Layla Cafe & Catering

Beef kebob usually isn’t very flavorful. And on my last order the amount of meat was about half what it should have been. I’ll be gettin kabobs elsewhere. This place really isn’t worth the time.

Second time here. Wish it was closer to my home. Food was hot, delicious. The hummus & pita bread were so yummy. Nice eye candy with David working there! service was excellent.

I decided to try this place out when I saw a Groupon deal for it. The food was pretty bad. It didn’t taste like restaurant food, I could have basically made it at home. The service was very slow. I could name a hundred other restaurants in this area that are hundred times better and less expensive.

Are we outdoors? Are we indoors? Where ever we are, the food was quite good and the dinner atmosphere is relaxed with beautiful lighting. My companion couldn’t decide between the Layla Salad and the Spaghetti Bolognese… so we got both and shared them, but first we started off with Lobster Ravioli. That fountain at the entrance is a work of art, and the front door is one of the largest I’ve ever pushed through.

Healthy and tasty– very friendly staff. I was there three times and left happy. Thanks

I simply love Layla’s, for lunch, or dinner! :) The food here is so fresh, and delicious, and the wonderful staff is so attentive! I really like deals, like at
, or on Thursday’s, ½ off all wine, oui oui, please! Kati is amazing, and the new girl Diana is pretty great too! Please try Layla’s out, you will really dig it!

Came here for lunch with my coworkers. We weren’t planning on coming here but we walked by it and decided to give it a try. The atmosphere is pretty nice, open, and casual. I like the décor and the seating arrangement.
Staff is really nice and friendly. Our waiter kept smiling and being nice even though one of my coworkers kept asking him to get stuff. Even I was annoyed at my coworker lol. We all order the Chicken Kebab. Before our entrees came, we were served warm Pita Bread with Hummus. Hummus was very good I wish we had more!
Our Chicken Kebabs came with some rice, steamed veggies, and a spoonful of hummus. Surprisingly, the Chicken Kebab was delicious! It was moist, juicy, and tender. I thought it was going to be freaking dry and rubbery since most people do not know how to cook chicken breast properly. It was a pleasant surprise. One of my coworkers asked for some Tahini Sauce or Garlic Sauce to spread on our Kebabs. Unfortunately, they didn’t have Garlic Sauce so they brought us their version of the Tahini Sauce. It was just okay.
The only negative, that side of Tahini sauce we got was $ 6?! Damn… wish they would’ve told us before serving it…
Anyway, Unilocal check in and get 20% off you bill!

Didn’t eat anything at Layla’s but I wish I had! Chicken kabob looked delicious and Caesar salad was great. Loved the ambience and decorum. Great place.

SERVICE
Good service
INTERIOR
Like the open area and the atmosphere with plenty of sunlight. They have wine racks on the walls. Restroom is clean and pretty.
FOOD
(Layla) Chicken salad was good and big-​portion with lots of chicken-​just the way I like it. I finished almost all and felt very content and satisfied :)
Chicken kebab is very tender and yummy, too.
Lemonade seemed artificial… It may be store-bought…would not order again.
Also, we got the deal from Unilocal!The pricing came out to be very reasonable.
I would come here again. I would say it is good for small groups under 5 people (not so much for big groups as their seating is limited).

Overall, low quality and overpriced.
Avoid.
Layla’s food is poorly seasoned and was beyond disappointing.
I ordered the lamb meatballs (there’s six meatballs that are literally the size of a quarter. They charge $ 11). It was greasy and probably $ 2.50 worth of meat.
The second thing was the chicken kebob was bland and I can assure you theres little chance that you’re not capable of making something equivalent.

