The service here has been slipping over the past year. The "manager" Francisco was ruder than the servers. We checked out half way through our time with one server. No problem. A second server never came. We had to ask the man at the bar anytime we needed something. Our second tab had food. The tan was paid before we even got our food. My tip fell. I asked if I could get a new one. The manger told me no. So I asked someone else. We asked to speak back to the manger. We wanted to figure out why everyone was being so rude. Especially with us paying before service was complete. He walked off during the conversation. The attitude and nasty remarks were uncalled for. Is it too much to get some water, napkins, and a TIP?!?! If people of color aren't welcome here, I rather they just say that. Then to accept our money and not want to give decent service. read more

would overall recommend. reasonable prices. nice location & outdoor seating. decent selection.

I recently just had surgery so I'm limited to light walking. Cafe Layal was a 3 minute walk away. I ordered the chicken kabob entree for pickup. I received an email at 8:24p from Yelp Eat24 stating my order has been received and the estimated pickup time is 10-35 minutes. I walked over to the place and got there around 8:50p. They told me my order was not ready yet because what I ordered takes a little longer. At 8:52p I received a text and email stating my order was ready for pickup in 5-10 minutes. Alright, no problem... I didn't get my order til 9:16p. This was almost an hour from when they originally received my order. Came home and anxious to see how the food tasted. It was a disappointment. The bell pepper and onion could use more grill time. The chicken was chewy and bland without sauce. I wouldn't have mind the wait if the food was worth it. ***I've used Yelp Eat24 before and have never had a problem with delivery/pickup times. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Chicken kabob, not worth an hour wait. - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

I want to give zero stars if I can. The food was not even average. The server KIANA sat us down and came once to bring our drinks and once for food and I didn't see her at all for the whole 2 hours. Our drinks were never refilled. And to only have about 10 customers in the entire restaurant. It sucked read more

Love love this place! We get the chicken and beef kabob every time! Gotta have the red sauce and garlic sauce! Service is always been great when dinning in. The hookah is always flavorful and it's BYOB! read more

You get the feeling a lot of the staff would rather be at home than working. In over half a dozen stops not once has my order been ready.. expect to wait another 20 minutes after you arrive even when the restaurant is slow. read more

