Layla

Such a great spot for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The Jane Says is my absolute favorite burger — EVER. Krispy Kale and Hummus are the best appetizers and make an amazing meal on their own. The S’mores shake is yummy. Brunch on Saturday and Sunday is where it’s at!

We went in for a early dinner yesterday around 4:30ish and there was only one person sitting at bar.
The place used to look much nicer, art on the walls and I don’t remember the floors being bare concrete but maybe that’s my overlook. The walls are almost bare now and badly damaged and dirty. You could see the grime and there were lots of peeling paint/​chunks. The waitress was nice enough but service was way two slow for us being the only seated table.
We ordered the dark chocolate/​cherry milkshake first and thought it was okay however, it wasn’t a milkshake, it wasn’t even cold. Very strange. I also think the shake costs around $ 6 – 7 dollars, which is completely overpriced for the size and quality.
After the shake arrived we ordered a burger ($ 14) and the large salad with lamb ($ 11). There was now a couple seated behind us after we ordered.
We waited 50 minutes for a burger and salad after watching through a back window what seemed like the entire kitchen staff smoking cigarettes. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you smoke but what I do care about it what it took 50 minutes to cook a burger and throw together a salad when I watched at least 5 different people in chef gear go outside to smoke. WHY when there is at least 4 people in back would it take that long? We were the only guests when we’d ordered!
The staff (except for our sweet waitress) seemed really unprofessional and careless. One of the bus boys was stumbling around and decided after we had finally been served that it would be a great time to sweep the floors right next to and around us.
The music was incredibly loud and weird… like screaming baby noises and telephone sounds over metal.
The food is great, which is the sad part. I still think it’s a bit overpriced but perhaps it was the terrible environment that makes it seem that way.
I’ve been here several times and have left a 5 star review before but it seems like either new management (who are not doing their job) or they’re just letting this place go to shit. I can’t tell but unfortunately probably won’t be back for a while, if at all. If this were a nice place like it used to be I can justify paying $ 33 dollars for a salad, burger, and milkshake.

Food is spotty. Sometimes amazing, other times just okay. Heard great thanks about the shakes, but found nothing but average.
Highly recommend the fries

I came to Layla on a Sunday afternoon for brunch with my friend and a $ 40 groupon. I admit, I probably should’ve brought more friends with a $ 40 groupon, but my friend and I ordered a porky’s revenge skillet and a lamb burger respectively. The porky’s skillet was a huge skillet with sweet potato home fries and mostly cured diced diced pork belly with some onions and eggs. The lamb burger was pretty tender, but I think there was too much bun and it was a little dry. I definitely thought the skillet was better than the lamb burger, but in the end, me and my friend were incredibly full, but still had about 10 – 12 dollars to spend.
We ended up taking a chicken schwarma sandwich to go with a side of tabboleh. It was really good for lunch the next day!
I definitely would come back to eat the regular Lebanese food for lunch because schwarma is my favorite.

Layla is one of my favorite St. Louis-​based restaurants. I have only ever ordered delivery and cannot speak to the dine-​in service or experience, but the food itself is fantastic. There are SO. MANY. amazing vegetarian options (people rave about the «Jane Says» burger, but in my experience it’s a glob of protein mush that tastes odd and has an awful consistency — not a «vegetarian option» in the normal sense, as there are tons of other veggie options, so that difference of taste isn’t reflected in my rating).
Layla does amazing things with Falafels and wraps. Definitely give them a try, especially if you’re a vegetarian. Pick up a chocolate tahini shake too — a shake so good you’ll crave it fortnightly.

Seems like the service is spotty and the severs are not as professional you would normally like to see. All of this means that with so many options out there, this is a place you might want to avoid. Too bad, because the food seems to have at least limited potential.
Lest we not forget. Food is also a people business. Especially if you are a restaurant.

