Chill spot that's available anytime of the week! They have inside and outside seating for you to enjoy. Now they don't sell liquor, so do know it's byob. But they do have food and juices to order. I saw a lot of people on their laptops, watching shows or just working.. so I think they have wifi as well. Parking is street or in the garage across the street! The neighborhood is fine as well just make sure you read all signs and pay if you have to! Because they will tow that mf. Overall I enjoyed my time and will be back. read more

BUYER BEWARE: If you want to experience one of the worst restaurants in Houston, with horrible, weird and discriminatory employees who show their disgust against the patrons of color who unfortunately are still regulars and still frequent this location as well as hidden prices, upcharges, "tips" and weird customer service, then definitely come here to Cafe Layal on WEST GRAY. Having someone literally curse at you in your face, have an obviously intense conversation in front of other customers and tell you to your face that "they will never serve you again" because you are on to their scheme? Definitely come here and be completely disrespected like they are you doing YOU a favor by taking your hard-earned money. Make sure you know and check your bill for every single fake tip that you do not approve on your credit card or debt card. The scheme is set up to put a hidden "tip" in your bill, then quickly give you a detailed tablet with additional tips for service as well as another discriminatory tip on top of that. In addition, the new scheme is the disposable hose charge of $3.49 per hookah that they round up to $4 after you leave along with the additional 15% tip that seriously makes its way onto your final bill unbeknownst to you. In addition, watch the servers at night who zoom past your table, do not catch your eye, do not want to serve you and show their disgust with hard breathing, eye-rolling, slow service and inside jokes to each other about the customers that they do not like. They will perform all of this behavior within earshot of you with no discretion whatsoever, especially the employees that work from 5PM to close in the evening on the patio. I would strongly encourage anyone who has used a credit card or debit card at Cafe Layal on West Gray to check your receipt and immediately dispute each and every charge with your bank or credit union. Hopefully EVERYONE who knows the real deal with this place, the high staff turnover, the laziness and a myriad of other issues, will avoid it. There are so many other upscale, well-run establishments in Houston with a much better product and employees that actually take pride in serving customers not slandering them. read more

Joined friends at Cafe Layal for a nightcap and hookah after a concert and we had an okay experience. The restaurant has a large indoor seating area as well as a covered outdoor patio. It's BYOB, offers hookah, smoothies, fresh juices, teas, and an extensive food menu with plenty of great priced food options. The service was decent, but the waiter could have been more attentive to our table. Unfortunately, the hookah wasn't the best. The shisha flavors weren't prominent enough to really enjoy not even the mint flavor. I don't think a hookah has to be made with Love 66 to be flavorful, so that was a bit disappointing. On the bright side, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Four seasoned lamb chops for under $30 is a great deal! I ordered mine medium well and substituted the hummus for french fries and kept the rice. The meal came with a white garlic tzatziki sauce and what I believe was a red spicy sauce called harissa sauce. The tzatziki sauce was very good with the rice and is definitely worth trying. The menus description of mixed vegetables was misleading to me. Instead of an actual scoop of mixed vegetables (what I thought I was getting) it came with a single slice of onion, tomato, and bell pepper, which felt more like garnishes than a side. I didn't get a chance to try the chicken philly sub or gyro wrap because my friends cleaned their plates before I could grab a bite. From the emptiness of their plates that should tell you all you need to know about how good the food was. Overall, Cafe Layal is a convenient spot with plenty of parking. It's a good place to study, hang out with friends, or enjoy affordable hookah, plus it's BYOB with only a small corkage fee. Yes, the hookah and service could use some improvement, but the food and value really made it worth the visit. read more

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This place has been a staple for me and my friends. Since our college days we still attend. Food is great. The services fast. The hookah is very good quality. It is BYOB. That's also Good. read more