It's been a while since I've been "INSPIRED" to share one of my "HORRIBLE DINING EXPERIENCES"...but thanks to the "UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS‍" of the good folks of Cafe' Layal in Midtown...I'm coming out of retirement just to "CRASH THEM"!! So we walk into this "B.Y.O.B: Bring Your Own Booze" establishment and the greeter offered us the choice of "DINING INSIDE OR OUTSIDE" (comes into play later) and we opted to sit inside at a table. We then put our bottle of rum & 6 pack of beer on the table & got ready to order food & hookah & we are informed that they "NO LONGER ALLOW HARD LIQUOR" only Wine & Beer (still booze tho)...it's a B.Y.O.B?? He gives us this "LAME STORY" about why & then acts like he is doing us a "FAVOR" by saying if we don't put the bottle on the table & drink discretely from under the table that he would "ALLOW IT".(note: comes into play later). I order "6-BUFFALO & 6-LEMON PEPPER" wings & my son orders a hookah, the server comes with the hookah but for some reason he didn't provide "THE COALS" that are necessary to produce the smoke in order to smoke the Hooka!!‍ After numerous attempts to get hookah my wings arrived & I was given 12 Lemon Pepper, I informed the server I was supposed to get 6 Buffalo & 6 Lemon Pepper & not 12 lemon pepper, he apologized and said he would bring me some Buffalo Wings since he made the mistake...(mind you my son doesn't have coals for his hookah yet). The server comes back and instead of bringing me 6 Buffalo Wings (to make up for his mistake), this dude brings me a fucking "SOUP BOWL OF BUFFALO SAUCE"!!‍ *strike 1!* My son laffing at this foolishness is still upset that we've been here for 30 minutes and was served a hookah that we still couldn't smoke because we "STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN THOSE GOSH DARN COALS" (mind you other folks have come in and gotten their coals & hookah right away!! *strike 2!* Now the server is passing us with a ton of "HOT COALS" to serve even more people & we basically have to jump up screaming "WTF!!!...DUDE GIVE US SOME FREAKIN COALS"!! So the server comes over and asked us "WHERE ARE THE TONGS"??...& we like "WHY YOU ASKING US"...we don't work here!? So get this..."WAIT FOR IT"...dude reaches & literally "GRABS CHICKEN BONES" off my plate and shovel the coals onto the hookah!!!! #dead & *strike fucking 3!* Now we are "LIVID" at this point but only decided to stay and wait around because we had friends coming over from Belle Station to have a few drinks with us. So as "MY FOLKS" strolled in, it was about 7 of them so at this point because the AC was so cold we decided to sit outside & the whole party moved to the patio (remember we had the choice earlier). Now all my cool friends that came over are gay, and almost immediately the server runs out to tell us we can't sit outside now because all the tables are "NOW RESERVED"!!??...how Sway!?? Folks literally just left...so my son throws out, ummm y'all "PREJUDICE" against "BLACKS"??!!...while I'm think..."YALL PREJUDICE AGAINST THE GAY COMMUNITY"!!?? *strike 4!* "LET LEAVE THIS HORRIBLE PLACE"!!! As we walk in now...other people are sitting around with "BOOZE ON THEIR TABLES"(remember earlier he said we couldn't)...so "ONE LAST INSULT" for the road!! At this point everyone is disgusted, frustrated & fed up with not only the "PISS POOR SERVICE"...but apparently the "JADED & CLOSED MINDEDNESS " of this backwards establishment!!‍ The server acted upset & kept claiming that he was from "AFRICA" & therefore "NOT PREJUDICE" and didn't appreciate us insinuating that he was & I flat out told him that being from Africa don't mean anything & there are definitely prejudices if not "MORE" coming out of Africa and especially against the "GAY COMMUNITY ". Needless to say we left & have no "FUTURE PLANS" of ever going back in the "FORESEEABLE FUTURE" and would hope everyone "CANCELS" Cafe' Layal.‍ #realtalk read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - a man in a suit and tie - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm a sucker for hookah and grew up eating all the Middle Eastern food I could get my hands on so during a trip to visit a friend in Houston we had to come here. NYC hookah does not compare to Layal's experience. From the food, to the service, to the hookah itself this place is B.O.M.B. Get this: A hookah, baba ganoug, the Layal sampler, the mixed grill plate, and a pot of Persian tea (with a free refill!)...all for $50! $25 a person, YES PLEASE! In NY you can't even get a hookah for that price! DAYYYUUUM. Now lets discuss the food, please, and then never speak of it again because my pants don't fit any longer... Everything. Is. Amazing. Hummus everywhere, meats are moist and grilled to perfection, pita is warm, falafel and kibbi are perfectly fried, tea isn't too strong, I can go on and on. WHY MUST I HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE NORTHEAST...WHY I ASK YOU?! Our server, Becker, was the man. Ask for him! Tip him well! read more

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Racist ass establishment ! We got here at 9 and we asked to sit outside and they never wanted to seat us and we asked to sit outside because eyes was burning. The staff was rude and the music was trash . The staff argued back and we sat and watched them seat others all other races outside . They Claim we asked for 8 and it was just 3 of us. He got the parties mixed up as we went outside to talk and the other black girl said she said 8 which was not us. They don't wear mask ! No social distancing everyone was sitting next to each other . The manager was very gay and didn't give a fuck about us as paying customers! Never going back there and we used to come here a lot ! Done! Never had this experience! I can't ! He straight kept telling me what I said when I didn't say that because he can't tell black people apart ! Then he said we can't sit big parties . Well I seen a table of 10 get up with tables pushed together . You're lying ! Then he said there is someone out there "Darker" than you . I simply told him I see those people but they are guest at a table with Caucasians . They are just seated by themselves they came with them or you sat the Caucasians first and they joined bc it was only about 3. When he said we don't have room for a larger party it tripped me out bc I didn't ask for 8 !!!!!!!!! It was 3 of us at the table inside waiting. He told us 45 mins . We waited and we asked again because we saw others just going over to the outside patio. Eyes still burning . Again that was at 9:30 . We left around midnight. Going back and forth about why we can't sit outside ! Terrible service ! read more

