Laya Restaurant Brunch Experience

Laya Restaurant is Hollywood’s hottest brunch spot, offering an open-air dining experience that gives major Middle Eastern and North African vibes. I thought we were in Morocco for a hot hour. The menu is curated by Top Chef winner Charbel Hayek, who sources ingredients locally from the farmers’ market next door, offering a fusion of Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Arriving at Laya Restaurant

If you’re driving, Laya Restaurant offers valet parking, giving you easy access to the restaurant. Otherwise, you can find parking on the streets or in nearby lots. It is recommended that you book a reservation to ensure seating. Otherwise, the restaurant is large enough to accommodate your party.

As you enter Laya Restaurant, you’re greeted with an oasis that makes you feel like you’re no longer in America. You’ve just traveled to a whole different country through the atmosphere and ambience that this restaurant gives. During brunch, they typically hire a DJ to play music that is SUCH A VIBE. You get soft EDM, and it screams Morocco.

You have numerous options to choose from for seating, whether you prefer the bar for drinks, a table, or a cozy booth.

The Brunch Menu

Brunch at Laya Restaurant features a prix fixe menu. The concept is great because they portion out appetizers for the table, family style, which includes:

• Mom’s Labneh: I love this one because the head chef’s mother would come and make a fresh batch of labneh every morning. This consisted of yogurt, radish, onion, cucumber, and green olives.
• Foul Moudamas: This is essentially a stew, served as a dip, consisting of fava beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onions, and mint. I love this one because it was VERY flavorful. Great to combine with the labneh.
• Falafel: A traditional appetizer – this had a great consistency and was very flavorful as well.
• Marinated Olives: My absolute favorite because they smash the olives, allowing the seeds to fall right off as you chew through the marinated Lebanese olives.
• Seared Haloumi: Haloumi is a type of cheese made from a blend of goat, sheep, and cow milk. This cheese is then seared and coated with a sauce made from grated tomato, garlic, and mint.
• Crudité: A small vegetable platter consisting of Persian cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, and radish.

You can also order additional appetizers from their brunch menu to share.

After sharing the appetizers, you can choose a main dish for yourself or to share with the table, family style. I ended up choosing the steak and eggs – a classic brunch option. The steak and eggs dish consisted of Australian Wagyu sirloin, two eggs, roasted tomato, potatoes, and salad. The dish was delicious and very filling. For the price you pay, you won’t leave the restaurant hungry at all.

We also opted for two servings of Golden Osetra Caviar, as we’re the Caviar Bumps crew.

The Laya Experience

Overall, I had a fantastic time at Laya Restaurant. I loved the food, environment, and energy. They have various activities going on, including a rolling Bloody Mary cart and a table with sand for Turkish coffee. The staff were so lovely and helpful. The drinks there are also delicious. I’m excited to return for their dinner menu, specifically the famous octopus skewer.

Laya Restaurant
1430 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028