As the Duchess of Layla it pains me to report that I am officially parting ways with them. The service today was so extremely, horrifically insulting and blatantly disrespectful. I’ve received shabby service in the past but honestly Layla doesn’t employ the cream of the crop so I focus on my reason for coming… the hummus.
Welp, I’ll have to go elsewhere from now on. It was a gorgeous day so my mother and I decided to hit Layla’s patio for (you guessed it) hummus. Half way there it started pouring so we ended up inside. There were 2 parties waiting ahead of us to be seated and the hostess/​server glanced over it was too busy waiting tables to greet let alone seat anyone. We all looked confused after approximately 6 minutes which seems more like 30 when you’re hungry. Anywho… finally seated we order 2 hummus plates immediately to avoid any further back & forth for the server. After 30 – 40 minutes I inquired about our order. The server responded in a very frustrated manner, «It’ll be a while we’re really behind». I respond, «Oh no worries we’ll take the check, you can cancel the order».
Tone changes to, «Let me go check on it». I’m thinking duh… that’s what you should’ve done initially. She returns a few moments later with our hummus plates, slammed them on the table and started to walk away. I said, «Excuse me, are you upset»? Now a bit of a distance away she replied short & rudely, «No do you want this on one check»?
While at the bar creating our ticket I notice the server talking to 2 co-​workers and gesturing over to my table. I walked over, «I’ll take the check please with to-​go boxes you’re making me very uncomfortable». One of the co-​workers she was venting to came behind me as I walked back to the table to gather my things and introduced himself as the owner. He asked what the problem was. I acknowledged that the server was clearly multitasking and working very hard but once I inquired about the order her mannerism was completely unprofessional and downright nasty. He made excuse after excuse after excuse. From «Well she didn’t know your order was almost ready» to «She has to tell me if there’s an issue». I’m not a restaurant owner but servers shouldn’t speak prematurely on an order they don’t know the status of. Secondly, issues are to be discussed behind closed doors not in the presence of guests. Once he realized I was much more intelligent than he’d imagined, he too stormed off yelling, «Have a good day ladies»!
You’re mad too? Is all I could say before boxing my food and running out of this hellhole of a business.
~Christy

Not a good spot for vegetarians. I ordered the Jane Says veggie burger and it was really oily – both sides of the bun were soggy and it just had too much going on on it: jack cheese, smokey mango sauce, lemon garlic mayo, flash-​fried kale, tomato & sumac onions. Do these flavors go together at all? It was really sweet and squishy and weird.
My partner had the Mean Green falafel burger and it was fried/​microwaved to the point that it was rock-​hard and he wasn’t able to bite into it.
We don’t normally complain at restaurants, but my partner wasn’t even able to eat his food, so we said something about the falafel burger to our waiter, who told us he would «make it again.» We were confused – why would our waiter be making our food? Don’t they have a cook? We politely said no thanks, that we’d rather just get the check and head home. We asked if we could get the inedible burger taken off our bill or a discount. Our waiter seemed angry. He said «Yeah, I guess I’ll just take it out of my paycheck» and started to walk away. I think it’s odd that he would tell us that – even if this restaurant does treat their staff horribly and takes poorly made or dropped food out of their paychecks, there’s no reason to burden the customer with that information. We didn’t even complain about my gross burger, just about the one that actually could not be eaten – that’s a pretty reasonable complaint. However, we really didn’t want our waiter to lose money on our behalf and tried to explain that to him, but he seemed really uncomfortable and upset and wouldn’t talk to us. He came back with our bill with the inedible burger taken off. We still didn’t want it to come out of his check, so we paid for it in his tip and left.
We never got an apology for the inedible food, just awkward, semi-​hostile treatment. I don’t know if the owner/​manager treats the staff really horribly and really does take things out of their check and that’s why our waiter seemed so uncomfortable (was a manager watching him closely?). I don’t know if our waiter really was doing both the cooking and waiting tables or if maybe he just phrased the «I’ll make it again» oddly. I don’t know why he reacted angrily toward us when we were super polite and calm. I don’t know. But what I do know is that the food was really bad – the kind of veggie burgers that a meat-​eater who has never had a veggie burger makes – and we had a really awkward, unpleasant customer service experience. For many reasons, we won’t be eating there again.

This place isn’t like every other place-​step out of the usual restaurant an have some amazing good food — brought my dog here– he loved it-​very animal friendly — haven’t had a shawarma YOU absolutely need 1

Driving in The Grove, we spotted a large sign that said «Burgers» and decided to check it out. It was Layla’s restaurant on Manchester. They have a small parking lot next to them for their customers (a big plus in this area). We walked in, were seated and out drink order taken. We looked over the menu and made our choices.
We decided to share the stuffed falafel which has goat cheese in it and it comes with a spicy jelly or jam to spread on it. I cut mine in half so it was easy to put the jam on. They were very good. Majordomo decided on one of the specials for that day. A turkey burger and I chose the half chicken kabob salad. The turkey burger was very good as was my salad. It came with an cumin orange dressing that had a little tang to it.
Would I come back here? Yes, I think I would. It was a different but good experience.

