Layla is a St. Louis restaurant that boasts on its website that it is the only “gourmet burger and shawarma joint” in the city. The restaurant is located in The Grove in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, although Layla has recently opened a second location in Webster Groves. The restaurant in Forest Park Southeast is set in a lovely old brick building with a bit of outdoor seating. Inside, the restaurant is divided into two rooms. The first has a large bar on one side with some small tables scattered about the rest of the room. The second room is exclusively tables and chairs. The restaurant features bold colors and some industrial elements, along with old posters on the walls, providing a fun and quirky space.

Along with a page of appetizers and salads, Layla’s menu is half burgers, half shawarmas. The burgers feature high-quality ingredients, usually with an artisanal twist. While they sound delicious, on our visit we opted to try a shawarma with chicken, which also featured quality ingredients and was quite flavorful. The shawarma also came with fries, which were excellent. Along with the shawarma, we ordered a serving of traditional hummus with pita. The hummus was good, and we were delighted that it came with so many pieces of pita. We very much enjoyed snacking on the pita and hummus and were content with the serving size. Although we didn’t get any drinks, Layla also has a nice selection of beer, wine, liquor, and house-made cocktails and shakes.

Overall, Layla was a pleasant restaurant to visit and featured a nice atmosphere with good food. The price was quite reasonable considering the quality of the food, making Layla the perfect place to go for an after work snack or meal.