Layalina Billericay in Basildon

Had my 2nd lovely meal here yesterday. My favourite restaurant now. The staff are really lovely and knowledgeable. The food is divine. Not processed pre cooked like you get most places now even high end. My daughter and I can’t eat egg, dairy and gluten and the lady helping us immediately knew about ingredients and double checked who was eating what so great for those with allergies and intolerances from our experience. My son was getting a bit impatient waiting so instead of rolling her eyes at him she invited him to guess how many minutes and gave him a hint it was lower and made it into a fun game. (It hasn’t been long at all!). Some of the food was so nice I asked the ingredients and she went and checked with the chef. Her colleague helped my dad put his coat on when he was leaving. Lovely staff and fantastic food. Thank you!

My daughter attended with a leaving luch for Australia to support local buisness , They ordered the Fattoush Salad which had overuse of citric acid in , this was reported to staff who agreed how sour and it hurt their mouths also . On calling up to request this be logged in the Accident book as my daughter mouth is now burning asst manager left me holding and eventually cut me off . Having attended the excellent Picadilly i called and was informed no citric acid is ever used , The manger confirmed it is in use in Billericay although allowed in small doses , the overuse on this occassion has had determental effects , both members of staff were clearly inexperienced to handle the matter , i will be informing local regulatory bodies of the experience , also contacting the owner

My daughter attended with a leaving luch for Australia to support local buisness , They ordered the Fattoush Salad which had overuse of citric acid in , this was reported to staff who agreed how sour and it hurt their mouths also . On calling up to request this be logged in the Accident book as my daughter mouth is now burning asst manager left me holding and eventually cut me off . Having attended the excellent Picadilly i called and was informed no citric acid is ever used , The manger confirmed it is in use in Billericay although allowed in small doses , the overuse on this occassion has had determental effects , both members of staff were clearly inexperienced to handle the matter , i will be informing local regulatory bodies of the experience , also contacting the owner to suggest a warning note for allergic reaction. Update due to burn to mouth necessary to contact 111

Excellent food and service (they remembered to bring the allergy list with the pudding menu and topped up tap water). Atmosphere was lovely but some sound dampening measures would help with hearing our own table's conversation.

I went here with my sister the staff was amazing. The food menu well explained . Had the set lunch menu which was very reasonable. Had a lovely time xxx

What a fantastic local restaurant, that brings the quality and atmosphere of a top London restaurant to Billericay. This was my (I originally did this review after 3rd visit .. it's probably more like 63 now!) visit and we'd pre-booked (essential for this dish) the Lebanese lamb [photo]... the chef brought it out with justified pride and it was absolutely superb... the 4 of us loved it. the accompanying Lebanese wine was also delicious. The staff are consistently friendly, efficient and professional... this is a well-run excellent restaurant. recommended. Have returned since last review with my Mum, my partner and son for another meal and it was as good as ever... superb... the staff clearly all get on and are well looked after; so it's a wonderful atmosphere... unlike some other local restaurants which can be a little ..'stuffy'!😳 still highly recommended!! still superb... with amazing cocktails served up by resident cocktail bar supremo Charlotte Update: visited again 15/10/24... still fabulous food, drink and exemplary service!

Set lunch with friends. Great value with very good tasty food. Excellent server, very friendly and helpful.

The food is generally ok. Portion on prawn and avocado is not sufficient, especially at the prices . Even with the beers being expensive, they serve the smaller bottles. Price's in menu do not include vat and service.

10/10. Terrace out the back makes it even better. Lovely staff

First to time here and very impressed. Excellent service and terrific food. Great mixed grill although too much really after lovely shared starters. Loved the chicken livers and the squid. Highly recommended.

First visit today for us 5 ladies to celebrate a friend’s birthday. A warm and friendly welcome from Adam, Lovely cosy restaurant with a comfortable outside seating area. A great set menu choice which was great value for money . Set menu 2 courses £22, 3 courses £27. The food was well presented and delicious. We all chose different mains which were all great. Thank you Adam for making our first visit memorable and enjoyable. We will definitely be returning. 👍

Lovely Lebanese restaurant in Billericay. Interior design is beautiful, service was excellent and I rated the food 4 not 5 only because I like pepper. Would be back.

