Yayla Bistro

This place was very tasty. Me and a handful of my coworkers went for lunch during DC Restaurant Week so we got a three-​course lunch for $ 22. Everything I tried was delicious. I tried their Lintel soup, the Moussaka, and the Sutlac (rice pudding). The Lintel Soup was creamy but relatively light. The Moussaka had a great blend of flavors and came with a side salad to balance the heavy tomato, meat of the moussaka with the fresh lettuce and dressing. The rice pudding was sweet and kept hints of cinnamon without being overly processed tasting.
I’d probably go to this place again for a nice lunch with a friend or loved one.

We’ve dined here many times and really love the ambiance, food, and wine selection. The service is impeccable. Really happy to have this restaurant only a few minutes away, as I’m hooked, and would drive whatever distance it took to eat here.
(The location does makes it hard to park, so keep it in mind that you’ll be parking about a 5-​minute walk away, just in case you have small kids or older people).

Yayla is the bomb! I’d highly recommend it to anyone I know. I’ve been there three times and every single time they knocked it out of the ball park with food and service. The meat combination platter is an absolute must do for first timers, and I always have gotten the grilled calamari to start off which is definitely the bomb especially with lemon added on. Just tried one of their omelettes during their brunch hours and it was brilliant as expected as well. All in all, I would 100% recommend yayla to anyone in the area.

What a wonderful hidden treasure! This place is chic, quaint, and holds a great ambiance. It is clear to see that the chef puts his/​her heart into the dishes. The ingredients are fresh, the flavors are delicate, and the presentation is simply stunning.
We enjoyed an array of dishes, ordering almost everything on the menu. My absolute favorite was the grilled calamari. It was flavorful, delicate, and tender.
The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is because I felt the server did a poor job in making us feel comfortable. She seemed a little annoyed when we requested extra spoons but most distasteful was when she came by to say, «I hope you didn’t want anything else because the kitchen just closed.». Also, the dessert menu leaves much to be desired. There are only 4 selections but most disappointing … none including chocolate.
Will definitely return.

I liked Yayla. Small bar up front with booths, slightly larger (still small) bunch of tables in the back. Service was good and knowledgable. Food is made mostly in house — the owners are Turkish. Started with a trio of dips — ghanoush, hummus, and htipiti. The flavors were all good, htipiti probably my favorite. The bread they give you is fluffy and tasty, and the tapenade was delicious.
I had the moussaka (eggplant lasagna) as my entrée — I had no trouble finishing it. I loved everything about it, and it came with a fresh salad on the side which was nice.
Overall a great meal, would definitely come back

I’ve been here twice and it’s decent.
Service is absolutely wonderful, but most of the menu options really aren’t that enticing, IMHO.
First time there, I ordered the adana entrée (not the pita wrap option) and wasn’t satisfied with it because the «spices» fell flat in my mouth. Though another issue I had during the first time there was the waitress took away my plate of fries before I was finished with them… Uhm, rude, could’ve asked if I was done besides taking it and disappearing for a long moment. And the second time, I ordered the lamb shish, which was cooked perfectly but it didn’t wow me at all. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here.

The apricot delight is amazing! I’ve been here a handful of times and have never been disappointed with my food. Highly recommended! The staff (especially Murat) are all very friendly and the atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable. My favorite Turkish/​Mediterranean in the area for sure.

Seeing so many good reviews, we tried three dishes (grilled calamari, falafels, and beef kabob). All of them were very good and would definitely get it again. When we went in for pick-​up, the staffs were friendly and prompt. They even included two appetizer bread. The only thing I have to remember is to ask for yogurt sauce. I assumed it automatically came with the bread and kabob but they may have forgotten to put it in our take out.
Good place for couples, friends, and family!

Excellent excellent excellent!
We had a lovely meal last Friday dinner.
It was reasonably price and the flavor were delicious.
We tried the «Cigars» appetizer which is like cheese sticks on steroids… Exquisite!
I had the beet salad and added chicken and it was very flavorful and a good portion for the money.
The atmosphere is very modern. And the service was top notch!
Will definitely come back! :)

I stopped here on my home to Richmond to wait out the traffic. My cousin, who lives nearby highly recommended it when I brought up local restaurants on Unilocal.I have both a gluten and dairy allergy and it was refreshing to see menu items already labeled with these callouts! I knew right off the bat I would be ordering the Dolma which were delicious and tasted freshly made and full of flavor! I also ordered the baba ghanoush which I had never had. What flavor there was!!! So delicious and perfect on top of a side plate of carrots and cucumbers (can’t have the bread). I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good Turkish, Lebanese, or Greek meal.

