Laili

Name: Laili
Address: 101B Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA, United States, 95060
Telephone: (831) 423-4545
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.6

4.6

2671 Reviews

$30 and under

Mediterranean

Top Tags:

***** Laili Restaurant is now open for takeout and delivery orders. Wednesday- Saturday, 4pm - 8pm. We will be opening out seating and reservations soon so stay tuned for updates.

Rich Mediterranean Flavors with a Unique Afghan Twist in the Heart of Downtown Santa Cruz.

Currently taking reservations for dinner only, 7 days a week, from 4pm-8pm.

Laili is our expression of love through food and service. We offer a unique menu made up of fusion Afghani Mediterranean items that include kabobs, wraps, flatbreads, pastas, and spiced lamb and chicken dishes as well as delicious vegetarian options.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Oct 3, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 28 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Cuisines
Mediterranean, Afghan
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(831) 423-4545
Website
http://www.lailirestaurant.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
101B Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Cross street
Pacific Avenue
Parking details
Take advantage of free parking located on River Street at Front Street. In addition to metered street parking, there is also a parking lot at Front Street and Soquel and also at Locust Street and Pacific Avenue.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

Mediterranean plate$13.00
hummus, tabbouleh, babaghanoush, cucumber yogurt
Maush-awa soup$12.00
3 bean soup with braised lamb, qurut yogurt
Vegetarian Maush-awa soup$11.00
3 bean soup, qurut yogurt
Kadoo boranee$13.00
butternut squash, garlic, qurut yogurt, mint
Bolani$12.00
crispy flatbread filled with your choice of spinach or butternut squash

Salads

Add: Chicken $8, Grilled Prawns $10

Mixed greens$10.00
pomegranate seeds, cardamom-herb dressing
Moroccan beet salad$14.50
turmeric, coriander, marinated beets, wild arugula, goat cheese
Cilantro caesar salad$12.00
romaine, cilantro, mint, parmesan, house made naan crisps
- Half$12.00
- Full$16.00
Greek salad$13.00
romaine, feta, kalamata, tomato, cucumber, onion, lemon vinaigrette
- Half$13.00
- Full$17.00
Spinach salad$9.00
pickled onion, candied walnuts, seared halloumi, balsamic vinaigrette
- Half$9.00
- Full$14.00

Wraps and Flatbreads*

Veggie wrap$14.00
hummus, wild arugula, cucumbers, tomato, red onion
Saffron chicken wrap$17.00
wild arugula, tomato, red onion
Lamb wrap$19.00
wild arugula, tomato, red onion
Eggplant parmesan flatbread$16.00
caramelized onions, fresh tomato sauce, qurut yogurt, mint
Grilled chicken flatbread$17.00
parmesan, apricot chutney, medjool dates, pomegranate, mint
Pear gorgonzola flatbread$16.00
caramelized onion, balsamic reduction, microgreens

Entrees

Lamb burger$20.00
tomatoes, red onion, mint aioli, swiss cheese, roasted potatoes, green salad
Arugula pesto$19.00
house made pasta, sundried tomato, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts
Salmon pasta$25.00
house made fettuccine, creamy tomato basil sauce, capers
Braised lamb pasta$24.00
house made fettuccine, tomato cream sauce, zucchini, green onion
Pomegranate eggplant$20.00
saffron basmati rice, chard, caramelized onion, qurut yogurt
Roasted cauliflower$20.00
chickpeas, tomato ginger sauce, saffron basmati rice, salata
Pomegranate chicken kabob$24.00
saffron basmati rice, arugula
Garlic lime beef filet kabob$29.00
saffron basmati rice, arugula
Lamb kabob$33.00
saffron basmati rice, arugula
Trout$24.00
lemon, parsley, garlic, saffron basmati rice, salata

Lunch Combo

Two of the following items $11, All three of the following items $15

Bolani
butternut squash or spinach
Maush awa soup
with lamb or vegetarian
Mixed greens

