Easily my favorite restaurant experience in Hawaii and probably in my top five of all time. Everything from the amazing food to the intimate ambiance and incredibly friendly service was absolute perfection. First and foremost, yes it's a spendy night out. But if you have visitors, or a special occasion, or simply enjoy thoughtful food, this is an absolute must and worth every dime. From the seven salads to the dessert, everything is masterfully prepared using fresh ingredients. While I'm known to shovel my food, whether plate lunch or an entire street taco in one bite, I took my time to enjoy the layers of flavor, whether a touch of smoke or a bright pop of citrus, sometimes in the same dish. There's so much nuance for you to experience if you slow down and take it all in. I will admit that I was a bit hesitant to go. I have a few food aversions and several were on the menu, including butternut squash and the date cake for the dessert. Turns out, I just haven't had those items done right. I ate everything, even taking bites of meat and swirling it around in the luscious, butternut squash puree. Even the mushrooms that came with it were just incredible and I'm not really a mushroom fan either. The date cake was equally magical and though we didn't do the full pairing (purchased a bottle of wine separately), they brought us the wine on the house. My wife took a sip and wasn't enthused. But then she took a bite of the date cake and followed it with another sip--you could see the light go on as the combination brought out sweeter, even butterscotch notes that took this final course to the next level. Bottom line, we will be back. Especially when their menu changes based on the seasonality of ingredients. I encourage everyone to give this restaurant an opportunity to wow you. Go with an open mind even if menu items aren't typically things you'd enjoy or flavors you're familiar with. I guarantee they will surprise you in the best way possible. read more

I waited quite awhile to write this review in order to be more circumspect about the restaurant. While the food quality overall is good, Leila toots its own horn quite a bit. Its staff insists on treating the dining area as a staging area for dinner theatre. Everything is theatrical from greeting, seating, introducing food items, offering beverages, displaying your food itself, wiping the table after courses, mentioning upcharges to seeing you out the door at the end of the evening. Don't expect this date night dinner location to allow for quiet conversation. While the menu claims to have a fixed price per person, your entire table's salads come in one singular serving of seven. In other words, people must share each dish of dip/spread. Additionally, the menu fails to mention that the main courses must also be shared, like tapas, despite the unexpected upcharge. Also, the branzino fish portion (for all of us) was small and the purported Snake River Wagyu didn't seem to be Wagyu at all given its toughness. The only item that you get to yourself is dessert. You can easily park in the 12th Avenue lot that continuously tells you that "you are under surveillance." The only sign for the restaurant can only be viewed once you are at its doorstep. Essentially, please hunt for the restaurant location on the parking lot side of Harding Avenue and not on Harding Avenue itself. It will be easier to find that way. Lots of patrons were driving around the parking lot looking for the sign to no avail. Ambiance is loud and tables are small. If you must come here, please make reservations as it gets crowded quickly. read more

The 7 salads are excellent and very satisfying with the fresh endives and bread. We ordered the lamb, brazino and wagu beef, and the six of us voted for our favorite dish in the above order. Our overall experience was great with the exception of the wagu beef which was too lean to be considered marbled wagu. We do not think it is worth the $50 upcharge! The date cake with buffalo ice-cream was soooo delicious! My second time visiting the restaurant in 2 weeks! read more

Leila - Neck of lamb - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Leila is the definition of chef's kiss...Chef Kris Kajioka and Chef Mourad Lahlou have done it again! This beautifully designed Moroccan restaurant is the perfect new addition to the thriving Kaimuki food scene. The pre fixe menu is such a wonderful way to explore all of the flavors and fresh ingredients that are woven into Moroccan cuisine. The service is exceptional and the GM Brandon and his team are so personable and hospitable. The interior is so chic and they had such great music playing throughout the night. The vibes were immaculate! This is a must try for any Honolulu foodies. We can't wait to visit again! read more

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The food was amazing...the flavors were so unique...the service was excellent...and the ambiance was dim but beautiful. read more

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The dynamic duo of Mourad Lahlou and Chris Kajioka bring their deep restauranteur experience and exquisite flavors of Morocco to Honolulu. Mourad's restaurant Aziza in San Francisco is one of my favorites and Leila did not disappoint! The quality and layers of flavors are superb. Delectable, unpretentious, and satisfying! read more

The food was delicious. Really enjoyed the unique flavors ans spices. Definitely get the Bateeya duck confit if it's available - it's what Chef Mourad is known for and of course the uni brioche and oysters. The seven salads all are different with great tasting on its own and remain on table for spreading on bread. The wine pairing was excellent. Service was great and attentive but not intrusive. It's a small space so it can get noisy with large parties. Will definitely go back when the menu changes in couple of months. read more

