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    Ya Hala

    4.2 (120 reviews)
    ModerateMiddle Eastern, Halal
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Ya Hala Photos

    YA HALA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Ya Hala

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    Reviews With Photos

    The kitchen just steps away
    livy h.

    I love this place. The entire family does! We stop in at least 3x during the weeks we stay in London. Conveniently located just steps from Paddington Station. It's a quaint, small and extremely clean healthy food option. Its extremely clean. The entire front façade are tall, glass windows. You walk in and you can visually see all the food being made behind these glass counters. Again, everything looks so clean. The lamb and chicken Shawarma were one of our favorites. Spicy potatoes. Spicy hummus. Baba ghanouj with pomegranate. Thin Pita triangles. Ginger, apple, and mint juice. Mango juice. Everything is freshly made right in front of you just steps away. It's quick and healthy. It's a small place, so you do sit close together with all the other people eating. Not a problem. The bathroom is located in the basement down the rear stairs. You can smell the food as you walk past this restaurant. That is what drew us in the very first visit. It is always full of people. Which tells you they're on to some thing. I would highly recommend a stop here if you were in London.

    Mezze platter with chicken and lamb
    Rachel S.

    Stumbled upon here after the other restaurant I was looking for was randomly closed. Strong believer in everything happens for a reason! Was a fantastic meal that was good quality and perfectly flavored. Staff was very nice as well. Highly recommend!

    Ya Hala Menu
    Musa S.

    Very good and affordable. Large portions and great service. A definite place for dinner.

    Chicken Shawarma with various sides. Very delicious.

    Nice vibe in the restaurant. Wait wasn't too bad but the service was a bit intense. Overall a positive experience.

    Lamb shawarma plate with rice
    Angela D.

    Ya Hala is very conveniently located in Paddington. My sister and I were walking around and wanted to find an early dinner because we had flights out the next day. We saw the good reviews and decided to give Ya Hala a try. When we walked in we were immediately greeted and seated. We were given a few minutes to look over the menu and just asked for some tap water which we were happy came with ice. We ordered the lamb kofta and the lamb shawarma plate both with rice. While we were sitting we were close to the prep area where we could watch dishes being prepared. I watched for a little bit as they put plates together. They put one plate together that was supposed to be lamb shawarma (mine) but put chicken on it too. It sat up there for a little bit and when the waitress saw, told them it was wrong. So after a few minutes they took off the chicken, let it sit a little longer and then added some warm lamb on top of the lamb already there. It was about 10 minutes time from the time it was first put up until they brought our meals. By the time it got to me, the lab was really cold dry. It was not enjoyable and had no flavor. The rice was also very dry and flavorless. We drank our water and never got a refill and the waitress never came back to ask how anything was so we couldn't even say that the food was cold. I don't think I would ever return to Ya Hala if I were in the area and it would never be my first pick. It was mediocre at best.

    Lamb shawarma wrap

    I'd highly recommend this place if you are looking for delicious affordable shawarma and great service near Paddington Station. Get the lamb shawarma wrap and mango juice. It seems that they also go by the name Paramount or maybe it's the previous or new name.

    Pomegranate and Rose drink
    Diane M.

    Fabulous Place! Stopped in here on a whim and so glad we did. The best food we had during our London stay. Everything we ordered was tasty. Would highly recommend. Just a few steps from Paddington Station.

    Special mixed mezze plate. The selections might change, but everything on there was great
    Craig G.

    This tiny Lebanese diner/takeout counter offers up a big selection of tasty Levantine cuisine for cheap. With only a half dozen tables, many people seem to carry out; even at 9pm on a Friday night, the waitstaff seemed overwhelmed. While service was on the slow side, the food was worth the wait. I went with the special mezze plate: chef's selection of mezze with couscous, salad, and pita. That plate had small portions of hummus, lentils and rice, stuffed grape leaves, okra in tomato sauce, green beans, spicy potato, and thin lamb sausage. Everything on the plate was satisfying, all the better when paired with their house mint tea.

    Front of Ya Hala
    Bruce K.