What 2,671 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Overall
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Food
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Service
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Ambiance
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Value
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Good for business meals
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Innovative
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Good for groups
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Healthy
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Romantic
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Most Booked

2,671 Reviews

H
Halley77
Atlanta Metro
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Loved the place! Food amazing. Service was amazing will come back
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SS
StanS
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
overall4food5service5ambience3
everything was excellent, but it was LOUD. (our table aas near kitchen. When you go, ask for outdoor table or far from kitchen.
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JD
JohnD
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
The Secret Garden is equivalent to the best atmosphere in dining when in the middle east or Turkey. The lamb kebob was tender, juicy and most flavorfull being accompanied by the 3 sauces. The servers were most attentive and polite.
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DL
DeniseL
Central Coast
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food and service was exceptional. Looking forward to going again soon
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DB
DianeB
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall5food5service4ambience5
The natural and peaceful beauty of the outdoor area is a gem, and the delicious food compliment each other, thank you.
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LN
LiNu
San Francisco
7 reviews
vip
4.0
7 reviews
Dined on September 24, 2023
overall4food3service3ambience5
Kitchen overcooked my filet mignon skewers. The manager didn’t make me feel good about sending in back, even trying to convince me the meat was medium rare when clearly the meat was medium well.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Hawaii
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 24, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
My family and I were delighted by the delicious Mediterranean food full of complex flavors, excellent service and beautiful atmosphere. We'll definitely return.
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B
Bangorkid
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Two friends and I visited Laili’s Saturday for lunch and reserved a seat on their beautiful patio. Traffic was unexpectedly heavy getting into Santa Cruz so I called from my car and let them know all 3 of us were stuck in traffic. There was no problem at all. The hostess simply re assigned us to arrive at 1:00. Very accommodating! We were each seated promptly as we arrived. Our server took our appetizer order and soon brought us kadoo boranee; baked squash with flatbread, yogurt sauce and a seasoned olive oil. So delicious! She then advised us that the table of 25 was about to order their food and would we like to place our order before or after them. We decided to order our main dishes before. Great service! My friends both ordered the pomegranate eggplant, one of our standard favorites, but I chose to try something completely new. Their lunch combo plate offered bolani , a type of deep fried pastry with your choice of the squash or spinach, vegetarian or lamb soup, and mixed green salad. I choose the 2 item combo with lamb soup and bolani. What a treat! The bolani was served with 3 wonderful dipping sauces and chutneys. Every mouthful was an epicurean adventure. I actually received the vegetarian soup instead of the lamb, but it was a happy accident. The soup was hearty with lentils and beans and spices that I could not identify. For desert, we shared the cardamom pistachio ice cream. It was a unique flavor that totally cleansed the palate and was loved by 2 of us, and not so much for 1 friend. We had amazing food, incredible service, and prices were raised as all food prices went up, but were in line with todays menus. We will be returning again and again.
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MO
MichelleO
Orange County
26 reviews
vip
5.0
26 reviews
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent mix of inventive and traditional cuisine in an attractive space with polite, attentive staff - what's not to like.
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RE
RENEEB
Central Coast
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 22, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience5
My husband and I always share the full spinach salad and the lamb kebabs. Always superb. Last night our waitress took our order and we never saw her again until asking for our dessert order which we didn't do, but I did ask for a little box and never saw her again until she brought the check. Other wait staff brought our food and the box!
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LS
LucyS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
It was a special day for my daughter. It was her 60th birthday. Our server made the celebration very enjoyable.
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M
Mimi
San Francisco
12 reviews
4.0
12 reviews
Dined on September 19, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience5
One of the very best restaurants in Santa Cruz area
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F
Fred
San Francisco
5 reviews
2.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 19, 2023
overall2food1service3ambience3
Dinned regularly at Lali 2013-2017 and enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Had lunch there on 9/19/23. The service was good the food didn't measure up to my past experience at Lali. No iced tea (forgot to brew it); it arrived at the end of the meal. I ordered the Greek salad, which use to be served with leaf lettuce, goat cheese, cucumber..... This salad used iceberg lettuce, many pieced were brown (which I picked out and left for the server). I ordered chicken breast kabob marinated with pomegranate dressing, basmati rice+ saffron. Had to send the kabobs back because undercooked, could not cut the kabobs so under cooked, crunched when bitten. The cook had placed some of the pomegranate dressing on the plate and rice soaked it up so could not taste the rice or saffron (hope it wasn't the dressing used to marinate the raw chicken). I really enjoyed the old Lali, will avoid the new Lali.
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AA
AmyA
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 17, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Everything was perfect! Wine list has lots of local and imported options. Menu is extensive and the food prep and presentation are what I expected from this top notch local fav restaurant. Always like to bring out of town guests here!
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RM
RuthannM
Los Angeles
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 16, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Just a very nice experience. Host and waiter was accommodating and atmosphere was really terrific.
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JG
JohnG
Unspecified
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 13, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience5
Food was great my guest my out of town guest really enjoyed the meal, savory sauces and atmosphere. We were on the courtyard.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 9, 2023
overall4food5service3ambience5
Food was delicious; ambience wonderful. Very slow service; not sure if restaurant was understaffed or not.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 8, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience3
