Carmen W.

Great portions and beautiful restaurant. The wait staff were accommodating and quick to respond. They served us complimentary refills for pita and a tomato olive dip. We loved the Fatoush Salad which was refreshing and had nice textures from the different ingredients including pepper, pomegranate, and the top crust! We ordered the calamari which was surprisingly 14 dollars given its portion size. All of our dishes were generously portioned. We will definitely be back!

John K.

Absolutely incredible spot. Food was top tier, full of flavor and reminded me of my aunt and uncles home cooked meals. Amazing service and great vibes overall as well. Cant want to go back!

Alan S.

It seems like there's only enough room for one great Mediterranean restaurant on 3rd Avenue. These days Tanoreen is a bit "vieux jeu," as they say, and Ayat's Bay Ridge location is closed for the time being. So for a phenomenal meal from this part of the world, not to mention lively environs on a Saturday night, Laila is the only answer. The owners are Syrian, although there are many dishes that I found similar to my Lebanese favorites. In particular, the fetteh was a real winner, with a lovely pairing of lemon, tahini and chickpeas plus their broth to make for a delectable bite when mixed. The version of batata harra was our other favorite of the evening - perfectly tender, well-spiced potatoes without being overly salty. To impress your friends, don't forget the humble fattoush which here is served in a dramatic pita encasing. This is a classic best known for reusing day old pita, but here the freshly-made dome succeeds at elevating the dish.

Lily Y.

The food and service was amazing. We got the mixed grill and got to try a little of everything. We had the grilled branzino. It was nicely char

Joanne H.

Fantastic atmosphere! The decor was so cheerful and joyful! Service was fantastic and attentive! Food was sooooooo good and fresh! I would def come back and try more dishes! This restaurant is very spacious and great for big group!

Linda L.

Had lunch at Laila on a Friday and tried their $24.99 lunch special - it was super satisfying and a great value. The meal included: * Baba ghanoush: silky pureed eggplant with olive oil and pomegranate. So flavorful and an amazing start to my meal. * Fatoush salad: bright and lemony with a refreshing crunch, plus crispy noodles that added a nice texture in every bite. * Meat shawaema: savory, tender lamb/beef served over buttery basmati rice with yogurt sauce --comforting and delicious. The restaurant was not crowded, which made for a relaxed lunch. I also loved the decorative interior, especially the flowers hanging from the ceiling. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Would definitely come back.

Uzma K.

This restaurant was beautiful! I went to the Staten Island location. The food was all delicious, I would pay the toll anytime to come back! The only thing I didn't photograph was the garden salad, it was wayyyy to lemony to the point where I got blisters on my tongue. Everything else was so good!! I highly recommend. Service was good, the food took a bit but it was worth the wait

Dmitry D.

Came in just for drinks . Good atmosphere, good drinks , great service and attentive staff. I'd come to try the food for sure .

Rainey C.

We came as a party of 4 and ordered the Laila Combo Dips, Chicken Shawarma, Fatoush Salad, Calamari, Laila Mixed Grill. The Fatoush Salad is a must get!! It comes in a crispy chip bowl and honestly was one of the most unexpectedly delicious salads I've ever had. The dressing was made with sumac and slightly tangy but so fresh and light. All the dips were amazing too. Our favorite out of the meat was the Chicken Shawarma. The vibe and decor is super cute too, perfect for a group gathering. Def would visit again if I was ever in the area again!

Stephanie H.

The Stephanie Herman fell in love with Laila restaurant in March. I loved how welcoming they made me feel and then was blown away by their delicious food and creative cocktails, so I decided to have my 75th birthday party there yesterday. It could not have been nicer. The service was perfect, 5-stars great. My friends and family felt cared for as if they were family too. The generosity of fabulous food and on-going cocktails made my party a memorable experience. I highly recommend this restaurant for everything great. I also love the fact that every time I go it is consistently perfect. Check out the photos of us having a great time. Maybe I'll see you there next time I go because this restaurant will become my hanging place each time I come to Bay Ridge. THANK YOU LAILIA FOR BEING YOU. Fondly, Stephanie

Glenn C.

