It is rare to find a mainstream specialty restaurant that also caters specifically to the celiac crowd. Well, if you are in New York one of my favorite guilty pleasures is Lili’s 57th located at 200 W. 57th Street in Manhattan. Now if you are a health finatic, stop reading now but if you enjoy a bit of delicious indulgence from time to time Lili’s is the place to satisfy your need. You can check out their GF menu here.
Lili’s offers a dedicated gluten free menu for diners and having spoken with the manager it is something that they take very seriously in order to prevent and cross-contamination. While Lili’s offers a decent range of classic Chinese specialties, my favorites have to be the GF General Tso’s Chicken and Sesame Chicken. Both dishes feature wonderfully crunchy fried pieces of tofu, chicken, or shrimp depending on your mood. Now given my shellfish allergy I have only tried the tofu and chicken which never disappoint. The chicken is all white meat and swimming in a wonderfully balance sweet brown sauce that combines just the right amount of sweet and heat, The GF portion is relatively large and can easily make two meals though I have been know to consume an entire portion in a single sitting.
Lili’s also offers a range of GF appetizers and noodles to accompany any meal. The GF pork dumplings are a meal unto themselves and come complete with a piquant GF soy dipping sauce, The GF dishes that I have sampled have all tasted like their non-GF counterparts. Again, while not an everyday option Lili’s 57th certainly helps fill a void for quality Chinese food that is suited for Celiacs. If you find yourself in Manhattan do check it out.
Lili’s 57 is located at: 200 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019
