Layali Beirut Cafe Restaurant

Does anyone know if they have permanently closed? Stopped by in August and doors were locked, house was dark. Just got word the scene hasn’t changed. Loved this place for their staff, food, drinks, and hookah. My only complaints were that they don’t take credit card and their seating isn’t space efficient to accommodate a balance of small and large parties.

Very good place to hang out. Highly recomanded. Love the place. Loved the shisha. Very friendly

It was great! The chicken is flavorful. The Hookah was so pure and fresh, didn’t matter what flavor, the smoke was so smooth! Best hookah on Steinway. Downside many various dishes I ordered weren’t available; bad timing or common? I would take the risk and try again.

Wow what can I say about this place. The owner goes out of his way to make every one feel at home and welcomed.
THE HOOKAH: they really know how to make the absolutely best. (Get yours in a fresh fruit it’s worth the extra $… It will last longer.)
THE FOOD: If you like meat call ahead and reserve your

The lamb is very good. The chicken is also good.
The service here is very disappointing. They are perfectly nice, but not attentive and not great at follow through.
I did not try the hookah, but the people by me seemed to enjoy it.
The décor is okay. The seats are not comfortable.

The thing that I did not like about this resturant is that they claim that they do not have the choice of paying by depite or credit card!!!

The food was DELICIOUS but this place unfortunately loses a point for service and one more for atmosphere.
While this is unheard of, I, a true-​blooded Lebanese-​American, found really delicious Lebanese food somewhere other than my parents’ kitchen. Though this place is actually owned by Egyptians, and so it is not necessarily «authentic,» everything was fresh and the kitchen really knows what they’re doing!
We had a large selection of mezze and some main dishes and everything was very good. The hummus was just okay but their baba ghanoush was the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant in this country, hands down! It was so yummy, especially with their insanely good olive oil, that I must’ve had about half the plate to myself! Their falafel was fresh, but the flavor was just OK.
For main dishes, we got two mixed grills and one fattah, Egyptian style. Everything on the mixed grill platter was good, the chicken being the best– very juicy and tender like shish taouk should be. The fattah was also amazing, and the lamb plus the broth is came in couldn’t have been more savory or yummy!
Now on to the cons: the service. We came for lunch on a Sunday and the place was absolutely empty! Despite that fact, our server (who was very obviously the owner’s son or something, and not a professional) took time to wait on us and was just overall unprofessional and inexperienced. The music also kept starting/​stopping to a degree where it was actually a source of discomfort.
Overall, the meal we had was amazing but the experience was marred by the gaps in service. Would only recommend this place if you’re in Astoria; I was a little upset that I made the hike out there for prices I could have gotten in Manhattan.

Im lebanese and this ia Quite simply the best hookah lounge in steinway, ive been to firdos, aura, la canela, teals, layali dubai, melody, jasmine, eastern nights and nothing compares to here… Hookah hoses are clean, you dont find residues of past flavors and food and service its one of a kind… Keep up the good work you guys!

Quite simply, I loved this place. I can’t wait to have a reason to return. And this is from the ANTI-​Queens brigade over here!
Quaint, plushy seating. Long lasting coals with smooth flavors. I’d go back in a heartbeat if I didn’t have to muster up the mental strength necessary to make the trip to Queens. Clean bathroom facility– which is pretty important to me.
I would go back to try their food because everything looked and smelled amazing. I tried their fennel tea with their, presumably, organic honey and I would literally drink it for days. Gushing? Yes I am.
Great place for talking and passing the hours as the service is attentive without being intrusive. Definitely worth trying.

Great place to relax and have fun with a few friends. They also have great food to order along with a good variety of Hookah flavors.

Very popular for the hookah. However, the food here is delicious. Great grilled meats. Have had their grilled chicken, lamb entrees, and steak. Quite impressive.