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I live right down the street from Cafe Layal and I am glad that I do. If you like to smoke hookah they have tons of flavors, I prefer the watermelon mint flavor. They have a huge patio with a TV where you can eat, drink, smoke, and relax. You can also smoke inside too if you like. The food here is delicious! I normally get the gyro wrap or plate and they never skimp on the meat and toppings. They have tabouleh, baba ganoush (sp), hummus, and tons of other options. I've always had great service at Cafe Layal. Did I mention this place is BYOB? Huge thank you to the generous people at Cafe Layal that brought my friend a slice of chocolate toffee cheesecake for her birthday last night! What a delightful surprise! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Happy Birthday Vy! - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Their food is good, customer service service is on point. I got the orange head hookah and it was awesome Also order som crepe and their mint lemonade is the best Love coming in here for a date They also open very late, I stayed until 3am last and the workers is very helpful. Located next to Thai gorment and very close stereo live. Parking is plenty. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mint lemonade and Nutella crepe - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cafe Layal was highly recommended by a few friends and it lived up to its reputation! The service and food is great and if you like hookah, then sitting outside with some great food is the perfect combination! Dishes to try: Baba Ganoush and Hummus and Pita. read more

The best lamb chops I've ever had in Houston and I've been to some of the best . Hookahs blow very well and the customer service is always very welcoming.The ambiance is always nice and never have too much of a big crowd. 10/10 recommended read more

Tried this spot up the street fr my Son's place & it was very nice. It's a hookah bar outside, yet I didn't partake - not my thing. The chicken kabob dinner w/rice, grilled veggies, fresh hummus & pita bread was great. The mint lemonade was fresh & very refreshing. Service was good as well. I'd recommend this spot it you want some good Mediterranean food... and you wanna hookah ‍ read more

Worst service ever! Had keep begging for someone to bring coal. The place was empty so is not like if they were busy. The wait staff kept walking by us as if though they couldn't see us. Never again will I come back here! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - See, co coal! - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great affordable hookah. Free WiFi and BYOB! What's more could you ask for?! And when you get tired of sitting around you can pop over to Belle Station for the turn up! Pro tip: order a basket of fries with the aioli on the side for the table. read more

Chill atmosphere Great eats, hookah is legit and service is great. Dark in here and perfect for chill, date, hangout... i think its bull%!$@ that people rate low on here just because they dont serve alcohol. Its a hookah bar and medittarean cafe not a bar bar and not a place to get wasted but rather hangout and smoke hookah, grab a bite, a coffee or tea. Ive seen people come to study or make music quietly on their laptops. Super chill, i suggest if you hadnt been and you are looking to calm down and chill, come on in. I also like this location over the one on Richmond. read more

Sorry, but this place is a dump. Why is it so popular? I visited here one very cold Friday night last month. The place was packed & I met some friends who were already sitting in a booth, eating chicken kabobs or something. I didn't order any food because the place looked off to me-- the ambiance seemed empty & didnt seem 100% clean. Looks like a converted McDonalds. I ordered a glass of cranberry juice to go with the bottle of liquor I brought with me. My waiter had a huge curly beard & I believe that one of his hairs was floating on the top of my glass. The audacity. There was a hookah at the table & it was pretty strong/pleasant, however, I will not be returning. read more

Searching for places to eat in the local area and this place popped up. I don't normally leave reviews but I feel compelled as the food was absolutely exquisite. The lamb may be the best I've ever had! read more

