Ilo Restaurant

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40 W 40th St
New York, NY 10018

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(212) 642-2255
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Ilo Restaurant - New York, NY
Reviews
( 6 )
( 9 )
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( 8 )
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Best

I am very picky when it comes to food and wine. I have to say that this was simply one of the best, scrumptious, most delicious dinners I have had in a while. Starting with sush...

Worst

Great restaurant, great feeling, great service. This is a fun, very professional and upscale restaurant. Try it.

No ""ouches"" for us!! 11/18/2003

Great restaurant, great feeling, great service. This is a fun, very professional and upscale restaurant. Try it. more
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Ouch. Make sure someone else is paying! 8/25/2003

Food was good, if a little over-complex in the conceit of some of the dishes. Ambitious chef striving to differentiate himsel? In this case the result is acceptable quality output from the kitchen, though some of the dishes are too fussy, trying a little too hard. Never mind, points for originality. The main issue here is value, or rather, lack of it. $150 a head is too steep for what we got. My only thought was the restaurant needs to cover a huge rent bill from Bryant park hotel so robs customers to cover it. The staff hassled us like crazy to pay the bill - looking bored and as if we were inconveniencing them. Our group payed two grand for dinner and the staff showers us in attitude. No thanks. My advice - stay away unless you want to overpay and get rude service into the 'bargain'. Pros: quality food, decent ambience Cons: rude, bored staff, severe wallet damage more
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Excellent 7/24/2003

I am very picky when it comes to food and wine. I have to say that this was simply one of the best, scrumptious, most delicious dinners I have had in a while. Starting with sushimi tuna and salmon tartare, continuing with unbelievably and perfectly made trout in asparagus creamy sauce (divine, melting) and ending with so very tasty chocolate desert and plate of fresh fruit (my date and I had to share our deserts, it was simply irresistable) -- my experience was delightful, and I am definitely coming back for me. Wine although can't recall a name however $175 a bottle tastes like honey (white) -- PERFECT -- thank you to the server who has recommended it. TWO THUMBS UP Pros: Quality of Food, Taste, Wine Cons: not secluded dining, area more
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UNDERvalued! 7/11/2003

For these prices, you have got to be kidding me! The environment and ambience, while nice enough, is not deserving of what they're charging. The service was only OK and the hostess was ambivalent, and the food was less than worth it. When you're asking in the upper-20s to mid-30s for an entree (and this was lunch!) and six bucks for an iced tea, you'd better have every facet of the experience nailed, and ILO misses the mark on most of them. Sorry, but for the money, would never go back. Pros: Nice surroundings Cons: Way too expensive, So-so service, Attitude more
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Great Waitstaff 5/26/2003

Everybody we encountered was helpful and friendly, no condescension here. We had a great, romantic dinner which was filling and enjoyable. I definitely appreciated the wines ""by the measure"" allowing you to have a smaller amount of wine and sample more than one if you wanted. The portions were surprisingly generous combined with incredible attention to the details. The Chocolate Tasting was divine. Pros: Good service, Nice atmosphere, Portions Cons: Expensive more
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Ilo-ved it 3/31/2003

Really a wonderful dining experience. The menu is well-organized and filled with interesting and delicious choices. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive without being obsequious. And how often do you find a waiter who actually knows what he is talking about when describing all the dishes on the menu AND the evening's cheese selections? My only negative comment is that the attractive dining room is open to the lounge in front, making it somewhat loud; still, a very small minus to a restaurant that is a huge plus. Pros: Food, Service, Overall Experience Cons: A little loud more
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good gateau 3/11/2003

i liked this restaurant. i went during the past holiday season. the octopus with pastina was very tasty. the venison i got was average, the sauce seemed to overpower it and i was hoping to get a bigger portion. dessert was surprisingly good. my date loved her chocolate sampler and i loved my gateau. very very delicious. service was excellent and helpful, they have wines that won't eat your wallet. i would go again. classy chic atmosphere. a little pricey but a nice special occasion restaurant. more
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Trying but not working 2/16/2003

Laakkonen's fusion isn't working for me. I went for lunch and came back disappointed. Foie gras terrine was nothing different from eating foie gras alone. White asparagas with raspberry-vinegarette was pretty good. Not sweet and actually rich!!! The cod cake was good but nothing special. I had hanger steak for entre but it was horrible. The meat was over-cooked and too spicy, like mexican food, taking away the taste of beef. The seasoning might be really good for chicken!! Crepe was okay, and lobster salad was expected. Dessert was interesting, light. Good but not great-no surprises. Pros: Empty for Lunch more
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Bones in my seafood. 1/15/2003