Tucked away in the Grove this is a very trendy restaurants don’t let the bar type exterior setting leave you with the impression that the food is not good.
The service is very good it is not a fast food restaurant Taipei so if you need a super quick meal I do not recommend eating outside@
We came for the Sunday brunch menu which is from 10 to 2 the options are very reasonably priced.
We ordered the tree hugger and the Big Fat Greek menu options they are enough food, and the total bill was under $ 40 with tip.
The tzatziki sauce was very very good the hummus had excellent flavor as well.
The deafening has a hole in the wall flavor as far as atmosphere and good food

Yum! My guy wanted to get a burger and I remembered Layla had been mentioned as having good burgers. I completely agree! Their menu is extensive and varies a lot by meats (lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, pork, veggie) and accompaniments (you name it). We got there during their daily happy hour (4 – 7) so my guy’s Civil Life Browns were $ 3 each. I got a cocktail, the Ducktail’s, which was tasty. We tried the stuffed falafel appetizer and loved it. It’s stuffed with goat cheese and served with a date jam, 3 falafel to an order. He got the Reaper burger with batafa for a side and I got the Clarice with tabuleh for a side. We split them half and half. Really tasty and huge, we had plenty leftover. We’ll definitely be back to try more!

Out looking for a new place to eat and we decided to try this place on a whim. Not at all disappointed!
Started things off with the red pepper hummus and falafel fries, because why not? Both were amazing!
I went with the Standard burger and the hubs got the Buffalo Bill. We both went with a side of fries. As far as burgers go I almost want to say this was the best! For me, it was a little messy but I guess that kinda goes hand in hand with a great burger.
Service was top notch! The dining room was a little small. We felt a little awkward when we were first seated, we were right on top of a large group.
We will be back with out a doubt!

In the Grove and down the street from Urban Chestnut, they have parking (but it fills up pretty quickly) with off-​street free parking. This is a gourmet/​turkish type burger place for dinner and traditional brunch with turkish/​medi fixings for brunch. First and foremost things to NOTE — Bottomless Mimosa and Bloody Marys for Weekend Brunch. I prefer the Bloody Marys with salt, but the Mimosa are already pre-​pared and you get refilled more quickly (especially if it is busy). You also can not mix and match. The smart thing to do is to go with a partner to get one of each and you may share.
Pros:
1) Bottomless Drinks for Brunch ($ 15)
2) Inexpensive Brunch Skillets ($ 9 – 12)
My Fav. was the Smoke Brisket with Poached Eggs or the Lamb with Potatoes. All the brunch dishes are very heavy on the potatoes.
3) Always get the side of Hummus/​Pita vs. the Fruit. The Hummus is delicious here.
4) Service is excellent
Cons:
Seating is a little Odd. I was with a large table of 10, but I will def. make reservations if you are rolling deep. They have an entire side devoted to a bar and a smaller table side area.
I will be back for boozy milk-​shakes and banana bread pudding/​french toast!

Came here on a whim and was blown away by how great the service was and the food. The bartender was outrageously friendly and very accommodating when my begetter arisen sampler came out as a regular sampler.
The veg sampler had two different types of hummus falafel sticks and potatoes that will blown yo Evah Luvin Mind!

A great neighborhood find! Delicious burgers with great vegetarian options in a cozy neighborhood. We really enjoyed the falafel fries — so unique! Layla also has a great selection of adult beverages. Highly recommend!

Fantastic burgers, fries, hummus – a sure bet. A+ on the burger creativity too – with names clipped from movie characters, etc – the «Clarice,» the «Wilford Brimley» (it doesn’t have oatmeal on it) and the «Club Norris» to name a few. I had the Clarice, which was a deliciously seasoned lamb burger with feta and other accoutrements (no fava beans). The fries had a great rub-​like seasoning as well. The pita & hummus appetizer was also great – soft chewy pita with homemade tasting hummus, which tasted balanced and fresh. Good selection of craft beers and spirits also. A great place to grab a casual drink and top notch fare with friends!

