I use to love coming to Leyla's. Unfortunately the quality of food has diminished in the last few years, and I just can't justify spending over $50 for a shawarma, tabouli & fatoosh. They use to have these really good quality signature fries that were really thin from what I remember. Now they have regular store bought fries. Also the Shawarma always falls apart and gets soggy if not eaten right away. I just remember the food being so much more flavorful and vibrant. Seems like in the process of trying to save money they sacrifice the quality of the food which is unfortunate, because I really liked going there. The people, service & atmosphere are great, but the food is now mediocre and I can buy the same meal at the food truck for half the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Franklin Sutton
One of my favorite places. Food is always excellent and the staff are always polite. Service is great as well and the owner comes by and talks to the patrons. Plenty of vegetarian options. 3 types of Hummus, Falafel, brown lintel soup, cooked or raw veggie platter with asparagus, mushrooms and carrots. Try the Lebanese beer and the Lebanese coffee. Take a date here and sit in the little window seats and enjoy the view of lower king street. 10 stars from me. I always look forward to stopping in.Vegetarian options: 3 types of humus, brown lintel soup, raw or cooked vegetables, salad
Really good lamb shank, servers were nice, but so incredibly overpriced for the quality (I’m Lebanese). Side of pita clearly not fresh nor made in house and was $6, which is surprising for how “fine dining” it advertises itself as. Won’t eat here again.Update: their response to my comment is extremely disrespectful (stating I must not be a true Lebanese individual, whatever that means). See their response below…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank
Nicholas Spencer
From the moment we stepped into Layla, we knew we were in for a treat. The ambiance was warm and inviting, setting the stage for a truly authentic Lebanese dining experience. You could tell only the finest quality ingredients were used. Every dish is also made to order adding to the freshness. We'll be back again very soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Burghart
The food was delicious…the flavor was out of this world. Our server Anthony, his mom (chef), his dad, and other family members made this night memorable——they were so friendly and social. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael F.
Overall, a good experience. What hurts this place going in, is that shawarma and falafel are essentially cheap street food. There's a handful of places in Charleston that sell this kind of food, but they're all food trucks or fast casual. So if you want this genre of food at a nice sit-down restaurant, you have to justify $32-45 a plate plus the hassle of downtown parking. Pros: service was top notch. We were really treated wonderfully. Shawarma had great flavor. Very well rounded. Leb salad was delish, bright and crunchy. Cons: we got a Mission flour tortilla instead of a homemade pita which is unacceptable at this price point. Falafel was overcooked. Should be pillowy soft, easily cut with the side of a fork, but ours spent 30 seconds too long in the fryer.
Ta L.
The food at this establishment was so utterly unbelievable. I cannot think of a time I've eaten more perfectly prepared Lebanese food, and I am Lebanese. Sweet and peaceful interior.
Matt Vaughn
Incredible Lebanese food and amazing service!Tino the bartender is the man!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shea C.
Pita was cold- looked to be store bought from the food lion. The hummus was pre made probably days ago- had no flavor. It was not creamy. The pomegranate seeds on top were a deep color from being exposed to air. The grape leaves we're not bad, owner came out and basically shamed us for not liking it. I don't know how the afford kings street location.... Seems like a front for something else.
Marlane Romanelli
The food was delicious!! It tasted just like my mom and grandma’s Lebanese food! The food was delicious, Leyla came out to introduce herself and the service was wonderful! I can’t wait to go back again!!! ??????????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Dietary restrictions: Great choices for gluten free diet!!!
Food was pretty good but the service was slow, the staff had some attitude, and it is overpriced for what you get.
Ian Iyengar
Despite wonderful attentive service, the food was pretty low quality. The chicken entree was served on 1 piece of pita, though it looked like a cheap tortilla, it was dry, and the fries were incredibly over seasoned. The place wasn't busy at all and the food still took far too long to come out. For $35+ I was very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Souvik Ghosh
Decent food; no, “great food” but pricey. All we tried was very nice. Meat was very lean which made kabob drier, however chef explained that is by choice, so no foul. I like my meat with 20% fat. Service was spot on even during busy hours. They will go extra mile to suit your needs, so a big thank you for that. Will come back if we choose to spend $200 on next dinner.
Extremely over priced for the quality of food. I’ve had far better Lebanese cuisine in a shopping mall. Do not come here and expect to eat a higher end meal. This is a complete rip off. I don’t know what people are thinking.One year later, I am still upset by how terrible my experience and that my out of town friends had to suffer through this pathetic excuse for a Lebanese restaurant.Anyone who rated this place above 2 stars , probably ate McDonald’s for breakfast.
yara younan
Was so happy to find out that this place offers amazing authentic Lebanese food. The atmosphere is very cozy, the service is impeccable, and the owners are extremely attentive to every detail. A must try in Charleston for sure!
