First time dining. Nice location and great outside view. Will go back. - DAS read more

First time here! This place was not bad at all! I ordered the lemon garlic fettuccine and my wife had the eggplant parm, safe to say it was better than expected! The garlic bread was disappointing though, maybe it was because we came in an hour before closing on a holiday and staff and cooks were just ready to leave but overall we were satisfied with the food and service. I gave 3 stars because the garlic bread tasted like it was sitting out and was just reheated and also the energy of the place could be better. Nonetheless I'm confident I will update my review the next time I come from a 3 star to potential a 4 or 5! read more

I've always been underwhelmed by this restaurant but my co-workers like coming here for lunch from time to time. This visit I had the Fried Chicken Sandwich with Fries. Not sure what their special sauce was but the sandwich was flavorless and lacked seasoning. I had to ask for bbq sauce. I got thru half of my sandwich and this is where it got really bad. The chicken on this half was so thin. I've shared pictures to show you how thin. Looks like it was pounded out to fill the bun. Besides the sad Chicken Sandwich, the Fries were cold and limp. Must have been leftover from earlier orders. Disappointing that a restaurant could serve food like that. If my co-workers want to go here again, I'll just have to pass. read more

Leila by the Bay - Fried Chicken Sandwich. Look how thin the chicken is. - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Had not been here in a long time and a friend wanted to come for brunch. We came in without a reservation on a Saturday morning and was able to get seated right away. Server took our order pretty quickly. I had the steak and potatoes breakfast. It was good the steak could have been a little more seasoned. We got bottomless mimosas they were ok nothing spectacular. The server didn't check on us that often and brought our food but no silverware. We had to request silverware. My friends enjoyed their food. The garlic fries going by smelled really good would be tempted to comeback and try those. read more

Nice experience where one can sit outside on the patio and watch the Amtrak train go by in the afternoon. The service was okay; as a single woman I kind of felt overlooked. I ordered the crab cake appetizer and it didn't disappoint. read more

Leila by the Bay - Crab cake appetizer - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

What's not to like? Leila by the Bay is close to my house, has indoor and outdoor seating, a fantastic view of the bay, great service and great food. Their lamb shank is cooked to perfection. The lamb is moist and tender with a great combination of spices. I've had both their corned beef hash and eggs and their corned beef breakfast burritos. I think I am hooked. That home cooked corned beef is moist and just enough saltiness to bring out the flavor of the beef. A great place for mid morning Sunday brunch. Next time? French Burger grilled onion, Swiss cheese, tomato, on grilled sourdough bread read more

Leila by the Bay - Corned beef hash and eggs - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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It's our Sundate Breakfast on our way to my mom's house in Hercules. First time visit here...Beautiful Bay view at the Patio. Great food and friendly staff. We ordered Crab Benefict and French Toast combo with Apple Cinnamon topping and Corn Beef Hash side order. Also, ordered Waffle to go for my son. Truly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere... We'll surely be back to try their sunset dinner soon read more

What a beautiful experience we had. Food was amazing. Service was 10 out of 10 summary to was such a good waitress and the bottomless mimosas were worth it. read more

Leila by the Bay - Bottomless mimosas - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

This was our first time here and it was nice location. The views of the bay was beautiful and we decided to eat outside to eat. I ordered the lamb burger and it was delicious juicy and it a decent size burger. We walked in and immediately greeted and seated and service was quick and friendly. I would definitely return. read more

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That was the most disappointing meal I've had in a long time and I eat out at restaurants often. I ordered the ribeye steak and eggs breakfast; steak medium well. The steak was clearly well done and too tough to enjoy. The country potatoes were randomly so undercooked that I couldn't eat them. (I was not the only one to complain about the undercooked potatoes.) The best thing on my plate was the wheat toast and it was cold. We were a party of nine. The bill could only be split into two checks and paid in no more than two forms of payment. The waiter took a partial payment of $70 from the table and denied taking it. It boiled down to the waiter's word against the customer's word. Another waiter eventually found the $70. That made for a very uncomfortable situation. Not even an apology was offered. This restaurant does not try to make the payment process easy for large groups. They should invest in a payment process that is more customer friendly and there are many available. Also, they automatically add a 20% service fee for groups of six or more (as most restaurants do) but there is less incentive to provide good customer service. I have eaten at Leila by the Bay before (in a smaller group) with a positive outcome and I recommended the restaurant but yesterday's lunch was a disaster. read more

The view at Leyla by the Bay is beautiful! you're literally right by the ocean. I tried their burger and appreciated how fresh it tasted, but it was slightly dry and not something I'd come back for specifically. The fries were okay. Overall, I'd happily return to try more of their brunch menu, just probably not the burger again. read more

