Layalina Beirut Restaurant

They serve quality Middle Eastern foods at this restaurant and even have a separate section for shisha. We came with over 20 people, and although we waited some time for our food to come, when it did, we were all blown away with the quality and flavor. A++ Our server, Abdul or Abdel, was patient with all our orders, and all of them were correctly distributed. Thank you! If you are looking to come with 20+ people, it's suggested you call in advance.

December 29, 2024 on Google

The food here is amazing! Very friendly staff who helped us with the menu. Abdul was very kind and patient with us and even let us try some small portions of food before we ordered to make sure we were okay with the food. The portions are quite large and their home made hummus and garlic dip are very tasty. Overall great experience!

November 24, 2024 on Google

I had a fantastic experience here. The ambiance was inviting, and the shisha and green tea were excellent. The highlight of my visit, however, was the warm and friendly service from Dania! She made me feel right at home with her welcoming attitude and genuine friendliness, adding an extra touch to my day. Highly recommend this place for a relaxing time, and I’ll definitely be back!

November 10, 2024 on Google

Ordered uber eats the shawarma.. the chicken was super dry and basic. Also ordered greek salad that was decent. I gave them a second chance, I ordered 2 shawarmas with instructions with what to put on it, nothing extraordinary. I simply asked all vegetables and hot sauce please. I ended up getting a shawarma with Lettuce, no Sauce, french fries, stale bread.

October 5, 2024 on Google

We so loved coming to this restaurant. It was our first time the waitress Sarah was so kind and genuine. The chef Mohammed was so personable. The food was amazing.

September 8, 2024 on Google

The food was absolutely amazing! Abood made the experience fun and enjoyable. He was one of the best servers and gave excellent service. The hookahs were also very good. Would definitely recommend! Worth the 8 hour drive 😋

July 2, 2024 on Google

We visited for the first time. The man heard me speak English over the phone when I placed an order for picking up. When we arrived, the man cooking asked "do you want the shawarma done the English or Arabic way?" Confused by such an odd question, we said "do it the way you'd normally do it". Unfortunately, he chose to put fries in, which is not a good choice and not the authentic way! Fries are an odd choice - why even have that as an option at an authentic location? In short, they gave us fries in a shawarma instead of the typical authentic ingredients - and did so based on an insulting cultural assumption towards us that we "probably wouldn't like it" (you said to us: "English people do not like other way" in broken English; making the assumption that non-Arabic people are all the same - "English" - which is a blanket term you used, incorrectly, to describe non-Arabic whites). And therefore no, I do not want fries in a shawarma, not even the English would. Why do you think I went here in the first place? I went here to have the real thing - just like countless others have! I hoped to order again someday and wanted to recommend this place to my tetas and their families too. But this place was too obvious in how they treated English speaking Canadian born customers poorly - and there are other reviews that support this. The cook directly announced/assumed we were "English" and assumed that we would not like this Arabic food because of a stereotype based on our first language/appearance. If your staff think everyone who is not visibly Arabic and chooses to speak English is just "an English" (a blanket term that your cook used incorrectly to describe non-Arabic whites), I must educate them that the word "English" you used in that context is incorrect, and it actually has a correct meaning, which means "from England". First of all, I am not English...nor am I your false definition of it...I am from a multi cultural background. But maybe you are pooling us in with a stereotype because we look more like Canadian Europeans with a tan. The fact that the cook assumed that we won't like the authentic Arabic style based on our first language/appearance is a narrow minded assumption, and altering your cuisine to fit "Canadian/American/English" stereotypes will not impress people overall. Canadians of all cultures won't say it directly to you because they want to be polite and probably feel unwelcomed here and want to leave! Not all people enjoy fries, including those who fit your definition of "English" people, and many people across all cultures DO know what good Arabic food tastes like. My best friend recommended this place as she is from Jordan and has a daughter in law from Lebanon. Again - why do you think I went here and not some franchise instead? Anyway, to discuss the food and atmosphere: Was disappointed overall in the dryness of the food we ordered - I could tell that the chicken may have been good with the typical ingredients (not fries). Layalina was out of stock on beef. Then, they gave us fries in a shawarma instead of the proper way. It was not a fair portion of chicken in the naan - it was filled with 70% fries. We hoped to try the other menu items but will not likely ever return. My word of advice to you is - don't condescend others because they are not fluent in your language - it is rude and will not help your business. Word gets around. By the way, the washrooms are dirty, broken stall doors, faulty taps, and mosquitos were in the stalls. The restaurant itself has dirty couches and upholstery. If what other one star reviews are saying is also true, then this place needs new staff and standards inshallah. It is clear to me that the people who own and run this place do not care at all - and I do not believe this place passes inspections quarterly. I will be telling everyone I know that this place discriminates against others who do not appear Middle Eastern - which is an insult to Lebanon, my friends, and family. You can claim you work hard but the truth is in the details.

June 18, 2024 on Google

Coming down from Toronto just on a road trip with the family to Hamilton, Ontario led us to this wonderful Lebanese restaurant called Layalina Beirut. Was absolutely in love with our experience here as we ordered a great variety of foods from their menu including the Lentil Soup, Layalina Cocktail, Layalina Mixed Shawarma Plate, Lamb Kebab Platter, Turkish Coffee, and Assam Tea. I must say all dishes were prepared with utmost quality, freshness, and were undoubtedly delicious. We had amazing service from a team of friendly waiters including one named Abdul who gave us some great recommendations off the menu and told us about their full-fare upcoming Ramadan Buffet. The atmosphere was very clean and appeasing and food was provided in both a timely and well-presented manner. I would certainly recommend checking this place out as they have quite authentic Lebanese oriental cuisine that is unseen in common GTA Middle-Eastern Restaurants. Food was also priced at a very affordable range between $15-$30 with generous portion sizes and good amounts of protein which I have seen to lack in many other food spots. Here there was an excellence balance of meat, starch and vegetables and there were lots of healthy choices on the menu. Definitely will be recommending this place to my other fellow friends, family, and Middle-Eastern oriented connections. We will definitely return to enjoy more of this food and to try other items on their menu. Thank you to Layalina Beirut for the wonderful dinner and experience. Made our Hamilton road trip well worth it! 💜

March 10, 2024 on Google