Layali Restaurant مطعم ليالي - West Walk — Restaurant in Al Rayyan

Layali has been one of those names I’ve heard for the past 20 years but had never experienced — until last Thursday, when a friend invited me for dinner at their West Walk branch. I was genuinely excited to finally visit.

Surprisingly, the initial experience was disappointing. The welcome was cold, and when I was seated at an outdoor table while waiting for my friend, no one even bothered to wipe the dusty table or check on me. It made me uneasy, and I began to wonder if this had been a wrong choice.

But everything changed once my friend arrived. We ordered, moved to the top floor for shisha, and that’s when Layali truly shined. The food was amazing, the service upstairs was attentive, and we were really well taken care of. All the earlier bitterness seemed tied only to the lady who initially welcomed me — her attitude was unwelcoming, and every small request felt like a struggle.

Despite this, the overall experience was fantastic. Layali offers excellent food, great service, and a lovely atmosphere. It’s just unfortunate that one unfriendly person can leave such a black mark on an otherwise top-tier restaurant.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely — but I do hope management realizes that a warm welcome matters just as much as good food...

This Lebanese restaurant has a luxurious atmosphere with eye-catching paintings on display. The second floor is a shisha place and it was packed with customers enjoying their shisha. There’s also a terrace area like a balcony upstairs.

I got so caught up taking photos that my bread got cold, but before I even noticed, a staff member kindly brought me a fresh one. I really appreciated that thoughtful gesture.

I wanted to order the daily special but it was sold out so I went with the okra stew instead. I love the sticky texture of okra and eat it often and it paired perfectly with the lamb.

They have a great selection of both cold and hot mezze so next time I’d love to try...

Yes this is a pricey restaurant but boy is the food good. I had the fattoush salad and it was magnificent I'd love to know what dressing they put on it but it was really good. Then I had the mixed grill. For one all this food was a lot. I could have split this with somebody else and we have both been full. On top of that they offered a complimentary fruit dessert. But I had nowhere to put it. I was so stuffed. The only complaint that I have was that the beef in the mix Grill was a little bland. The chicken and the lamb were good. Chicken stuffed Pita was really really good...