Side note: Sorry for the overexposed photos. The restaurant has some very bright lamps on the tables and was dark otherwise so they were needed unfortunately. Also the menu listing online is their SI location so the prices are generally two bucks more and a handful of dishes are not there from that location such as the tajin ones. Speaking of missing dishes, I hope they add some other Syrian food such as kebab karaz. Anyway, I was at this restaurant with a bunch of others rather recently. While this place may seem new from the number of reviews, it's at least 4/5 months old or so as they have a lot more reviews on Google than Yelp (over 330 with a 4.7/5 as of this review.) The people working there were friendly from the main waitress to otherwise. They gave us some warm bread and some olives that had a spicy olive oil which was delicious and they refilled the bread whenever it was needed. Arriving soon were our appetizers. The best of the bunch was the Laila Combo which is their mezze plate with Hummus, Baba Ghanosh, Labhen, and Muhammara for I believe $24. All of the dips were outstanding with the hummus being thick and tasty and the baba ghanoush was smoky with a good texture. The labhen/labneh was excellent being slightly sour with some smoothness while the muhammara with a stronger red pepper flavor than usual while the walnuts were a bit less pronounced. The Fried Cauliflower with drizzled tahini and pomegranate molasses was delicious. It was a bit different than the ones I've had at some other spots where normally the tahini and pomegranate are put on top such as at Ayat but instead here, it was made into a rather delicious sauce which had a nuttiness and sour/sweetness to it you'd expect from that combination. My only issue with the dish was that I prefer cauliflower being roasted a tiny bit more. There was also the Lamb Liver sauteed with lemon Juice, olive oil, garlic and Syrian spices. The lamb liver was lightly grilled instead of fried which you commonly find with the liver being cooked excellently without much chew and plenty of flavor. Finally there was the Foul with thyme, parsley, aged Feta cheese, tomato, and olive oil. The foul/fava beans or ful was on the more watery end with the tomato mix being on top and the bread was perfect to dip into it but I prefer the thicker version found in other spots. We also got a bunch of main dishes to share which were mostly from the Grandma's Kitchen section which are their specialties. My favorite of the bunch was the Fattet Makdous or stuffed eggplant with ground meat over tahini sauce, mixed yogurt garlic, rice, and chopped pita. The word fattet/fette refers to the pieces of chopped pita within the dish and they were soft. The meat was cooked down but still had some texture along with the eggplant and there was a wonderful mix of spices which mixed well with the yogurt and tahini. There was also a lot of pine nuts on top and some greens for freshness. The portion was massive and this was outstanding. Another main was the Fattet Mozat or lamb chunk over tahini sauce with mixed yogurt garlic, rice, and chopped pita. The lamb chunk in this case referred to a perfectly cooked lamb shank along with some pieces on top of the yogurt mix while the bread was on top so it wasn't as soggy. By comparison, the yogurt was a lot more pronounced along with the spiced rice. As with the other dish, this also came with pine nuts and greens and overall, I slightly preferred the makdous mostly as I preferred the ground meat over the shank but both were tasty. The Spicy Kabab with ground meat, red pepper, and hot Syrian spices was very tasty. The ground lamb was super tender and was indeed a bit spicy but not too much so and there was otherwise a grilled tomato, some well flavored rice, and pieces of bread topped with spiced tomato paste and raw onion which I have seen in other spots as marina bread and was unexpected and tasty. The last dish from sad section was the Alan Chicken Special with French fries, chicken thigh, Alan's sauce, Syrian spices, and sumak. Yet another large portion, this was good but my least favorite of the mains. Alan's sauce had a good mix of spices and had a slight sourness (or this was from the sumac) along with paprika and some yogurt like flavor. It's hard to describe this otherwise as it was mostly a ton of well prepared French fries with some piece of chicken. We decided to order dessert at the end which was of course the Knafeh/Kunefe which was very tasty. The style was khishnah/shredded filo and was generously topped with pistachios with a good amount of cheese but not too much and also not and also not too much sugar syrup. Like everything else, this was very tasty and I would recommend it. Out of room to expand dish descriptions. Generous portions and well spiced very tasty food. I can see why they were popular in Staten Island. Mid 4. Would highly recommend and I will go back to try more dishes.

Matt S.

Came here for Christmas dinner after visiting the lights in Dyker Heights, luckily we got a table without a reservations. Hummus with meat (Strongly recommend) Fatoush Fattet Makdoush Kabab Shish Tawook Sandwich Desserts copa pistachi & kanefe both were too sweet Overall the food was very tasty but the service was way TOO SLOW i don't know if it's because it was a holiday or its a regular thing...we felt bad for the waitor he seemed overwhelmed, it was hard to find anyone to get water or more pitas...no one came to check on us...we came in around 6:30pm and left at 9:00pm it was a bit frustrating.

Xiao O.

Laila was bombastic. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance, the service, and the presentation were all on point. But the food? That's where the magic truly happened. The grilled branzino was a standout -- flaky, flavorful, and kissed by char in the best way. It came with a side, I believe it was eggplant, that was absolutely divine. Smoky, soft, and beautifully seasoned. We also had the lamb chops and they were cooked to perfection. Juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. The octopus was superb. Delicately charred, tender, and full of that Mediterranean brine that makes your eyes close with each bite. And the knafeh was to die for. Golden, gooey, lightly sweet, and completely addictive. It was the perfect end to an already unforgettable meal. Laila is definitely elite-tier in Bay Ridge. Don't walk, run.