Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
  5. Santa Cruz
Best Restaurant and Food in Santa Cruz - Laili, Santa Cruz, CA

Laili

4.7
4.7
2878 Reviews
$30 and under
Mediterranean

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 21 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Charming
Laili is our expression of love through food and service. We offer a unique menu made up of fusion Afghani Mediterranean items that include kabobs, wraps, flatbreads, pastas, and spiced lamb and chicken dishes as well as delicious vegetarian options.

Laili Restaurant "BEST MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT", Good Times 2023, Voted #1

Rich Mediterranean Flavors with a Unique Afghan Twist in the Heart of Downtown Santa Cruz.
Currently taking reservations for lunch and dinner, walk-ins welcome too.

Dine in our elegant, secluded, off street patio. Visit our website for event information.

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

View details

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Afghan
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (831) 423-4545
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    Get Laili’s Food at your location! Call or email us for prices and availability. Parties 50-500
  • Private party facilities
    Whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or hosting a corporate gathering, Laili Restaurant can accommodate all your special event needs.
  • Private party contact
    Xander Nicolai: (831) 423-4545
  • Area
    Santa Cruz
  • Cross Street
    Pacific Avenue
  • Parking details
    Take advantage of free parking located on River Street at Front Street. In addition to metered street parking, there is also a parking lot at Front Street and Soquel and also at Locust Street and Pacific Avenue.
  • Additional
    Patio/Outdoor Dining

Experiences

  • Lunchtime Oasis

    Multiple dates available
    Come experience lunch time at Laili, the hidden gem of Downtown Santa Cruz! Sit and relax on our gorgeous patio and enjoy the sunshine, the beautiful vines and flowers all around that envelop you with the feel of a secret garden, and of course, our delicious, fresh food! We offer special lunch time combos, an amazing wine list and delicious and refreshing non-alcoholic options like our fresh Ginger Lime Soda. Take some time to slow down and treat yourself.
    Lunchtime Oasis photo

What 2,878 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Overall

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Food

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Service

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Ambience

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Value

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Innovative

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Healthy

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Romantic

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Good for special occasions

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Laili in Santa Cruz is celebrated for its "delicious food," "excellent service," and "beautiful ambiance." Guests love the courtyard dining and diverse menu, featuring standout dishes like lamb shank and eggplant. Although some find it "noisy" or "pricey," most patrons praise the "wonderful service" and "satisfying experience."

2,878 Reviews
  1. David

    VIP

    Chicago

    52 reviews

    5.0

    52 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We enjoyed a creative menu with exotic flavors combined with excellent service in a beautiful setting.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Jane

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great juicy chicken kabob and delicious Matoo dumplings. Service attentive.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted that you enjoyed our juicy Chicken Kabob and delicious Mantoo dumplings. It's also wonderful to hear that our team provided attentive service. We appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back for another great meal soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  3. Maxwell

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I don’t love this place the food is Fantastic! The staff is very friendly and attentive.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Thank you for your feedback! We're delighted to hear that you found the food fantastic and our staff friendly and attentive. If there's anything we can do to enhance your experience further, we'd love to know. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  4. Brooke

    VIP

    San Francisco

    15 reviews

    2.0

    15 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    I usually love this place but bummed valentines wasn’t my favorite experience. I understand it’s a busy holiday but prefixed menu sucked , dessert I ordered sold out … just disappointing. I expected a lot more given the price .
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Hi Brooke, Thank you for your honest feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your Valentine’s Day experience didn’t live up to your past visits. We understand that expectations are high for special occasions, and we regret that the special menu and sold-out dessert left you disappointed. We did have the regular menu available on top our special event menu. I apologize if that was not made apparent to you by our server. Your support means a lot to us, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding on such a busy evening. We hope to have the chance to provide you with a much better experience on your next visit. Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  5. Bryan

    Central Coast

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    Dined on Valentine’s Day where they offered only a prize fixe menu which offered little variety and nothing that really appealed to us. The prices were jacked up for the occasion and the food was as okay but nothing great. I had dined at this place once before and was impressed, but this experience did not leave us wanting to return any time soon.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Hi Bryan. Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your Valentine’s Day experience didn’t meet your expectations. Special occasion menus are designed to create a unique dining experience, but we understand that variety and value are important, and we’ll take your thoughts into consideration for future events. We did have the regular menu available in addition to our special menu and we do our best to ensure that every guest is aware of the options and apologies if that was not offered to you. We truly appreciate your past visit and are disappointed that this time didn’t leave the same impression. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future for a meal that better reflects the experience you previously enjoyed. Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  6. Xavier

    VIP

    San Francisco

    23 reviews

    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, amazing service. Highly recommend . What a treat

    Is this helpful?

  7. Terri

    Hawaii

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our server Alyssa was terrific. Attentive, and a wonderful server. Great experience.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Alyssa provided you with such a wonderful and attentive dining experience. We'll be sure to share your compliments with her! We appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  8. Martyn

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 12 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Good food in a large space that seemed a little empty but nicely decorated. Booths were tight to sit in and not very comfortable. Waiters were friendly and well informed. Food was good but not spectacular and low on value for money. Wine list had several good options.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Hi Martyn, Thank you for sharing your feedback! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the ambiance, our friendly and knowledgeable service, and the wine selection. We appreciate your honest thoughts on the seating and value, and we’ll take them into consideration as we strive to enhance the dining experience for our guests. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back and provide an even better experience in the future! SIncerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  9. Cathy

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 9 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Wonderful complex flavors. We always enjoy eating here.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted to hear that you enjoy the complex flavors of our dishes and that you always have a great experience with us. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back again soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  10. Andrea

    Greater Boston

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 8 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really pleasant place, great inner courtyard, sweet server, very nice food. We enjoyed the borani appetizer: both butternut squash & spinach fillings were delicious, and the flavoring of the spinach was unusual & excellent. It's always fun to eat somewhere where you don't know how to make that dish at home. Portions were generous, plates were very pretty, and the food was good. Thanks.
    LailiResponded 1 day ago
    Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled you enjoyed our inner courtyard and had a great experience with both the food and service. We're especially glad to hear you loved the borani appetizer—it's one of our favorites as well! We strive to create unique dishes that bring something special to the table, and it's wonderful to know you appreciated it. We hope to welcome you back soon for another delicious meal! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Laili offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Laili also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 423-4545.

Laili is rated 4.7 stars by 2878 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 21 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Laili

101B Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Pacific Avenue
  • Area
    Santa Cruz
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Afghan
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Take advantage of free parking located on River Street at Front Street. In addition to metered street parking, there is also a parking lot at Front Street and Soquel and also at Locust Street and Pacific Avenue.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Patio/Outdoor Dining
  • Phone number
    (831) 423-4545
  • Catering
    Get Laili’s Food at your location! Call or email us for prices and availability. Parties 50-500
  • Private party facilities
    Whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or hosting a corporate gathering, Laili Restaurant can accommodate all your special event needs.
  • Private party contact
    Xander Nicolai: (831) 423-4545
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable International Ltd. Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo