Lyla's Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls

Gordon Ramsey recently visited here to record an episode of either Kitchen Nightmares or Secret Service. As of writing this, the episode has yet to air. But he left the restaurant with a brand new menu and redisgn. I had never heard of this place until Gordon had stopped here even though we have eaten at others nearby. I will say the new me u crafted by Gordon is exceptional. The fritters we began with are beyond good. The grilled cheese was a surprising standout because of the very deep and rich tomato soup it comes paired with. The chicken shawarma was very well seasoned. The concept of this resurant seems to be mixing classic dinner foods with Mediterranean elements. Which i think is exciting and new. I do hope they keep this new menu and concept going. I'm very interested in going back and trying the many other items Gordon introduced here. Everyone needs to run and try this place. The prices are beyond reasonable for the quality of food. Parking is simple with a large lot out front. It also seems to have a patio next to it, even though it doesn't seem to be in use. The restaurant is also warm and inviting with a very friendly staff when facing guests. But I did notice some arguments amongst staff, much like you would see on one of Gordon's shows. But don't let that stop you from coming here as long as they maintain this quality, it will rival any restaurant on...

The staff was friendly but to be honest our server had a dirty shirt on with holes in it. Then the booth had a past drip of something white on the seat and the other side of the booth had something on it too. In the middle of a pandemic I had higher expectations of cleanliness. It quite turned me off because I was worried about what the kitchen looked like if that was the dining room and what customers saw. I’ve worked as a server and we had to wipe down all the booths every night. This place could use a good deep cleaning then regular cleaning by the staff. The food was pretty good but the whole time I was worried about the cleanliness of where it was prepared. To be fair the other server had on a clean shirt but it wasn’t who served us. I might have overlooked the booths a bit more of the server had been more presentable. Then again, who knows, we came in at 11 am, she could have had a spill earlier that morning....I would give this place another try hoping it...

(For context, I went here the same week they reopened after the renovation.)

I had the croissant sandwich, and it just might be my favorite sandwich I’ve ever eaten. I’m usually not a sausage person, but this one was stellar.

The dessert was great. It wasn’t too sweet and was pretty cheese forward so it won’t be for everyone. But it was definitely for me and I’m craving it again already.

However, from the moment I came in to the moment I left, there was palpable tension among the staff. They were nothing but polite to me. But listening to their jabs about each other and recent changes was uncomfortable.

That being said, I gave this place 5 stars because the food really is that good. I’ll definitely be going back to do what I can to support...