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I went to Leila on a Saturday night. It appears that they've been open about 3.5 weeks so I was hoping most of the bugs had been worked out and since I like their sister restaurant down the street, I was really looking forward to dining here. Unfortunately, it wasn't the evening that I was hoping for. It is a pre-fixe menu but the server rattled off the items and description so fast, it was very difficult to understand what the offerings were. If course the items that they upsell were described wonderfully. Service....just ok. The food was interesting but after the starter course it took forever to get the main course. Turns out they hadn't worked the bugs out yet. What I didn't like was the 2 different stories of what happened to the food (short ribs). The manager came out first and said they had run out and needed to go to the sister restaurant to get more ribs. A different server came out and said it was all her fault because she served the short ribs to the incorrect table. I understand that things happen, but an hour wait for an entree. Not really unless the food is amazing. It wasn't. It appears that instead of offering a wine list, they only offer pairings which is $40 additional/person. What about just offering some good wines by the bottle or glass. In all fairness the manager brought out wine along with the bad news of the short ribs but it wasn't a wine that I really drink and the taste just wasn't for me. Beverages...just ok. Ambiance....it certainly is a huge improvement over what it was. The question is would I go back...maybe because of ties to Miro Kaimuki. read more

This is the kind of food I am always craving and have been waiting for in Hawaii. The restaurant feels cozy and intimate, and goes perfectly with the soulful and comforting food. My favorites were the lamb and the duck basteeya. Soo good, I will be back again and again. read more

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There are many things in this life and the world in general that are unpleasant and disappointing. Especially these days. A dining experience at Leila is not one of them. My Beloved treated me to a birthday dinner there last night--just the two of us. I hadn't been feeling well this past week and I almost canceled our reservation to Leila for that reason. But my better angel prevailed and I'm glad I didn't. Plus I didn't want to be charged a $50 cancellation fee. *Ahem* Somewhere on Leila's website there is a quote from Hippocrates: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Last night's visit to Leila was like a visit to the food physician I didn't know I needed, even though I left feeling a little overstuffed but very much 'healed' from whatever malaise I had been feeling. Leila serves Moroccan meets Pacific Rim Asian fusion cuisine. Service was graceful and attentive but not overly so. Everyone we encountered there was pleasant and personable, without being OVERLY performative. You know what I'm talking about. An immediate upsell offering of sparkling water was pretty slick but after finishing the Pellegrino we opted for tap poured from a lovely cobalt blue bottle by a lovely young hostess who reminded me of an updated and sweeter version of Eva Gabor. Or maybe I'm thinking of Brigitte Bardot. Our lovely server was warm (enough) and quite practiced at informing us of the content/ingredients of the forthcoming prix fixe courses. Instead of the optional wine pairing we both had a non-alcoholic cocktail called a Country Breeze, which was indeed a breezy and refreshing mix of jasmine, yuzu and club soda. The current appetizer portion of the menu is The Seven Salads; fresh, crisp farm veggies & warmed za'atar flatbread served with 7 selections of spreads that include such ingredients as pickled almonds, white bean hummus, mint, shimeji mushrooms, piquillo pepper, trout roe, marash pepper and other semi-exotic tidbits. Delicious, zesty, sublime and oh-so-filling! We couldn't finish it and had to have the leftovers bagged. Because we were feeling glutton-curious we deviated from the prix-fixe menu by adding on the Chef's Signature Bateeya Duck Confit, which was beyond scrumptious. FYI, this delicacy is NOT listed on the menu. But it is absolutely irresistable. Consider yourself encouraged to order it, regardless of the additional charge. We believe it's worth every additional, mouth-watering bite. For our entree we chose the Lamb Meshoui--a generously portioned and perfectly spiced 'fall off the bone' lamb shank served (and presumably cooked?) in a tajine. Served among brussel sprouts in a kombocha puree. Flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. We couldn't finish it and had to have the leftovers bagged. And topping off our glorious meal was a dessert to die for that included a silky dollop of mascarpone, olive oil, flourless chocolate, dried Italian cherries, some edible flower petals (the type of which I can't remember), and some tiny bits of something that added a bit of crunch. The form wasn't quite cake but not quite pudding--something in between and was so sensual and exquisitely good that I daresay it was one of the best desserts I've sampled. Ever. Leila is 'night' in Arabic. My Beloved ordered a pot of hot mint tea which we shared while consuming the heavenly dessert, thus bringing our night to a wonderful close. We had parked just down the block from Leila, curbside parallel on 12th St. As I was helping my Beloved into our vehicle I kept hearing what sounded like chanting coming from behind me. The chanting kept repeating the words "Leftovers? Do you have any leftovers? Leftovers? Do you have any....? I turned to see the source of the chanting: a homeless haole woman sitting against a wall. I approached her with our doggy bag and she looked up at me. In the early evening her pale blue eyes looked as if they glowed in the dark. I handed her the leftovers she was pleading for. In exchange she offered me a paperback Bible. And then began babbling instead of chanting. My impulse was to decline but I took it anyway. We thanked each other. I made my way to our vehicle. She was still babbling as I got in. Though she probably couldn't see it because our windows are tinted, we gave her a little wave as we pulled away from the curb and sped off into the night. read more

