Leila’s Bistro

I cannot say enough good things about this little gem! My boyfriend and I chose Leilas for a romantic evening and we couldn’t be happier with our choice! The atmosphere is charming and high class. The staff is very kind and accommodating. I am allergic to mushrooms and the chef volunteered substituting with Brussels sprouts without my even asking! And O, MY GOD! The food! I feel terrible using such a banal word as «food» to describe the culinary deliciousness we dined upon! We were already planning our next visit and we weren’t even done our first! If you live in the area or are visiting Leilas is not an experience to be missed!

A shabby chic, French-​inspired American restaurant in Jenkintown that joins exquisite flavors with a touch of class. This small BYOB corner bistro is located right off of 611 (on West Avenue) and welcomes patrons with big open windows and a small (seasonally inspired) menu placed on the window. *Unfortunately*, their online menu is never updated so a quick drive by or phone call is necessary if you’re the type that needs to see the menu before making a commitment to dine.
My mom and I had reservations here for 6:30 and were the first people inside. We were greeted by a casually dressed host who took us to our table. Immediately I noticed the beautiful mismatched and perfectly distressed interior, softened by lovely pillows and warm lighting. It was the perfect balance of chic and cozy. The flatware and table settings were gorgeous and the hardwood tables were adorned with fresh flowers. I felt like I was back in Paris dining at a café near the Louvre. Ahh memories.
We got right down to business by having our wine opened and started on the (complimentary) bread basket and fresh butter. For appetizers, we ordered the risotto to start and it blew my mind. It was some of the best I have ever had. Served with mushroom ragout and whipped mushroom butter. It was so creamy. For my entrée I had the pork chop. Fantastic and juicy. It was served atop braised eggplant and savory bean ragout with a bacon butter sauce. Be warned: this chop was HUGE and I could only eat about half– but was sure to take my leftovers home. A definite comfort food dish.
For dessert– we had the butterscotch pudding which was phenomenal. Out of this world, fantastic. I know what you’re thinking– its just pudding. No. It was possibly one of the best desserts I’ve had and I would come back just for it. Aside from being delightfully satisfying the portions were individually sized. Also, all desserts were priced at a very wallet friendly $ 3.00– unless our server cut us some special «butterscotch deal». In which case, thanks! Lastly, they were served in individual mason jars and added a nice French-​inspired country finish.
The attention to detail this restaurant offers not just with the quality of their food, but with presentation and ambiance is just want French dining is all about. I’ll be back for sure!
*REMEMBER — BYOB and ***CASH ONLY!!!***

Solid food, sub-​par service. The octopus appetizer was great and the veal chop was very good. The service however left something to be desired. We waited 10 minutes before we were acknowledged and at a number of points in the night we were left to wait significant periods of time for the server to interact with us. My entrée was delivered 5 minutes after the other three diners had their entrees. Once we got to dessert, the desserts were served well before the coffee and tea and I was never offered a refill on my coffee and my wife waited quite a while before she got her tea.

Had dinner here recently with 2 friends. Our server was very unprofessional and seemed like he was trained at a Denny’s diner and not a nice Bistro. The food was ok, but the serving size of the three entrees varied greatly. My Sea bass was about 3 ounces for an entrée while my partner’s pork chop was very large, although tasteless. Also, the kitchen staff was walking through the small dining room several times. Their appearance made them stick out as definitely not being there as a customer.

We’ve now been since Sam Jacobson moved on to Stargazy and the owners have turned their attention to Roberts Block, but I’m happy to say this place is still great! We are so happy to have it in the neighborhood. The scallop starter is delicious as ever (love that celery root purée!), and the beet salad we recently had was beautifully presented and perfectly dressed. The entrees could have been slightly better (fish of the day/​wahoo was a touch over-​cooked and the duck was a bit on the gamy side), but we still enjoyed both dishes. And the peanut butter pie for dessert was scrumptious! We will be back again soon.

This is a small BYOB, cash only restaurant located in the heart of Jenkintown. It offers a fine dining experience in a cozy atmosphere.
There is street parking and a municipal lot behind the restaurant but no private lot.
I had the pan seared pork chop. It was cooked perfectly and was incredibly juicy.
I finished my meal with an apple and pear bread pudding with a freshly made caramel sauce.
Definitely would recommend coming.