We shared 3 small plates - all very tasty. Service was good and knowledgeable in recommending a good wine!

Only diners so atmosphere lacking. No fish on menu today. Food very tasty, I had the duck breast with cherries and it was superb.

We had such a fantastic time with friends there, food is exceptionally great as well as the cocktails! If it's sunny ask to be seated in the garden - you will be delighted!

Great food and wine! Thanks Adam & Linda for a good care of our family dinner, we will be definitely coming back here and will try Knightsbridge too!

London prices with average food and sub standard service/customer care. My family went to restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. As we were shown table we were told we need to leave by certain time as table was booked for someone else; poor welcome. We then ordered Zataar grilled chicken, pizza and mixed grill. Chicken was under cooked and I could see pink. At no point did a server come to check on how the meal was going which is what we expect from most restaurant service. I left the undercooked chicken in a plate to one side. When another server came to pick up the plates I did show them the undercooked chicken. I explained I did not want to eat as it appears under cooked. The manager then presented himself to tell me that the chicken was cooked and was satisfactory. My husband and I was taken back by his blunt and objectionable nature. As a customer, we should not have been approached this way. It was as though he wanted to imply we were making it up. My husband and I responded in a calm manner to him to explain, again, that the chicken came under cooked. Manager then kind of gave a mocking smile and waddled off to the kitchen. He did give desert on the house. My husband and child chose baklava and I had a kind of chocolate cake thing. The baklava was ok however the chocolate cake has left me with an upset stomach. I can only think they are not operating good health standards. Billericay high street have excellent restaurants where they command London prices however their food and service is excellent; unfortunately, Layalina is not one of them.

First time here. Easy time find, street parking or local carpark free after 6 p.m. Lovely decor, well laid out and disabled friendly. Food was very nice and not an overstretched menu... a meal for two starters and mains... very, very tasty and you really won't want any side dishes as the portions are quite hearty. Our hosts took time to explain the menu and the service was very good. Several times we stopped a member of staff who took time to explain a dish or an item we were interested in. The only downside was a group across the room... so loud that we could not hear each other across our table... it could have been 5/5 but they spoilt our evening a bit. We shall be back though as it was such a lovely meal and the staff were so helpful.

First time here.... and generally impressed. The service was very good. Our hosts took time to explain and describe the menu. "Should we have a side dish?" We asked... No was the answer, "You will probably have enough." And he was right. Beautiful food. Lovely tasty chicken wings, Lamb Shanks. My wife had the chicken kebab. Very, very tasty and hearty portions. Reasonably priced, fair portions, good service, pleasant decor. Easy parking on the street or along the road to the car park - free after 6 pm. Only gripe... my god, the table across the room was loud... I could not hear my wife opposite me. Otherwise, it would have been 5/5.

In terms of food quality, Layalina is one of the best restaurants in Billericay. Decor, menu and service are very good. What keeps this at 4 star, however, is the price. The food is very tasty and nicely presented but it is over-priced. £70pp for drink, starter, main and shared bottle of wine.

Beautiful restaurant in Billericay. Three friends and I had a fabulous meal here. We had all chosen completely different dishes from the menu and were extremely happy with our choices. The waiter was extremely polite and helpful.

A great find in the high street. Excellent food

Love it here! I have been a few times now and never had a bad experience. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with a lovely outside area which is covered. The food is en pointe and the menu allows you to choose small or large dishes, depending on your appetite. I prefer to eat downstairs or when the weather is nice outside service is good too. It has a sister restaurant in Knightsbridge.

I cannot fault this restaurant, everything from the food to service is always top quality. Just love the food and the staff is amazing with catering with dietary requirements. I’m a coeliac and I feel at ease eating at Layalina knowing my food is gluten free.

