Kris T.
Yelp
Not sure how I neglected to review this place for so long, but I am correcting that oversight now. Leila's is, in my mind, the perfect place. The taste, presentation and quality of the food is tremendous, the portions are large and the prices are very reasonable. For less than you'd pay for lunch most anywhere else, you can leave here feeling both content/full and healthy. Better yet, you can shop while you wait for your order (spice prices are great), and there are five or six booths to eat at, if you prefer that over take-out.
The soups. The two standard soups, chicken and lentil, are each among the very best I have ever eaten (and I have eaten some great soups). The lentil is likely the finest of its kind I have ever tried. Where some lentil soups are watery, theirs is hearty, full of flavor, and with just enough heat to notice. If you are looking for a light lunch, the soup itself would serve nicely. The chicken soup is packed with shredded chicken (a mix, but mostly white meat) and has a satisfying heat level that I didn't notice until half the bowl was gone (read: about 20 seconds, and it's a large bowl). I would happily forgo any other chicken soup for the rest of my life, if I could replace it with this. I wish that I had the recipe for both. And I can't stress enough, I feel healthy after eating them! How often can you say that about something you love, given today's typical food options?
The beef shawarma is also a solid bet. It's rolled a bit thin (which I actually don't mind; especially as it comes with soup, bread and hummus and olives, at a great price), but is packed with flavor: the meat is lean, rather than fatty, and the pita around it is very lightly toasted, giving the wrap a satisfying texture. There is a very pleasant nutty background flavor, which I find most tahini fails to achieve. The hummus is, unsurprisingly, some of the best, if not the best, I have ever had. Light, nuanced and with a finishing hint of lemon. I am usually quite full by the time I turn to the hummus and bread, yet it's good enough that I can't help but eat it on the spot.
Should you somehow still have room for dessert, there are several house-made options to choose from, and a few with naturally low(er) sugar. If, like me, you are at the point in life where 90% of what you once enjoyed is just too sweet to choke down, then Leila's has you covered.
I no longer live near this place, which saddens me, as I seriously doubt I'll ever find a replacement. Such is life. Enjoy it for me!