After a bit of a rough start finding it, then waiting a while to get seated and served, LEILA Kaimuki did not disappoint. The food was definitely worth the wait. Brandon seated us at a small two top, but was so kind to move us to a bigger table in a cozy corner where we could sit next to each other and cuddle, chat and share bites while people-watching. Devon, our server and his support staff were on point and made us feel like VIPs. We added on the brioche with Hokkaido Uni to start. Wow! The crispy, pillowy, sweet brioche was an unexpected counter to the buttery brine of the uni. This uni-lover was in Heaven! Next came the seven salad starter, with sundried tomatoes, olives with nuts and lemon zest, and five other delicious, flavor-filled spreads. We sopped these all up with freshly baked zataar bread, and had to pace ourselves so we'd have enough room to get to dessert! Next, the textures and sweet, charred flavors of the cabbage course, followed by the sweet, smokey, nutty, crispy basteeya were well-balanced and rich. For the shared third course, we chose the lamb meshoui with the Japanese potato puree, charred kale, and crispy sun choke. Pro tip -- shred all that tender lamb up and mix all of it up with the accompaniments so you get a bit of everything in one bite. OMG, game changer! Can't wait to try the other entrees when we come back. To end the meal, we shared the date cake, swimming in a pool of burnt sugar caramel, and topped with a vanilla ice cream quenelle lightly drizzled with fleur de sel. Perfection Couple of things I'd wish I'd been prepared for: 1. the venue is LOUD when full. It's hard to have a conversation, esp if you're looking forward to being able to chat with your dinner partners. Once the crowd thinned out a bit, later in the service, it was so much easier to relax, and not have to fight with the noise of both the crowd and the music. Pick a weekend reservation after 830 if noise is an issue for you. 2. The music selection does not pair well with the food and ambiance you think of when coming to a Moroccan restaurant. When we walked in, the 80's Klymaxx song "Meeting in the Ladies room" was bumping through the sound system, adding to the conversational clamour that distracted from the curated design and delicate flavors This was followed by some smooth jazz, which again fought with your palate when enjoying the food. Later in the playlist, some thug rap with the "N" word sprinkled in here and there played overhead. I love music, and on its own, I would have enjoyed the playlist, but it made for a battle of the senses that I probably wouldn't have minded so much if I had been prepared for it beforehand. All in all though, these two things would not deter me from coming back again and again to experience the culinary art produced by the extremely talented chefs. Thank you Chris Kajioka and Mourad Lahlou for bringing the flavors of Morocco to our little island in the Pacific, and thanks Melissa Chang and Daryl Muromoto for the recommendation! read more

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Great service, good wine. The people working there were awesome. Hard to say the food is worth the price but it was still a nice experience and good vibe in the restaurant. 3 stars just because the food was just okay honestly, for $350 for two people wouldn't do it again. Really hard to justify the price. read more

I read the reviews before I went and the recent reviews are much more accurate than the 3-4 month old reviews. Vibe/ music/ friendliness of all staff were great. Branzino was perfect. 7 salads are great too. The wine pairings are fine too. The date cake is nice. $270 for 2 people before tip is kinda pricey but I will go back and expect it will continue to improve read more

Such a perfect date night ! Staff, ambiance , and food was on point . And LOVE that it's in Kaimuki . When we arrived we didn't have reservations but the manager was awesome enough to tell us he would text us if something opens and it did ! WI'll deff be back! With Aloha , ~ Tamara read more

Went here for my wife's birthday, at her request. First time for both of us eating Moroccan food and they did not disappoint! Service, excellent. Food, excellent. Location, great. In my old stomping grounds of Kaimuki, only reason location is not excellent is I know that parking lot can get pretty busy and may be difficult to find parking during peak times. Being off first time there, the staff took the time to explain everything and letting us know which entrees they could do single portions of really helped. That way, we got to try 2 entrees instead of just one dish portioned for 2. Not to mention, they were very accommodating. I asked to have our leftover 7 salads and one of our desserts packed to go (I was already full by the time we had dessert). Would definitely go again, not sure how soon though cause it was pretty pricey. $300 for 2 people not including tip, but worth it. read more