We went here for lunch and were both pleasantly surprised. The service was fast and courteous and the food was delicious. We both enjoyed the Wilford Brimley burger very much. The pretzel bun was fresh and the toppings /​ingredients were all delicious (bacon cheese sauce, bacon jam, fried onion, and bacon). The burger was perfectly cooked and a little pink in the middle. Be sure to let them know if you want your burger well done. We like ours just the way they came! And let’s talk about those fries!!! Perfectly seasoned and crispy golden brown. Excellent for dipping in the sauces that were provided (apricot ketchup and dill dip). We were expecting an okay lunch … what we got was a total surprise … one of the best burgers in town! We will be back soon!!!

Great bar, great food! I love everything about this place. The mean green lentil burger is superb.

Good food but ridiculous wait time. Peeped into their kitchen and saw only two people working. Ordered shwarma, veg lentil burger and hummus plate. The food is A-​one but I will probably keep a banana in my bag next time I visit.

I drove past this joint so many times and truly wonder if the Unilocal hype was really well deserved. After my visit recently, I would have to pretty much agree with the masses… this is a good spot. I used a Groupon which stated I had to eat there. Not really my thing, but I went on ahead since the Groupon and expired in 7 days and I wanted to experience the hype. When I got there, it was lunchtime and I was the only one there on a Wednesday. I sat at the bar ordered my food and watched college basketball.
The layout of the place is like a Southside version of my grandmother’s basement.(by the way my grandmother’s basement was dope by basement standards. It could past for a nite club and actually was when my grandmother was out of town and it became the M… Zodiac Lounge # 2 when my uncle had run of the place lhh)
The bartender was cool, not all in my face which I know some ppl like but I don’t … so I appreciated that. By the time my food arrived, the place went from having 1 person to 7 in 30 mins. And now on to the food:
Clarice 3.5÷5… lamb was not gamey cooked like how I asked «well» (it comes standard as medium) the sauce was decent couldn’t really taste anything but the tzatziki sauce I used from the Falafel Fries made it off the chain.
Tabbouleh ⁴⁄₅: This was actually my side I selected for the Clarice and it was a well selected choice on my part. Freshly seasoned just like tabbouleh is supposed to be.
Falafel Fries: 3.5÷5 I believe 6 came in my order they were nice sized portions. They were a slightly overcooked but not so much I couldn’t enjoy them. And now on to the tzatziki sauce that came with it. Their tzatziki sauce has got to be the 2^nd best I have ever tasted. It needs is own rating… so I’ll fix that
Tzatziki sauce 4.5÷5!!!
Overall I was it’s not a place I would come often (it’s sort of the place I would go to reward and indulge myself once and awhile) but it is a place I would definitely recommend and look forward to coming back to especially to try their shakes

I feel very lucky to live within walking distance of Layla’s! We’ve always had great service, I was surprised to read reviews complaining (some people just can’t be pleased)! Their happy hour is awesome. I love the wings, kind of a sweet and spicy sauce that is pretty addictive. The fries are also really good, and I would place their burgers in the top 5 of the city! When the weather is nice, we love to come here to enjoy the patio with our puppy!

Pretty empty on New Years Day but all the better for us. Good service, awesome brunch and bottomless mimosas! Big Fat Greek Scrambler was delicious.

Reviews are spot on. Good food, horrible service. Don’t come
Here’s unless you have time to kill.

Layla keeps getting better and better. It’s not just a great restaurant, it’s now a contender in the Grove neighborhood late-​night scene.
You’ll find a good crowd in the bar area on any weekend night till 1:30am. You might hear cutting-​edge electronic music one night and punk-​rock the next. There’s a limited menu served til 1am (or thereabouts), and there’s some solid discounts late night. Check out the Southside «Nachos», made with quality thick-​cut potato chips, beef brisket, and some spicy sauce for under 5 bucks. Did I mention the boozy milkshakes?
If you’re a cocktail nerd, definitely check out their options created by one of the best mixologists in the city. I highly recommend the Rosemary’s Baby ($ 10) made with grapefruit, rosemary syrup, and other stuff I don’t remember. Absolutely delicious, refreshing, and the fragrance of the garnish intensified every sip I took. These people definitely know what they’re doing.
Another great thing about Layla is the parking lot. We all know the Grove area can be parking-​challenged at certain times, so having a big dedicated lot is a huge plus. I usually luck out and get a spot.
Layla is making it’s presence known in the Grove nighttime scene, definitely check it out.