I’ve found my favorite hookah lounge!!!
My friends and I accidentally came across this place because Crystal Lounge across the street was closed, so we decided to check out Layali Beirut. From the outside it doesn’t look like much but once you step inside it feels like you’ve entered an exotic Arabian city!
Hookah is the best I’ve had (I’ve been to rotana, crystal lounge, after8, jerusalem nights, teal, etc). Prices are reasonable at $ 9 for regular flavors, tea is $ 3, the food looks amazing although we didn’t order food that time, service is pretty good– everything came out fast and our server was friendly.
I LOVE that they play arabic music that I know haha (Amr Diab, Cheb Khaled, Mohamed Hamaki, etc) overall a really relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back!
Oh it’s CASH ONLY

The first hookah spot i have been to at Astoria! This place is okay. The prices were great though! $ 10 a hookah and it adds on from there.
Pretty chill place. Food was excellent especially the lamb and rice. Great food!
they charged alot of gratuity. They don’t serve water. you have to purchase water bottles from them. Usually its poland spring.
The hookah is great. They constantly come by and change the coal. You can stay there for hours. the staff are pretty chill.
No alcohol. Excellent food, great service. 3 stars!
hope this review helps!

Layali holds as special place in my heart. The food is coocked right, the mood is super mellow, you can hang out for hours playing backgammon and drinking tea and no one will bother you. Staff are friendly. The furniture is kind of gawdy, but in a good way. It’s a great neighborhood place.
Kudos to the owner and staff!

As far as hookah lounges go, this place is fantastic. First, the con: there is no alcohol served. But since that is because of the owner’s Muslim faith, no star rating is lost. Now, the pros: the lounge is very roomy and comfortable, even when packed with people. The hookah is fresh, the coals real, and the coals are frequently replaced. The hookah is cheap. The food here is overpriced compared to nearby locations, but it is not really a food place. The drinks, both hot and cold, are fantastic. I love the Barbarian Tea and the Lemonade.

This place is extremely chill. The hookahs are great, and affordable (9 $-15 $). The food is good, and their drinks (no alcohol here) are very good. The atmosphere is relaxing, there is good lighting too (if you relax and do done work), with very obliging, welcoming and good nature hosts. There are snacks, but good full dishes, with varying prices. As I write this, in here atm, on a Saturday night. Not crazy packed nor is it a hectic atmosphere. Simply serene.

Came here last night had a good experience the food was great and so was the hookah our waiter was nice and tentative, why 3 stars? We were only a couple and they charged tip automatically to our bill I did not appreciate that as per nyc guidelines your not suppose to charge a party of 5 or more and they didn’t serve alcohol.

cheap but the best hookah i tried on steinway, grape is amaazing
the food was good but heavy and oily, good portions though
very good crowd of people, no jerks in there
the service isnt good, takes forever to place an order, the place is always packed
there is no alcohol there, hopefully theyll get a license soon

I have given Layali Beirut three tries too many. They must be under new ownership or something, because the new waiters are just awful! The last time I visited Layali, I was accompanied by several friends. We had to ask the waiter for water three times. They refused to give us tap water, so we were forced to purchase bottled water. When my friend tried asking the waiter for the menu, he rolled his eyes, gave her the hand and told her to «Hold on». What the fuck. You should be fired. That is not how you treat customers.
Not only is the service terrible, but they raised the prices and added a service charge.

This is the place you want to go when you want to have some hookah, perhaps something to eat, and just kick back and relax with good company.
We arrived on a very rainy day, and it was warm and dry inside. We got the apple hookah, which was delicious and just right… not too strong, and not too weak. We munched on some baba ghanoush, which is always good stuff.
It’s dimly lit inside, with some Arabic and Indian music playing in the background, which is nice. The wait staff are calm, kind, and don’t bother you. You do not feel rushed out at all. We paid $ 8 for our hookah, $ 5 a pop for drinks (non-​alcoholic, which is fine because in my opinion you do not need alcohol when smoking hookah) and $ 6 for some baba ghanoush. All in all, a good evening out.
I would return here, definitely.