Came here for some gyros. Food was ok, but our waitress literally tried to steal from us. When it came time to pay she brought over her hand-held card reader. First just showing us the total. We asked to see the itemization and she showed it and it looked right, but the total seemed off, but she was rushing us and so we swiped the card and she showed the tip menu to my husband which was generous with 22% tip. We asked for a final printed itemized receipt. Lo and behold another 15% tip was added on in addition to our authorized 22%. We said what's this, the menu says 5 or more people you add the tip? ( we were 2). She said "oh it's been slow so we add tips on when it's slow ". My husband asked for the 15% refunded. I think he should have asked for the 22% refunded. She refunded it in cash. She was sly. Trying to rush through the bill, only showing the total, pushing the tip choice in front of us without mentioning the additional 15% she already added in. Unbelievably crooked. We shall never enter this place again, and I wouldn't recommend anyone else does either. Places that rip their customers off should be shut down. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Notice the UNAUTHORIZED 15% tip added on. STAY AWAY! - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food is the sh!! I was so pleased with the chicken kabobs and the shrimp kabobs and the chicken pizza. The meat and shrimp are marinated to perfection. The hummus is incredible. The spicy hot potatoes is just that. The service is good.Dining areas are nice and clean. The TV had sports on. I would go back again. Food fresh and light. read more

This is my second or third time eating here though this time I ordered it for delivery and it wasn't as good as I remember. The salmon was practically tasteless. It was so bland, like I don't think they added any sort of seasoning whatsoever. The chicken was much better though being that it was more flavorful and overall enjoyable. I really enjoy toum sauce too, and I specifically asked them to give me a bunch of extra of those sauces and I do appreciate that they very much satisfied my request. They gave us more than enough sauces so I appreciated that especially for Mediterranean food I feel like the sauces are key. Overall, though this experience was almost subpar, but not quite because I still didn't enjoy the chicken and the sauce and the rice altogether I just really did not like the salmon and I feel like the portion could've been a little bigger too. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Decent spot in midtown for some middle Eastern food. I ordered the chicken schwarma and lamb gyro and both were filling and fries were battered/crispy. read more

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

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Food was amazing any dish with dips Pizzas are great Service is great the waitress with a name that I think starts with an A is easily the best The ambiance was the great fish tank, professional fun people. went back to back during World Cup. Super fun watching locals and internationals mingle. read more

Kind of hard to tell where the entrance is the way the parking lot and patio is set up. The place isn't aesthetically pleasing.. The decor looks old but not in a cute vintage sort of way. I didn't try the food so I can't rate that.. The hookah was harsh, but I guess you get what you pay for when it's happy hour hookah. read more

Love this place! The food is great and the servers remind you of your cousins on your daddy side! It's a family!

Been eyeing this place for a little while so I decided to finally hit it up tonight for some late night delivery. Was craving a shawarma and a Greek salad, both of which they had. They were running a BOGO promo for the shawarma, which made it even better. The shawarma actually wasn't too bad at all. I've had some better ones but I've had wayyyy worse here in Houston. Greek salad was pretty good too. I'd probably buy this again honestly. Definitely recommend. Only reason why I gave a 4-star is because they messed up my order and forgot to give me two shawarmas. Overall still pretty good though. read more

Been coming here on & off for many years. Over the years it has declined interior & exterior. It's BYOB & they use to not charge to get it. Having to pay $25 to drink your own alcohol is insane. Parking is limited as well. read more

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I came in one night with a group of friends because they had hookah available and was a BYOB kinda situation. I am all for a BYOB, save some money, but drinks are expensive yall! Anywho, we'd left from a dinner so we'd already eaten and were really looking for just a good vibe to hang out and talk. When we arrived we were seated outside on the patio, which was totally fine. They pulled together some tables for our large party, and we all gathered round. A few people got hookahs, and then they charge you a fee for your bottle, typical of pretty much everywhere. The waitress also brought out waters for everyone, but not everyone order waters, or opened the bottles. This is where my review goes not in the greatest direction. As the night ended and we were all paying out. The waitress added on additional waters to our bill. Reminder, we did not order these, so we should not be charged for you bringing something out that was not asked for or ordered. Well fine...we move on, but then, my friend that paid the bill for a portion of us, didn't realize that gratuity was already added, so he added an additional 25% to tip the waitress. So when he asked for a receipt and saw that he was charged over $80 for what should've been maybe a $30 bill, I immediately was like hold up! When I went to try and talk to the waitress, she explained the grat policy, which was all well and fine, but to receive over a 50% tip and the tip is greater than the bill, seemed as though they could've made some type of adjustment. As she asked me to wait so she could speak to the manager, she found herself somehow back outside talking to my friend (who is not great with confrontation). She said she could give back some of the tip, but the tip that was auto added, not the additional. Meaning she would've gotten the bigger tip that we added, vs what the resturant included. Again, we were fine with that, just make an adjustment. Mistakes happen like this all the time. What I didn't care for is that she went to my friend, who wanted to avoid any incounter, instead of doing the right thing and making the adjustment. My friend told her to just leave it as is, so he was out of pocket more than the rest of us, because of an honest mistake. The waitress did not represent that much of a tip for her service that night, or the overcharging of bottle water. To me it was a terrible service experience that makes me not want to go back to what is a pretty chill vibe. Also, I've been in the service industry, so I know that this was an easy fix that basically she refused to do. read more

