Laili

The food is excellent and lots of things to choose from on the menu. I had the chicken flatbread with apricot spread and pomegranates. Excellent but probably fattening. Large portions.

Service was very good and the outdoor setting was quiet but we did have one bothersome bee.

Food is very good, though slightly pricy. Their check-in procedure is slow—we waited 10–15 minutes outside before getting to the front of the line. The host spent forever dealing with a group that did not have a reservation, while not checking in those of us in line who did have reservations.

Honestly, the check-ins at Laili's were always slow and a bit incompetent even before the pandemic.

We ordered and shared a lamb kabob...it was tender and delicious. The beet salad excellent as well as the eggplant flatbread appetizer. We ate in the patio and felt very safe during the pandemic. It is now one of our go-to places in Santa Cruz.

I visited Laili during COVID times (September 2020) with my husband and two picky eater kids. We chose an indoor sitting option and felt very safe. All possible COVID precautions were implemented, and we were well-spaced from other tables. We wanted to sample as many items from the menu as possible, so we ordered three appetizers and one main course. Everything was delicious! We loved the spinach bolani and pomegranate eggplant flatbread. We also had a sort of dumplings stuffed with leaks that were delicious!. The kids had lamb and chicken kabobs from the kid's menu, and all their special requests were accommodated to perfection, and trust me, they have some weird requests. We also had desserts ;-) which disappeared very quickly. The chocolate mousse and cardamom cream Brule were excellent. Overall, great experience! Thank you.

Had to wait 10 minutes for the hostess to give her our name and then took another 5-10 to seat us. Thought I had reserved a table on the patio only to be told I would have to had called to request that. I even had a confirmation email stating outdoor seating reservation. We were sat inside less than 6 feet away from other tables. Waiter was horrible. Took 25 minutes to take our drink order. After we were finished we sat with dirty plates for 20 minutes and they were only taken when we asked. Had stated in reservation it was for a Birthday and even told our waiter only to be brought the check. We had watched several Birthday celebrations while we diner and received nothing. Food was spectacular, but doesn't make up for the horrendous service.

One of the best meals we’ve had on n Santa Cruz, it was a perfect date spot.

Had the caesar salad, which was cleverly accentuated with middle eastern spices and was delicious. The beef dumplings were magnificent. We split the roast chicken anar (pomegranate). This was good, but on the overcooked side with a sauce that was too sweet. Dessert of baklava and pistachio ice cream was amazing. Service was excellent and friendly. Looking forward to going back again soon.

Best food we've had going out in a while!

the appetizers were great especially the butternut squash Bolani, and the patio was lovely. I would come here again!

Hummus was amazing, service was warm and enjoyable

I realize everything is funky because of the Virus and shut downs, but this place just forgot what service is. It wasn’t exactly bad but it was stupid.
The restroom was closed, we had reservations and still had to wait for a table, and the food was cold. I think the servers and host were in quarantine too long and just forgot what people are.

The food is always fantastic and the ambiance is warm and inviting. Will visit again.

My wife and I came here for our anniversary. The outdoor dining area was beautiful, well lit, and warm. The food and drinks were awesome. I highly recommend.

Everyone in my party enjoyed their food. Except me. I had the salmon pasta which was pretty awful. I make much better noodles myself . Should have known better than to order pasta at a Mediterranean restaurant.

Exceptionally enjoyable dining experience thanks to the fantastic service and attention provided by Takuya to meet our dining expectations. This level of satisfaction on our part merits a repeat experience and soon.

Excellent food, beautiful courtyard, attentive servers.

Very nice mediterranean touch at the end of the world. As mediterraneans ourselves we felt at home for a while. Thanks for the food and ambiance.

Laili has a lovely courtyard where they follow all Covid protocols. The food was wonderful from beginning to end. We enjoyed topped flatbread, hummus, bolani and beet salad. All were flavored with savory middle eastern spices and pomegranate for sweetness. All were served with a trio of exceptional dipping sauces. Barely had room to enjoy the lamb kabob and cauliflower entrees. So we packed a lot to go and threw in a baklava for later. Our waiter Saoul did a great job!

Fantastic dinner , easy to get reservations , good job with social distance and nice patio . Have been coming jere for several years and great as always

Fabulous food and Danny’s wonderful service made fora spectacular experience.

We had a wonderful post-hike brunch in Laili’s courtyard...a mix of fish, veggies, salad flatbread and kebob’s...as usual, it was fabulous!

Celebrated our wedding anniversary here. The outdoor patio was beautiful and food was perfect!

Had a lovely dinner in the outdoor courtyard due to the current COVID restrictions. Food was great as always and the service was prompt.

Laili is one of our favorite restaurants and this night did not disappoint! Perfect dinner, seated in the outdoor garden area, where we have never sat before. Our chicken skewers entree and fillet mignon skewers were both delicious. Katherine served us and she was fantastic and it was her first night serving. We are so happy to get to enjoy eating here even duting Covid. Thank you all for serving us beautiful food!

A lovely patio for a social distancing meal. Food and service very good.

Laili does an excellent job all the way around. The food was excellent. The last two times we dined there, we had these main courses: eggplant, lamb burger, salmon, and lamb shank. All of these were great. The servers were efficient, friendly and polite. It was good to be able to dine there during these strange days. The outdoor seating area is very pleasant, and the staff following the pandemic protocols to the letter.

I love the food, and most of all the ambience. Sitting outside makes me feel like I am in Italy..

Outstanding! Highly recommend. Food was delicious, our server was lovely and outdoor dining was intimate - inner courtyard.

Food and atmosphere great. We were first being setted at a table next to a busy doorway. There were 4-5 other tables for two empty so I asked for another table. After about 5 minutes or so the hostess came back and moved us one over. It was an ok table but other better tables were available. My salad with added grilled shrimp was delicious and the half size was perfect for me. My husband had the chicken kabob. He didn’t care for the three sauces on the side so he asked the waiter for a small side of tahziki. The waiter never brought it. So that is the reason for the 4 star service and overall rating. I like to eat here whenever I come to Santa Cruz so look forward to next time.

Fantastic lamb pasta!

As always, the food at Laili is delicious. We had a lovely dinner on the patio to celebrate our daughter's birthday. Everything was scrumptious, and the service was attentive.

We had the most delicious dinner ! We had two starters the ground meat dumplings and the flatbread chicken apricot / date both very tasty. I also had the Parmesan Caesar salad. We had the half chicken with the pomegranate sauce roasted potatoes and veggies. So so good. We ate leftovers for two days and it was still delicious. We had the cashew cardamom ice cream another big hit and a generous portion. We highly recommend laili’s. We will be back next time we are in Santa Cruz! John and mJ

Every time we stay in Santa Cruz we eat here. Food is consistantly good, great ambiance in courtyard. Always save our best meal for last.

Amazing food, service friendly and the atmosphere on the patio is so relaxing! Wonderful experience!

Wonderful outdoor dining experience. An evening to remember!

Repeat visit. Always pleased

The food was very nice. Sitting outside was perfect and the setting is super cute. The service was perfect. 🧚‍♀️

Loved the outdoor seating! The filet mignon kabob was delicious and cooked to perfection! Looking forward to another visit.

We love this restaurant and go anytime we are in Santa Cruz

We had lunch on the patio. The service was attentive, but not overwhelming, the food was SPECTACULAR! Savory and delicious! The two of us shared the Kadoo boranee (butternut squash), the Cilantro caesar salad - very fresh - and Grilled chicken flatbread, an amazing combination of chicken, parmesan, apricot chutney, medjool dates, pomegranate, mint.