Love the vibe here. Whether I go with friends or by myself, I'm always able to chill out and relax. The staff are cool to talk to. I recommend striking up a convo if it's not too busy. Their prices are pretty reasonable. Make sure you try the Persian tea if you're a tea drinker! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm literally giving this 3 stars because the parking is so ridiculous. I really like this place but to pay $10 for valet is just beyond me. And if you don't want to do valet it's close to impossible to find any other parking. The service was definitely great though. We had the orange mint hookah and the Turkish coffee. All were pretty good! Always packed. read more

This place has the best garlic paste and fries I've ever had. I don't smoke hookah but I do love coming here for the food. This time I actually ordered the chicken shawarma plate to go and wow, they gave me huge portions. I had so much left overs. The only thing is that the chicken was a little dry but usually it's not. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Chicken shawarma plate and order of fries - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Have had lunch here twice & dinner once. This is certainly a hookah spot with middle eastern food. Super casual, laid back atmosphere, easy going staff, and good food. They have a patio on W.Grey and walking distance to downtown & midtown. Had chicken kabobs for lunch once, Shawirma (gyro) another time, and kufta (lamb + beef combo) for dinner. I liked all the above but the Chicken kabobs were definitely the tastiest. The rest were a bit over cooked for me. They all come with sides of grilled veggies, fries, salad, and humous. Each for less than ~$12. No alcohol is served but they allow for byob at no charge when ordering dinner. I saw many with bottles of wine, and alcohol, enjoying their time, as well as smoking some hookah. Cool spot to start your eve or enjoy a lunch outdoor in the midtown area. read more

Ordered the mango shake and got food poisoning never have been in more stomach pain in my life!! Do not recommend

I go to Cafe Layal all the time the last time I went they up charged me and my girls because it was empty and we had a big group. DONT GO HERE ! read more

Went midday on a Saturday after brunch. We sat on the patio since there weren't that many people out. Don't mind coming to this location but this time the service was really slow for there not being that many patrons in the establishment. Other than that no complaints about the hookah or the food. read more

Worst hookah service. He charged me first and set up 15 min later. We were looking for him for last 10 min bc it wasn't working properly. I explained to him and showed him video of hookah not working and he still did not offer to refund me half or anything at all. read more

They automatically add $1.75 disposable tip fee on top of $13.95 hookah flavor. They also AUTOMATICALLY charge a 15% tip if you have 4 people hoping that the people who are drinking don't notice. $1.50 for water. Staff is not attentive and not very friendly. Bathrooms are not taken care of when it's busy. Food is okay for bar food. Not complaining about it. The fries are really good. But don't feel bad for not leaving a tip because service is slow and terrible. Small parking lot. Large outside patio. They also have valet parking. $10 parking right across the street, cash only. read more

Me and my wife have been here 3 times now and every time the service has been great but just a little slow. Besides that it is an amazing place to eat and and is a pretty low key, chill spot. Again, the food is amazing and the white garlic sauce they have it INSANE! So good! Do yourself a favor, eat and smoke a lil huka here read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Patio - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The French fries were so perfect and the hot sauce was yummy. The chicken gyro was a little dry could be better. The service was knowledgeable and they had cool fish tanks with some turtles. Nice atmosphere, quiet. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great Hookah Friendly service. Best French Fries. Cool place, it byob btw. Food is good. read more

Great ambiance and a place to relax and decompress rather with friends or by yourself. The staffs are always welcoming and easy going. Gives great recommendations! The owner of the establishment evens comes around and checks up on his guest! I love it here! We've been coming here for years and will recommend to anyone, any day including happy hour. read more

Gotta give this place some love. I read a few scathing reviews claiming racism and homophobia. This was not my experience. I came toward the end of the lunch hour. Maybe 4-6 other tables in there. I noticed everyone was smoking hookah, but I didn't have time to try that. Seems popular though. The sever was very attentive and helpful in making recommendations. Food took a little longer than I was expecting, however it really wasn't what I would consider an unreasonable amount of time (after all freshly cooked is better than cooked which is better than raw). Food was hot and tasty. I got the mixed grill per my server's recommendation Inside might be a little smoky for some, but the patio looked nice. Everyone was pretty chill and seemed to be attending to tables of all races (I was specifically checking after reading the reviews). Even what appeared to be a mixed-race gay couple. Overall, I would have no problem recommending this place to friends and family. read more

