Layalina
I’ve been out of town for the past week, without much of a pulse on what’s been happening locally. The best “first day back from vacation” post I could think of was a collection of photos and a mini review from a recent dinner at one of my favorite middle eastern restaurants: Layalina, located at Wilson Blvd. and George Mason Drive (if you click on the link and you’re at work, turn down your speakers, because blaring arabic music might disturb your co-workers.)
The owners of Layalina come from Lebanon and Syria. The menu is expansive, with plenty of meat and vegetarian options. Layalina is the type of place you’d never think to go into. From the outside, it looks like it may have once been a convenience store.
The inside, however, is a completely different story. It’s like cracking open an old rock to find beautiful crystals inside. Persian rugs hanging on the walls, colorful light fixtures and hanging lanterns, walls covered in items that look like they came from a flea market in the middle east, fabric draped on the ceiling. It’s other-worldly.
No other middle eastern restaurant in the area that I’ve experienced comes close to the homemade nature of the food that is served at Layalina. I’m middle eastern by descent, and this is the only food that actually takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen.
Middle eastern ‘meatloaf’:
Roasted lamb w/pomegranate seeds served over couscous:
Vegetabled stuffed with a ground beef/rice mixture, and served with roasted lamb:
I highly recommend that you order any of the lamb dishes or the daily specials. I’ve been to Layalina 4 times now, and fall more in love with this place every time.
