Layla - Merton

We arrived for a birthday celebration with my daughter for Sunday lunch. The restaurant was half empty. We ordered starters of a mezze platter and halloumi pitta and mains. After 1 hour and 5 minutes the starters arrived. Very mediocre. ....... and we waited. Other customers near us who were clearly regulars were being served and we asked a few times on the last occasion being told it would be 5 minutes. Ten minutes later and after waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes for the main courses, we left. The waiters were pleasant enough and clearly working under stress. We were also only charged for a coke and wine and not for the mezze platter and halloumi. Not coming back... Dont bother! Most disappointing.

We went here for a friends birthday and had pre booked a 'booth with a round table for 10 people '. This had been confirmed twice prior to the evening, yet on arrival we were told the booths were not big enough and so we had a long table in the middle of the restaurant. Not a major problem, but annoying given that specific request was one reason for trying the restaurant.The decor was well done, there is a very small bar area at the front, then the main restaurant further back. All done out very nicely. Menu is good, particularly for veggies, but we went a la carte in hindsight I think it may have been a wiser choice to do the set menu of mixed mezze, as we had a few problems with our meals.Firstly some food didn 't arrive for both courses, meaning some people had to wait. The starter mezze were good, but quite oily nice dips/bread though. Main courses were ok too some people had the lebanese lamb, which they said was very nice. I had the prawns, which were good enough, but for £20 I 'd expect more then 5 butterflied prawns, with some roasted vegetables and a dollop of potato. Then again, this is Wimbledon village, so you 're paying a premium just for that I suppose.Two people in our group had the 'baby chicken ' which sounded good and came recommended, yet when it arrived had a thick yellow sauce on it that they said tasted a bit like processed cheese...neither of them ate it and in fairness to the restaurant, they knocked it off the bill when they saw it was barely touched.The atmosphere was good, although there didn 't seem to be enough serving staff. The ones we had were good, but seemed too stretched and always rushing. They missed a trick there, as with a group of ten, we had pretty consistent asks for wine, yet the glasses and bottles ran dry a few times and we had to fight to get attention to order another more staff would have prevented that and would have meant we 'd had more drink and they 'd made more money.The belly dancer was entertaining, but came while we were waiting for our food, so got less attention than she otherwise might have, as we were more bothered about if our food was on the way!After dinner we stayed for drinks. We ordered some cocktails and a couple of vodka cranberry. After about 20 mins, the drinks turned up, but with Gin instead of vodka. Again, not a major problem in isolation, but irritating given some of the other challenges. Then at midnight, all the lights in the room went on full blast. Was like being at the end of a school disco. Most odd when you 're out for dinner...All in all, I 'd say most of us quite liked the food, the restaurant is well done out and maybe once they have been open longer things might run more seamlessly. We paid £55 a head for two courses and drinks, so not absurd, but equally not cheap. Good for a group, in terms of it being lively, but I 'd recommed all sticking to the set menu. I don 't think I 'll be rushing back, but then also can 't be too critical...simply put, I wasn 't wowed and feel pretty indifferent about it....

This is the second family visit to this newish restaurant in Wimbledon village. The decor is pleasant, the service affable but very slow.....a quiet time before the later rush.The menu full and varied. The mezzes were tasty but mean in portions. The shank well cooked (cannot go wrong with slow cook), rice tasty but too much with limited juices from the lamb. The 'boiled ' vegetables seemed out of place in this 'Lebanese ' eating chain. The grilled fish delicious but the 'curried gravy ' too overpowering. Again big rice base. Separate chips good. The glass of wine (175mls) expensive at £10!!The concensus was expensive for what it is......may go back but not in a rush

Great menus both food and drinks. I have recommended the lamb shank to all my friends. The cocktail list is extensive and our drinks were perfectly made. Young but attentive staff and the restaurant itself has a great atmosphere.

I visit Wimbledon regularly so I have eaten in a lot of the restaurants but this one appeared in the place of a butchers shop. The front is quite narrow but it extends rearwards into a large open eating area. We arrived early on a Friday evening and were greeted warmly. Daughter has food allergies and is veggie so we checked if they could cater for her and this was no problem after consulting with the chef. The menu is extensive and caters for veggie food well. We ordered a selection of dishes and enjoyed them all. Mixed grille was v good for myself and partner (Not veggie) . Drinks are usual prices. Service was good. £113 for three of us and numerous drinks. Reasonable value. I would go again and try some of the other dishes.