Review: Liliana’s Italian Kitchen hasn’t been open a year, but diners know a good thing when they see it

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Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Italiano pizza with Volpi salami and pastrami  

No matter what time you come into Liliana’s Italian Kitchen, you’ll find diners twirling forkfuls of tomato-sauced noodles, folding slices of piping-hot pizza, and devouring meaty sandwiches. You might also see a few people waiting for to-go orders by the deli case or at the takeout window. It’s impressive, considering that Liliana’s remains open between traditional lunch and dinner hours. The Italian-American restaurant hasn’t been open a year, but neighborhood diners know a good thing when they see it.

The 75-seat interior is painted marinara red and decorated with black-and-white photos of the Rat Pack. Empty double magnums of Chianti line a wall that separates the dining room and bar area. Twinkle lights are strung around the windows, and a large chalkboard lists daily specials. Sinatra plays softly in the background.

Like everything served at Liliana’s, starters are generous. Ethereal wisps of fried spinach top the fried calamari. Crispy-skinned chicken wings are coated in a blanket of shaved Parmesan and served with aioli. Bruschetta are laden with goat cheese and bacon and balanced with arugula, roasted red peppers, and balsamic. 

Pastas are old-school classics: meat or eggplant lasagna, cannelloni, beef ravioli. The garlic shrimp rigatoni with roasted red peppers, fried spinach, tender shrimp, and a light cream sauce is particularly noteworthy. The meat-laden sauce on the enormously portioned spaghetti and meatballs adds a satisfying texture and a surprising amount of flavor.

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Photo by Kevin A. Roberts

Spaghetti and meatballs

St. Louis–style pizza crusts are custom-made, with a chew more substantial than that of the standard cracker crust. Liliana’s 20 available toppings, including white anchovies, garlic shrimp, salami, fried spinach, and giardiniera, go a step beyond the average pepperoni. The restaurant offers six specialty pizzas, including the Italiano, which is dressed with pastrami, crispy bacon, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and arugula.

Many of the 16-plus sandwiches are named after Sopranos characters. The meats are all slow-roasted in house. Liliana’s motto could be “Less Is Not More,” and that’s especially true of the sandwiches. The Adriana, for example, combines roasted turkey and pastrami with bacon, Provolone, arugula, vegetables, and aioli. The Don is piled with roast beef and turkey, pastrami, bacon, giardiniera, Provolone, and aioli.

Desserts include baked goods from McArthur’s and gelato imported from New York, but save room for the house-made tiramisu, rich and velvety thanks to the mascarpone-enriched cream and soft espresso-bathed cake. (Tip: Order it first, because it often sells out quickly.)

Although an especially smug diner might find the decor passé, the strip mall location garish, and the St. Louis–style house salad unhip, there’s nothing pedestrian about satisfying food prepared with sincerity and care, which is exactly what Liliana’s dishes up every day.