Very small restaurant but big on taste! This is a must visit place in Santa Cruz. Great service, very friendly and loved the food.

after waiting 40 minutes at the door and then another 15 minutes at the table........ everything was AMAZING! it was ou second time eating there and it was even better than we imagined! the soup was sooo good and thank god they offered bread because I was starving! the bread comes with whole garlic cloves to crush rally yummy! my... More

While visiting Santa Cruz I was taken to this great little place with great Italian food. I had soup - cream of artichoke hearts and asparagus and "Sunday" gravy - a great meat sauce on pasta of your choice. Penne in my case. Extremely reasonable.

We went on a weeknight, so avoided some of the long waits other people have experienced, especially on the weekends. We have been twice, once they were taking reservations and once they weren't. So that is a puzzle. But they do take your cell phone number and call when you are up. It can take a long time so if... More

Lillian's is something of a sentimental favorite for me. My girlfriend used to live in the neighborhood, within walking distance of this little hole-in-the-wall. We have celebrated everything from birthdays to Fridays here and I have loved every meal. I can highly recommend the Sunday gravy, a delicious stewed meat sauce which you can have over your choice of pasta... More

Just fantastic food. Stopped by Santa Cruz on the way to S.F. and found this on Yelp. It is always a good sign when people waiting out the door. Worth the wait. The Sunday Gravy is the way to go, but especially with Polenta (skip the meat balls).

This is a small but very busy restaurant. The reason it is so busy is the food is so good. They don't take reservations but you can give them your cell number and go have a drink at the Crepe Place a few doors down and they will let you know when your table is ready. Consistently good food, a... More

Awesome italian food - came back for second visit in 3 years. Everyone in our party of 4 had something different and we shared - all amazing. Worth the 30 minute wait we endured outside past our reservation. Not many tables and when they turn slowly - you wait. Highly recommend. Even better with almost no wait for lunch.

We dropped in at 5:45 on a Tuesday night to find a 45 minute queue and the wait was so worthwhile. But I would advise people to book or be prepared for a wait. The service was friendly and our 3 young children were made to feel more than welcome. The food was fantastic, the best pasta meat sauce my... More