Layla — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Appalling in all aspects. 1 star on all grades may appear crude, however it is deserved.

Arrived at 6pm on a Tuesday.

1st. We were the only customers in the courtyard, and had to raise our voice to speak over the music 2nd. Given one drinks menu with 25 pages between four people. A couple minutes later asked if we were ready to order drinks. We said no, and instead of giving us more menus the staff left and came back a few minutes later asking again. 3rd. When given two food menus, the server later came back and gave another two menus. Not explaining that on the backside had a set menu option and the concepts of the venue. 4rd. The flat bread at $12 a piece. This small round that is recommended at one per two persons, is comparable to the pizza base found in freezer section, but smaller and drier. 5th. Starters and entree arrived at the same time. 6th. After having a hard time getting the attention of staff to enquire on the mains, which took over 20 minutes (on a quiet night). 7th. What's the point of having MB5 wagyu when it is cooked to a jerky and charred with a blow torch? Yes the gas flavout was distinct. 8th. Herbs on the chicken had grit. When raised with the som/MD/manager figure, he told the kitchen and came back saying "the head chef washed the herbs himself at 6pm". Not even an apology. Fact remains and we pushed the herbs aside. 9th. Rice was hard. 10th. Seasonal leaf is a drunks mans caesar salad with only leaf and dressing. 11th. Seasonal greens was over fried brussel sprouts. 12th. It took staff a lengthy duration and three trips back and forth to make pay payment. 13th. We did not finish the mains and side. Despite the a senior team member noticing our dismay, he left it unchecked. Lastly. Following payment and attempting to leave, two waitstaff began to clear the table. Having us seat uncomfortably as we tried to exit.

Marketed as an upper class venue. Layla has much to improve on.

Credit to the young man with the afro on his attempts to provide high levels of service. I believe it was his 2nd week after weeks...

Extremely disappointed.

While the venue itself was lovely and the food had potential, the overall experience fell flat — and frankly, left us frustrated. Presentation of the dishes was impressive, but the flavours were all over the place and didn’t come together in a cohesive way.

Sadly, things only got worse from there. Service was slow, drinks took far too long, and most frustratingly, our server failed to mention an important detail: the restaurant was booked back-to-back, and our table was limited to a 2 hour and 15 minute seating.

We finished our mains and asked for the dessert menu. Only after bringing it to us were we suddenly told that our time was up and another party was waiting. We were told we could still order desserts and drinks — but would have to take them outside, in the pouring rain and cold.

This left a really sour taste. Something as simple as a heads-up at the beginning — “just so you know, due to a full booking tonight, we recommend ordering desserts with your mains” — would have made all the difference. This lack of communication felt dismissive and disrespectful.

We weren’t lingering, nor were we wasting time — we were ordering food, ordering drinks, and ready to continue enjoying our evening. Instead, it was abruptly cut short.

What was meant to be a special dinner with friends ended up feeling rushed, awkward, and disappointing....

We had an incredible evening—the food was exceptional from start to finish. The swordfish was a standout dish: perfectly cooked and bursting with flavour. The whipped kanafeh dessert was a close second—sweet, textural, and a perfect finish. Even the entrees were amazing, with every bite rich in flavour. The rice served with the mains was beautifully fragrant, and the lamb was incredibly moist and tender.

However, our experience ended on a slightly bitter note—not because of the food or service, but due to confusion around the pricing. The Premium Feed Me Feast was listed at $135 pp with an optional drinks pairing at $95 pp, but the way it was worded made it seem like $135 included drinks and $95 was without. Because of that, we added an extra main, assuming the tasting menu would be on the smaller side. While everything was delicious, we ended up overly full and caught off guard when the bill arrived.

If I had understood the pricing correctly, I would’ve much rather chosen drinks from the menu myself—the wine pairing unfortunately wasn’t to our liking, and I think we would have enjoyed making our own selections more.

A quick clarification from staff or clearer pricing on the menu could have saved us from over-ordering. That said, the quality of the food speaks for itself, and we’d absolutely return—just with a better understanding of the...