by Jordan N.

My mind left my body. Maybe it was the other way around since I did sense eternal bliss.......Okay, so maybe I exaggerated, but nevertheless, Layali Miami is the BEST Middle Eastern / Lebanese restaurant I've had so far in Miami.Everything was home-style. You don't find anything here that would come across as cookie-cutter type of food (Except maybe for the starting pita chips but even so, it set this restaurant apart from the others, especially with the accompanying homemade eggplant sauce).The ambience felt very Middle Eastern inside, and it definitely sets the mood just right. It also feels very fine-dining as this place serves fine Lebanese cuisine. There is also a small "lounge" for people wanting to eat and drink on sofas.The pita bread was warm, rice with the entree came with pieces of almonds, kafta came in a shape that signifies that it was made by hand, portions were huge, and the flavor was rich.Okay, let's roll up our sleeves and talk about prices. Yes, they're "reasonable-high," yet, for this quality of food, and the similarity of prices to both Marhaba and Khoury's (both of which are full-scale Middle Eastern restaurants), this place stood out as sweet deal.Even so, there are lunch specials from 12 pm to 4 pm Monday to Friday that definitely won't set you back.Service and attention was also the best I've had. There is also belly-dancing every Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (Around 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays I believe as those nights the place closes at midnight - but call in advance to be sure). Wednesdays:Ladies drink free wine from 5 to 8 pm.Thursdays:You can learn how to belly-dance on Thursdays, but I wouldn't go as I need to eat a lot more before I can show off my belly. ;-) (Just kidding, I hope you know that!)Hookah is also available with various flavors.EDITED: The lamb was a little too salty, and too seasoned. The spanakopita was too feta-cheese strong, and the sides of the vegetables could have used more seasoning. But other than that, the restaurant still earned high marks - but i'm taking off a star.

by Carla L.

This restaurant is almost lost amongst the strip mall where it is located, but it is worth finding!  I agree with Jordan with his review, the food is excellent and their Grape Leaves are just like my daddy used to make!  Dollar for dollar the value to quality is stellar.  If you love Middle Eastern food this is one place you have to check out.

by Ravi B.

I always thought Middle Eastern places stand or fall based on how good they can make a falafel. Based on that, Layali would have been a disappointment. Their falafels were overcooked with a slight burnt quality. But, the rest of the meal made up for that, with gorgeously seasoned and juicy lamb kebobs; chicken kebobs, which was a little tougher than the lamb, but the garlic butter helped you forget; and, the excellent sides of rice/vermicelli and pickled-type onions.I have to take one star off though - the meal started with some fried pita chips and eggplant dip. While we waited for the meal, we asked for some more and they wound up charging us for it! Not cool; but, otherwise, great ambiance, and look forward to trying it out for lunch - when prices are about half of dinner prices.

by Rene S.

Just visited Layali about an hour ago and was looking forward to writing the review asap. So, you pull up to this out-of-the-ordinary location - basically a strip mall with a variety of the usual necessities - until you stumble upon a nice canopy with a nice array of furniture outdoors. Outdoors in the Miami/Doral heat? Not usually, but this place knows how to use fans and it was fine. As we approached a scent of apple and mint wafted across the parking lot. HOOKAH's!!! I digress, tasteful, authentic Lebanese interior decor, art, lamps, cool lounge/couch area. Reminded of the classic SoBe "Tantra" without the natural grass. Friendly Jerry greeted us and presented us the menu with a great selection of traditional "Mediterranean" flare. Me, however, being the cautious one at restaurants I haven't visited before simply ordered the hummus and falafel. In my opinion, every detail of the both dishes took me back to a "Holy Land' trip, that taught me to appreciate good hummus and falafel. Next couple of dishes were the Kibbe and Spanakopita (to go menu at my side for spelling) that followed the same theme of being a good value and quality dish. Five Stars were not given because I did not try any "entrees" on this visit. There will be many visits to this restaurant from me and friends. Next time the lamb, belly dance watching and Hookah. Happy to recommend!! Plus a nice diverse twist to an otherwise Central and South American stronghold. p.s. - was told that restaurant has been there for seven-years, new ownership as of two-years ago.

by Emily V.

We've been meaning to try this place forever! So, we finally did this weekend.For starters, they gave us a vinaigrette-ish sauce with vegetables and pita chips. DELISH!! We ordered the falafel and lentil soup as appetizers. The falafel was ok but the soup was SOOO good!!! I got the Kafta Combo and Zac got the Chicken Kabob. The beef in my dish was really good and well seasoned. The rice, however, was not good. So bad, in fact, that I did not eat it. Zac's chicken was good too. We were in time for the belly dancing show. We had been told my our server that it was an hour long. It was maybe 20 minutes at most. The service was good. They were very attentive and we never ran out of water. All in all, a good experience, but did not "wow" us.

by Gustavo A. L.

To my surprise, I have never written a review about this place... been coming here for years now and we are very pleased with the quality of the food and the occassional belly dancing show - Grape Leaves are just right, the kibbeh Nayeh (sp) is awesome - it raw meat - it is goood raw meat - We favor ordering a lot of appetizers and sharing with the table rather than just individual entrees, but the entrees are good and generous as well.Only minor drawback is that the service can be spotty at times, and to our surprise, it is usually when the owner is around that the service is kind of informal, nothing to fret about, they do try to be friendly and explain their menu as best as possible.We feel fortunate to have this option in our area and if you already like middle eastern cuisine this place is for you... if you haven tried it yet ... this place is for you as well.

by Stephanie L.

It pains me to give this place only three stars because I think their food is a 4 or a 5. However, the service is a 2. I went for my birthday this year (I had every other restaurant in Miami to choose from and I went to Layali because I love their food so much) and the service was terrible. This is not the first time either. The waiter took forever. I asked for hookah and he brought it mid-meal... we had wanted it before or after and had told him so. I was so frustrated by that point since he had already argued with me about my order and had been slow and seemed miserable. So when they brought the hookah I sent it back. I don't want to eat my kibbeh and have a side of pineapple smoke. The waiter got mad at us for sending it back and was very clear about it. Not cool.In the past I had some good experiences with the service but that was years ago and recently it's gone downhill. The food is still great. My grandfather was lebanese and a wonderful good so I have had my fair share of phenomenal middle eastern food. Would I say this is phenomenal? Meh. But it is really delicious.If you go here, sit inside. Outside is guaranteed bad service because they will forget about you.