Over the top quality food, Real authentic Syrian. Nice owners always willing to chat and come by decent lunch special prices The only weird thing is anytime you come in in the evening or nighttime they always ask " do you have a reservation ?" Like why ?? The place is pretty big not that it's slow at all but there are always some empty tables or room and this is pretty much on even on a weeknight, there's absolutely no reason to need a reservation I promise you The interior and atmosphere is incredible and from what I'm told they're starting to do belly dancing live performances on the weekends as well as a happy hour with reduced prices on the appetisers and drink drinks read more

My sister and I visited Laila while I was in Brooklyn and we had a nice experience! The staff were friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was inviting. To start, we ordered the Laila Combo, which included hummus, labneh, , and baba ghanoush, muhammara. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and paired perfectly with the warm pita bread. We would definitely order this appetizer again! The entrées are generously portioned, so we decided to share the stuffed cabbage. The lamb was delicious, and we enjoyed the lemon sauce. We would absolutely order this dish again. During our visit, there was also a belly dancer performing, which added to the fun and lively atmosphere. I only have two small critiques. First, the music during the belly dancing performance became very loud, making it difficult to have a conversation. Second, I think the stuffed cabbage could use just a little less salt. Overall, we had a yummy meal and a great experience. I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Bay Ridge! read more

Laila Restaurant - Stuffed cabbage - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Heard there is a belly dancer on Friday and Saturday, and was able to enjoy a meal with a belly dancing performance. We got there around 8:30pm, and I was worried we missed the performance but the belly dancer came up around 9pm after we sat down and ordered and it was such a great performance with an amazing dancer that went around to each table. She danced with one of the tables where everyone got up and there was a group dancing. We ordered the mix grill and calamari for food, and I ordered a peroni to go with my friend while my friend ordered a hot tea. Overall, it was a great evening with a Serbian flair that was both yummy and exciting. read more

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First time trying Laila and I am definitely coming back. Our servers were extremely hospitable accomodation requests. We got a special family style serving based off a prior Yelp photo I showed. I also loved the music playing and the server even found the set for me on YouTuve All of the food here is 10/10!!! The baba gagnough was smooth tasty. Then we had the mixed grill family style plus chicken shawarma which also came with rice and fries. All meat was delectable and cooked to perfection. Best chicken shawarma wrap I have had and best garlic sauce !!! Portions generous and prices good! A definite Bay Ridge try. read more

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10 10 10, I've never had Syrian food, but it is now on my list as a fav! I'm a branzino snob and this was probably top 3 best branzinos I've ever had, it was certainly the best calamari I've ever had, they melted with every bite, the shrimp was so buttery and flavorful. Can't wait to return read more

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. read more

Laila Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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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! read more

Laila Restaurant - Fatoush - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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! read more

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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! read more

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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 read more

Laila Restaurant - Mixed grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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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. read more

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Ambiance : 5/5 there is belly dance on certain days. It was a good experience. The waiter is nice and the owner came to greet us. Food 3/5 : the one we had was not the best but it's good consider it's in Brooklyn. Would I come back? Maybe just for the belly dance but I wouldn't come back for the food. Maybe I need to try another dish. read more

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 read more

Laila Restaurant - Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Delicious food, Excellent Customer Service, Comfortable atmosphere, and a wonderful floor show!

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

Laila Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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! read more

Laila Restaurant - Laila Combo Dips, Chicken Shawarma, Fatoush Salad, Calamari, Laila Mixed Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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 read more

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This Syrian spot is a gem! The salad is fresh and has a nice minty kick to it, which we loved. The hummus was super creamy and flavorful; I feel like I could have it everyday. We tried the chicken shawarma and fries, both were solid, but the real winner for me was the spicy kebob. Everything is packed with flavor and just the right amount of spice. The rice is also amazing, because it has these tiny bits of pasta (Vermicelli). To die for. They've got a solid wine list that pairs well with everything, including signature cocktails. And, their desserts are incredible (especially the chocolate mousse, paired with espresso - yummm). Last but not least, the service is great. The waitress was so sweet and attentive. I've been here twice so far, but missed the belly dancer both times. I'll def need to return for that experience! This is definitely in my top 5 best restaurants of Bay Ridge. Highly recommend. read more

I just had one of the best meals I've had in awhile here, I ordered the beef shawarma entree with fries and cheese borek and everything tasted incredible I'm seriously impressed this is my first time trying Syrian food and I'll definitely be back. The service was great as well as the setting, all in all it was a 10/10 experience thank you for this fine establishment. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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I've been here quite a few times and I was very disappointed in the service. Maybe since it was a Saturday night but the waitress was not attentive at all. She disregarded my son and never placed his order or brought him a drink. Our food came out but she didn't even put his order in. When I asked about the chocolate cake that was party of the menu, she agreed it was a lava cake when I asked. I took my dessert to go cause I was aggravated with the service. I get home and it's chocolate mousse not lave cake. The bottom line, gratuity was included regardless so she didn't care to give such poor service. I could see if it was busy but it wasn't. It was honestly very disappointed since I've always had such great service. Do better! read more

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. read more

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Horrible food - ordered kids shish kebabs and fried calamari. All went to garbage. French fries was soaked in the oil, not sure when they changed their oil because fries were black. Fried calamari was awful, mushy, and wet. Never again. read more