Leila by the Bay - Bacon Cheese Burger - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Saturday morning Breakfast. Old Victorian transformed into a quaint neighborhood restaurant. Greeted at the door and seated right away. Had the pancake and French toast breakfasts. Food was fresh, service was fast, coffee was good. Not the first time being there, won't be the last. Will be back! read more

Came in for brunch with my family and didn't realize this jewel was tucked away in Hercules. Full bar and it was a nice sunny day which made it the perfect chill atmosphere. Went with the Crab Benedict and it hit on all the right notes. I wasn't driving so I got to indulge in a few cocktails and when more family showed up, it was like "round 2". I saw they had Bottomless Mimosa for $20/person from Fri-Sun. They have a two hour max time limit on the bottomless, but that's plenty of time if you ask me. Planning to return for a Fri to catch the special and try for dinner next time around (sunset). read more

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Came here for Easter brunch and for the bottomless mimosas! Ordered various brunch options for sharing and they were all delicious. Service was very good even though the place was busy. Also met the manager whose name was Mo. Really nice guy and gave us some tequila shots for giving our table for the next group. Good a good nap after those mimosas anyways! Great place for dinner as well. read more

Leila by the Bay - Tequila shots - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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The food could improve tremendously. First time eating here & I ordered via door dash. I had the pancake breakfast with chicken sausage and the steak & mushroom crepe. The best thing on the plates combined was when I put the grilled onion on top of the potatoe & I ate it. I would never eat here again. The pancakes tasted like something from the frozen grocery aisle. Eggs had no flavor. Sausage dry and severely overcooked. read more

Leila by the Bay - Pancake Combo Breakfast - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Came here on a weekday, they were pretty understaffed, so it took a very long time to order, and get our order, and ask for refill. I love the ambience outside. They have umbrella, so it's the perfect amount of sun and shade. And every once in a while, you'll see the train go by, which is a great view. Overall great experience in the food, ambience, and experience. I tried a special which was their fish taco. It was very crunchy very loaded. highly recommended. They also have a wide range of other items that I definitely want to go back and try. They have a small parking lot right out front so find the parking wasn't very easy. During lunchtime in peak hours, it does get kind of crowded so I recommend either making a reservation as possible or going at peak hours or be prepared to wait. read more

Visited for Sunday brunch close to closing. Service was fast and friendly. The table order a burger, grilled cheese, pancakes, and salmon blt. All items were tasty but the garlic fries are a must order. I'll be back to try more items. read more

It's ok had breakfast here today. We used to come here a lot before we moved out of the east bay. Place has gone down hill and way over priced now. I'll pass read more

Found Leila's through a Yelp search for brunch in Hercules. We wanted to get out of SF, Oakland, Berkley and eat on the water. Leila's fit the bill. It's a quaint establishment with great staff. We met Rachel, the bartender/waitress. Along with her co-workers, they made us feel welcome. My BF had an American breakfast w perfect over/medium eggs, potatoes & crispy bacon. We sat at the bar & food came out fast. I saw an advertisement for a "paint & sip" event. If I lived closer, Leila's would be our go-to neighborhood bar/restaurant because the food was good, the people fantastic & location. read more

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celebrated my mom and my wife with a mothers day brunch here and had a great time!!! the pancakes, omelets (rainbow, chicken apple, and chorizo), and house drinks (cucumber lime press, NO-jito) were fantastic...good prices, huge portions, yummy flavors!!! staff is very attentive and friendly. beautiful views of the bay and very convenient location and parking. next time, we'll try sitting out on their gorgeous patio. this place is popular, so it helps to make an RSVP. read more

4.5 STARS!!!! Went on a Saturday for brunch with my best friend. Needles to say, the food was worth it. I loved the Apple cinnamon French toast. My plate was $18.50+3.50 for getting that type of French toast. The apples were caramelized with sugar and each bite was soft and tasted like the apple cinnamon. I could have easily eaten it without syrup. I don't eat sausage or bacon so my only only alternative were the potatoes WHICH WERE AWFUL. DONT GET POTATOES!! DONTTT!!! The banana walnut pancakes were to die for!!! They were so fluffy and fresh. The flavor was there. read more

Leila by the Bay - Banana Walnut Pancake Breakfast - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Leila's pluses: very clean, mainly well-maintained, lovely site, great views, excellent service, fresh fruits & ingredients, perfect serving sizes. Crab offered in a variety of dishes! Leila's so-so's: food average-tasting, choices average. Leila's minuses: no maple syrup offered (a reasonable surcharge would be worth it!); croissants no longer an option for the otherwise good breakfast sandwiches (restore croissant option!); no soap in men's room dispenser, & door handle came off when trying to close, tho' lock still worked. Inadequate parking availability for busy times, & only one ADA stall. read more

