Lyla — Restaurant in Dallas

Sometimes you hope businesses fail. And this one surely will per Kharmatic theory. It fails on so many levels. Parking was barely noticeable for valet, so then you're option is the pay lot that wants $18 for 2 hours. Obviously not the restaurants fault on that, but is for the improper parking plan in the first place. Upon scuttling across the busy street, we were met with an amateur photo shoot in progress at the main door... Hosted by the Security on site, which was even stranger that security engages in Instagram photo moments. Upon entry the Hostess didn't bother to acknowledge new comers. She was much more concerned with gossiping and being caddy with the other 2 hostesses than her job set. She would be well suited for a model talent search for wealthy entrepreneurs looking for their sugar baby. Restaurant front of house, not her forte. Open finally being acknowledged by an assistant hostess we were taken to our table. The environment was pretty, however extremely uncomfortable. They apparently wanted to increase the capacity and stick 2 minuscule tables in the middle of the main walk way. When asked to be seated in a 'normal' location out of the walk way, we were quickly rebuffed and told they were all reserved. Since we had reservations, this was adverse to that logic. Hence during our 2 hour proceeding dinner there was never anyone actually seated at the 2 of those tables. The waitress finally addressed us after 15 or so minutes, and was also not pleased to be here. Ordered one of their signature cocktails that was weirdly less than a standard drink serving as the glass was barely full. For $12 you expect the actual serving. It was a cross between theraflu and triaminic in flavor. After sending back, I requested a standard lemon drop. That as well was above the bartenders skill set. Now the nitty gritty, the food. Appetizers we ordered truffle fries and cauliflower. Both were cooked to temp, the flavor however was terrible. There was an uneven serving size as the fries were a loaded bowl and the cauliflower was approx 6 time pieces. For $12 a proper serving size is expected. And flavor would be nice. They dumped some turmeric on it and broiled it. Dinner entrees were Lamp Chops and Spaghetti pasta dish. Lamp Chops at premium prices need to be that. Additionally most are 6 small chops or 3 larger. They instead chose to deliver the smallest 3 lamb chops known to man...and charged almost $50. You make some concession if they tasted amazing. Which they also did not. The strange accompaniment of squash mash..was different but not in a good way. No side accompanied this premium dish, so we added the carrots which was 4 miniature carrots, burnt..and tasted like they were rolled in charcoal then basted and broiled. The spaghetti dish we requested to add chicken, which was served on a plate by itself and not actually on the entree. The spaghetti was dry, flavorless, and even Mediterraneans would be embarrassed to serve this. Lastly tried the hazelnut dessert. The only nut aspect was rolled on the outside and neither the chocolate or nut decided to show up for the event. Bland and boring. $285 later we had consumed approx 12 fries. 6 cauliflower. 1 fork of spaghetti. 1 bite of chicken. 2 lamb chops. Dreadful display of any culinary admonition. All Mediterraneans should take offense to even including themselves in their wheelhouse. Looking forward to the next restaurant they are...

Disappointing Experience at Lyla: Aesthetic Vibes Overshadowed by Inconsistent Service

I recently celebrated my birthday at Lyla. I was initially drawn to the restaurant by its chic aesthetic and glowing reviews on TikTok. The decor and ambiance lived up to expectations – it's visually stunning and makes for a lovely backdrop. However, my actual experience left me feeling frustrated, largely due to several incidents that felt like microaggressions and inconsistent treatment.

First off, Lyla has a lot of rules: no flash photography, no outside birthday cakes or gifts, a strict dress code, etc. These are clearly listed in the reservation confirmation and are posted around the restaurant, so we were mindful to follow them. Since the restaurant is quite dimly lit, I asked the hostess if I could use my portable light to take a quick picture in a quiet corner, and she gave me permission. However, within moments, the manager, Louis, came over and told us to put the light away. When I explained that I’d asked for permission, he was indifferent and insisted we stop. I complied, but it felt dismissive. Later in the evening, I noticed another group of women using an even larger light in the same spot – right next to Louis – and he said nothing to them.

A second frustrating moment happened when we tried to take another photo by the Lyla sign. This time, we didn’t use any extra lighting. As we were setting up, Louis came over and asked us to step aside so another group could take their picture since “their Uber was waiting.” There was no courtesy in asking if we were in a hurry, which made the encounter feel even more dismissive.

As for the service, it was unfortunately lacking. Our server was polite but often absent for long stretches, barely checking on us throughout the evening. It felt like there was minimal effort, and when we received our checks, we noticed that gratuity was already added – possibly explaining the inattentiveness. Despite making a birthday reservation, I didn’t receive the birthday dessert that was supposed to come with it, adding to my disappointment.

While the food was decent, it was overpriced for the quality and service provided. Lyla’s aesthetic is beautiful, but the experience and customer service didn’t match the atmosphere. I don’t see myself returning, especially not for a special occasion. The vibe is nice, but if you go, be aware that it’s extremely dimly lit in the evening, making photos a challenge without additional lighting.

In summary, while Lyla looks like a great spot on social media, my experience didn’t live up to the hype due to the inconsistent service and an unwelcoming atmosphere. I really wanted to like this restaurant but won't...

Me and my girlfriend scheduled a reservation tonight (05/12) at 9pm. When we arrived at the host stand there was no one there. We waited there for about 5-6 minutes before finally getting seated outside in the patio. From there on out slow and bad service became the theme. There were maybe 3 waiters doing the whole restaurant. The guy that was serving us came outside once every 15-20 minutes so refills were very very slow.

We ordered an appetizer of truffle fries and luckily they were on sale for the Monday happy hour all day, because they were nothing special. I’d rather have fast food fries. The garlic sauce that it comes with had zero flavor to add either. Dissapointed we still waited for our meal which took another 25 minutes or so after the appetizer came out. (We ordered both at the same time, requesting the food come out afterwards but 25 mins for fries??)

We each ordered the truffle pepperoni pizza and once they had made it to our table I will say there was a large amount of grease on top of the pizza. After tasting it I can genuinely say the cheap $7 large pizza from anywhere else is miles better. The sauce was average at best, the cheese was meh, the pepperoni was definitely cheap. The only thing that came out well was the crust, which you can get at many other sit down type pizza restaurants.

We were sitting, full, waiting around so we can leave the disappointing dinner we were excited for based on false hope from tiktok, for about 20 minutes with no waiter coming by, no ticket, no refill, no nothing. I had to get up and walk into the building and get the bartenders attention and tell him we were ready for the ticket and the to go box. We were both ready to leave.

The atmosphere isn’t bad and it’s very upscale looking. The dress code is silly because they let just about anything slide if it’s not explicitly said in the rules. And while sitting outside there was a group of women who were extremely loud. I didn’t feel I should have to complain to a waiter that never came around at a restaurant this expensive and “high end.”

Overall, will never come back. Can get better pizza at little ceasers and fries at McDonald’s. The alcohol I ordered was absolutely disgusting I’ve even forgotten the name. Yes the building is aesthetically pleasing, but the wait isn’t, and it’s even bad enough the table across from us started to complain about the service as well. Here on a trip in Dallas, and very dissatisfied and disappointed in wasting a chance to try some local food on this place. 2/5 stars. DON’T...