Insane! So delicious so fresh! We got the mezze platter and meat platter and hot appetizer platter everything was so delicious ! Our waitress was super sweet ( Georgian? ) sorry I don't remember her name but she was amazing and everything she recommended was delicious , would def return read more

The food was amazing. Great wine selection. Friendly owner and fabulous service. Overall, was super impressed and very happy to find a new middle eastern restaurant. read more

We had a great ladies brunch We felt so welcomed food and service was great cant wait to go back read more

Laila Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The people that work there are very nice. The food for dinner was much less impressive. Ambience is very nice. Beautiful location. There is much better Syrian food in Bay Ridge. read more

I really wanted to like this place. The bartender/employee who took my order was genuinely polite--he even offered me a seat and a seltzer while I waited, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, the food didn't live up to the experience. I ordered a chicken shawarma platter, but it ended up being more like a sandwich with fries. The chicken itself was dry, bland, and chewy. Instead of the expected tahini, it came with a small container of a gelatinous garlic mayo that just wasn't appealing. The fries were also disappointing--greasy, mushy, and wet. It's a shame, because the restaurant looks great and the staff was very friendly. I don't order takeout often, so this was especially disappointing. Sadly, I don't think I'll be returning. read more

I see these other reviews, and wow you would think this place sucks - but look at the pictures of the people writing these reviews - these non ethnic park slope wannabes know nothing about Syrian food, I go every year to Syria to visit family. This is the most authentic best Syrian food you will get at a restaurant in the US. The portions are huge and the prices are fair- just look at the quality of the food and the amount. Staff is super nice and helpful. This is the kinda place you sit down and eat with friends and family. Best of the best a welcome addition to bay ridge since all the Arabic food there now is not for Arabs. I cannot recommend this place enough- you have to try it. Dine in for the full experience read more

I'm not sure what the negative reviews are about. I have been coming here since they opened. I am Syrian and this food is as authentic as my mom's homemade cuisine. The food is consistently good. The space is gorgeous and the staff is so friendly. I highly recommend the fattoush salad , the muhamara , the chicken kabob platter , French fries. All the traditional dishes are delicious. read more

Not good service and food is unimpressive. Truly a disappointment because I love Laila in Staten Island. It was my littler brother's birthday and we wanted to give Laila in Bay Ridge a try. And oh boy was it bad. We ordered in two segments, first were my parents and little brothers and then my older brothers and I ordered. Our server forgot the second batch of orders! And left us without any assurance or acknowledgement throughout us waiting OVER AN HOUR. We literally were left hanging thinking our food would come at anytime but it never did. It wasn't until we grabbed the inattentive waiter's attention and asked about our order. He said he never put it in the order to the kitchen. Honest mistake, but truly disappointed and the cause of us not going again. He gave us two pieces of cheesecake, and honestly they were "satisfactory" at all. Pains me because I have stood by Laila for a while now, but unfortunately they dropped the ball here. Food wise, none of us enjoyed our food. Mine was especially underwhelming, I forgot the name of the dish but it was two kebabs and fried cheese. Very sour and salty cheese. Also, I had mentioned to the waiter that I wanted fries instead of rice and after waiting almost 2 hours for my food, he brought out my food with rice. To his credit, he fixed it immediately but honestly I was done at that point. Ambiance is impressive and was nice decorative but such a massive let down. Hope they either train that server or do some major changes. read more

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We've been to this restaurant many times and always enjoyed the food--but this last visit was very disappointing. The music was no stop and unbelievably loud, making it impossible to have a conversation. We were served only two entrees dishes but were charged for four, totaling $152. Since we were a large group, we didn't want to hold everyone up by disputing every item, so we just paid the bill and left. What was most surprising was the $20 corkage fee per bottle of wine. We've never been charged for corkage before, and no one mentioned it when we made the reservation. That should've been communicated in advance. Sadly, with all these issues, I don't think we'll be coming back. ‍ read more

Great food, great service, great ambiance. The best Arabic food in NYC! We always make the trip there when we want to impress a visitor.

Such good food here it's addictive. I've been coming here since September. I love the decor inside. The service is good as well. I Just recently saw the belly dancing show that they have on friday/saturday night and it was a nice experience. I recommend this restaurant. read more

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Amazing place! Very good crevice everyone is very attentive ! The food is delicious and fresh! Will be back read more

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Best Syrian food I've had. Meat seasoned and charred well. Their fries and dips are phenomenal too. Got the lunch special came with entree cold app and salad read more

Just tried this place for the first time, the food was absolutely delicious. The spreads and pie combos were the perfect appetizer. The mixed meat entree was so good. The drinks were top notch. The service at this place was good, it was busy. The place itself is great. The flowers all over, the Mediterranean vibe is perfect. They even had a belly dancer which made you feel like you were traveling to Syria. All in all, great experience and we will be going back. read more

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Outstanding! Everything is made to perfection and always fresh. I've been there 3 times and I will definitely come again. Thank you for a great service. read more

Laila Restaurant is Beautiful and very Clean. The Food is Freshiest-Tastiest-Yummyiest. LOVE IT.