The service was good nothing special about the ambience other words there's nothing there that really made me feel like I was in Morocco. If you know what I mean, unfortunately the same can be said for the food. There was nothing special, which is what we experience with every dish at Miro Chris Kajioka's awesome Kaimuki restaurant. Every dish from the seven salads to the lamb and surprisingly even the dessert was way too salty for our taste for me. Nothing ruins a dish like too much salt. Maybe if they kick back on the salt and let the flavors come out they could turn this thing around. read more

Leila is another wonderful addition to the growing food mecca of Kaimuki, a neighborhood with character and authenticity. Casual, comfortable, lovely, good music and interesting and truly delicious food served on gorgeous artsy dishes. The only thing we didn't like was the feeling of bait and switch when we ordered the short ribs and were told it was an additional $25 each - a little late to be adding that detail. We didn't do the wine pairing but the wine served with the ribs was nothing special. Recommend to try! Welcome to our neighborhood! read more

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!!! Food was unlike anything I have ever eaten! Was able to be there on the second day they were opened and WOW!! One of the best meals I've had on O'ahu! So good I went back a week later!! Even better the second time! Service was FANTASTIC, such a very easy going environment, relaxed and elegant but not stuffy!! Took some very "particular" foodie friends who have dined all over the world, and they enjoyed it VERY MUCH and said they would most certainly return to LEILA!! read more

I had high hopes and was honestly excited for Leila, but unfortunately, my experience was underwhelming from start to finish. Upon arrival, we noticed an open two-top, and requested it. However, we were seated by the door where the music was loud. When we inquired, the hostess claimed that the seating was assigned by OpenTable. To make matters worse, a couple who arrived after us was given the exact table we requested. We were told that they had actually arrived before us and had been waiting for that table. A better approach would have been to ask us to wait outside while they "prepared" a table for us. Then seat the other couple, so when we were seated, we wouldn't have seen other table options available. The whole situation was poorly handled. The meal started off decently, and the second course, a charred cabbage dish, was by far the highlight of the night. It was creative and flavorful, standing out among everything we ordered. But sadly, it all went downhill from there. The main courses were disappointing. The chef's signature off-the-menu basteeya, a duck confit wrapped in phyllo dough dish was surprisingly dry, which is unacceptable for a confit dish. The presentation was also lackluster, as it was the duck confit in phyllo dough simply placed onto a plain white plate without any thought or effort on plate presentation. I also question if this is the chef's signature dish, why is it not offered on-the-menu? The lamb meshoui, a lamb tajine dish didn't fare much better. While it tasted fine, I was unclear if it was actually cooked in the tajine; the dish seemed to be used mainly as a serving vessel. Before the arrival of the lamb meshoui, we were set up with dessert forks. Just prior to the dish's arrival, our waitress replaced the dessert forks with actual dinner forks. Service could have been better as we had to ask multiple times for water refills. I have pictures to share but I think I'll refrain from sharing those pictures due to my disappointing experience. I will say that the manager (maybe?) did sincerely apologize and tried to make things right. He promised a better experience next time and did partially comp us on the bill. That gesture was greatly appreciated. While I wish Chef Chris Kajioka well in this venture--I've enjoyed his other restaurant, Miro Kaimuki--this experience left me disappointed. I don't think I'll be returning to Leila. First impressions are everything, and unfortunately, I was not impressed. Of course, this is just one person's opinion and feedback, so please try them out and see for yourself. read more

Appetizers just bunch dips made with vegetables , and bread. FYI they charge if you ask for more bread. Entree - lamb was really good but very small Dessert- nothing special Wine pairing - $40 for junk wine; save your money Over priced and won't be going back read more

Wow is all I can say. The decor, drinks, and food are outstanding. The seven salad and lamb were my favorite! The atmosphere and service here is unmatched. We will definitely be returning! read more

The food and service were spectacular. Cocktails were also good. Pricey. Over $300 for two people - we did have two cocktails each.

So good! Service was wonderful, food was incredibly good. We left full and very satisfied.

Great food and atmosphere! We went last week and we're definitely planning on coming back!