Really enjoyed our visit to this place. Lovely starter and really tasty cod main with rice. Staff great friendly but not over intrusive. Not very busy due to it being midweek just after new year - can’t really count that against a place Nice decor comfy

Having visited this restaurant previously not long after it opened with an all round positive experience, myself and my husband suggested it for a pre Christmas catch up with friends. We arrived just after them and my friend had asked if we could swap to a window table the same size as the main restaurant one that had been chosen for us - the waiter (we suspect he may have been the manager?) said he could do this but proceeded to make quite a large fuss about it and reminded us that we had just 90 mins to eat and vacate which would be calculated accordingly after the table swap! We were then reminded three more times before we sat down that we only had the limited time on the table. Whilst upon booking I had been informed via email of the length of time we had the table and appreciate it was a very busy time of year, I’m not sure we needed it highlighted to the extent that we felt we were being ushered out of the door before we were even seated! Once we had chosen our food my friend asked for a dish without coriander - once again we were told by the same member of staff that this was possible but he made quite a fuss about the detrimental effect that it would have on flavour. When it arrived, it was fine! The food was overall very tasty and of a high standard, this part I would recommend to friends. Our waiter and service on this occasion was offhand, disappointing and felt very negative so unfortunately I won’t be in a rush to return or recommend sadly.

Had a blast at Layalina last weekend. Thank you guys for looking after us! The place had cool Christmas vibes going on, food was epic. Started with a selection of mezzas that was all kinds of yum, definately try dip sampler, chicken liver and scallops. The roast cod was cooked just right. The mixed grill and Aleppo chili grilled beef salad were off the charts – so good. And the desserts - wow, just wow! Service was on point, super friendly and they really kept up with the busy crowd. The Christmas party had some awesome cocktails too. Can't wait to hit this place up again!

Nothing Lebanese about this restaurant, true flavours and tastes missed the mark across all of the dishes ordered, shame as the ingredients were fresh. Unfriendly weak greeting into restaurant followed by apprentice style service. The Lebanese culture and cuisine has been let down by this outlet.

Nothing Lebanese about this restaurant, true flavours missed the mark across all dishes served, bland is where it sits considering the wide choice of beautiful Lebanese ingredients and seasoning available. Weak greeting to apprentice style service. Manager certainly not focused on customer experience, even walked past us when we arrived without a nod or greeting, definitely not the Lebanese way I'm afraid.

Fantastic food, fantastic service, a great place for any occasion. Had my birthday meal there and enjoyed every moment and mouthful ( husband hasn’t stopped raving about the chicken livers!!}

Great menu choices with a variety to suit all. delicious food The staff were welcoming We will return

Beautiful lunch- 4 of us ate here toda and it was lovely. Wife and i had been a few times before so knew what to expect but for our colleagues, it was a first. They both said how much they enjoyed themselves which was a relief as i booked the table! Will definitely be back soon

Definitely a favourite. Great cocktails and food. Can never go wrong with the mezze :)

This was our second visit to Layalina and what a great night we had celebrating our daughter’s birthday. There was a great atmosphere even though it was a Tuesday evening. Thank you to Adam (great cocktails) and Linda (fantastic service) who worked so hard to ensure we had a good time. They looked after the whole restaurant and nothing was too much trouble. Love that you can see the chef cooking the food which was delicious. We will certainly be back!

Food chefs kiss, cocktails were gorgeous and the vibe was lovely. I’m coming back for more.

What a little gem this place is 😍 Just home from a 40th birthday meal with friends/couples and had the best time. Food was 11/10 with a great vegan selection! Staff couldn’t be more friendly! And generally just an all round lovely atmosphere. Can’t recommend enough ❤️

What can I say, AMAZING, at just past 3 in the afternoon no customers but this was not an issue at all, the food was amazing and the service exceeded my expectation, thank you so much and m sure I will be a regular customer as we live in Billericay

We had an amazing anniversary dinner at Layalina. Food was delicious, staff attentive and professional and the cocktails were fabulous. Layalina kindly catered to some tricky dietary requirements, they worked through the menu with me to establish what dishes they were able to alter and prepared the food a couple of days in advance to our arrival. What incredible service and customer care! We love this place and will definitely return soon.