It took me awhile to write this review because I was frankly in disbelief how poorly I was treated. I pray and hope that the place along with the owner will cease from existence. Karma is coming though.
On 12÷06÷14 my boyfriend and I were at the Ross across the street buying bedsheets. I guess buying bedsheets works up an appetite because by the time we paid I could barely make it to the car. A few days prior, my job had a Christmas party and it just happened to be at Laylas. Everyone from our party of 13 hated it, but I liked their hummus which was enough to tell my boyfriend to go get a quick bite there. So we dropped off the bedsheets in the car and crossed the street laughing and giggling over random crap, little did I know in 5 seconds I would be in excruciating pain crying.
We walked up to the door facing the street (with my jobs Christmas party we all walked in from the back because we parked in the back) which was very poorly lit, and there was really no door, just a wall that’s all glass. There was a sign on that glass that said «push door to open». My boyfriend pushed, and nothing happened. The two employees inside lazily pointed to the other side. So we walked over to the right and my boyfriend pushed the door, meanwhile I put my hand on the ledge of an opening because I thought I was grabbing what was the door. I don’t even understand what happened or how it happened, but all my fingers got jammed in the door and bent backwards. It was the worst pain in the world. I busted out crying and started running away. My boyfriend chased me, grabbed me, looked at my hand and immediately said we have to go to er. In less than a minute my fingers swelled up three times the size.
We went to the er, met there by my worried mom. She yelled at me (that’s how Russians moms are even to their grown children) saying how did this happen, you are 27 years old, do you not know how to open a door. And that’s the thing… both my guy and I KNOW how to operate a door. This has never happened to me in 27 years of my life. Two grown people who go out to eat every night don’t just randomly have a brain fart and forget how to operate a door. It’s not rocket science. This restaurant displayed pure negligence and refused to take responsibility.
Here is what makes me even more mad and my fingers are burning as I write this because now I am tapping the keyboard extra hard. After 3 hours in the ER (St Johns) we went back to now take pictures because I hade full intentions to sue these bastards; and this piece of crap place changed the sign on the door that said «push to open» to pull to open. They knew they had wrong door instructions and tried to cover it up. Beyond ridiculous and I hope karma bites the owner in his sly greedy behind.
The next day I called and spoke to the owner (maybe manager) by the name of Sev. If you look up the words bastard, a-​hole, jackA$@ I am sure his picture would come up for every single not so nice word you can think of. He yelled at me instead of admitting the switching of the instruction to open his stupid door, and had the nerve to even deny I hurt my hand in his establishment. His reasoning was if I really did hurt my hand I would have came in and told him. Are you kidding me!!! I hurt my hand, severely. You really think the first thing on my mind is rushing in and telling you? I was rushing to go to the emergency room where a professional doctor can help me. Keyword ‘professional’, something Sev will never be.
It took a while to write this review; but believe me I tell everyone and anyone about this experience and I will for the rest of my life pray for this place to shut down, and when it does I will say good riddance to bad rubbish.
I ended up not suing because frankly this place isn’t worth my time. I paid my bills, moved on with life. But I will have hate for the rest of my life for this owner and this poorly ran business. And judging by the other 1 star reviews the owner is definitely not a picnic in the park. If one person says you are a horrible human being they might be mistaken, but when numerous people talk about your character you may want to reconsider your personality. Just saying.

Great Food!!! Great atmosphere and service. I will recommend the place to anybody. I am European and never thought that I will find piece of my country in Layla’s!

I disagree with the way Layla’s treats customers.
I called to confirm that you could use a groupon for pick up orders at Layla’s and the woman who answered the phone verified that this was ok. When I arrived to pick up my food, I was told that groupon was for dine in only. The woman who spoke with me on the phone was apparently new and was not supposed to allow groupon for pick up. The fact the she was new and and misspoke should not have been my problem as a customer. I even offered to tip on the amount as if I was dining in. I acted based on information a representative of this business told me. I would’ve been a more satisfied customer likely to returned if they accepted my groupon like they said.
ON TOP OF ALL THIS, they got my order wrong. I ordered the chicken and steak kebobs with veggies. It came with rice. And the servings are really small.

DO NOT GO TO LAYLA’S!!! This place is a complete and total rip-​off! I feel so suckered for going there, let alone on my birthday. It was four of us, and we ordered the salmon, which was decent, but they claim it to be wild-​caught. I warn you it is NOT! My better half is an expert with salmon as she eats it 3 times a week and know the difference between farmed Salmon and wild-​caught. It’s about the fat content and texture. So Shame on you Layla’s for mis-​representing your food. Go ahead and prove to your patrons that you have wild-​caught salmon! But alas this is just the first of my complaint.
When you arrive to the front of Layla’s (if you find parking), you first come to a what looks like a window, or what appears to be such. How the hell do you get in? The window turns out to be a door, so a little difficult to understand, perhaps a sign, «open here», would be helpful, but it was a very cool door.
I didn’t understand why the ambience (or lack of it) was so strange until after I sat down and realized that I was in what actually was a driveway. This was originally the driveway to the building and someone got the brainiac idea to put a back and front to it to get more money in leasing space. All good, expect that the whole time you’re there, you know something is just awry. It’s just not right. To make it even more odd, the seating and tables are uncomfortable. You feel like you’re in a patio, but it’s not a patio. If you wanted to sit in the patio, you would ask to sit in a patio, and you would expect the minimum of a light breeze. So sitting here in their extremely uncomfortable cheap chairs is just not an experience you’d want to repeat, let alone begin.
So the salmon was good and the portion of the salmon was ample (not great, but ample), the spaghetti with Bolognese sauce was also good, but really? Enough for a child maybe? How much does a bit more pasta cost? I know first hand that for 25 cents more, they could have made it 3 times that amount.
But just wait. it keeps getting worse. What was truly horrible was the beef kabob. Here I was going to Layla’s because they represent themselves as a mediterranean style restaurant, but hold-​on one cotton-​picking-​minute!!! Houston, we have a problem.
The beef kabob is something they describe as follows: «Take yourself on a journey of flavor. Our Beef Kabob will bring to mind the delicacies of the traditional Middle Eastern table with its delicious aroma and perfect blend of spices.» No, it does not! It’s a journey of famine, and lack of spices.
They go on to say, «The dish is made using the finest cuts of beef, which are carefully trimmed and sliced.» Really? It’s clearly an extremely cheap cut of meat, anyone who eats red meat, can recognize that this is $ 2 a pound chuck steak.
The portions at Layla’s are so ridiculously small, that you leave feeling completely taken. One and a ½ tablespoons of Hummus, 3 tablespoons of rice, 2 tablespoons of vegetables. This is not what I expected. It was not even normal for one of those fancy french restaurants where they decorate your plate.
I’ve never received so little food at any restaurant in my entire life, oh and I’m over 50, so I’ve experienced many restaurants over the decades. You go to a Persian restaurant, and it’s always too much food. especially rice, but here they give you a few morsels. really??? How much does rice cost? It’s pennies!!!
The owner of Layla’s should be ashamed of himself. He should be out of business. I don’t know how they can stay in business. They must be a money-​laundering outlet for the mafia, because there is no way in the world that they have any repeat business.
I cannot believe any of these reviews that rave about the food. If you scroll down on Unilocal,you’ll find an area that states, «43 other reviews that are not currently recommended». It’s in a greyed out font that’s hard to see. But when you find it, you will find more of the truth about how this restaurant sucks. Save yourself the hunger and horrible experience. Don’t go.

