It’s Christmas in New York City, and time to review another one of my favorite holiday spots in New York City – Lillie’s Victorian Establishment! Lillie’s is one of those over-the-top Christmassey bars/restaurants, where everyone wants an Instagram picture. This post details a visit to Lillie’s Victorian around the holidays and how to get inside, even without a reservation!
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment decorated for Christmas. Even if you cannot get inside, this window at the Union Square location is a fantastic spot for a photograph (there may be a line).
Very fun decorations at the Union Square location starting mid-November.
With two locations, Lillie’s Victorian Establishment is a year-round Victorian-era British Pub named for late British actress Lillie Langtry. The restaurant’s namesake immigrated from Britain to the US in 1882. Her acting debut, at the New York Theatre, resulted in the building burning to the ground, leaving only a sign reading Lillie Langtry. Very interesting story. In any case, for your purposes, Lillie’s is most famous for its elaborate Christmas decorations, which go up in mid-November.
Dan and I at Lillie’s Victorian in mid-November.
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, Union Square in November 2025.
As mentioned Lillie’s has two locations – Times Square and Union Square. And honestly, while their Christmas decor style is different, they otherwise are quite similar – a one story, Victorian style pub, with similar menus. The seating is all high top, and Lillie’s offers tea service (although only on the weekend at the Union Square location), in addition to an a la carte menu serving lunch and dinner.
The menu at Lillie’s Victorian in November 2025.
The most famous for its Christmas decorations is the Union Square location. This year (2025), reservations for the Christmas season opened on November 4th and decorations were fully up on November 15th. And let me tell you, Union Square went all out. It’s decor theme is very Christmassey – red and green, featuring lots of Santa, elves, wreaths, and spinning things hanging from the ceiling. I would describe it, particularly compared to the other location, as Santa’s toy shop theme. The entirety of the restaurant is decorated this way, and there is no “bad seat.”
Christmastime at Lillie’s Victorian.
Union Square location.
A very cute Christmas Beagle in Union Square.
Can’t forget Santa at the Union Square location.
In contrast to the Union Square location, the Times Square Lillie’s Victorian is done in a very white theme, which I would describe it as Winter Wonderland. Think white Poinsettias on the ceiling, polar bears, penguins, white lights and of course, a Santa here and there! Both are wonderfully decorated and child-friendly, just different vibes.
Lillie’s at Times Square.
Times Square location.
Close up of the decor.
More of Times Square.
And yes, you need a reservation for both locations. Reservations opened up for the Union Square location in early November, and before that for Times Square (I think I booked in early October). If you were not lucky enough to score a reservation, you are not necessarily out of luck. First, check the morning you are trying to visit. I have often scored a day of reservation by checking in the morning before opening. People cancel reservations somewhat regularly. Next, the bar at both locations are first come, first serve for both food and drinks. If you intend to do this, especially on the weekend, I recommend arriving early. When I visited on November 15th, people were already lining up for the bar!
The entrance to Lillie’s Victorian. Be prepared to wait outside for the bar.
Now, onto the food. Both locations have very similar menus, often identical. The food menu is slightly upscale British pub fare – think fish and chips, a burger, soup, a few salads, etc. My favorite thing on the menu, a chicken salad sandwich, was so good, but it was recently removed from the menu. Hopefully it will return in the Spring. While the food is generally not holiday themed, the drinks are! Recently, I enjoyed the Candy Cane Martini and a Mulled Wine. Both were pretty good (not too sweet) and beautifully prepared. Perfect for photographs!
Candy Cane Martini.
Mulled wine at Lillie’s Victorian.
I would note that there is no minimum spend, but there is a time limit of 90 minutes per table (enforcement varies). Drinks are about $20 a piece, while main courses are typically in the $25 range. The food is decent and fair for the price, but to be clear, you are not visiting for the food.
And if Christmas is not your holiday, Lillie’s also decorates really, really well for Halloween at the Times Square location and with pink flowers in the Spring and Summer in the Times Square location. Halloween decor goes up at the beginning of October and stays up into November. Reservations are again necessary for Halloween, but it’s so fun! Like at Christmas, holiday cocktails are also served at Halloween (albeit Halloween themed). You usually need a reservation for Halloween decorations, but usually not for the Spring decorations.
Lillie’s Victorian in Times Square decorated for Halloween.
Lillie’s in the Spring and Summer.
All in, I’m a big fan of Lillie’s for a fun Christmas meal. It has replaced Rolf’s German Restaurant as my favorite, as Rolf’s is just too hard to get a reservation and too crazy the entire season. You can read about my Rolf’s experience here.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment Times Square: 249 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019. Open daily 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, kitchen closes earlier. Reservations highly recommended, but the bar is walk in only. 90 minute table limit.
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment Union Square: 13 East 17th Street, New York, NY 10003. Open daily 2:00 PM – 2:00 AM, earlier on the weekend. Reservations highly recommended, but the bar is walk in only. 90 minute table limit.
Rolf’s German Restaurant: 281 Third Ave, New York, NY 10010. T: 212-477-4750 and 212-473-8718. IG: rolfsnyc. Open 12h – 20h, closed on Monday through Labor Day. Christmas decor up long before and after Christmas.