickpea purée with tahini, lemon and olive oil; baba ghannouj as fire-roasted eggplant blended with tahini and olive oil; and mouhamara as walnuts, peppers and pomegranate molasses. (ililirestaurants.com) The same menu also lists “Mixed baklava” under seasonal sweets. That gives a direct match for one of the desserts singled out in the X posts. (ililirestaurants.com) ### Where exactly is ilili Midtown, and what kind of restaurant is it? Ilili Midtown says on its location page that it offers “modern Lebanese cuisine” on East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan. The restaurant’s main site describes ilili as a Lebanese Mediterranean restaurant with locations in New York City and Washington, D.C. (ililirestaurants.com) OpenTable and Resy describe the Midtown restaurant as an outpost of chef-owner Philippe Massoud’s Lebanese-Mediterranean concept. Those listings say the space is geared toward mezza, seafood dishes and group dining in Midtown East. (ililirestaurants.com) ### Why do the dips matter in a Lebanese meal like this? The official menu places hummus, baba ghannouj and mouhamara together at the front of the meal, in the mezza section. That structure is consistent with the way diners often encounter Lebanese cooking in New York restaurants: multiple shared plates, bread and spreads first, followed by larger mains. (ililirestaurants.com) Toast’s ordering page reinforces that format by offering an “ilili Tasting” built around a selection of the restaurant’s best dips, plus an entrée and Lebanese rice, with baklava available as an add-on. (opentable.com) ### What did the social post single out beyond the savory plates? CJNewYork’s Sept. 1 posts highlighted baklava and passion fruit sorbet as the standout desserts from the meal. The official ilili Midtown page confirms baklava is currently on the menu, though the visible menu excerpt does not show sorbet in the same section captured by web results. (ililirestaurants.com) Seamless and Toast ordering pages also show ilili Midtown operating active online ordering channels, which suggests the Midtown location is serving a regular menu rather than a temporary pop-up or event-only format. (order.toasttab.com) ### If someone wants to check the restaurant next, where would they look? Ilili Midtown’s website lists the address, phone number, hours and reservation links for the East 53rd Street location. Resy and OpenTable both carry booking pages for the restaurant, and the official menu page remains the clearest source for the dishes named in the Sept. 1 social review. (ililirestaurants.com) (order.toasttab.com)