Came here and got the Salmon BLT and I enjoyed it! The patio view is beautiful and pleasant especially at sunset. The food took a bit longer than anticipated but it was well worth it. Would definitely come back to try some more food out! read more

Came here on a calm afternoon and it felt easy right away. Service was kind, food came out steady and the view made it worth the drive. Just relaxed place to sit down and enjoy the bay. read more

Leila by the Bay - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

The thing this place has going for it is the lovely view of the Bay on the patio. It really is quite lovely sitting out there with a nice view, but it can also get quite windy or cold if the weather isn't nice. We went on a warm day and it was lovely, except for the wind which kicked up here and there and blew things around. The food was inconsistent. We both had French onion soup and were both disappointed. In French onion soup, the sliced piece of bread is supposed to be placed on top of the soup with a lot of cheese sprinkled all over it and the entire thing is baked so that the cheese melts all over the entire top of the soup. That method causes the soup to come out piping hot. It was a big disappointment. You could tell that the cheesy bread was not baked on top of the soup, it looked like they had heated up the cheese bread separately then stuck it on top of the soup, which was lukewarm and mediocre. Hubby had the lamb shank which he was disappointed with, as he could tell they parboiled the lamb shank rather than baking or braising it, boiling out all the flavor. I did have a ribeye steak which I thought taste wise was pretty good! I had asked for it to be medium rare and because they had done such a sloppy job of slicing the meat (one end was thick while the other end was thin) the steak came out medium rare in the thicker areas and well done in the thin area. Apart from these gaffes, the service was good. read more

Leila by the Bay - Really disappointing French onion soup. The bread was heated up separately, not melted on top with cheese like it's supposed to be - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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This place was not chosen by me because the current ratings would have deterred me, but I went to give it a try and form my own opinion. Listen to the yelp reviews people. There was 8 of us and we were seated quickly and got drinks about 10 min later. We then ordered our food and it proceeded to take 1hr 20 min for our food to come out. Yes you read the wait time correctly. The potatoes were dry and flavorless almost stale even (i don't know how you can do that), the chilaquiles had no tortillas in it (like what), the corn beef hash was dry also, and they need to put a disclaimer on the menu that the crab Benedict is imitation crab because why am I paying more for imitation crab vs salmon? The inside is nice but I won't be back ever the hold time alone is crazy for our food. read more

Leila by the Bay - Crab Benedict - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Hidden gem the food service and view was great. We came on a Sunday for brunch group of 4 we got a seat inside right in front of the window with a great view of the bay. The young lady the was our waitress was amazing fast and attentive made sure all our cups stayed full from water to mimosas. Food came out fast and hot for a busy Sunday. I'll definitely be back i wanna dine outdoors next time since the weather is heat up. read more

Leila by the Bay - Egg, bacon and potatoes breakfast - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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The food and service were absolutely on point! Everything we ordered was fresh, flavorful, and came out quickly. The staff was super friendly and attentive without being overbearing. On top of that, the view was amazing -- the perfect backdrop to a great meal. Highly recommend if you're looking for good vibes, great eats, and top-notch service! Shout out to the waitress forgot to get her name but very attentive great attitude 10/10 service read more

I love the food and the drinks. I had a raspberry lemon drop and a club burger with a side of garlic fries. Oh my Gosh it's one of the best burgers I've had in town, don't even get me started on the raspberry lemon drop. BEST DRINK EVER. Give me two of those and I'm vibing with their music too. The owner is one of the funniest and most welcoming people I've ever met. I can't wait to go back. read more

Leila by the Bay - Raspberry Lemondrop - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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I assume if you live in Hercules, you know about this place. Otherwise it's a deep crawl into the residential area on Santa Fe Avenue. I only noticed it because I walk on the San Pablo Bay Regional Trail with some frequency. I just noticed as I passed Railroad Park that several cars often go up the slight grade on Railroad Avenue. One day I decided to walk up the hill. That's how I got to see this restaurant firsthand. With a fountain in front and a dining deck overlooking the bay, it appeared quaint and somewhat picturesque in that Moss Beach Distillery kind of way (review: https://bit.ly/44DFryw). The view was more calming than striking, but that probably fits Leila's mellow vibe better anyway. Like Moss Beach, the food was rather middling. Because I arrived a little past 4PM, I was unexpectedly subject to their dinner prices. The Mushroom Swiss Burger added up to $21.95 because the cheese cost $2 and the mushrooms a dollar. Switching out the fries for a small salad, I thought the medium rare burger was almost too juicy to pick up (photo: https://bit.ly/3DmG8QX). The $4.95 Arnold Palmer, however, satisfied without question (photo: https://bit.ly/3DqRi6Y). FOOD - 3 stars...a sloppy burger and it wasn't just me AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...it has a lodge-like feel at the edge of Hercules SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly enough and she didn't forget me as it got more crowded TOTAL - 3 stars...coziness of the place hampered by the nickel and diming RELATED - Exploring western Contra Costa County? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2VyCP18 read more