Nice place! It’s easy to miss from the outside but the inside is really lovely. It almost feels like a modern outdoor space. It’s quite romantic inside.
The service was excellent as was the food. The beef kebab dish and the steak salad was really good! Your standard Mediterranean fare but a little more upscale.
You can get a significant discount if you check in on Unilocal

I can only review the service here because we actually walked out before we could eat the food. I had a groupon for an appetizer, 2 entrée’s and 2 glasses of sangria or beer. I asked the server if we could get a soda instead of the beer/​sangria and he said he would ask the manager. Manager said No. I said, Ok, we’ll just drink water. The next thing I know, the manager arrives at our table and tells me that I’ll have to pay 5.00 for tap water if I don’t get the sangria/​beer. I said «WHAT?». Water is free. He then said that I can pay him 5.00 for a soda. He said that a soda costs him 2.00. That is BS. If its fountain soda, there is no way its 2.00 and even if its a can or bottle, wholesale cost isn’t 2.00. I told him that we don’t drink and don’t want the sangria/​beer and he said we had to take it. I said «Ya know what, we’re leaving». I’ll call Groupon and get a refund.
This was at 7pm on a Saturday night. There was only 1 other table that was seated in the restaurant so I guess he didn’t want to redeem our groupon. Horrible service and I’d never go back.

I made a catering order and the results were Very disappointing!!!
There was NOT enough food for 16 people, as they promised and reassured me that there would be!
The eggplant dip had LARGE pieces of some sort of HARD leaf that had many complaints from the guests.
The salad had NO walnuts, but an EXCESS amount of onions, and VERY little goat cheese. Only one person attempted to eat it, and the rest went into the trash. That was $ 60?!?
The chicken caesar wraps were way too SMALL, and in my previous conversation with the owner, she said that their wraps were HUGE!
All in all I was very embarrassed, and felt that I absolutely did not get MY money’s worth!!!
I am a loyal and returning customer, and when I reached out to the owner, they did not want to return any of my money!!!

Chicken kebab was absolutely delicious. I got the plate with veggies and rice on the side because I’m a fan of basmati rice. One of the best, if not the best, chicken kabobs I’ve ever had. Breast meat that was well-​seasoned and yet light, moist, and juicy.
Service here was quite slow though were were only one of three or four tables occupied. This is my only complaint.
The décor and restaurant design is absolutely stunning. I was going to take a picture but I couldn’t embarrass my friend by standing up to take a picture. The ceiling is open somewhat to the elements, and a rock-​lined plant bed runs along the wall as if you are in an outdoor patio. Open to nature and yet still cozy. The front door is very interesting. It’s a single giant, glass pane that pivots. The door was open when we came, but shut as were were leaving and this time I couldn’t avoid embarassing my friend as I struggled to find how to open the door to get out of the restaurant.
I’d definitely come here again, and I’ll be sure to bring family or friends. Seriously, bring your dates.

This place was interesting…
We got there shortly after they opened for the day. Space is really cool, garage door front that can be opened to let in a lot of air and light.
When we walked in no one was around. After awkwardly waiting for a few minutes I stuck my head in the kitchen and said hello. A guy came rushing out of the back. He was really nice but warned us that he was the owner and not very good at serving. Huh?
He sat us and took our order. The food was all great but the orders were wrong. We went ahead and ate them anyway. He just sheepishly smiled and said he warned us.
So yeah, good food but weird experience.

Food is still delicious as ever: fluffy, warm pita with tasty house-​made hummus, and generous salmon filets on a bed of avocado, grape tomatoes and field greens coated with a light citrus vinegrette. I order this EVERY time, it’s so good. That said, I can’t really comment on the other food, but most seem to like it.
Although I’ll definitely be back, I had to deduct a star. The reduction is based on consistently slow service each visit and subpar upkeep in my most recent visit. There was water leaking from the ceiling or something, so there was a pool forming near one of the tables. Additionally, and even more annoying, were all the flies hovering around our table. It was gross. Lastly, there was a strong cold wind coming through the open front door that was chilling the entire restaurant. Just didn’t seem necessary to have it open when the temperature outside wasn’t that warm.