    I love it when Yelp brings me to new places and new flavors and new experiences. I can't say that I've ever had "Lebanese" food before so when I was in the Paddington area but not quite ready to take my train back to Reading, I let Yelp do the searching and the suggesting. And now I have a favorite place to get a meal before getting a train! Clean and welcoming, I looked over the menu and went with a hummus starter and the Lamb Shawarma (with cous cous instead of rice). No beer of course, so I had a bottle of sparkling water instead. The food arrived almost immediately. The hummus presented nicely in a bowl with another bowl of cut up pita breads for scooping. A moment later, the lamb. A generous portion with a nice salad and a good pile of cous cous. Delicious and moist, I completely cleaned my plate. I would have picked it up and licked it if I didn't want to be thrown out. Since I was so appreciative, they gave me a free bit of baklava for the ride. (Not the usual triangle - it was rolled. Strange but good!) A fab deal for a decent price. I was stuffed and ready for the train back to Reading. I will absolutely return! It's just across the street from the station, so there aren't any excuses.

    V M.

    Oh my God best falafel in the world. Hummus amazing Chicken kabob was awesome! Lamb kabob wasn't very good Cute place Reasonable prices!

    Nour R.

    One of the best placces to eat middle eastern food it's really good salad and meat was season well and u get big portion my friend said this was best spicy hummus he ever tried and he love all the food he got will be coming back again is a different name now so I will take a pic of front because on Yelp they didnot change it

    Lena H.

    Came here twice for my late night dinner. Pretty good and inexpensive foods. 4 pounds for a wrap which was a pretty darn good deal. Delicious foods.

    Hummus & Lamb Shawarma
    Andrew L.

    This was one of the best placed we ate at the entire visit in London and some of the best Lebanese food I've had. It's located right near the Paddington station. We were able to get a seat without a wait, but it does get very busy. They seem to also do a pretty big takeout business. The food was so good. The hummus was lamb shawarma was delicious. Very smooth hummus and the lamb was really tender. I've never seen lamb shawarma and it did not disappoint. The mixed grill was great. Each kabob was flavorful and tender. The rice and salad that accompanied it was fresh. I was really impressed with the price points. I felt you got a real value for your money. Service was adequate. The wait staff takes your orders in a timely manner and delivers the food when it's ready. Overall a really great place and definitely worth the trip if you are craving Lebanese food.

    Vegetarian falafel.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food and service. We had the chicken lunch special and portion was very generous.

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    3 years ago

    The food here is delicious! Next time I'm in London I will gladly return! Chicken Sharma was my favorite!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ya Hala Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Ya Hala

    I went for halloumi starter and lamb kebab with Lebanese couscous, freshly prepared, fast service.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    People searched for Middle Eastern 256 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    NOPI - Mushroom risotto

    NOPI

    4.2(315 reviews)
    1.6 miSoho
    £££

    Easily the best restaurant in London! Great wine selection and impeccable service. We ordered…read moreseveral small plates and appetizers so that we could try several dishes. Everything was absolutely delicious! The octopus might have been my favorite. You can't miss this restaurant!

    A friend of mine had raved about Ottolenghi when she heard I was coming to London, so this…read morerestaurant was at the top of my must-try list. Maybe my friend over-sold it and got my expectations up too high, because I was pretty disappointed in this dinner. We were asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. We said still and were brought out a £4.50 bottle. I know it's common to charge for water in Europe, so I didn't think much about it until I noticed that everyone else around us had refillable glass bottles -- free tap water that we were never even told was an option. We were seated downstairs at a large communal table. I don't necessarily mind that, but it was so loud that having a conversation was very difficult. My cocktail was delicious, but so tiny. The wine list was decent -- a good mix of options at various price points. As for the food, it was very hit or miss. The mushroom starter and the pork main dish were delicious. Unfortunately, the two most expensive dishes were disappointing. The prawns had great flavor, but a strangely soft, mushy texture. For me, the flavor made the weird texture okay, but my husband couldn't get over the mushiness of the shrimp and hated this dish. The sea bream was very bland and dry -- highly disappointing for the most expensive item on the menu. We ended on a high note with the affogato dessert (Yum!), but for such an expensive meal, there were just a few too many misses for us.

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    Savory Valdeón Cheesecake , Pickled Beetroot , Almonds , Thyme Honey

    NOPI - Interior

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    Interior

    Ya Hala - mideastern - Updated July 2026

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