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Literally worst service ever. Made a reservation for Mother's Day, confirmed by phone twice. Walk up and they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. 30 min to get water or place an order. 1 hr to get phone. Waitress came by 2x the entire time. Food was mediocre. You have to be drunk off bottomless mimosas to enjoy this place. read more

The cutest coziest little gem tucked away by the water in Hercules. The food was delicious. I opted for the French toast breakfast and my friend had an omelette. Bottomless Mimosas are a must ! Definitely will be back read more

Excellent greeting as i walked through the door first time visiting Leila's restaurant. Ms.Kimberly is very polite showing me the menu the food is excellent. I had breakfast on Saturday morning 5-24-2025 read more

Leila by the Bay - Having my first breakfast at (Leila's) - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

Lamb Burger & Patty Melt Yummy with salad or fries , Special today was Crab Benedict for Brunch , service attentive, Great view of Bay & Local trains BSNF & Amtrek too read more

Leila by the Bay - The patio with nice glass panels & umbrellas plus , heaters all around - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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I wonder if management or kitchen staff changed. I ordered the veggie melt and the quantities and proportions of veggies was totally off (sooooo many mushrooms). The avocado slices were tough and rubbery, totally inedible. The bread was soggy and not toasted. And skimpy portion of the fries. To top it all off I got a terrible stomach ache and nausea later in the afternoon. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be eating their food again...not worth risking bad food and getting sick again. read more

Food: 3/5 I ordered the blackened salmon which comes with mashed potatoes topped with corn in a creamy sauce. I felt the salmon portion was decent, slightly dry and lacking flavor. The mashed potatoes were slightly runny and also lacking some flavor. The description indicates the salmon is rubbed with Spanish spices, but I didn't taste much flavor overall. Service: 4/5 I have been here a few times, I was pleasantly surprised this time the food came out much quicker than expected. The past two times it took almost an hour from the time of ordering. The host was friendly and I found it funny he put both a lime and lemon in my water (I couldn't decide which one, but also I've never had someone offer to include both). The bread and water was served about 15-20 min from ordering, it was a bit dry and seemed as if it was sitting out stale. By the time I barely finished a piece, the order had arrived which was nice. Ambiance: 5/5 This restaurant overlooks the water and is walking distance from the trail which makes a very convenient last minute stop for food and drinks. Inside was warm and the decor is pleasant. read more

Leila by the Bay - Blackened Salmon Dinner - New American Near Me - Hercules, California

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Adorable restaurant, thought we would give it a try. We waited for 15 minutes and not even water was offered. Multiple serves walked by, never looked at us either. Finally our waitress showed up, sick with puffy eyes and nose dripping. Took our order, walked to the bar to get our coffee, and wiped the snot off her face with her hand then grabbed our coffee cups. We got up and walked out, excusing ourselves. You can tell the girl is really sick and the owner allows her to work there., very sad and get everyone else sick. Not cool . read more

I always try and patronize all my local establishments whenever possible, so I'm really reluctant to leave this review, but people need to know before they go. We have lived in Hercules for over 23 years and this place has changed ownership and management several times. We have been there a few times in the past, but it's been a long while since we've been back although I have seen a change on my bay trail walks. Less people and cars outside as well as no one really sitting outside on their patio. My daughter's friends came for a visit and she wanted to "impress" her friends with the beautiful view of our city. They ordered burgers, veggie pasta, and my daughter ordered the Cajan Chicken Pasta. Unfortunately, she got food poisoning!!! Been sick for 48 hours starting the morning after. I checked the Yelp reviews after hearing of her illness and can see why this place has been going down. We definitely want your business to survive, but please, please, please look around and make the necessary changes. It's not enough that you have a gorgeous view. You need good food and service too. Hope to visit again sometime in the future, but not until things change. Good luck. read more

Solid 3.5 star place. Service is good. Ambiance is great, probably the best view you'll get besides the dead fish in Crockett. Food is OKAY. Potatoes might as well have been out of a frozen bag. The avocado on my eggs Benedict, quite frankly, was half of what it should've been. Also the bacon was just laid across two pieces of muffin...like you couldn't just cut it in half?? I hope dinner service is better. Not a bad place for breakfast but nothing to "write home about." read more

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Gave this place another chance today after a couple years. Really bad experience. Will never go back, will not recommend it to anyone. Poor service, and mean, misguided staff. read more