Lyla Lila Brings Fresh Pastas and 50 Natural Wines to Midtown Friday

Chef Craig Richards and his pastas are back when Lyla Lila opens Friday, December 6, one block north of the Fox Theatre in Midtown. Billy Streck (Nina & Rafi, Hampton + Hudson) partnered with the former St. Cecilia chef to open Lyla Lila, which is named for their daughters.

Located on the ground floor of Lilli Midtown at the corner of Peachtree and 3rd streets, Lyla Lila is a first for Streck, known more for his casual restaurants and pubs. The Atlanta restaurateur has been toying with the idea of opening a fine dining-style restaurant for years. It all came to fruition last fall when he partnered with Richards, who also leads the kitchen at sports pub Hampton and Hudson in Inman Park.

Lyla Lila’s menu focuses on dishes from southern European countries such as Italy and Spain. The menu offers seven fresh pastas and risottos from Richards, whose previous work includes stints with Italian chef Lidia Bastianich and neighborhood trattoria La Tavola in Virginia-Highland.

”I think restaurants today can feature pasta without being defined as strictly Italian,” Richards told Eater Atlanta in May. “Pasta making is a craft I’ve been working on for over 15 years, and it’s exciting to introduce Georgia ingredients and a sense of place to old world pasta-making techniques.”

In addition to pastas such as chicken liver and sweet potato ravioli doppio or crispy lasagna with duck, the menu lists a selection of seasonal vegetables and meaty wood-fired entrees, including rabbit with smoked apple and a whole grilled fish served with roasted broccolini.

Craig Richards

Beverage director Angela Guthmiller spotlights wines on the menu from “boutique producers,” particularly family- and female-owned wineries incorporating “sustainable practices.” Think 50 bio-dynamic, natural, pétillant naturel (sparkling), and skin contact wines mixed with a few old world classics. The sustainability theme continues into the cocktails, which utilize cordials and syrups created with unused ingredients from dishes found on the current dinner menu.

Lyla Lila is currently awaiting its liquor license.

Along with a 40-seat, wraparound patio, the restaurant features three distinct spaces designed by Smith Hanes Studio: a dimly lit bar room, a main dining room, and an adjoining 26-seat private dining room.

Take a look at the menu:

Public transportation and parking information: Located three blocks northeast of the North Avenue MARTA station and on MARTA bus route #40, which stops at Peachtree and 3rd streets. Valet parking available. Paid public lots available. Towing and booting heavily enforced without payment.

Open Sunday - Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Lunch and brunch begin in 2020.

693 Peachtree Street Northeast, Atlanta. lylalilaatl.com.

• Lyla Lila Brings Southern European Fare and Pastas to Midtown This Fall [EATL]
• Midtown Could Finally Have a Restaurant Serving Exceptional Pasta Next Fall [EATL]
• The Most Anticipated Restaurants Opening in Atlanta, Fall 2019 [EATL]