I found Leila’s Bistro on Unilocal when I was looking for a place to have dinner before a concert at the Keswick Theater, (less than a 10-​minute drive away).
My husband and I very much enjoyed the food; but the atmosphere is a bit strange. The food was top-​notch; but the décor is mis-​matched furniture and lighting, (more formal and posh), and the server was casual in jeans and tennis shoes, (he was the worse-​dressed person in the room). Now that said.…the server was hard-​working and attentive.…And I’d much rather have a casual looking person with good service, than vice-​versa.
Now I’m happy to have great food in a casual atmosphere; or great food in a formal atmosphere.…But I couldn’t quite get my head around the mood of this place. Of the mis-​matched seating, there is a formal dining room table in the middle of the room with matching formal chairs, (I assumed they inherited it, or got it off of Craig’s list); and gave the look of a formal family dinner.
Plus, we were sitting near the bathroom, and I was freezing with the A/​C blasting on my ankles. (full disclosure, the A/​C was coming from the kitchen, so I didn’t say anything because I figured the chef was overheated, and I didn’t feel like screwing with his temp to accommodate mine).
Regarding the food; for starters we had scallops with corn and bacon, and the beet salad, (both very good). For the entrée we shared the lamb shanks; they were medium-​rare and VERY tasty. Dessert was an apple bread pudding, also very good. We didn’t bring wine because we were going to a show, but the BYOB option is appealing.
I recommend it.. . But it’s kind of an odd duck. I’d be happy to go back if we were in the area.

While I would have liked my foie gras appetizer to be a tad bigger, it was absolutely exquisite with a mango citrus dressing. I had a frenched veal chop perfectly cooked medium and my husband, the duck. Both outstanding!
Since the wine we brought was a little too warm, they brought us a glass of ice. I know this might sound silly but it was actually pretty. It looked like it had been chipped from a large block. Different than I’ve seen anywhere.
The food and service combined make this tiny restaurant a place to go anytime for any occasion. Go and bring a nice bottle of wine and cash. Enjoy!

Found this on Unilocal.Quaint, friendly, romantic and SUPERB food!

For our 7.5 years of marriage, my husband and I have gone out on a monthly date night. We try new restaurants and treat ourselves to a good meal.
Tonight, we had the best meal we have had together. (I’m a math teacher, so to put it in numbers, it’s the best out of the 90 meals we have eaten together, all around and in Philadelphia!) It might honestly be the best meal I have ever had.
Sam Jacobson is AMAZING!
We had the celery root soup with salmon roe (amazing!) shaved root vegetable salad (delicious and light), avocado tempura (genius), escargot (full of flavor!) wild boar tenderloin with mustard sauce and amazing onions and some sort of yucca ham cake, and venison steak with figs and red cabbage. The restaurant is charming, the service was excellent and we hope to come back again soon! Wish we lived closer!

Had an unbelievably delightful dinner last night with friends. Tucked away in the corner of Jenkintown’s «restaurant row», Leila’s is a sensory gem! The atmosphere is warm, cozy, and elegant. The hostess and chef greet everyone personally and make you feel glad to be there. From the warm homemade bread with black pepper whipped butter to the amazing North African onion soup and avocado frites, to the creative entrees (we had the venison with fig compote and tarjain with octopus) our taste buds were in culinary heaven. Desserts were fabulous and reinforced our delight in having discovered this treasure. I highly recommend this for a dinner that is truly out of the ordinary!

We ate here on the snowy first day of spring. Started with delicious, homemade bread that we could make a meal on. The escargot were tender, tasty and delicious. Uniquely served over spinach. My entrée, duck breast over red cabbage was cooked perfectly. The Red cabbage was the best I’ve ever had and as a German that’s hard to beat. My husband’s veal chop was tender and absolutely perfect. The. Dessert was fabulous, tees leche cake with caramelized banana Is like nothing I’ve ever had before. It was light and not too sweet. We will definitely be returning when the weather turns warmer. The chef is very talented and the staff is friendly and efficient.

An warmly glowing gem, cut and polished by a disarmingly humble master-​jeweler of French (et al.) cuisine, Leila’s may well be the best kept secret in gastronomy in the Philadelphia suburbs. Nestled on a quiet but colorful street off the well-​beaten thoroughfare, this intimate dining room seems constructed solely to allow the requisite focus on chef Jacobson’s deceptively sophisticated dishes. The menu is an inspiringly composed orchestration of finely balanced motifs — sauce, spice, or side — around fresh, expressive main themes, expectedly savory, yet still surprising in arrangement. Classic plates like risotto, escargot, poussin, and veal are treated with true originality, fused with fresh herbal bouquets and delicately readied vegetables. Unmistakably a labor of love, Leila’s is a resounding triumph of passion, imagination and culinary talent presented in the most unpretentious of ways.

Sam, I will follow you anywhere. Sycamore? YES! NoBL? YES! Lansdowne’s Farmers Market? YES! WOW! Jenkintown is not where I would normally dine, but your skills are extraordinary. Thank you!