Amazing service. Always have a great time. This one server went above and beyond to make sure I was well taken care of. His name is Serghei make sure to ask for him. read more

Nice place! If u enjoy good hookah n snacks this the place! We had buffalo wings and fruit tray and it was yum the chicken wangs were okay they do give u a teaspoon of ranch so just go ahead and order extra lol the fruit was great fresh watermelon and a handful of strawberries and grapes... they need to add sweet yogurt to it or honey something don't play with my money like that lol the hookahs had pineapple on it which is cool but this the smoothest hookah I've had but I'm not an expert oh I liked it. Our waiter was nice and funny he did his job well I'll definitely be back since I didn't know it was byob oh it's turn up time thank you for this spot! I approve read more

Wow, this place just opened and already getting so many 5-star reviews from newbie Yelpers??!! Living in downtown, not many restaurants are open on a Sunday afternoon. So we headed to Midtown and saw this place is now open. Their menu is very limited. Good for lunch but I would want more selections for dinner. Menu items include appetizers, salads, sandwiches (beef and chicken shawarma, gyro, burgers and Philly steak) and a couple of entree items like gyro platter. Mediterranean food is typically a vegetarian's paradise however, I don't think that would be the case here. Their main specialty is really the hookah. That was the first thing our server "promoted" to us. Sorry, we're here for food. I ordered a beef shawarma sandwich, comes with fries. It was pretty good! Although for $7, I thought it was a little pricey given the size of the sandwich. My husband ordered the Layal salad, which was a traditional salad with grilled chicken. This dish was meh. Salad was overly dressed and chicken was very salty and dry. I could tell neither one of us really liked his salad, we ended up sharing my little sandwich. Service was very prompt. We were in and out in less than 45 minutes, granted we were the only diners at the time. There was another couple smoking hookah while we were there but we couldn't smell anything. I would definitely come here for lunch again. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Beef shawarma - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

We visited Cafe Layal this weekend based on recommendations on Yelp. We were disappointed overall We ordered chicken wings, a fish dish and a vegetarian pizza. The fish was dismal, although the hummus was freshly made. The pizza was well made The outdoor seating area was packed and the interior was sparsely filled. They allowed dogs in the outdoor seating and one of the client had a pit bull which kept snarling at another doggie. Wasn't sure if we were in a doggy party or a quiet evening out with the family. The signage on the restroom doors was an indication of the quality of clientele; not something one would see at a family restaurant! We left disappointed with both the food and ambience. Would not recommend Layal, unfortunately. read more

Cafe Layal is the hidden gem of Midtown - BYOB, lots of inside seating where you can catch whatever sporting event is on TV or vibe out to some music. The outdoor patio is nice and all-weather friendly including heat lamps for those rare cold nights. The food is fantastic, the hookah is well priced and always on point. However the best part about Cafe Layal hands down are the workers - every single one of them is so friendly, so genuine, always wanting to get to know you and check on you. We could easily do hookah at home but the amazing servers will always have us being loyal to Cafe Layal! read more

This place is seriously awesome. The place has indoor and outdoor seating and it's got it's own parking lot so you don't have to get valet to park your car two feet from the entrance of the door. The restaurant is affordable and a great place for large or small groups. I highly recommend it for group gatherings that are either for social get together's or family nights. Very nice place! read more

This small little stretch in midtown has a couple of cool spots and Cafe Layal is one of them.The place is huge with indoor and outdoor seating.I came here couple of times during last few trips to Houston. Though I don't Hookah so can't really comment on that.My friends who I came with really like the Hookah here. It is definitely a cool chill spot to have a good time with friends. FYI- It is BYOB. read more