Cafe Layal

by Rahiel Q.

i've come here alot, and not usually by choice. most of the time it's to meet friends because it has a chill atmosphere and pretty good food. the humus is not the best so i wouldn't really suggest ordering it, but the burgers and the fries are great, and the portions are pretty large. if you are going for the hookah don't expect the best smoke. people who have their own hookahs at home will not be impressed and will always swear that they make better at home..they have unexperienced people who make their shishas, who usually end up putting way too much tobacco and becomes harsh frequently.  service is horrible, but that is usually due to the large crowds and a staff of inexperienced waiters. one thing i really like  about the place is the way you pay. they allow you to come up to the register and you can have split checks, which is not easily available at most places. overall if you want a chill spot where you and your friends can hang out and have some good clean fun with pretty good food i would suggest coming here.

by F K.

I have no idea why people come here.  Really?  People rave about this place?  I came here one Sat night w/3 other people around dinner time.  The food was blah.  The smoke was unbearable and they didn't have any fans.  The place was dingy, but that's what you get b/c the area in general is shady.  Also, the service was nonexistent and the waiter was rude.  He was a young guy with glasses.  He finally brought us waters and took the hookah order after about 20 min.  It took the guy about 22 minutes to bring the hookahs and take food orders.  He didn't bring any hookah mouthpieces.  He finally came wayy later with tea and no food and no mouthpieces for the hookah.  By that time, the neighboring table felt sorry for us and gave us their extra mouthpieces.  We tried to get another waiter's attention, but they were all busy and did not even bother to tell our waiter to get us mouth pieces.  Finally the food came and it was horrible.  The worst hummus I've tasted in my whole life.  It's hard to mess up hummus, but these people really achieved doing that.  I would not recommend this place to anybody.

by Rahul B.

So, I've been coming here for about 5 years now (lol, update), and I'm certainly pleased to see what they've done with it over the past year or so. The service has gotten 10x better (it used to be pretty bad), while the quality of the food has maintained its solid status.I've since turned vegetarian since the time of writing my last review, and I now go to Layal regularly for their Falafel. The first time I tried it I was pleased to find it's just as good as their Chicken Shawerma. I'm still convinced this place has the best hookah in Houston. The hookah seems to be everlasting. You can suck on it for over an hour and it still maintains its flavor.Also, to address some of the other reviews, rest assured that the service has gotten MUCH better. It's faster and more friendly nowadays. They always give you mouthpieces for the hookah right away, and they're no longer stingy with their water.  I highly recommend Layal to be your next hookah stop in Houston. You won't be disappointed. I've been going to Cafe Layal for about 3 years now.I've seen it grow from a dingy looking place, to…

by Eva K.

Good place to: study                            chill out and smoke a hookah with friends                            learn and observe the Arabic culture (I'm always                            fascinated by the music videos they play)                            and get some food while engaging in one or more of the                            activities above.Service is not your typical wham-bam affair, but I've never been left hanging...  Plus I'm usually busy studying or chatting with friends to even notice the timing, and when the food comes I'm super delighted!  My absolute favorite things to order from here are "Manakeech - Saj bread" and there's a whopping choice of 6 to choose from!  Saj is a type of bread which is comparable to pita, but not as thick.  Saj refers to the iron dome shaped 'pan' the bread is made on.  It is placed over a source of heat, traditionally a wood fire, and the dough is placed on it, you can see Cafe Layal's saj when you walk in and I have put up a picture of it because it's a pretty neat looking thing.  You can get the bread with either Halloum cheese, Ackawi cheese, Zaatar which is a mixture of herbs (usually ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram) with sesame seeds and salt, Soujouk  a dry spicy beef sausage, Makanek which is non spicy lamb sausage and last but not least you can order the bread covered thickly with Labneh, yogurt cheese.  I usually like to order the Halloum one and have them add Zaatar to it. :)  A favorite lunch/dinner staple of mine is the Kafta Kabob which comes with hummus and fragrant Basmati rice, as well as the Beef Shawarma which comes with their deliciously seasoned fries.For those who do not like Middle Eastern cuisine burgers and toasted subs are on the menu as well.  I also noticed a fried seafood platter and shrimp scampi!Since this is an Arabic establishment no alcohol is served and thus they have an array of fresh-squeezed juices, my favorite being the apple-carrot mix which is popular in Poland as well! They also have a full menu of Seattle Best Coffee drinks.  Get a taste of the Aryan yogurt drink and anise.  Oooh and they have various flavors of gelato for dessert!  ;9

by Emmanuel C.

Been going here with friends on and off for the last 4 years. Usually we smoke hookah and hang out. The food is typical nothing in the menu has really caught my attention with the exception of the fruit cup, but nothing to brag about. The atmosphere is chill and lay'd back. Service could be better.

by Kris Q.

My daughter, her friend and I went to this wonderful restaurant last week. The food was great - and plentiful! I had the mixed grill for dinner; it was delicious - plus I had leftovers for the next day.I really enjoyed observing the Arabic cultural experience - lots of men (mostly) sitting around just chatting and smoking Hookah, the music videos, etc.

by Mohammed A.

Layal is a place to talk and mingle with friends. Not really a place to eat and drink. It's all about the Hookah and conversations, there aren't any really good places like this in Houston.But i will say there are a few weirdo's that come around here and try to make friends with all the younger kids that show up, sometimes its sad and sometimes its amusing. I don't ever eat anything when I'm here though, because most of the time its just a place to hang-out after dinner before the night is over(or beginning). If you want alchohol you can walk across the street to "Legends" and you might actually get a lil more than just drinks over there ;)

by Monica S.

I'm not going to lie... I only came here because it's one of like 2 hookah bars in Houston and after a night of drinking, we thought why the hell not?! Hookahs are $9.95 and last a pretty long time. We had the strawberry mint and it was wonderfully intoxicating...The entire place is very spacious and the patio is very open with lots of places to sit. Sadly, there is no alcohol sold...next time I'll have to try some food!

by Marisa F.

A few Persian friends and I (a Spaniard) went to Cafe Layal on a Sunday evening to enjoy some music, agile and decent food.The manager 'Tamer' seated our table of 8 to a broken table of one.  One broken table, few broken legs and one chair with broken arms and legs.  So we stood standing......I walked up to Tamer and asked politely if he would re seat us in the seats that he had plenty of in the middle of the venue.  He said, they were all reserved.  I offered him $20 to seat us in a better table because my friends really wanted to eat and smoke and he grabbed my $20 dollars and told me to get out!  He went to the table where we were not sitting and kicked all 8 of us out.  Why?  Some say, he got offended by me offering him $20 for a better table, he gave us a broken table of one to start off with.  Some say he is prejudice and doesn't like Americans.  Whatever his reason is...I'm not going to Layal again!I've been to many restaurants where I have tipped the hostess to seat me at a better table etc....This way my experience.  I will never go back.

by Ahmad S.

It's not right to rate this place without taking into account it's cultural context.  The real point of Layal is more of a meeting place for the Arab community.  Because of that it's about having a wide open space where people can see each other and pass the time.  Nobody is in a hurry and I doubt most people are leaving big tips, so people expecting quick attentive service should lower their expectations accordingly, and shouldn't feel bad about flagging someone down for round 2 or 3 of whatever it is that you're having.  I like the concept and I like the space, and it seemed like many good people were hanging out here, minus a few trashy guys.  Going somewhere to sit at a table for a long spell, where the company is the focus rather than the food/drink seems to be an alien concept to many people in this country but it's how I grew up and it really is good for the social lives of people of all ages.