If you are craving a typical Lebanese restaurant this shouldn’t be your destination. It’s located in the heart of the Grove. Service is dry. Décor is interesting and modern. We went there for brunch. Food:
Clarice burger — saucy in a good way. OUTSTANDING flavor.
The hummus side — tastes like a homemade one. Very fresh and delicious
Big fat Greek skittle — interesting flavor. The meat was dry — not an appealing presentation

Great food with great service! Went there for a brunch on a Saturday and got a Greek skillet. Good sized portion with a pretty quick kitchen. Would recommend a try for people looking for something different

Definitely a burger joint, so the menu is limited– and it has really great burgers! Good quality beef, hormone and gmo free. Also there are options for vegetarians. Had a burger followed by a shake for lunch with great service. The burger was the best I have had around here!

The food here is surprising good, if you can get last the horrendous service. Upon walking in for lunch, it took a few minutes to be seated — by the bartender who was actually seated at the bar chatting with a friend and awkwardly looking at us. When we were seated and ordered, it took about 25 minutes for our burgers to come out. They were good, but not worth the wait. The hummus was horrible. Thank god I had a groupon. The place has potential, but they need to get their service up to par.
Try the time bomb burger if you want something with flavor and spicy.

Bottomless mimosas for daysssss! Great service, food, drink! Yaaass kween! Lamb is

I want to give 1-​star since I was so pissed, but the food was decent so I’m giving 2. I went with the groupon for 2 entrees and 2 bottomless brunch drinks (mimoas or bloody mary). They must tell the servers to do everything they can to limit the number of «bottomless» drinks you get. First of all, you have to order it each time and it’s super awkward to be like, «can i please have a 5^th mimosa, thanks»! At most places they keep em comin until you say stop.
They also come by the table once in a blue moon, even though it’s never crowded at all.
Then my terrible server tried to rush us out! Less than ten minutes after getting my food, I still had more than half of my meal on the plate and the server comes over and doesn’t ask if i want another mimosa, but instead asks if a need a box for my food. um NO, i literally just started. Then about 15 minutes later, she brings the check even though we didn’t ask for it. And again, we had to awkwardly ask for more booze. I wanted to resist and tell her we weren’t done, but she was so awful and it was awkward at that point so we just paid and left.
Will not be back because that is NOT how you treat brunchers!

3.5 stars.
I tend to prefer this place when you can eat outside because the inside smells distinctly like stale beer. We sat inside once when the weather was too cold, and they were blaring heavy metal throughout our dinner… the service is a bit dry — it was hard to hear our waitress over the music when she did actually remember we were there.
The surprisingly great food and cocktails made up for it, though! Start with the kale chips and order the lentil burger (Jane Says) — you’ll slowly start humming along and oddly craving some sort of fermented beverage.

Service was so dry I almost felt like an intruder instead of a patron. I had to seat myself, ask for a menu, request the waitress come over to assist me & damn near hog tie her to get information about veggie options for hummus. The menu states «veggies are an additional $ 3.5» and I simply wanted to know what my choices consisted of. The response I received was, «I mean whatever we have.» Poor baby, I think her name was Nikya, was probably just a little inexperienced in terms of hospitality.
Because I really wanted to love the place, I took a deep breath and ordered the traditional hummus with cucumber & tomato along with an order of the falafel stuffed with goat cheese. OMG!!! Once my food arrived all was forgiven. I was in love with the place. The naan was warm, soft with just enough olive oil to add flavor yet not oversaturate the dough. The hummus was authentic, I mean this was real deal hummus, I could tell by the whole chickpeas laying on top. There wasn’t too much olive oil resting on the surface to turn me off (how pleasing)
The veggies were fresh and sliced perfectly for dipping. The goat cheese stuffed falafel was superb!!! It’s important to note that I typically am not a fan of falafel. But the whole goat cheese as an ingredient sparked my interest. These huge balls changed my opinion of falafel; served with a jam that was like icing on a cake.
The artwork on the walls inside Layla was a nice touch. As were the linen napkins.
I forgive Nikya, solely based on how deliciously prepared the chef made my food today.
I shall return. I shall update accordingly.

