Leyalina — Restaurant in Melbourne

The moment I stepped into this Egyptian culinary sanctuary in the heart of Melbourne, I was greeted by the intoxicating aroma of authentic Egyptian cuisine, reminiscent of the lively streets of Cairo. The restaurant, adorned with intricately detailed Egyptian decor, exudes an atmosphere that is both charming and intimately homely.

From the light, crisp falafel, to the delicately spiced koshari, every dish is a delightful exploration of Egyptian flavours. The dips and kebda iskandirani is another must-try - its homemade essence radiates through each bite, whisking you away to a traditional Egyptian kitchen.

One of the stars of the dining experience is the warm and hospitable owner. His passion for his native cuisine is unmistakable and resonates in each meticulously crafted dish. With his jovial nature and personal touch, you feel more like an honored guest in a family home than a customer in a restaurant.

The ambiance is pure magic. The subtle lighting, the warm hues of the walls adorned with Egyptian motifs, and the soft, traditional music playing in the background complete the enchanting Egyptian dining experience. It's like stepping through a portal right into a cosy dining room in Cairo.

In conclusion, this Egyptian restaurant offers not just a meal, but an immersive and delectable journey through Egypt’s rich culinary heritage right in the heart of Melbourne. Its remarkable blend of homemade recipes, heartfelt service, and the charming Cairo-like ambiance make this spot a must-visit. This is more than just a restaurant - it's a home away from home for every lover of authentic...

I would highly recommend Leyalina if you're expecting great service, tasty Egyptian food and a nice ambience.

Having never been before, I found Leyalina through Google Reviews, decided to give it a go and I was glad I tried it. Especially since I had to make sure it was halal, had decent vegetarian and meat options for the group I was booking for. I booked a table for 19 people for a friend's birthday and all of them only had positive things to say about the restaurant.

I had the mixed grill and my partner orders the lamb tagine. I was satisfied with my portion size. Both dishes were yum! I would definitely order both again.

Nader, the restaurant owner, reached out to me and offered their banquets but my group were not keen and they decided they wanted ala carte. We had discussed beforehand (Prior to ordering) that if the food came out staggered, given our large group that we would be okay with that. To our surprise, everyone's food more or less came out at the same time and the dishes were very consistent across the board for taste and appearance for 19 pax.

Service was great! They were very prompt with taking our orders and addressing any queries. The staff offered to split the orders via tables, which made splitting the bill between 19 easy.

The decor at Leyalina is very inviting and it was clean. Parking was ample on the street and it's not too far from the city, if you're deciding to go via public transport and happy to take...

Went here for dinner tonight - what started as a good night unfortunately ended with a very poor experience.

We ordered the banquet - the first 3 courses were excellent, the main course was very flavourful and excellent. It was at this point that things went downhill and never recovered.

We waited an inordinately long period of time for the last course (dessert) to only be told it had not been put through and once it was finally put through it was another 45 minutes before we finally received the desserts - after 3 queries of staff. It was during this point that service was appalling as well, with the wait staff member more interested in chatting away pretty much the 2+ hours we were there, with her sister who was also dining there. Took us multiple attempts to get her or anyone else's attention for even a glass of water, which they happened to clear off our table even though we were waiting for our desserts to be served.

When I spoke with them at payment, they blamed the kitchen staff when in fact the whole crux of this was the dessert order was not put through and that wait staff were more interested in chatting the whole night with family whilst on shift.

What started as a very pleasant evening ended on a very sour note and will not be...