I came here with my boyfriend and two friends today and had a great experience! It was our first time having Turkish food and the first time at Yayla. The staff was extremely friendly, greeting us when we walked in and our water glasses were always full.
We had a great server, Murai, who was helpful and attentive. He gave us recommendation and was very accommodating.
I thought the food was good, but I wasn’t absolutely crazy about it — though this could just be because we were trying new and different food. If I could give 4.5 stars, I definitely would! The service and staff was definitely the highlight of our night though!

Tonight I enjoyed the Moussaka, the best I have ever had!
This place just gets better and better.
Today we return for Sunday brunch and again my wife and I were amazed by the delicate nature of the omelettes they prepared.
A new dish we enjoyed with the poached eggs and yogurt just fantastic!

Yayla Bistro is family-​owned and –operated by the Gozubuyuks and is located in DT Falls Church, and offers a mix of Mediterranean/​Greek/​Turkish/​Lebanese offerings. They have a brunch, lunch, and dinner menu, and features items such as Halloumi Cheese, Falafel, Patlican Kozleme, Kofte, Karides Tava, etc. The hubs and I came here for an early dinner, and we were greeted warmly and seated promptly by one of the managers, Mr. Amed. We were offered a basket of complimentary bread (which was a little dry for me), with a cup of olive tapenade. For an appetizer, we shared the Falafel plate, which came with 3, perfectly-​fried falafel patties, served with a side of a kicked-​up ezme (diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, mild peppers, parsley, and dressed in olive oil) and a substitution of the baba ghanouj (thick and smokey) — topping it with both the baba ghanouj and the ezme on the falafels was necessary, as this made it quite delicious! For the entrees, the hubs had the Mixed Grilled Platter for 2, which came with New Zealand baby lamb chops (3 chops; juicy, but definitely ‘baby’ sized!), Filet Mignon Shish (topped with tomato sauce (will opt out of that the next tiem)), Chicken Shish (grilled marinated chicken breast, also topped with tomato sauce (will opt out of the sauce)), and the Adana (grilled ground beef and lamb with red peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs; this was our most favorite out of the meats! It was so flavorful and juicy and had a slight kick to it). The platter was also served with a side of white and tomato-​based rice, grilled veggies, and also sauteed veggies (zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers). I had the Moussaka, which was filled with a ground beef and lamb mix and topped with a tomato sauce, with a side of fresh cucumber/​tomato/​lettuce salad. The moussaka could have been served more piping hot, as it was a little lukewarm/​cold for me. I thought the taste was just okay. For dessert, we tried the house special, the Apricot Delight — these were dried apricots, stuffed with walnuts, set on top of vanilla mascarpone, drizzeled with caramel sauce and crushed pistachios. OMG — I think this is one of my favorite deserts! It was chewy from the apricots, crunchy from the walnuts/​pistachios, creamy from the mascarpone, and decadent from the caramel sauce — yum! Our server was Murat, who is actually the son of the owners — he was sooo sweet, friendly, and very attentive — he made sure that everything was satisfactory and that we were having a great time. Service was lovely, and the restaurant itself has a very comfortable, relaxing, but a nice chic/​upscale vibe to it. I’d love to come back and try out one of their specials, the Lahmacun, but I’ll definitely be back for that Adana and the Apricot Delight! :D
+free dessert with a Unilocal check-​in! :D
+10% off the total bill if you sign up for their emailing list! :D
+Falafel plate with ezme and baba ghanouj: D
+Adana :D :D :D
+Apricot Delight: D :D :D
+opt out of the tomato sauce
+request the moussaka to be served piping hot!
+ask for Murat: D
+sweet and friendly staff: D
+family-​owned and –operated
+outside seating available
+limited street parking along Westmoreland

My fiancé picked up take-​out for us from Yayla Bistro. The portions were pitifully small and the food did not taste fresh or very appetizing! And each of our entrees was $ 15+ ! Very disappointing. I ordered the Chicken Shish (grilled marinated chicken breast on a skewer topped with tomato sauce) and the chicken was very dry and there were only a few small pieces. My fiancé ordered the Kofte (Grilled ground beef and lamb patties with garlic, onions, cumin and spices. Served with cacik) and he also did not find it to be a filling portion…
Very disappointing and I doubt I would visit again, since there are plenty of better Mediterranean options in the area where they don’t try to rip you off.

