Layali Halab Mediterranean - Amazing Fries With Solid Entrees

Layali Halab Mediterranean Experience Summary

I found myself at Layali Halab after a hot tip. I was at Florentine with some buddies, and someone recommended this place as another spot for Israeli-type Mediterranean food. My hunt for the best food in St. Louis is never-ending, so I had to check it out. I didn't know anything about it going in, other than it was somewhere near Old Olive.

Turns out, it's more general Middle Eastern than Israeli, which is totally fine by me. The really interesting part? The chef used to be at Rozana in Manchester, which is one of my all-time favorite spots (especially before hitting the escape rooms down there).

That set my expectations pretty high. This is a new-ish spot, only open for about 10 or 12 months, and it's run by the chef and his wife. He does the cooking, she does the serving. You can tell they're still learning the ropes, but it's a very personal, friendly vibe. (This was last year, they have since figured it out 🙂)

The meal started with a nice surprise. She brought out this complimentary lentil soup. It was light, refreshing, almost pureed. Just a nice little "hello" before the main event.

And then... the fries arrived.

I'm just going to say it: these might be my new favorite french fries in the entire state. They were fantastic.

I was riding high on those fries. Then I dug into my main, the Shish-Tak.

And it was just okay. The chicken was dry, and the pita was underwhelming. It's this problem I found across the meal. When the pita isn't fluffy and flavorful, in my opinion, it just drags everything else down. The main wrap was fine, but it wasn't the fries.

So here's my take on Layali Halab: I would absolutely go back. I would even drive 20 minutes out of my way. But I'd go back just for those otherworldly French fries.

The rest of the food is decent, but the fries are the real star.

The Food At Layali Halab Mediterranean

Going in, I had hopes for the shish-tak. But the surprise for me this visit was the French fries.

I am not using hyperbole here; these are just all-around superb. I don't use that word very often in food reviews, but it applies. They are up there as one of my favorite fries, right there with Gyro Gyro in the area.

There's this one random Greek place on the way to Branson, about halfway down the state, that held my number one spot for years. I think these might be better. Sorry, random Greek place.

They have this perfect, crunchy, thick exterior, but they are still completely soft and pillowy-fluffy in the middle. Just the right amount of friedness. My ideal French fry. I'm probably going to get them for lunch tomorrow just from writing this.

They're that good.

Now, the actual meal. I usually get shawarma at places like this, but today I tried the Shish-Tak. It's similar, but comes with coleslaw in the wrap. I was, in general, kind of disappointed.

The good parts: the coleslaw was good, and the pickled vegetables inside had a solid vinegary taste. But the sauce... it just didn't hit. I guess "fine" is the word. The real problem was that the chicken was kind of dry, and the pita wasn't top-notch. Those two things just overwhelmed all the good stuff.

It was fine. Just fine. Not mind-blowing like the fries.

Update: I came back with my wife now, over a year later, for lunch, but this time I got the shawarma. The key to the whole thing is the garlic (toum) sauce. I could drink that stuff, but in this case, I limited it to my fries and wrap. So good.

Like I said, the meal came with a surprise lentil soup to start. It was quite delicious! Very light, pureed. It wasn't a make-or-break part of the meal, but it was a really nice touch. A good amuse-bouche.

It also came with a side of pickled vegetables that I was not a huge fan of. Again, they had the right vinegary taste, but they were a little too crunchy for me and not pickled enough. I'm down for some really intense vinegar and dill, and they didn't hit that.

For fun, I also got a couple of sides of 'makka suresh' (I think that's what they're called). One was za'atar and one was with red peppers. They are basically pita topped with stuff, looking oily and kind of fried.

The za'atar one was better than the red pepper one. The red pepper one was... not enjoyable. I wouldn't get it again. Probably a 5/10. Not inedible, just not good.

The za'atar was a solid 7.2/10. Definitely restaurant quality. But my friends at The Lab restaurant make a way better version; theirs is probably an 8.1. It just comes down to pita quality.

And that was the underlying issue across the board. The pita. When you're making pita for sandwiches, for chips, for anything, you've got to use a fluffier, better pita. There's no point in having this thin, crunchy, chewy pita that adds no flavor or texture.

That, and the dry chicken, was the main letdown.

Layali Halab Mediterranean Atmosphere And Miscellaneous

The place itself is tucked away in Creve Coeur, right across from an AMC theater. You kind of find it behind Old Olive.

Inside, it's pretty straightforward. You order at the counter, and they bring the food out to you. It's clean and bright.

Service was really friendly. As I mentioned, it's just the owner's wife serving, and the owner himself is in the back cooking. Because it's a two-person show, service isn't going to be super fast, but she brings everything out on a nice little platter for you.

Update: Service is better now and they have everything under a good process.

We got there at noon on a Friday, and there was no line. By the time we left around one, it was maybe half or three-quarters full. Nobody seemed to be waiting long for food. They do a good job getting orders out. It's a decent Halal spot.

Parking At Layali Halab Mediterranean

Parking is super easy.

It's in a strip mall with a dedicated lot, so you don't have to fight for a spot. You can just pull right in. Can't beat it.

Layali Halab Mediterranean Receipt