I use to love coming to Leyla's. Unfortunately the quality of food has diminished in the last few years, and I just can't justify spending over $50 for a shawarma, tabouli & fatoosh. They use to have these really good quality signature fries that were really thin from what I remember. Now they have regular store bought fries. Also the Shawarma always falls apart and gets soggy if not eaten right away. I just remember the food being so much more flavorful and vibrant. Seems like in the process of trying to save money they sacrifice the quality of the food which is unfortunate, because I really liked going there. The people, service & atmosphere are great, but the food is now mediocre and I can buy the same meal at the food truck for half the price.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
One of my favorite places. Food is always excellent and the staff are always polite. Service is great as well and the owner comes by and talks to the patrons. Plenty of vegetarian options. 3 types of Hummus, Falafel, brown lintel soup, cooked or raw veggie platter with asparagus, mushrooms and carrots. Try the Lebanese beer and the Lebanese coffee. Take a date here and sit in the little window seats and enjoy the view of lower king street. 10 stars from me. I always look forward to stopping in.Vegetarian options: 3 types of humus, brown lintel soup, raw or cooked vegetables, salad
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Leyla Mezza Sampler, Grape Leaves, Baklava, Hummus Harra, Pita, Falafel, Lentil Soup
Really good lamb shank, servers were nice, but so incredibly overpriced for the quality (I’m Lebanese). Side of pita clearly not fresh nor made in house and was $6, which is surprising for how “fine dining” it advertises itself as. Won’t eat here again.Update: their response to my comment is extremely disrespectful (stating I must not be a true Lebanese individual, whatever that means). See their response below…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank
From the moment we stepped into Layla, we knew we were in for a treat. The ambiance was warm and inviting, setting the stage for a truly authentic Lebanese dining experience. You could tell only the finest quality ingredients were used. Every dish is also made to order adding to the freshness. We'll be back again very soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was delicious…the flavor was out of this world. Our server Anthony, his mom (chef), his dad, and other family members made this night memorable——they were so friendly and social. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall, a good experience. What hurts this place going in, is that shawarma and falafel are essentially cheap street food. There's a handful of places in Charleston that sell this kind of food, but they're all food trucks or fast casual. So if you want this genre of food at a nice sit-down restaurant, you have to justify $32-45 a plate plus the hassle of downtown parking. Pros: service was top notch. We were really treated wonderfully. Shawarma had great flavor. Very well rounded. Leb salad was delish, bright and crunchy. Cons: we got a Mission flour tortilla instead of a homemade pita which is unacceptable at this price point. Falafel was overcooked. Should be pillowy soft, easily cut with the side of a fork, but ours spent 30 seconds too long in the fryer.
The food at this establishment was so utterly unbelievable. I cannot think of a time I've eaten more perfectly prepared Lebanese food, and I am Lebanese. Sweet and peaceful interior.
Incredible Lebanese food and amazing service!Tino the bartender is the man!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pita was cold- looked to be store bought from the food lion. The hummus was pre made probably days ago- had no flavor. It was not creamy. The pomegranate seeds on top were a deep color from being exposed to air. The grape leaves we're not bad, owner came out and basically shamed us for not liking it. I don't know how the afford kings street location.... Seems like a front for something else.
The food was delicious!! It tasted just like my mom and grandma’s Lebanese food! The food was delicious, Leyla came out to introduce herself and the service was wonderful! I can’t wait to go back again!!! ??????????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Dietary restrictions: Great choices for gluten free diet!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grape Leaves
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was pretty good but the service was slow, the staff had some attitude, and it is overpriced for what you get.
Despite wonderful attentive service, the food was pretty low quality. The chicken entree was served on 1 piece of pita, though it looked like a cheap tortilla, it was dry, and the fries were incredibly over seasoned. The place wasn't busy at all and the food still took far too long to come out. For $35+ I was very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Decent food; no, “great food” but pricey. All we tried was very nice. Meat was very lean which made kabob drier, however chef explained that is by choice, so no foul. I like my meat with 20% fat. Service was spot on even during busy hours. They will go extra mile to suit your needs, so a big thank you for that. Will come back if we choose to spend $200 on next dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Knefe, Whole Fried Fish, Falafel, Mujadara
Extremely over priced for the quality of food. I’ve had far better Lebanese cuisine in a shopping mall. Do not come here and expect to eat a higher end meal. This is a complete rip off. I don’t know what people are thinking.One year later, I am still upset by how terrible my experience and that my out of town friends had to suffer through this pathetic excuse for a Lebanese restaurant.Anyone who rated this place above 2 stars , probably ate McDonald’s for breakfast.
Was so happy to find out that this place offers amazing authentic Lebanese food. The atmosphere is very cozy, the service is impeccable, and the owners are extremely attentive to every detail. A must try in Charleston for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank, Grape Leaves