"First time at Layali, had birthday dinner for a friend. Group of 6, made reservations online; received a call to confirm the day before, which was really nice! It’s located downtown and as usual, parking is horrible ! Unless you want to pay 15+ to park at a lot or garage (lots of those near restaurant) you have to drive around and pray to find a spot. The hostess at restaurant was great! She greeted me right away and was understanding that i was waiting for the others in my party. We got sat in the back corner; our waitress was nice but i felt bad for her since half my party was super late (due to traffic/parking) and we didn’t want to order until they got there. We decided to order a few things to share; all the food was delicious ! From calamari to ravioli, everyone loved each option. We brought a cake and the restaurant had no issue holding it in the back and bringing it out after we ate. They brought out cake knive and plates; thete wasn’t any cake/cutting fee that many restaurants offer. After 9pm they turned the lights down and the vibe felt more like a lounge; it got way busy too. Since open till 1am on Saturday im sure it gets great late night crowds. Definitely a fun spot and i would recommend for groups and for dates."

"If you go to a 7PM show at PPAC on a weeknight and don’t have time to grab dinner before the show, then Layali is the place to go for a post-show dinner. The kitchen is open late and they have quite a large selection of different dishes. We were in the mood for comfort food, so we started with the calamari and the coconut shrimp. Both were very good, but the calamari stood out because rather than serving the lemon on the side, lemon slices were fried and mixed into the calamari. It was unique and surprisingly delicious! For entrees, we ordered the chicken kabob and shrimp alla vodka. Both were excellent and very filling. With the appetizers mentioned above, it was a lot of food, so definitely stick to just one shared app unless you are very hungry like we were. The service was really impressive. The servers were both very alert, never letting our water glasses go empty and checking in on us regularly. They also took the time to make small talk. In addition, the manager came by to check on our experience and was friendly without being intrusive. I watched him do the same for every single table in the restaurant. And, when one of the guests was talking way too loud, he even kindly asked the person to take the volume down without making the person feel embarrassed about it. The atmosphere is very lively and is a bit more like a club, so if you’re expecting a very quiet and tranquil dinner experience around 10PM, you might consider other options. If you like a high-energy environment, you’ll enjoy Layali a lot. We had a great time and are looking forward to coming back."

"The shrimp alla vodka was to die for. Everything else was good but not extraordinary. I did not expect the brussel sprouts to be deep fried and breaded and the calamari was just ok. The kabob plate pretty good solid 8/10. Cute spot"

"This was my first time here. The staff was great. I didn't get to eat what I wanted because the food was pre-ordered from the person that organized the event. And I just wouldn't have chosen the food she did. I had some sort of pasta with shrimp that was delicious. The meat dishes were ok. The drinks were good. I would definitely go back and try some other dishes."

"We traveled into Providence from out of state for a Northeast tour and to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mom. We reserved a table here as the food looked good and it was close to the WaterFire celebrations. When we first came up to the restaurant we were skeptical, as the music is quite loud and we had a hard time hearing each other speak across our table. Because of this, we thought we wouldn’t stay long, but within minutes, the service and experience won us over. All of the food and drinks we ordered were delicious (the flaming martini was a special treat!), but it was Daniel whom made this a memorable and spectacular visit. He brought a festive and celebratory drink to my mom for her birthday, joked with the table, knew what everyone needed before we did, and was overall amazing. By the end of the meal we were laughing and enjoying ourselves so much we didn’t even notice the music anymore. Thank you, Daniel, for such a standout experience and evening - you went above and beyond and we sincerely appreciate you!"