First let me say that I have never left a restaurant review on Unilocal.I didn’t even have the app on my phone. After one of the best dining experiences I have EVER had (at Yayla Bistro), I downloaded the Unilocal app specifically so that I could write this review!
We have lived in Falls Church for five years and have somehow never made our way to Yayla Bistro — until today. We popped in for lunch on a whim to try something new, and everything from the greeting to the drinks to the meal (s) to dessert were absolutely phenomenal. We had the beet salad (amazing), the chicken pita wrap and the veggie pita wrap (again, amazing), and the moussaka. We were talked into having dessert and WOW! Everything tastes so healthy, fresh, authentic, and homemade.
We can’t wait to go back for brunch and for dinner. The bar area looked great, too. Small, but it looked like a nice place to watch a game for a change of pace. There is some outdoor seating that we will try next time. Everyone who works there is so friendly and attentive (without being annoying).
I think we have officially found our new favorite spot!

I’ve been here for many times. I almost tries all the foods in the menu. The owner and the employees are nice and friendly.
I would greatly recommend kabab platter. They also offer sandwich wraps for lunch which taste very good in my opinion.
Also for dessert I always take apricot delight.

I moved from DC several years ago and the food is the thing I miss the most. This place is a great reminder to the way things should be in the world. You should be able to drink a Turkish coffee on Saturday for brunch.
Food was Turkish portion sized which is exactly how Americans should be eating. Very fresh food and it was absolutely amazing.

Baba ghanoush was good. Didn’t care for the bread that comes with it. Would’ve preferred pita.
Lamb chops. $ 19. Pretty good, but nothing to go crazy about if you know how to make them yourself. I asked for medium rare but I think they came out more medium well.
Moussaka. $ 12. I enjoyed this! Would come back for this. Instead of mixed greens, asked for bulgar pilaf (whole wheat pilaf) which was good too and went with the moussaka
Waiter was super friendly and joked with us. The host was also nice when he greeted us. Outdoor seating at this place is a plus.

One of the best new places I’ve come to in awhile — excellent food at very affordable prices in a pleasant atmosphere.
It was a Saturday night and the place filed quickly. A little on the loud side but manageable.
Starters were baba ghanoush and esme (a tomato and onion compote). Both very fresh and tasty. The good quality of ingredients stood out throughout the meal.
Appetizers: falafel, Shepard’s salad (really colorful), and grilled (not deep fried) calamari.
Mains: iskwender kebab, bronzino, and mucver (eggplant pancake). The kebab is a Saturday special that was not on the menu and not mentioned by the server — but it’s really delicious. Think of a good gyro meat mixed with pita chips and tossed in a tzakziki sauce. Everyone was happy with their meal.
Now the important part: next to the restaurant is a driveway that takes you to «retail» parking. You can park here’ It’s not well marked and neighborhood parking is difficult.

I’ve been on a hunt to find the best Mediterranean restaurants in Northern Virginia and I think I can stop my search here.
I think this place is the total package. They serve great food, they have great customer service, the ambiance is nice and the dishes are more than reasonably priced.
My friend and I were very excited to try this place out so we ordered several items from the menu. Here is the run down:
Lentil Soup — Flavorful and it wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be,
Dolma (stuffed grape leaves) — Must try. Not as acidic as I would like it, but it’s a bit different from other dolmas that I’ve tried. The rice was still pretty firm and it contained pine nuts. We loved it.
Baba Ghanoush — The best I’ve ever had.
Hummus — Pretty good.
Mucver — Zucchini never tasted this good. This is a must try!
Labneh — I probably wouldn’t order this again but it was good. It tasted like plain Greek yogurt, but not as tart.
Lamb Chops — This was a show stopper. The lamb was filet mignon tender. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. And the price was only $ 19. (I’ve paid $ 29 for the same amount of lamb with less flavor at a different restaurant so let’s just say Yayla is now a standout for me.)
Turkish Delight — I enjoyed the vanilla mascarpone cheese… but I wouldn’t get this dessert again. I hear the baklava is amazing though.
I’m in love.