Behind Wildland in Carlsbad, Lilo (lie-low) finds strength rooted in simplicity within today’s dining landscape. Just 22 seats arranged around an open kitchen counter where chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, the duo behind Jeune et Jolie and Campfire, designed a menu that moves at its own pace. Michelin agreed, awarding the restaurant its star in 2025.
The space itself, designed by Bells + Whistles, blends oak, stone, and glass to shape a room that feels both modern and elemental. One floor-to-ceiling window looks into the courtyard, where the evening begins and ends. The warmth of the fire pit that can be seen through the window softens the room's contemporary edges. Even the seating feels intentional, side-by-side at the counter, positioned to draw focus to the kitchen but still allowing for shared conversation. It's a subtle bit of spatial psychology that makes the experience feel more participatory.
Photo credit Lilo
Website: restaurantlilo.com
Reservations: Required
Menu: Changes slightly between visits
Address: 2571 Roosevelt Street, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Hours: Tue–Sat 5pm – 10pm, Closed Sunday and Monday
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Photo credit Lilo
The courtyard serves as prelude where guests are welcomed with a drink and five opening courses before transitioning to the counter for the main progression. The menu changes slightly between visits, yet the intention remains steady: carefully sourced ingredients, often presented in unexpected combinations, each explained by the chefs as they are prepared.
Littleneck Clam arrives with Buddha's hand, green strawberry, and tomatillo granite. Big Eye Tuna and Wagyu Beef Tartare pairs yuzu with black radish, ginger, and spruce. Sweet Corn Croustade brings green blueberries, lemon balm, basil, and spring blossoms. Umai Caviar Tartelette features grilled blue lake green beans, stracciatella, and egg yolk jam. Gougère combines Comté mornay and barrel-aged maple syrup, finished with Ibérico lardo. These aren't amuse-bouches designed to dazzle, they're calibrations, setting your palate for what's ahead.
Photo credit Lilo
Once settled at the chef's counter, six main courses arrive one by one, and the kitchen reveals its bold instincts with each plate. Rock Crab served on ice with kohlrabi, citrus fern, marigold, and an infusion of cucumber and lime leaf. Abalone grilled over embers, brushed with fermented pepper and guanciale, tempura of brassicas, oyster emulsion, allium powder, with a broth of roasted chicken and bone marrow. Ikejime Black Cod with roses, nectarine, yuzu, and a sabayon of Pineau des Charentes.
N25 Kaluga Caviar arrives as a study in contrasts: the richness of orgeat ice cream meets smoked celery root bushi, united by freshly pressed almond oil. It's a pairing that catches you by surprise. Maine Lobster with grilled cherries, charred onion, bronze fennel, and a sauce of dried chilies, accompanied by laminated brioche. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu with smoked and grilled unagi, battera kombu, crispy leek, blackened apple, and a sauce of roasted oxtail and black truffle.
Photo credit Lilo
Dessert stretches across multiple courses with the same care that shaped the preceding courses. Strawberry with nova tomato, anise hyssop, and marshmallow with the vivid color contained within the bowl's curves. Blackened Banana with koshihikari rice, medjool date, shiro miso caramel, and roasted rice donut, the components separated to maintain their distinct textures and temperatures. Stroopwaffle with rhubarb and toasted milk crémeux. Plum Tartelette with lemon thyme ganache and plum jam. Brown Butter Financier with fig, matcha, fig leaf, and bachelor buttons. These desserts feel like part of the story, not an add-on.
Photo credit Lilo
At evening's end, tea service returns you to the same courtyard, bookending the experience with a quiet balance of warmth and reflection. The personalized note handed to each guest feels less like a souvenir and more like an acknowledgment: you were here, we saw you, this moment happened.
The experience at Lilo simply unfolds, course after course, with an inevitability that feels both surprising and predetermined. Staff anticipate needs before they materialize, glasses refilled before they're empty, questions answered before they're fully articulated. Chefs describe dishes clearly and pairings are explained with precision. The atmosphere follows the same line of thought. Music filled the space at the right volume, loud enough to create ambiance, quiet enough to preserve conversation.
Photo credit Lilo
Lilo is not simply a restaurant built around a tasting menu. It is an experience shaped from start to finish, where food, design, and service are inseparable. It demonstrates how thoughtful curation can elevate dining into something enduring, leaving you with not only a record of courses but an evening that feels considered at every turn.
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