Cafe Layal

Overall it’s ok here. I think service is a little sub par. Their hookah is ok, but it’s hit or miss. Not really a fan of the place. I come here because it’s open late and they serve food that isn’t burger and fries.
The best food is the sandwiches and fries. Not necessarily my go to. Way better places in town. But it’s large and can fit all of your friends.
It’s BYOB too.

I like this place but it will be AMAZING with a fresh coat of paint, and new seating. Sorry, it’s rather dated and used in this place.
The fun is what you make it. Bring your own bottles, games, and SPEAKERS, if not you will have to find creative ways to play music or be entertained. Drinking games and truth or dare are interesting here!
The staff appears to be all men, could explain the lack of feminine ambience in this joint (I apologize guys).
Anywho don’t knock it till you try it… FYI this time of year there is no av on at night — just ceiling fans.
Very causal, it was after midnight and a toddler or two was spotted out enjoying the night with his folks… There is no age restrictions for the under aged or time limits either… Should be considered — just a thought.

LOVE this place!!!:) its literally the best! The staff is amazing and the people are great. The hookah is perfect and the fries are to die for! Me and my husband are always there because its also affordable. We live 45 minutes away from it but we drive there at least two times a week to go there (so you know its worth it, if we r willing to drive that far for a hangout spot). The staff is amazing, all of them, Norma, Nubia, Mohammed, ziyad, ziyad’s brother, and others!

I’ve come here frequently over the years. Not because I love the place… But because it was one of the only good options around for hookah.
Not anymore, now that I’ve found Mary’z on Washington. Do yourself a favor and give that a try.
Consistently, I’ve received poor service here (except one waiter who stands out in my mind who was actually nice… which is probably the reason they stand out in my mind). When you go to a hookah place, you want a fun and inviting atmosphere. That’s the kind of people who are coming here. Laidback and fun. But the staff themselves are a little TOO laidback, and definitely not fun. Is it too much to ask to be waited on in a prompt manner, and to get my water refilled? And maybe… Just MAYBE… get a smile out of it?
I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere from upper management, or if it’s the staff they’re hiring, but I’ve received poor service almost every time. There’s no smiling, no friendliness. They just drop off your food and shisha and hit the road. I’ve had seen too much eye rolling and complaints about splitting checks to consider this place for bringing friends.
My wife won’t even go here anymore. I had to drag her out the last 2 – 3 times.
So… Update your staff. Start hiring fun and friendly people. Because there’s a sense of laziness and contempt towards customers that I feel is emanating from the staff working here.
I gave an extra star because it’s BYOB, which is pretty cool.

I don’t get why a lot of people are complaining.
Service was actually great. Coals were always on time. Drinks were always filled. Food came out on time, and our server kept checking on us.
The food was good. I had the chicken kabob. Huge portion, more than enough to fill one person up.
As for the hookah, I went with whatever our server recommended and it was great!
& IT’S BYOB! make sure to get your alcohol with you!

Ordered a chicken shawarmma! The meat was a little too chewy, but was alright. The hookah was decent.
Pros: BYOB, nice outdoor sitting, concerned hosts
Cons: Food can be better

Do yourself a favor, don’t make your night complicated by coming here. They’re service does not make you feel comfortable and chill like hookah is supposed to.

The food was good but the service I have to say was horrible. The place was already hot to begin with so don’t expect any AC. We had to constantly remind our waiter’s for our drinks and food. Not to mention our waiter failed to remind us specifically about corking fee and other fees we were charged with. If you do decide to go here make sure to confirm with the staff before ordering anything.

Friendly place. Always has good music after a certain time, and food is delicious. There fries and burgers are awesome

I dont see the reason for people’s negative reviews. Ask for Mohammed, the Algerian. Good waiter, great service.
Food is average, hookah is good, and it is a great study spot.

Well call me a monkey’s uncle y’all. I forgot to take a picture of my plate… Well … Shoot… But it was delicious! Chicken kabob plate is ZEE best. Had me some tea at the end. Heres a pic of that. Chow!

waiter greeted us gave us our drinks and then disappeared into the magical room in the back which i think took her to another dimension because we never saw her ever again the place is ok mostly young peep like swag faggs its not a quiet place most young people are really loud and annoying depends on your taste tho i dont like really loud atmospheres food was alright not fancy arabic fast food … after about mmmmh 2 hours that waiter came back tho but yeah

Due to how I’m used to horrible service at hookah cafes, I was slightly impressed by how often our server checked on our table. Of course, as the night wore on and the café started filling up, our server was nowhere to be seen.
There wasn’t a wide variety of flavors but you could combine any flavor + mint for hookah. The tea was ordered by the pot and they provided sugar along with the hot tea. The French fries were also really delicious (crispy and salty). I will definitely come back again and maybe even check out their Midtown location.

This deserves zero stars. HORRIBLE service, horrible food, the hookah is so crappy. I’ve been here so many times to study or Hang out with friends & I’ve never been pleased once. So now I’m writing this review. Thanks.

I only come here with a few friends for hookah & because they open pretty late even on weekdays. So mostly out of convenience. Food? Not really.
Food her is mediocre, hookah is okay.
Service is terrible but I can see they are now under new management & are trying to make some changes.
Walls have been repainted, the furniture needs some help though. Usually you’ll have to chase down your waiter or harass them for service. It gets pretty frustrating when you’re trying to get some more coal for your hookah. At times I’ll even have to wave at them frantically & they’ll still walk off.
I give them three stars, because this visit because the new waitress was pretty attentive and polite. Door was also open for me by a waiter when I left, that was nice. But Café Layal still has a lot of work to do, if they want to compete with their other location in Midtown.
The midtown location puts this location to shame. The waiters there are always attentive & wondeful. It’s also a lot cleaner and well decorated.
Also when I left for my check my waitress did not have a pen, so I had to etch my signature & tip with a fork. Didn’t mind too much because she was nice & I thought it was funny. But I can see this as a problem do other customers.
Will be returning in a few months I guess to see if it gets better, if not I rather make the drive to their midtown location from now on instead.

Tried the mushroom burger and it was pretty good. Amazing french fries, super crispy and delicious. One thing though, the ambiance is horrifying. I will never go for a dine in again. Your best bet is to grab the food to go and eat in the comfort and cleanliness of your own home.

Worst Service Evvvvver!!! This place wasn’t even busy and it took forevvvver! Our waiter didn’t write anything down for our group and it’s a wonder why he forgot a bunch of stuff. It literally took 35 minutes to get our checks. Go to the Midtown location! It puts this one to shame!

Ok for hookah only but not many flavors. The food is great tho and open I’ll five am!

Café Layal looks like it used to be another restaurant that was shut down and abandoned for years and then reopened without anything being changed. The atmosphere is that of horror-​movie set. The hookah tasted like I’m inhaling directly out of an old man’s pillow. I’m of age but know for a fact that a good portion of their business is underage high school students looking to get a buzz, which is fine, but only exacerbates s*** standards. This place needs to be leveled and redone or bought out by someone who takes pride in their business.

Great Service! Great Hookah! Great Food! This place is one of the first hookah bars in Houston and for the last 2 – 3 years, this place became very dead due to bad management.
There is a new manager their now and I love this place again! Everyone try them out again, I’m sure you’ll like it. The new manager is awesome!