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
2884 Reviews
$30 and under
Mediterranean

Make a booking

2 people
22:30
Booked 47 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.
Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

View details

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • 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
  • 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
  • Delivery & takeout

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 2,884 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 Value

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Innovative

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Healthy

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Good for special occasions

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Laili impresses with its "fantastic food" and "excellent service," offering a creative menu with "exotic flavors" in a "beautiful setting." The ambiance, especially in the "lovely outdoor patio," adds to the dining experience. Guests appreciate the "high-quality food" and attentive staff, making it a "highly recommended" spot for any occasion.

2,884 Reviews
  1. Anahita

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Nice atmosphere & delicious food! Always happy with our choices.
    LailiResponded 3 days ago
    Hi Anahita, Happy to hear you had a wonderful experience at Laili! We look forward to seeing you again soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  2. James

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on 28 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Second time we've gone during Burger Week. Laili only have two offerings, but both are great.
    LailiResponded 3 days ago
    Hi James, Great to hear our burgers having you coming back for seconds! Burger Week is always a wonderful time to experience specialty burgers! We are glad you have loved both of ours! Come on back for thirds as Burger Week is almost over! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  3. Amanda

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved our time there for dinner! Appreciate our time there.
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for dining with us! We're so glad you enjoyed your time at Laili and appreciate your kind words. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  4. Sara

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 22 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We celebrated my daughter’s birthday and the entire staff was incredibly professional and attentive. The food was excellent and timely. The outdoor patio was gorgeous!
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for celebrating your daughter’s special day with us! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the food, service, and beautiful outdoor patio. It was our pleasure to make the occasion memorable for you. We hope to welcome you back for many more celebrations in the future! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  5. Lisa

    Sacramento

    11 reviews

    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Another exotic and tasty meal at Laili’s. The flavors, textures, service and ambience never let me down. I will be back.
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled that you continue to enjoy the exotic flavors, textures, service, and ambiance at Laili. It means so much to us that we can provide a consistently great experience. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  6. bob

    VIP

    New York City

    126 reviews

    4.0

    126 reviews

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Lovely meal. Chose restaurant because they had trout on the menu. Eggplant in a pomegranate sauce was tasty. Choice selection was varied but I would have liked to have seen more fish on the menu. Missed my espresso after dinner but their French press was good. Pleasant and attentive service. A bit too noisy.
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for dining with us and for sharing your thoughtful feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the trout, eggplant with pomegranate sauce, and our French press coffee. We appreciate your input on adding more fish options and will keep it in mind for future menu updates. We also understand that noise levels can vary, and we’ll continue striving to create a comfortable dining experience for all our guests. We hope to welcome you back to Laili soon! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  7. Nancy

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 19 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food is good, fresh, and well prepared. As everywhere right now prices are high so it is not often we will be able to return.Love the environment and lighting!
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted that you enjoyed the fresh, well-prepared food and the ambiance at Laili. We understand that dining out is a special occasion, and we truly appreciate you choosing to spend your time with us. We hope to welcome you back whenever you’re able to visit again! Sincerely, Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  8. David

    VIP

    Chicago

    52 reviews

    5.0

    52 reviews

    Dined on 19 February 2025

    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.
    LailiResponded on 23 February 2025
    Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted that you enjoyed our creative menu, exotic flavors, and excellent service. It’s wonderful to hear that our setting added to your experience as well. We look forward to welcoming you back to Laili Restaurant soon! Xander N. GM Laili Restaurant

    Is this helpful?

  9. Jane

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great juicy chicken kabob and delicious Matoo dumplings. Service attentive.
    LailiResponded on 19 February 2025
    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?

  10. Maxwell

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    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 on 19 February 2025
    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?

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 2884 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
22:30
Booked 47 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Laili

101B Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • 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
  • 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
  • Delivery & takeout
  • 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