If you're coming here for the food, don't. If you're coming here for the hookah, don't. Just don't come. Save your time, stomach, and money. This place ain't it. If you do come, expect reheated frozen food, a hookah that doesn't work, and a hose you have to pay $4 for (no, they don't tell you about it when you order). I took mine home The only good part was the sever. She was sweet! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - The $4 hose I had to pay for unexpectedly. - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm just so grateful this place had ordering until 2:30am via delivery apps (I forget which one exactly). While everything else was closed, this one came through, and it wasn't just late night trash food. As always with 3rd party apps, the food was overly expensive, but it was quite tasty. GLOWS: - chicken Kabob platter came with hummus and pita bread -The grape leaves were meatless (they had a deal of buy one get one free at the time) GROWS: -The pita bread was just okay. It could have had a little more flavor to it with herbs. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

My buddy and fellow Yelper Victor H. introduced me to this spot recently and I really enjoyed it. It was our birthday week and we wanted a chill hangout before our birthday celebration the next day. Cafe Layal has been here for awhile, located in Midtown. Parking sucks in this area. If you are lucky, you might be able to snag a spot on the street or in one of the lots, otherwise you can use a nearby garage or a pay to park lot. Customer service is great here. We did hookah and they kept up with it frequently and there was always someone hovering around to make sure everyone was ok. I am in no means a hookah expert, but have dabbled in it from time to time, mostly at friend's houses. Here though, you just show up, pick your flavor and enjoy. They have quite a few flavors to choose from. We went with a watermelon mint that was very smooth and enjoyable. Each person gets their own mouth piece so no cooties are shared (unless you're into that). The staff is also very good about changing the coals often so you can hookah without it burning out. It is also BYOB here. Bring whatever you want as they don't serve alcohol here. They will set you up with whatever you need. As far as food goes, I went with the Beef Shawarma. This dish was delicious. The meat was tender and perfectly seasoned. The tahini and all the other accompaniments rounded it out nicely as well. I did find it hard to eat as they cut it into multiple sections then top it with a sauce. Two sections and sauce on the side would've made it alot easier to handle. The fries it came with were cooked to perfection and tasty as well. If you are looking for a chill spot to hang with friends, read a book or get some work done, this is a really cool spot. I will definitely come back! read more

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Too many other places to choose from with better hookah, cleanliness and customer service than this place.

Terrible service, added gratuity without saying anything. Food was mid. Won't return.

I had a mid experience. The lighting had a weird yellow tint, the furniture was outdated and tables were wobbly. The vibe was off and every seemed dry and I couldn't figure out what type of scene this was. Yeah, I saw laptops and notepads but I wouldn't think of this place as a cafe or lounge, there wasn't appropriate seating to call it a cafe. The 2 couch sets available were flat and so suspicious that I wouldn't even sit on them. It was a restaurant, period. My server was nice. I ordered a mint tea which I absolutely hated (given it was Mediterranean style; crushed mint and ice) but it had a weird texture that wasn't mint or ice. So I got a sweet tea and it wasn't any better. My friend ordered a gyro and wasn't a fan but she did say the fries were good. We didn't even bother ordering a hookah, we gave up by that point. I can see how other reviews could say parking was bad but I got lucky on that Saturday night about 9pm and got a spot across the street. Valet is not worth it for this place. By the way, street parking is free starting at 11pm. read more