Everything we ordered was delicious. The service was top notch. The music was very nice.

Liked it a lot...had lovely lamb chops.. Good amount of food and cocktail or 2..followed down with a nice bottle of white wine. The dip sampler was great as a starter Would go back if in Billericay

Great experience with good quality and fresh food! Worth going again.

Very good food, also takeaway and weekday menus very well priced

Been here twice now and really enjoyed both trips. It's a great menu and food is excellent. Staff are very friendly, know what they're doing and make the meal feel special. Very much reccomend and will definitely be back.

This is my third visit and now leaving this review. The staff are always so accommodating and polite, they could not do anymore. The food is lovely and would really recommend the ‘dip sampler’ if you like hummus & pitta. If you’re thinking of booking this, do it! You will not be disappointed

A lovely menu, and great food. Service was good and very efficient. Food really tasty and well presented. Why not a 5 rating? Well, atmosphere was slightly lacking as it was empty - a real shame and I don’t understand why. A great spot and highly recommend.

Good food.. Good portions .. Good service .. Good advice on what to order.. Not too expensive… We had the table from 8 until 11 and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.. A very pleasant addition to Billericay

Would highly recommend this restaurant. Really authentic Lebanese food. Fattoush, Tabouleh and Falafel were all fantastic. Proper Arabian bread and worth going for the hummus alone. Good selection of vegan and vegetarian options.

6 of us went for my sons birthday for an evening meal. Service and food excellent. Restaurant was full which was a good sign but no delays in receiving food and drinks. Only slight criticism was that they knew it was my sons birthday as I told them on the reservation and there was also a balloon in the middle of the table but no recognition of that. Maybe our fault as we didn’t have desserts and asked for bill after main course and if we had they might have bought something out. Nevertheless this is a wonderful addition to Billericay eateries and deserves every success. Will definitely come again.

Very good food, excellent service

After ordering Layalina online for a long time, me and my friend finally went and dined in the restaurant. The food is always incredible. We were blown away by the service and attention we got. Not too much but definitely felt looked after. Staff are friendly, professional and attentive. I could not recommend enough. Wil be going back to dine in far more often now.

Would give this place more stars if I could. Absolutely amazing. We had the chicken wings, vine leaves, kebbeh, and mixed grill. Everything was mouth-watering, delicious! Found our new dinner spot and will be back!

We went to Layalina on Saturday afternoon and sat outside in the rear terrace. Food an service was great. I can not fault this lovely restaurant.

A birthday treat for my 14 year old daughter, who had the whole of Billericay and Chemlsford to choose for her dinner and chose here - her second visit and my third. I could tell you how the quality of the ingredients and obvious passion for their craft is evident in every mouthful, but I'm not a marketing consultant. Instead, I'll just say that there are times when you truly get what you pay for and a meal at Layalina is one of those times. And Gents, if you forego the mixed grill, you'll regret it.

Absolutely fantastic. Food, service and and setting were all great. We had a lovely time and I highly recommend it.

Reasonably priced good quality food. The staff went the extra mile to provide excellent service. Lebanese food with modern twist and excellent presentation. Varied menu.

Food freshly prepared at the highest standards with exceptional presentation . Staff are extremely accommodating and friendly. They went the extra mile to provide high standard service

My partner and I dropped into this fantastic little restaurant on Billericay high street following our evening commute. This is probably our third visit and the food in here has got better and better. The dip sampler and hummus are beautifully complimented with flavoured oils and herbs and the fresh warm bread is a delight. Our mains of chicken thigh shawarma and skewered lamb fillet were amazing, freshly cooked with that charred burnish and moist centre. It was lovely to see the restaurant full on a Thursday night and it was wonderfully supported by the in-house team. Special mention for Ana who was such a joy as our server. Will definitely return.

Lovely, friendly restaurant with great service and delicious food. Highly recommended.