Patio is lovely. Service was solid. Food was good, but not exceptional (as before Covid). The real bummer was the toilet in the single washroom was broken and was left full of - well, you know. Very smelly and quite unpleasant, which impacted the overall experience.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Exclusive
12 reviews
vip
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on September 8, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Delicious healthy food. Amazing flavors. Outside is definitely the way to go. Gorgeous patio. Friendly staff. New favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 6, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Service was on point Food was delish Great bringing out of town guests to see what SC has to offer
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CV
CathrynValentine
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 6, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Laili's is without a doubt a most spectacular dining experience. I brought my Sister, Dr. Sher Todd, who was visiting me from her home in Reno. She was very impressed, having eaten at many Middle Eastern and Afghan restaurants. Everything we had ~ from the appetizer to the dessert was mouth-watering delicious.
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F
Food
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
What a lovely evening at Laili. Delicious food and wonderful service. Appetiser turnover and dumpling dishes were one of a kind amazing. The entrees were large portions of freshly prepared and fabulously plated amazingly crafted dishes. I especially enjoyed the pomegranate eggplant. We will definitely be back!!
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JO
JamesO
San Francisco
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 2, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
You do some different things: (1) You brought multiple wine tasters for us to choose from (I have never seen that elsewhere). (2) You went to great lengths to accommodate our seating wishes. (3) Your waitress was fabulous. (4) The Lamb Kabob was the best lamb dish I have ever had. Great job overall. A little noisy inside, but it was OK. -Jim O'Neill
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S
Sukie
San Francisco
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 31, 2023
overall4food5service4ambience5
We 3 came for dinner/special occasion. Lovely courtyard. Excellent food. Very good service except the complimentary naan was not served with our drinks and we were pretty hungry. We ordered an appetizer, entrees, and dessert. All of it was excellent and beautifully presented. Ginger, mint, lime sodas were especially delicious on a hot day. The restaurant is beautiful inside and out but they need more than 2 bathrooms for the many customers and staff.
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SN
SusieN
Central Coast
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 31, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Laili is my favorite place to eat in the world. Always great food and wonderful folks!!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Central Coast
3 reviews
vip
2.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 30, 2023
overall2food4service2ambience4
All our food came at the same time while eating our salad still. Anything we needed we had to flag the server down. Good food, poor service and timing.
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RZ
RuthZ
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 30, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
It's a unique restaurant with flavorful high quality food. It's a delightful experience to eat there.
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LM
LyndaM
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 27, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
This was the perfect place to take my sister for her 70th birthday. And the helpings were so generous we enjoyed that dinner again the next day for lunch.
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JC
JaiC
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 27, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We travel over 100 miles to eat here! Always a treat.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 25, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
The service staff was professional, friendly and well trained. The food is so delicious, as always. The charges are very reasonable for dining out theses days. Their outdoor patio is so cozy and lovely. It’s really one the best restaurants in town.
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R
Rich
San Francisco
25 reviews
vip
5.0
25 reviews
Dined on August 25, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Excellent start to finish. The appetizer and entrees were delicious, the service was friendly and attentive
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MJ
MarkJ
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
I always enjoy my meal at Laili, and chose to have a meal on the patio for my birthday
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o
ooraeoo
Sacramento
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Beautiful outdoor patio space and delicious food to celebrate special occasions!
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C
Cheryl
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience5
Excellent food. Lovely patio. Very accommodating to needs. Our second visit and even better than we remembered.
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JP
JeremyP
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
One of the best meals of my life. And I’ve eaten at a lot log restaurants!
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JG
JoanneG
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall3food2service4ambience5
The soup was bland. The Flat Bread was not as fluffy and airy as remembered. The Ceasar Salad wasn't very fresh. Nice patio ambiance, but the food needs some improvement.
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SS
SaltySue
Central Coast
51 reviews
vip
4.0
51 reviews
Dined on August 17, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience2
Lovely patio interior and fine food. We especially enjoyed the eggplant main dish and the lamb with homemade pasta noodles. Staff suggestions helped us choose excellent dinners. The old style cardamom ice cream was a special treat! We had a very noisy neighbor at the adjoining table whose loud voice made it difficult at times to hear ourselves. This was clearly not a common occurrence and we'll be back, confident that the staff would move us by request if this should ever happen again.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Denver
9 reviews
vip
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on August 16, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We had a lovely time !! we were on the patio and is absolutely gorgeous. Definitely will be coming back.
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EE
ElizabethE
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 11, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We felt well taken care of. Perfect evening. Group celebrated our frie nds birthday. Waitstaff very attwntive,especially Jaden. Went out of his way to take care of birthday Girl. Will be back for sure. We closed the place down. We were there for over 2 hours. It was great thank you
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SN
SteveN
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 11, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Everything from start to finish was excellent. The key to this was being seated on the courtyard for ambiance and quietness. All staff were engaging and knowledgeable of their menu. Of course the food taste and presentation is exceptional as well plus the menu offerings are diverse to cover wide range of food desires.
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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Laili using the Order Online button. Laili also offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Laili also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 423-4545.