If you need a good reason to schlep out to Montgomery County, to try a nice little Bistro in the quaint part of town, chef extraordinaire Sam Jacobson has now brought his signature skills to Jenkintown.
Not since the days of WDRE have I been excited to hit the Jenkintown scene but I found myself humming a Screaming Trees song as I made my way through the little town on my way to Laila’s to meet up with some fellow Jacobson fans, on a cold February evening.
From Sycamore to Southwark to our super secret Foodhooch dinners, Sam rarely disappoints and tonight was no exception.
Honestly, aside for my love of Sam’s cooking and meeting up with friends, I was here to try the North African Onion soup, which I saw posted by Sam on Facebook.
You see, I’ve been a fan of the Cheesy onion soup since before I even admitted I liked onions. Often, if I see it on a menu, I’ll give it a shot. Sometimes I’m disappointed and sometimes it’s wonderful. I have a few on my shortlist as top notch onion soups and I was hoping this one would rate well.
There was no doubt, even before I allowed my manly spoon to penetrate the perfectly browned layer of cheese. It was by far the most flavorful soup I’ve ever eaten. Once again, Sam raps me on the forehead with a spoon to show me that what I thought was good before was merely a shadow of what onion soup is supposed to be. There’s so much more to talk about so I’ll leave it at saying that it’s worth the trip for the soup alone.
I wasn’t terribly hungry, so I only ordered the soup, but our group was large enough that pretty much everything on the menu was ordered and I got to try it all.
Some highlights (they’re all highlights):
The Avocado fries were a revelation. I’ve recently become an avocado fan and these lightly coated and fried wedges of avocado were perfection. Should have ordered my own but the food just kept coming.
I was given some kind of nutty, grainy salad. With my diverticulitis I avoid nuts but I threw caution to the wind here. I don’t know if it was Sams prowess or just the fact that I’m craving nuts (shut up) but it was heaven.
I tried an octopus tentacle! Yay for me! Not my favorite thing but not bad either and I can cross it off my list.
The dessert blew me away. The pear with mascarpone was great but whatever Sam did with those bananas and chocolate surrounding it was out of this world. I’ll take a bowl of that please.
The place is small but cozy and warm in both temperature and demeanor. I found nearby parking pretty easily. Most spots are metered but free after 8pm.
Overall I’ll recommend Laila’s to everyone. Missing this experience would be a mistake. I will certainly be back with a group ASAP.
But dat soup doe…

Ok. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Please do yourself a favor and just go.
It’s a special place with amazing food.
Perfect for date night !!! I promise.

*** NO CREDIT CARDS *** This information should be told to you when you make reservations — it is not.
You are not given a copy of your receipt. If you want one, you have to take a photo of the one you are given to pay from.
The air conditioning vents are on the floor instead of up high. So because every third grader knows cold air falls, it’s hot in this restaurant.
The patrons appear to be over 65 years of age. Probably turned off by the cash or check only policy.
The food is very good even though they don’t offer what their website menu says they have.
Parking is available on street with a meter or in a municipal lot on Greenwood Ave.

Leila’s Bistro has been a dining destination in Jenkintown for almost three years now. The cozy 28 seat BYOB Bistro serves French inspired American fare. Their menu changes seasonally, which has lead to me dining here many times. The current standout dishes on their menu include the pan roasted scallops with sweet corn purée, corn salad and chorizo; the braised escargot in a creamy polenta and herb sauce; lamb chops with root vegetables and lamb sauce; and the duck breast with black risotto and orange gastrique.
Due to the intimate size of the space, I would recommend calling ahead for reservations.
This is truly a dining experience that is perfect for all seasons.

I thought this place was really good. First off the décor of the place was beautiful and made you relax even if you were having a rough day. I didn’t mind that it was a BYOB, actually I prefer BYOB’s. We started with the risotto, which I thought was different that I usually eat, but it was really good. I had never had bacon in my risotto before! Different, but good. My husband had the pork chop and I had the cod. My meal and his were both excellent. I couldn’t finish mine because I ate too much of their delicious bread. The service was also excellent. You really felt like you were getting that extra personal service.

Thursday — May 10, 2012 — 5:45PM
Leila’s food is good but, pricey.
Restaurant is small but, pretty.
Waitress /​server had no personality and barely performed her job. (Is SHE the owner?)
Suggestion: Food and restaurant good — keep
Waitress /​server — lose
If it wasn’t for the lousy performance by the waitress /​server, I would have given 5 stars.
I drove an hour and withstood tough traffic conditions because of the glowing Unilocal reviews. What a regret!