First visit to Layalina. Friendly and helpful staff. The food was good and reasonably priced. They have an extensive cocktail and wine list. The wine we selected was unavailable but an alternative was offered at the same price. Good service.

Popped in after a terrible day and had my whole mood turned around by a fantastic team working on one chef! Wonderful team, i have no names but a really enthusiastic and professional Ukrainian waitress, a fantastically knowlagdable and charming manager (with amazing hair) and...

This is the first time we’ve been here. Really friendly and attentive service. The food was excellent. The meat was properly pink, and everything was very tasty. Portions were generous too. There was a small mix-up with my order, but it was handled efficiently and...

Lovely food on the set menu but the service was really poor to be honest. Took 25 minutes just to get our drinks and they didn't know which coats were ours so we had to rummage through a wardrobe to find ours, could easily have been stolen.

Read the article in Essex Life. Went along. Amazing food and service. Try the lamb shank and sponge pudding.

Lovely restaurant with great food and friendly staff. All our food was cooked perfectly, good quality and tasted great.

Complete disappointment, celebrated the wedding day with my husband. Service is terrible, food is below average.

Faultless food and warm and attentive service. A wonderful addition to Billericay. We had a lovely evening.

We had the nicest meal tonight, the service as impeccable and the food and drink was amazing. Couldn't recommend it more.

Wow. Just wow. The food here was incredibly flavoursome! They have been in Billericay for just over a year, but we’ve just moved to the area and ate here for our anniversary. Whilst we were there we cancelled a special occasion at another restaurant in...

What an incredible meal! Service was excellent, I don't think my wine glass or water glass was empty once, very attentive team. They made sure our table were very well looked after throughout our meal and our dishes were all incredible, very well presented and wonderfully delicious! We had brought a cake for a birthday which they let us cut and eat too! My favourite part of the evening was being presented with a special tea box when ordering hot drinks! I work in a loose leaf tea shop and the standard offering of teas in places can be a bit of a disappointment so it was very refreshing to have such a lovely selection of loose leaf to choose from and more importantly it was delicious and brewed well. It was a very nice touch! Highly recommend this place if looking for somewhere to enjoy some tasty food, incredible service and lovely atmosphere, what a wonderful little gem Billericay has here! Thank you everyone at Layalina for a really enjoyable evening!

Our son's 25th birthday meal. We arrived a little late. Staff were very attentive, but not overbearing. Food was 5 stars we had lovely evening out. Highly recommended. Thank you

Was served amazingly by all staff. Drinks are beautiful and well priced. Food was brilliant and will definitely come here again! Thanks to all servers and especially to Adam. Great Manager!

I visited Layalina last night with a small group of friends. The food is very nice however the service was terrible. We were there for over 3 hours and in this time we were only offered one drink. I had to go and ask at...

Food was absolutely beautiful, portions were huge, staff were amazing such a relaxed atmosphere would really highly recommend

Went there and ordered from the set menu at lunchtime. Suprisingly affordable given the high quality of the food. The food is presented excellently and genuinely tastes lebanese (speaking as a Lebanese person) which is something very hard to come by in the UK, especially in Essex. Lebanese chef Gino/Jeeno (he came out and spoke to us) is clearly very passionate about what he does and it reflects in the high quality of his food. The waiting staff were also very friendly and welcoming. Small touches such as wiping our table in between dishes and keeping our drinks topped up left a good impression. Will definitely visit again.

Absolutely lovely meal - I took my husband there for his birthday and we sat in the garden/terrace section. It was so nice in there and the service was amazing. The food was ABSOLUTELY DIVINE. Everything we ordered, we loved and you could tell it was excellent quality ingredients and very fine cut meat. We loved it so much that we are hoping to take our friends there next month.

Delicious selection of Lebanese foods, perfect for sharing to try different flavours. The hummus was the best one I've ever had.