Laili is rated 4.6 stars by 2671 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Oct 3, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 28 times today

Order delivery or takeout

101B Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Additional information

Cross street
Pacific Avenue
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Cuisines
Mediterranean, Afghan
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Take advantage of free parking located on River Street at Front Street. In addition to metered street parking, there is also a parking lot at Front Street and Soquel and also at Locust Street and Pacific Avenue.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.lailirestaurant.com/
Phone number
(831) 423-4545

Laili

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Pomegranate Eggplant

Lamb Kabob

Pistachio Cardamom Ice Cream

Appetizers

Mediterranean plate$13.00

Maush-awa soup$12.00

Vegetarian Maush-awa soup$11.00

Kadoo boranee$13.00

Bolani$12.00

Salads

Mixed greens$10.00

Moroccan beet salad$14.50

Cilantro caesar salad$12.00

Greek salad$13.00

Spinach salad$9.00

Wraps and Flatbreads*

Veggie wrap$14.00

Saffron chicken wrap$17.00

Lamb wrap$19.00

Eggplant parmesan flatbread$16.00

Grilled chicken flatbread$17.00

Pear gorgonzola flatbread$16.00

Entrees

Lamb burger$20.00

Arugula pesto$19.00

Salmon pasta$25.00

Braised lamb pasta$24.00

Pomegranate eggplant$20.00

Roasted cauliflower$20.00

Pomegranate chicken kabob$24.00

Garlic lime beef filet kabob$29.00

Lamb kabob$33.00

Trout$24.00

Lunch Combo

Bolani

Maush awa soup

Mixed greens

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

FAQs

Does Laili offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Laili restaurant rated?

Is Laili currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information