Ilya Restaurant San Clemente

Margaret Erickson1 month ago

1 month ago

Absolutely obsessed. ✨ Every plate was stunning, the flavors were layered and thoughtful, and the entire experience felt elevated without being pretentious. Chef-driven Mediterranean cuisine at its best. One of those rare places where the food, cocktails, atmosphere, and service all hit. 10/10. FYI Best whiskey sour I’ve had 😋

Linda Castillo2 months ago

2 months ago

We had a fantastic dining experience at Ilya. We were celebrating our anniversary, and they saved a lovely table for us by the fireplace. Emmon, our waiter was excellent. He was so fun, friendly and did a great job of describing their special cocktails and dinner menu. Based on his recommendations, we had the bread basket, rack of lamb, branzino, grilled octopus, glazed carrots, and spinach and oyster mushrooms. Everything was delicious, including the unique sauces they served with each item. And our food was cooked perfectly. We highly recommend Ilya for a wonderful dining experience. Thank you Emmon for helping make our anniversary dinner so special.

Crystal Kamada2 months ago

2 months ago

Ilya is a celebration of flavor, and brings Chef Charbel Hayek's vision for peace, abundance, and connection through food to life. They really make you feel welcome, like part of the family, when you dine here. We shared: 🥃 Cheating Vegan 🍹 Casablanca 🫒🥒🥕🫓 Ilya Mezze 🐟 White Fish Carpaccio 🐟 Seared Salmon 🍝 Rigatoni Bolognese 🍮 Lemon Tarte The ambiance is such a nice, open-air Mediterranean courtyard kind of vibe that makes you want to linger over cocktails and conversation for hours. We really loved the mezze - the fluffy bread and hummus are pure heaven. The cocktails have such unique flavor combinations, like masala chai infused vermouth and butterfly pea tea. Even the lemon tarte dessert had a base of basil cream on the bottom that really put a unique twist on a classic dessert.