Service was amazing so friendly and food was fabulous we are booking again

Staff very friendly food was bland

Been here twice now and the food and staff great . Nice to have something a little different. Have tried variety of starters as a main course and loved them all Will definitely be coming back again

Found this restaurant after a recommendation, I must say the best food I have tasted. We were sat up in the private room as we were a group of 11. The service was great, the cocktails were amazing and the food was incredible. Really nice touch with the chef came up after each course, educated us on some of the food. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed the food. We will return, would have given it 6 stars if I could.

Amazing food and great attentive service. We hadn’t had Lebanese food before and the menu and advice from the team made it interesting. Will definitely be coming back

Ive walked past this restaurant every day for a couple o months and decided to try it yesterday, deligjted we did. We were greeted nicely when we entered and were offered inside or outside, which i didnt know was an option. The lady showed us...

Food delicious really enjoyed my meal.

We went last night as a family of 5 for a celebratory meal, Layalina didn't disappoint us. Fresh food, very clean taste, perfectly cooked, we all enjoyed it. Yes, it is a bit pricey in comparison with some other local restaurants but you get what...

We went for a weekday lunch. The food was fresh and well made, with good quality ingredients. We ate in the garden space, which I hadn’t realised was there and was a nice place on a sunny day. Friendly, welcoming staff. We will return - if like to try the cocktails.

This is really is one of only 2 high quality restaurants in Billericay. The chef had explained how they had sourced some unusual ingredients, and for those that don't know they also have a branch in Knightsbridge. Service is extremely helpful too. Lunch menu is better value with full sized plates.

My wife and I had a fantastic romantic dinner here. The food was delicious and service was excellent. I highly recommend it.

Fab night - delicious food - great cocktails - lovely wine Really lovely little restaurant- service was very good - food was amazing Will definitely be back and would definitely recommend

The restaurant is lovely and the staff are amazing. The food is very authentic and having visited the Knightsbridge restaurant too, it is a gift to have one now in our home town. Its a second time we have visited in a month and the...

Our friend introduced us to this restaurant after finding it by accident. We are glad he did. This is simply some of the best food we have eaten. The meats are top quality. The cocktails are delicious. The chef and the staff are really friendly. Since my first visit we was back within days as wanted to try other things on the menu and will be back again!!

We visited recently and had a wonderful experience, whilst prices are expensive, you do get what you pay for. The real benefit is not having to travel to West London, thank you for bringing us that experience on our doorstep, will be visiting again real soon.

Great food! The best moutabal I’ve ever had. Lunch deal exceeds all expectations. Very good cocktails and wine list. Highly recommend for lunch or dinner.

What a excellent place for dinner. Not only is the food amazing but the service is really great. The head chef took time to speak to us and you could tell his love for the food and what he has built. Well done - I will be back.

Absolutely amazing restaurant. It’s a beautiful restaurant inside, having been styled very well. The music adds to the ambiance and I was slightly warm inside but that’s better than being cold! The service was exemplary which I seem to find less and less these days....

Amazing food, served by wonderful staff.

Not much vegan/veggie options in the mains. Salad basically. Which was nice but not overly exciting. All the cold mezzes are vegan and a couple of hot mezzes. The potato dish and falafel dish was really nice. Staff very nice and great customer service. Probably wouldn't return due to options for me.

Lovely restaurant, friendly welcoming staff, wonderful food. Good lunchtime deals. A nice addition to our High Street.

I like Lebanese food. I like Persian food. I like middle / near eastern, central asian food. I don't like having to haul across to Bayswater / Ladbroke Grove / Notting Hill to enjoy it at its best. I am therefore overjoyed that Layalina has...

Today my husband and I lunched at Layalina and honestly, it's just really REALLY good food. We eat here a lot and it's always top-notch. The staff are wonderful too. The food is fresh, seasoned to perfection, presented beautifully and cooked to an incredibly high...

I love Middle Eastern food, so I was really looking forward to eating at this restaurant, I wasn’t disappointed. The food was delicious, and the service impeccable, however, it is incredibly overpriced. This restaurant has a branch in Knightsbridge, and I’ve noted the prices are...