Very cool Hotel. The jasmine rice was really good. I was enjoying the food until I ate the Red Snapper and swallowed a few bones. Suggestion: Ask them to thoroughly de-bone your seafood. The dinner crowd was on the old/stuffy side. I would go back just to have drinks at the bar. Pros: Cool front bar more
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Great stuff 12/16/2002

Had not eaten here in a few months, remembered it as a fun place to argue with my wine drinking friends. Decided to go with a date on Saturday. Staff prepared an excellent tasting menu on the spot (accommodating my guest's allergies...). Every dish was great and many were unique and brillantly spiced (cinnamon in a lime intermezzo). Even the banal sounding tuna and salmon tartare was refreshing and in league with Kuruma and Bouley as one of the best versions I have ever eaten. Service was somewhat slow and our water glasses sat empty a couple of times, but everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Fun bar downstairs. Interesting wine list with knowledgable and enthusiastic if slightly overbearing wine stewards. I like this place. Pros: interesting wine list, exciting food Cons: awkward tables more
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Unfortgettable 12/13/2002

Fantastic service, excellent food and a great atmosphere. The staff made us feel as if we were the only guests in the entire place. They have a fantastic Sommelier--she picked just the right wines to accompany each course. more
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Pleasant 12/3/2002

We had a nice and romantic dinner. The food was great as well as the service. We hope to repeat the experience for the New Year's Eve dinner. Pros: Good location, Excellent Chef, Neat food Cons: Noisy more
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Excellent 11/5/2002

The food was incredible as well as the service... if you'd like to impress your boyfriend/girlfriend do make the effort to have dinner at Ilo... more
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3 10/28/2002

iI had lunch at ILO last week and though I thought the food was good portions were small and service was awful. It is over rated and much too expensive for the service we received. No one knew what belonged to who. more
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The Best of NY 10/19/2002

After several visits over the last year I can say that Ilo is just about perfect in every aspect. Casual yet refined room and atmosphere, superb menu filled with brilliant riffs, truly professional staff - and perhaps the best, most reasonably priced wine list in NY. Bought a bottle for 180 that Jean Georges is hijacking customers for 500. And the sommelier is a dream - smart, concise and truly in love with wine. Bravo all around. more
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Simply Gorgeous 10/14/2002

On a beautiful block alongside, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park Grill, American Standard Building, Bryant Prk Studios and of course the park, is the new and vibrant Ilo. The food here is displayed in amazing and wild ways, while the taste is OK. This block is screaming for a 4 star restaurant! Pros: gorgeous block more
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Great Food & Excellent Overall Experienc 10/11/2002

The food here was fabulous. The ingredients are exotic, but work well together. Chef Laakkonen is a genius with food combinations. We had the pastini with clams and octopus in a lemon thyme broth and the duck. Both were excellent!! The wine by the measure is a great way to serve wine. Pros: Great Food, Great Service, Great Wine List Cons: Expensive more
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Top notch! 9/10/2002

Classy, excellent, staff is super... Top Notch! (french ""slang"" word for perfection) Pros: very professional, food is creative, food is delicious more
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ILOve ILO! 9/9/2002

This place rules. It's one of the few places I've been recently where my entire party of six ordered different appetizers, main courses and desserts and not even one of those 18 items was less than extraordinary. The small number of tables makes for an intimate dining experience but the vast space the seating area shares with the extended bar area on the left side of the Bryant Hotel makes it seem very airy and spacious. The wine list is excellent also. And don't forget to head to the basement of the Bryant afterwards for a few drinks. more
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even sundays are delicious 9/7/2002

My new favorite restaurant. I've been to ILO 4x now and have been happily satisfied at each visit, even when the chef isn't in the kitchen on Sundays. The food is consistently delicious and creative, and the wait staff is quite knowledgeable about the menu. And, you can wear jeans. more
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Menu for Ilo Restaurant


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    Set at the back of the Bryant Park Hotel, Ilo is a spare-no-expense, Kubrickesque place, notable if only for the vacuum-packed thrill of staircases walled entirely in pungent...

  • 5/25/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown, Midtown South Central
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