Heather Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I'm attending a birthday party here in a couple of weeks. Looks pretty trendy. Any reports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam23 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I'm attending a birthday party here in a couple of weeks. Looks pretty trendy. Any reports?I went a few months ago for dinner with a group of people. We had their mezze for four which was pretty good. The food was pretty good overall. The schwarma had a nice flavor and wasn't over cooked. Their hommus and grape leaves were good. On the spectrum of mediterranean/lebanese restaurants i've gone to, I found it to be quite a bit better than Lebanese Taverna but not nearly as good as the Lebanese Butcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acevedo81 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 This is one of my favorite restaurants for parties. I wouldn't call it trendy, but this place is more than a restaurant to the lebanese expats in the area. It is a place for many established arabs in the area to hang out and have drinks after dinner. They do serve up some pretty solid food - off the top of my head I can think of the green beans with tomato sauce, the kibbe nayeh, obviously have to get the grand mezze, there is also a pistachio desert with rose water that is excellent. Enjoy, this is a really fun and extremely underrated restaurant by non arabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dag556 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I haven't been there in almost a year, but the lamb chops were some of the best I'd ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 The food was above average - the best items on the grand mezze were the kibbe nayeh, the fattayer, and the hummus. The kabobs that followed were overcooked and tough, and the garlic sauce lacked punch. The house wines by the glass are execrable. Service was pleasant and slow, although with a large group I don't expect much more than that. The place gets stupidly loud, especially once the belly dancer starts - if you like conversing with your dining companions, I strongly suggest asking for a table in the back room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 The food was above average - the best items on the grand mezze were the kibbe nayeh, the fattayer, and the hummus. The kabobs that followed were overcooked and tough, and the garlic sauce lacked punch. The house wines by the glass are execrable. Service was pleasant and slow, although with a large group I don't expect much more than that. The place gets stupidly loud, especially once the belly dancer starts - if you like conversing with your dining companions, I strongly suggest asking for a table in the back room. OK, I perked up at the kibbee nayee reference. I'll have to put it on my recon list..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 The food was above average - the best items on the grand mezze were the kibbe nayeh, the fattayer, and the hummus. The kabobs that followed were overcooked and tough, and the garlic sauce lacked punch. The house wines by the glass are execrable. Service was pleasant and slow, although with a large group I don't expect much more than that. The place gets stupidly loud, especially once the belly dancer starts - if you like conversing with your dining companions, I strongly suggest asking for a table in the back room. These comments pretty much reflect my own experience this evening. I went for the Kibbeh Naya ($9 half, $15 full), and while it was a bit short on condiments, it was a solid rendition that's worth coming to try. Pita, Fatayer, Tabbouleh, Cheese Rolls, and Makanek ranged from mediocre to decent. The beer and wine selection is just horrible, and that alone is enough to prevent me from returning. Neyla is a beautiful space that is creepily dingy enough so that it seems like a microcosm of North Georgetown. As Heather said, it is LOUD, and if you're looking for conversation, you should ask for a table in the back hallway to avoid the pulsating techno-trash amped out into the front room. This restaurant advertises heavily in all sorts of publications, and as a result, carries a bizarre mix of clientele. Service is well-meaning, but marginal at best: The staff is at your table when you don't need them, and AWOL when you do. I doubt I'll be back anytime soon, but I really did enjoy the Kibbeh Naya. Cheers, Rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Saw in The Georgetowner that Neyla is closing on Aug. 17 because they lost their lease, and they hope to find another location. Neyla posted a message on Aug. 5 announcing their upcoming closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Completed their move to Reston, and scored Will Artley as chef. clickety 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Can't wait to try this out, not far from my Reston office. Â Saw something on his facebook about coming home to NOVA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I'd wait at least a month for menu turnover before assessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidsdc Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I'd wait at least a month for menu turnover before assessing. Ha! I didn't know he ended up here-do you know when he started? We ate there earlier this month and had a delightful meal for my BIL's bday. Great service, too. I can't recall if I ordered the baba ghannouj or the roasted eggplant, but it was truly smokey deliciousioness. I had an (altered for allergies) roasted whole branzino that was fileted at the table. A for effort, even if there were a few pin bones left behind. I do wish that he had left the detritis though, as it looked like there was still some good meat left on the bones. I think others ordered a lamb burger, falafel, charred artichokes, and perhaps some more mezze. The pita bread was great too, and the article mentions he's been playing around with the recipe. While I can't recall everything that we ordered, we were well taken care of and will definitely be back. I won't wait for additions to the menu, as that will just be icing on the cake! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Ha! I didn't know he ended up here-do you know when he started? I don't think he was full-time in the kitchen longer than the last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I saw a picture of a lobster dish he was serving this weekend on his facebook, I will be seeing if it is still being served and maybe making MK meet me out in Reston for dinner! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 This has the potential of being big news....take a Georgetown restuarant, move it to the Reston Town Center where individually-owned restaurants are rare in that sea of chains, take an Eastern Mediterranean theme that seems to combine Zaytinya with Me Jana, reinvent it with a chef who knows a thing or two about pizza from Pizzeria Orso, and we might end up with the most interesting mashup of styles and flavors to hit Fairfax County in a while. Here's hoping for a fortuitous turn of events, and I'll be checking in on occasion as it gets its legs.... Imagine some serious grilled octopus on this menu....or true Lebanese pizza, and fresh baked pita with which to devour mezze dishes....my hed is spinning at the possibilities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBag57 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 So, Chef Will, who this past weekend reached the pinnacle of his rededication to his health by completing the Maryland IronMan event, recently announced via Facebook that he would be leaving Neyla for an opportunity in D.C. that he could not pass up. Said something to the effect that it was a perfect fit for him. If it did not look like The Dabney was already set with its cooking team, I would have guessed there. Will had upped Neyla's game in terms of flatbreads/pizzas, and had put out a couple of pretty good specials when we went there. Hopefully there will be a good and continuing legacy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I liked most of the food, but the service? The host, evidently, was expecting Brangelina, or JayZ & Beyoncé, or Cruise & Holmes to show up and had disdain for anyone else. Our server was MIA most of the time except when he and another server decided to bring all of our appetizers, salads, and meze to our tiny two-top at the same time. I felt like Mr Creosote as they pulled another table over so there was enough room. I asked that they take a couple of dishes back as they'd get cold by the time we ate them. I should have specified that I expected freshly prepped dishes instead of putting them under the heat lamps for a half hour. Crossing that one off my list... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferris Bueller Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Anyone know if this place has closed permanently as indicated on Open Table? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Ferris Bueller said: Anyone know if this place has closed permanently as indicated on Open Table? They were open in late Dec, 2017, but I'm not sure about now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferris Bueller Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Pretty certain it is no longer open - was at RTC using the FedEx facility and place was dark at 1:30 PM today.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferris Bueller Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Confirmed closure from their website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 On 1/5/2018 at 11:09 AM, Ferris Bueller said: Confirmed closure from their website. Interesting that they left their entire website up with just the NEYLA IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED banner across the top. Most sites go dark when the restaurant does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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