Laili Restaurant

Exquisite (heated) patio seating and delicious Mediterranean food had me thinking one visit was not enough. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. It didn’t seem like it would be much, but the beet salad was very tasty—I highly recommend it.

Laila Restaurant in Santa Cruz is a hidden gem that offers a delightful dining experience. We recently visited and were impressed by the quality and flavor of the dishes. We started with the lamb soup, which was delicious and hearty, served in a generous portion that was just right – not too heavy, not too light. The lamb pasta was exceptional, featuring fresh in-house fettuccine and a perfect tomato cream sauce that left us wanting more. The leek dumplings were another highlight – crazy good with a small portion size that was just perfect. The lamb kebabs came with delicious roasted vegetables on the side and flavorful rice. Although the lamb felt a little overdone, the overall dish was still quite enjoyable. We ended our meal with the pistachio cardamom ice cream, which was excellent – packed with tons of pistachios and very delicious. The service at Laila was great; the staff was friendly and attentive, making our experience even better. One downside is the parking, which is hard to find on the street. However, the great service and fantastic dishes more than made up for it. Laila Restaurant is truly a gem in Santa Cruz, and we highly recommend it for anyone looking for a memorable dining experience.

Amazing. The Mediterranean plate is incredible. This appetizer alone can fill two people. The ice tea had the most flavor in tea I’ve ever had. I would recommend the pesto pasta the olives compliment the pasta perfectly. You also can’t go wrong with the lamb wrap. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more if I could’ve controlled myself from eating two naans with the Mediterranean plate.

This Mediterranean restaurant is located in downtown Santa Cruz! They have seatings in the beautiful courtyard, which I am going to call and reserve next time. Food is good too Greek salad is so fresh and kebab is very tasty, a little pricy thought.

Good food, good service, decent vegetarian selection. We arrived at lunch time, around 12:30 pm. There were very few people sitting indoors. I didn't check how many people were sitting outside. Google traffic pattern shows it is far busier at dinner time than lunch. The waiter recommended all the high priced items as being really good, and we just went with the recommendations, and it worked out well. We had a lemon soda non alcoholic drink which was very good. They brought a complimentary naan bread with olive oil and herbs which was also good. Saffron Chicken Sandwich and cauliflower soups were also good. Pear gorgonzola flat bread was good, but the flavors could be balanced better. The cheese was very salty. To balance that, usually the pear is sweetened more, but it was just normal. So the dish overall has a lot more saltiness to it. The microgreens on it were also very less, I'm used to seeing a lot more at other places. We took the cardamon creme brulee to-go. They don't have a good way of packing it. Though it didn't spill out leak, it didn't look very presentable at home. The cardamon flavor could barely be detected, but the creme brulee itself was very good. Overall, we liked the food and service and will visit again.