None of the food that I ate on this visit was Lebanese, but it sure was good! I actually was originally drawn to the Shawarma because I’ve never had it before. But I was nervous to get it and then be disappointed, especially since I couldn’t find any reviews that even mentioned it. All the reviews I read raved about the burgers. So, I asked my waitress, «Will the Shawarma change my life or should I get a burger?» She suggested the latter and I’m really glad she did!
All of the burger options looked pretty awesome, so it was really hard to pick. I eventually decided to go with Fight Club, BUT I swapped the turkey patty for the beef/​bacon patty because DUH! This was probably the best decision I made all day. What a fantastic burger! Thanks to the bacon, that patty alone was already packed with flavor! But then it’s topped with melty swiss, super thick-​cut bacon and sumac onions (which had a strong flavor, as if pickled) and you have the perfect layers of flavors and textures!
I also opted to get the fries as my side — another good decision! Perfect shell of crispy seasoning on the outside and soft potato on the inside! And even better when you dip them in the cool and creamy tzatziki sauce!
I should also mention that the serving size extremely filling! Next time I go, I should probably plan on either sharing or taking half of it home so that I can have room to try to dessert! I’m sure that will be another hard decision thanks to the lengthy list of yummy shakes and baked goods! Coming back for brunch and trying their Banana Bread French Toasts sounds like a really great option, as well!

Hardcore srumptiousness! This is a place to visit when you are not in a hurry. I personally prefer this relaxed eating style so I was happy with he service. I know that some people would strongly disagree with me about that. The stuffed falafel balls are really really good. I also love Thor mean green burger. The lentil burger wasn’t as good in my opinions.
But where they really shine is in their shakes. I have had their peanut butter pretzel one and their chocolate tahini one and they were both delightful!

Made my first trip to the popular burger joint since moving to the neighborhood. Called in for take out and picked it up to eat at home. My burger was SUPER red and bloody, nearly cool in the center. Decided it was worth returning to replace my $ 14 burger and fries. The manager was cordial, bought me a beer and made another burger for me, that may be one of the best I’ve had.
Rough first impression, but recovered well. I’ll be back to give Layla a second try for a late night shake and burger.

Finally stopped in for lunch on a Sunday, and it was surprisingly devoid of customers. We had originally wanted to sit outside, but the only table with an umbrella for shade was already taken. I think there were 4 other customers inside while we were there.
Waitstaff & bartender were friendly, although it took a long time for my bf to get his cocktail (Bite the Bulleit). He said it was well worth the wait, though! The other cocktails on the drink menu sounded interesting/​creative, but I couldn’t try them. :(The curse of the DD…
Anyway, onto the food!
— Spicy falafel shawarma ($ 8): The housemade chili sauce was nicely spicy! You could definitely taste it in the pita wrap. I thought the falafels themselves were a bit on the salty side, but other than that, this was a good wrap. I thought the portion size was fine.
— Tabbouleh: Decent side portion but way too salty… I couldn’t finish it.
— «Jane Says» lentil burger: I snuck a taste from my bf’s plate while he wasn’t looking. The lentil patty looked like raw ground beef, which wasn’t too appetizing, but it tasted delicious. Texture was kind of strange (reminiscent of raw beef! nooo…). But really tasty.
— Hummus & pita: Pretty good, nothing wrong here… I did think the hummus was a bit airy/​fluffy, not sure how I feel about this.
So right now I’m leaning towards 3 stars instead of 4 because I didn’t think my food was that great. BUT I think I definitely have to go back and try one of their shakes and re-​evaluate. Until next time…

The menu here is very extensive featuring a large array of traditional Mediterranean fare, and a large selection of nontraditional burgers. Everything sounds good at Layla, which made it really difficult to make a selection. I had the reaper burger, which was very good. My only complaint was the flash-​fried kale on the burger. I had it with the batata as a way to try something different. I asked that the sauce that comes with it be put on the side, and thank God I did. It was crazy spicy! Be careful if you order it. The service was good and the happy hour on Saturday was a win. I’d return to try something different.