Not a bad place for hookah, haven't had the food in quite sometime so not going to give rating. Though what is this $5 corking fee for a hookah. They asked me if I wanted ice for hookah, never had it before and tried, but seen no difference so just another way to add $3.50 for nothing. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Whats a corking fee for a hookah? - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great study spot. And the food is good too. Ask for Sabrina she's the best at making the mint lemonade (ASK FOR IT BLENDED WELL!!!!). Excellent vibe for a game night or hookah hang out. Bring your own games, cards and liquor. There is a small cork fee per person. The patio is large and has TVs and there are plenty of TVs inside. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Say hi to Sabrina. She makes the BEST MINT LEMONADE here!!!! If she's not making the lemonade beware! She's the BEST SERVER!!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is basically like my Cheers lol. Friendly service. Hookah and food is decent. I come here multiple times a week and work from here as well. read more

I truly don't know what took me sooo long to write this review. I absolutely love this place from the servers to the food! The staff is always polite and willing to answer any questions you have. The hookah here is really good the pineapple heads are my favorite and they last longer. The environment is very chill. It's a place you can have fun but it's also super relaxing. They have a patio which allows you to bring your friendly pup along ! Now let's get to the food! I come here at least 1-2 times a month. It's an hour drive but it's worth it. The must haves are: Hummus supreme, Caesar salad with Gyro meat and the kabobs chicken or beef and last but not least the Spicy potatoes! read more

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The place have a chill vibe and the food is good. Drinks were decent and staff was friendly. Parking is terrible though. I recommend this place eif your nearby and wand grab a drink/food with some friends! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

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It's a hole in the wall spot that's BYOB with hookah and middle eastern eats. Always enjoy coming here with friends and dates to smoke hookah, drink beer/wine, and occasionally munch on food. There's also TVs here where they'll put on a big game or event and they play a nice selection of music. Hookah flavors include exotic fruits (mango, watermelon, kiwi) which I recommend. As for food, they have great schwarma, fries, and veggie greek pizza. While they don't serve alcohol, you can bring your own six-pack or bottle to consume for yourself. The store is across the street for convenience. A very chill spot where you can relax and enjoy yourself. read more

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This review is based solely on service. I did not order any food, I came here for hookah and a topo chico, Jay was our server and he was amazing. Loved everything about him. The ambience was okay it was a chill Saturday night, I will return one day to try out some food. read more

This place is comfortable and casual. The restrooms could definitely use some cleaning and the inside of the restaurant looks a bit outdated. The hookah and food was alright, nothing special. The service was good and the staff was friendly. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Coffee and hookah - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

I used to come here every day back in college. Starting ordering the food through DoorDash and it sucks. Fries are good, but they don't listen to any special instructions. Chicken tenders are god awful. They used to be good earlier. Lentil soup is okay. Everything tastes frozen and processed. Hookah is mid. I would have loved to rate them 5 stars, as I was a frequent customer and LOVED this establishment back in 2021. Can't say the same now. read more

Noise! The club next door is so loud that I couldn't relax and enjoy anything. The parking is also tough. I'll have to go back on a Monday when the club is closed. read more

Food/Service: 4/5; Atmosphere: 5/5 Atmosphere: Great vibes! They play a variety of genres from Hip Hop to more cultural music, pleasing their diverse crowd. You can choose between tables, booths, or outside seating to enjoy the breeze. The decor is very nice and classy. This establishment is good for groups for dinner or for those that just want to smoke hookah. It's also good for individuals who want to smoke hookah or eat while doing work on the free WiFi! Food/Service: The food is the best Mediterranean food I've had! The Beef Shawarma was so good! The meat was well seasoned and the garlic paste was so yummy! The fries were perfectly golden and nicely seasoned. My only complaint is that the hookah never really "hit". The draft was light and I never really felt it. Also, the server didn't ask if or what we wanted to drink. read more

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

Food is good but the hookah was so mid that night. Going to go back to try more of the food later.

The fruits were pretty old and the food wasn't that good but the service was amazing they have an amazing buffet in Ramadan!

