Lyla Bombay — Restaurant in Mumbai

Visited Lyla on a peaceful Tuesday evening. It was supposed to be a date night and thankfully, the place did not disappoint. Always a relief when your plans to impress don’t end in roadside momos.

We got there around 7 PM, and the place was relatively empty. Great because, like true romantics, we showed up with no reservation and a lot of hope.

The attendant promptly escorted us to our seats. The vibe? Just right for a date; dim lighting (but not "can’t-read-the-menu" dim), and music that politely muffled nearby conversations without requiring you to shout across the table.

Lyla serves Spanish food with a Californian flair. The best way to go about this menu is to order generously, sip slowly, and pretend you understand the nuance behind “Californian spin.”

The Tequila Lime Chicken Wings? Excellent. Juicy, zesty, and the kind of wings that make you question why you ever settled for the bland ones elsewhere. The Baja Fish Tacos paired surprisingly well with our drinks: a stiff Old Fashioned (because subtlety is overrated) and a Margherita that was doing its job just fine.

The mains held up, too. Special mention to the Florida Cubano, which managed to be comforting and interesting at the same time much like the ideal dinner companion.

But the showstopper? The Big Apple. A deconstructed apple pie that had clearly done some soul-searching. Imagine wine-poached apple, a velvety cream cheese filling, a crumbly crust, and a silken custard. Absolute chef’s kiss.

Service was smooth, polite, and efficient. Nobody hovered, nobody forgot us.

Will definitely be returning, hopefully for the much-hyped Sunday Brunch. Hopefully it wouldn't be just another overcrowded eggs-sourdough-avocado party like most in this...

We visited Lyla for dinner on Friday night, I was a bit afraid after reading a few reviews that mentioned they had to wait half an hour or an hour more to secure a table even after reservation. Although, we got our table within 5-10 minutes. Talking about the ambience, this place is extremely beautiful and a perfect place to go out for dinner, the interiors are really captivating. We started off with the Grande Nachos which was a 5/5. We couldn't have asked for anything better, we also called for the Bean and Cheese Taco. A bit spicy but again a banger. The only flaw I saw here was the portion size was less in terms of the price they were charging, it was just two tacos per portion. The last dish we had came off as a surprise to us, it was the Salsa Verde Vegan Rice Bowl, the tofu in the rice bowl is the best I have had. The dishes were perfect to satisfy our taste buds. The only reason I am not giving a 5 and giving a 4 is the cocktails. We ordered two cocktails and a mocktail. Another one - Tequila,Mango, Avocado water and Spice Mix - the spice was too much to take and on request even when the bartender tried to make it less spicy it wasn't great. The other we ordered was Gold rush - Tequila, Red wine and Crushed Pineapple with Black Pepper. The red wine took over the taste of Crushed Pineapple and Tequila. The taste didn't come out well. For a mocktail we ordered the Elder Flower Spritz - this was good and refreshing but not something exceptional. Overall, we had a great time and the food was top notch, even the service was really good, tables were cleared within time and everything was taken care of. I would definitely recommend Lyla for a nice...

Lyla - A Disastrous Brunch Experience

I visited Lyla for brunch today and unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. The service was shockingly poor, and the staff displayed a complete lack of professionalism.

The experience began with a staff member dropping an entire tray of drinks on me. Not only was I soaked in drinks, but there were shards of glass on my clothes and in my hair. What made this worse was the lack of immediate concern or apology. Eventually, someone muttered a half-hearted, “Apologies for this,” in the most casual tone—as if nothing serious had happened.

Trying to be understanding, I chalked it up to human error and decided to stay. But things only went downhill from there. Our drink orders were wrong not once, but twice. Still, we chose to overlook it. Then, unbelievably, another staff member dropped sunflower seeds on us. Again, no real apology or accountability.

When we finally spoke to the manager, his response was equally disappointing. He said he had “just joined his shift” and didn’t know what had happened. When we informed him that we wouldn’t be paying—given we hadn’t even begun our meal and our drinks were barely touched—he walked away to speak with the staff. I watched them giggling as if the entire situation was a joke. The manager returned and said, “You don’t need to pay, but please do visit again.”

Visit again? After being treated so poorly, ignored, and even mocked? The sheer audacity and lack of customer care are appalling. I strongly advise against visiting this place and will be sharing this experience with others. Needless to say, I will not...