This is a proper old-school Neuilly institution — open since 1946, with vintage tilework, wood paneling, and white tablecloths that make you feel like you've stepped into a bourgeois 1950s dining room. Chef William Jourdain turns out refined French classics (think ravioles de langoustines, abats, beautifully sauced fish dishes) at a 55€ menu that's genuinely generous. Head to the back where a glass roof opens onto a quiet garden — it's the kind of bucolic tranquility you don't expect this close to Porte Maillot.
A 1946 Neuilly institution with vintage decor, a hidden garden verrière, and chef Jourdain's exquisite sauces and classic French cooking.
Ask for a table near the verrière at the back — the garden view is the restaurant's most magical spot and goes first.
A 1946 time capsule with garden dining and refined French classics
Lily de Neuilly is the kind of place that makes you forget you're in a bustling suburb just outside Paris. Open since 1946, the dining room has been renovated "à l'ancienne" — original tilework, wood paneling, pleated tablecloths — and it genuinely feels like stepping into a mid-century bourgeois home. The atmosphere is warm, elegant, and convivial, which explains why so many reviewers choose it for anniversaries and family celebrations. Chef William Jourdain's cooking is classic French with a refined touch: reviewers rave about the ravioles de langoustines, the abats (a rarity on modern menus), and the fish dishes with exquisite sauces. The 55€ menu is described as "very rich" — and it delivers on that promise.
The real surprise is the back of the restaurant, where a glass roof (verrière) opens onto a garden. It's a bucolic, tranquil setting that feels miles away from the Porte Maillot traffic. Service is attentive and professional, in the traditional brasserie manner. At around 42-55€ per person depending on what you order, it's not a cheap night out, but the quality of preparation and presentation justifies it — Yelp reviewers specifically praise the "exquisite sauces and fine preparation." If you're looking for a quiet, old-world French meal in Neuilly, this is the address.