To celebration my spouse's retirement, we went back to Leila thinking it was the same exotic but unique Moroccan/African food as we had in January. However it's now Italian after we sat down with our order of sparkling water and were underwhelmed by the 75$ fix menu (the only option). Not wanting to ruin the evening, we sat through. But the bigger insult came the moment we walked in when the hostess took us to a small side room where a table of 4 were already seated. We asked to be seated at the main dining table where at least 6 or 7 tables were empty and only 3 were filled. It's 5:45 and the hostess declared "they are reserved." But we have a reservation too, we're not a walk-in. She ran to consult with "the manager" then motioned the two small tables in the middle of the room, "only those two." (of course the size of school desk are the worst in the main dining). We sat and when the nice waitress came we could not hear her, and stated that's why we wanted to be seated in the corner -- there were 3 of them empty. Manager came in and declared again "other tables are reserved" which prompted me to ask how those reservations are any different from ours? Is this like airline now where we need to pay for seats? We were increasingly irritated by this absurdity and he had no further explanation. Through out the dinner, we saw people came in, including couples for a table of two just like us occupying the other table for 2 (all 2x as bigger), and one couple left after a few minutes which made me wonder if it was the fine dinning Moroccan now switched to mediocre Italian. I also wondered if they will be charged for $100 as "cancellation" (see other review) bc when we made the reservation we had to give credit card (but not options of seating nor any alarm of the drastic change of regional cuisines). Lastly, this is the 3rd restaurant we had followed Chef Chris as a way of supporting "a local boy." It will be our last. I must point out the young lady waitress worked very hard in an attempt to reverse our displeasure so we wish her the best. read more

From the moment we walked it the staff was attentive, classy and professional. Our server was excellent! The food was outstanding and the dessert was the perfect ending. Overall, we had a wonderful experience! Well done Leila! read more

I was excited to hear about this new restaurant and really wanted to enjoy it. But I have never left a $300 plus meal for two hungrier and less satisfied. This is a sister establishment to Cafe Miro, which I wish I had paid enough attention to know. It's a very limited pre fix menu with upsells. The seven salad sampler is a lot of different purees -- the tomato was good. My one piece of bread wasn't replenished after I finished it. So I was left with a choice of spooning it up like baby food or not. I choice not so we only ate about half of it. The second course -- charred cabbage -- arrived immediately after the first hit the table. It was cold and unremarkable by the time we turned to it. We did order an upsell -- the chef's signature duck confit tart -- which came next. This had quite a bit of sugar in it which neither of us care for. We only tried about a sixth of it and the staff was gracious enough to take it off our bill when they noticed. The final dish, a lamb neck concoction, was just simply not good. Very fatty meat that wasn't tasty. I have 90% of it in a box in my refrigerator now and have no desire to eat it. I wish I still had a dog. On the plus side, the oysters we started with were good. The bottom line is this place is just WAY too much money for an experience where we only found about 30% of the food put in front of us palatable. We might have just ordered wrong but I will never spin that wheel again. read more

We love MidEast cuisine and were hoping to love this place. There's a fixed first course of "7 Salads", and a choice of about 5 mains for the second course, followed by a date cake with an overly salted ice cream as the 3rd course. We chose the Lamb Neck for the entree and included the wine pairing. The first wine was a 3 oz pour of a Bandol Rose with the salads, then a 3oz pour of a Moroccan Syrah with the lamb and a Dessert Wine with the Date Cake. The Rose and the Syrah were fine. However, for our taste, a dessert wine, no matter how good, is too much sweet on sweet to go with a sweet dessert. Also, a 3 oz pour of wine is fine if there are several courses. However, with just 2 savory courses, I found myself running out of the Rose during the first course and with a delay before receiving the lamb, I was already nursing the last drops of Syrah by the time we received it. I could have made more effort to order another pour of Syrah, but it would have been nice if they had noticed I was low and inquire (before we were finished with the lamb). My recommendation would be to skip the wine pairing and just order a full pour of your preferred wines. It would have been a better value and more enjoyable to get a full 5 oz Rose with the Salads and use a full pour of the Syrah for both the Lamb and as a contrast with the Date Cake. Or, replace the dessert wine with another pour of the Syrah. The Lamb was tasty and enough for us, though the serving may be a little light for big eaters. It comes with a token amount of deep fried veg which for us was too heavy and insufficient. We'd have preferred some lightly cooked vegetable. Also, why not include some Farro or Couscous rather than upselling them as an add on to an already expensive meal. For the "7 Salads" we liked the yogurt with trout eggs and the small serving of fresh vegetable but would have preferred a fresher take overall. We didn't see any charred cabbage as mentioned in other reviews. Along with 2 "Miro" oysters and tip, our meal for 2 came to $350. read more