Baby pass me the hookah I came for a good time and left with a good time thanks in advance read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Hookah & menu, bottle of water - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Took a whole 12 minutes to be overlooked and finally served. We do have a darker hue and maybe that was the reason or maybe not. Overall though not impressed and definitely won't be back. Service is absurdly terrible. Visiting from out of town. read more

I was invited to this place for the first for a date night, definitely surpassed my expectations. The environment is super cool, many people come to enjoy hookah, study, work, hangout, or enjoy the big game. My date is super familiar with place so I was introduced to some of the staff when we walked in. They were super cool. It's BYOB, so we decided to bring wine. We sat inside, however, there's a patio outside. The patio was covered because of the cool weather and they also have heating lamps. I am sure in the spring and summer the patio is the spot to hang out. Neither one of us was really hungry, so we ordered hummus and spicy potatoes. Both items were very good. The spicy potatoes are very spicy, so be prepared! Still very good. I actually ended up coming back the café to try their shrimp kabob plate. Very good. It seems they grill in the salmon and veggies in a spice, very nice touch. Also, very filling. If you're in the Midtown area check them out. It will be good time. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Shrimp Kabob plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

Frequent customer at this location over the years and like many other reviews stated here service has severely declined. Last night me and a friend came and ordered a orange head hookah and asked for water. The server approached us reasonable quick and brought us the Hookah and 2 bottles of member mark water. After that we didn't see him for another hour Once it came time to pay after presenting our method of payment and tipping we decided to look at our receipt, somehow a Orange head Hookah and 2 members mark wtaer bottles and a 18% tip was $45. Based on the menu our total should have been $20 + $1.50X2= $24 and after taxes and tip $30 at max Instead of that we were charged $20 for the hookah $3.65 for Ice for the hookah we never asked for $3.50 mandatory disposable fee $2.00 for the bottle of water $2.00 for the second bottle of water While taxes are mandatory I don't understand was is "Fees" 15% gratuity fee that should only apple to group of 4+ when it was only 2 people 18% tip We called a manager over and politely asked since gratuity is included can we have the transaction voided and we will repay without the tip and also we never asked for the ice. He tells use we smoked the hookah that had ice in it. The ice that most fridges after 2006 can make for free. He then proceeds to say he won't void it and that the menu prices have increased and aren't being shown in the present menu. Worst part of all this is the manager then allows the server to refund the mandatory gratuity from his own pockets. We declined the refund from the server as what kind of business would want a server returning a business from his own pockets. Do not come to this business you will be charged for breathing water and everything you can be charged for. The water bottles aren't even ozarka it's the members mark 40+ bottles for $3.65 Included photos for reference read more

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This is an okay place but know it's a hookah place but sits like a restaurant. Vibe is good but not super comfy - wish they had couches and lounge areas. There is a nice outside area but still chairs and tables. Watch out has they bring you bottle water without asking but it's not free - 5 bottles for $7.50. They charge for disposable tubes and for the tube toppers. They do refresh your coals. Note this is a BYOB place so people bring in handles of liquor and wine and it gets a little rowdy. They do have food you can order. Parking is a expensive if you want to valet, they quoted us $40 and didn't do it, but we parked at the open lot next to the restaurant. Also this is not in the best part of town, so park at your own risk. Staff was attentive and answered all our questions. Bathrooms were okay, but didn't really want to use it there. We didn't have any food but the hookahs were good - we had grape mint and blueberry mint. Hookahs are large so they put them on the floor. read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My roommate brought me here to try to get some similar dishes and shisha from her hometown in Egypt. We order some great food and the watermelon shisha and the aerobics was great. Some of the appetizers were a bit wrong, but tasted great regardless. The waiter gentlemen fixed it as soon as we asked about it. We were a bit swindled into paying extra for the hookah, but everything tasted great. I will say they refill the hookah without asking (an extra $7) but we're were going to be there for a while so no complaints. Overall, great food, relaxed and good service, and good vibes all around. My roommate and I will absolutely be coming back! read more

Cafe Layal Midtown - two plates of food on a table - Mediterranean Near Me - Houston, Texas

gaslit & tricked first off, the online entrance picture totally threw me off--it's not even the right place! Then, they wanted to charge $40 for valet when there's an $8 garage nearby? No way. we get there and it's loud with a not so classy crowd. a table with drunks who brought their own beer and another table w a dog who almost ran up on me. food was okay. overall 1/10. read more