Neyla Mediterranean Bistro

This was my favorite place to go for light mediterranean food. I love their dips but I prefer to eat them with veggies instead of pita bread. In the past I asked for veggies and they brought a small bowl of sliced cucumbers — it was perfect. However the last time I went I was informed that the cucumbers would now be a $ 5 charge. It’s a half a cucumber! I could understand a $ 2 charge maybe. Better yet, let me have the veggies instead of the Pita. It’s got to be about the same cost to you. When I expressed my shock at the high price for half a cucumber the waitress said «well, this is a restaurant» I will probably not go back. What a sad thing to lose a customer over.

I had a great evening at the Neyla Mediterranean Bistro on 11 898 Market Street in Reston recently. Located at the Reston Town Center, the restaurant has a good design and plenty of fine foods to try out. What truly impressed me here was how detailed the place was in terms of making only the freshest and finest Mediterranean foods around.
Founded by Morocco native Souheil Moussadik, Neyla was designed to create authentic Mediterranean meals in an airy and beautiful environment. He has certainly succeeded in creating a more appealing and alluring place for dining. You will definitely enjoy being out here when you are looking for foods that are delicious and easy to enjoy in a setting that truly stands out and offers a fun atmpsohere.
A Modern Approach
I greatly enjoyed the modern décor and ambience of Neyla. The place had a mix of muted and detailed lights to go with the dark walls and stone surroundings in the area. These surroundings were designed to create an intense and beautiful look for all to enjoy.
Everything was organized in a clear manner with wide and open tables and some beautiful plants mixed in all over. The combination of nature and classic architecture added a stunning look to this place. This all created a good tone that will certainly be fun for all to get into.
A Fine Place For Dining
A part of what I liked about Neyla was how the place offered enough great choices for foods. The restaurant offers such options as the Caprese Flatbread an option with mozzarella, basil and tomato mixed together to create an intensely detailed sandwich.
The Tabbouleh salad mixed in parsley, cracked wheat and tomato with many herbs including mint and lemon. A good dash of olive oil was added to give it that truly Mediterranean flavor that makes it stand out.
The Falafel was another pleasing entrée. Made with coriander and chick peas, this included a detailed approach to cooking that added to its quality and was certainly lovely for all to try.
The menu is extensive and has plenty of dinner and lunch options. A brunch menu is also available for early weekends for those looking for big family get-​togethers although reservations are recommended for brunch.
Fine Drinks All Around
The drink menu here was another popular part of the restaurant that I liked. The drinks included the Homage A Paolo cocktail. This mixed Jameson whiskey with lemon and ginger plus Fernet-​Branca. It creates a mix that brought sweet and spicy flavors together.
The wines and beer products at Neyla also added a Mediterranean flair to the restaurant. Many of these wine and beer products came from Lebanon. Some added options from Turkey and Greece were also included.
I greatly enjoyed dining out at the Neyla Mediterranean Bistro as the place had several amazing foods that were as beautiful and amazing as the Mediterranean itself. This place in Reston offers a touch of the classic foods that the region is known for. This all comes in a friendly and beautiful space that certainly demands anyone’s attention when looking for something fun and relaxing.

Seriously. Just go try it. Amazing foods. No need to get in to detail because I left in shock at how great the food was.

I highly recommend experiencing this restaurant, because that’s exactly what it is an EXPERIENCE. The restaurant is beautiful, perfect for a celebration or just nice dinner out. Excellent service, staff is very personable and knowledgable about the food and the region in which the food is from! The General Manager Souheil has done an amazing job with this place and he is someone you would not forget!
How they describe the food is an education for your taste buds. The small plates are great for tasting, but you must try the unique entrees, your stomach and table will thank you! As for the bar, they serve some of the most amazing Wine and cocktails that pair perfectly with your meal! Like I said it’s an experience you do not want to miss! Yallah what are you waiting for, enjoy!

I can not wait to go back! I love the décor, the music, the vibe. The waitress was nice when we entered. The bartender was serving my husband and I at a table inside. We went durning his lunch break from work.
I had the chicken skewer & he had the beef. There were so many yummy surprises, I can’t say enough good things about it! Look at the pictures here, you will see it is more then what you might first think when u read the title chicken skewer.
The pita and hummus was… Eh. Ok. I like Moby Dicks hummus & pita better.
The bartender didn’t refill my water until we were done, but that’s ok. The pita was kind of like paper, but maybe it is supposed to be that thin?
The weather was gorgeous & they had the walls open to the outside. Beautiful lunch!

My company goes here a lot and the food is usually pretty good. But the staff is not, and the last encounter broke the camel’s back. Went for the express lunch and was charged more then advertised. When I checked my credit card days later I found that I had been charged double for my meal. When I called for clairifcation, I was put on hold for 25 mins before I gave up and let the CC company deal with it. Won’t be going back soon unfortunatly.

Excellent service and ah-​mazing food! My favorite drink is the Marrakesh Express that’s so fresh and bursting with flavors. They have excellent service and on my last visit, I mentioned my suggestion of adding Kunafah to their dessert menu and they went above & beyond and served us a decadent Kunafah!

Expensive. Food just okay. Won’t take Reston Town Center gift cards, which is ridiculous since they literally sit on the town center.

This place is pricier than I like, but I’m addicted to their shawarmas and potatoes!

I never made it to Neyla when it was in Georgetown, but now that it’s joined RTC I have been a couple of times for lunch now.
I guess I should preface with what I am about to say by mentioning that I could probably eat Mediterranean food all day every day for the rest of my life and never want for anything more. I just love the unique flavors, the spices, the warmth and the overall richness while still being light and fresh. In that regard Neyla does not disappoint. You can see into the open kitchen and watch the meat turn on the spit, smell the bountiful aromas and salivate over the warm pitas and flat breads being pulled from their huge open faced oven.
Service is friendly and leisurely. Everything I have had so far has been really good. I love the dip combo of hummus, mohammara, baba ghannouj, roasted pancar, I love the Shawarma, the salads and the kebabs.
Really the only thing keeping this review from being 5 stars is that it takes too long to get the check at lunch IMO. I appreciate having space and really being able to concentrate on the food and my dinning companion. But with only a certain amount of time given for lunch I don’t want to have to stress about not getting the check fast enough. Other than that, it’s absolutely a 5 star experience.

Not a fan. The foods ok and the redone interior is great (compared to the old place.) all they have done those is repaint and add some new chairs. The drink prices make no sense to me. A beer costs the same as a rail gin and tonic. Not to mention they only have two types of beer on draught. We tried a few different appetizers, nothing stands out nor makes us want to return. There are better options in the town center.

The food is awesomely yummy! Although menu is not rich with selection, this place is more concentrated in bar and appetizers rather than food. However I really like how they make fish and meat in the grill. Sooo good!)
P. S. They don’t have slings for babies and kids menu!

The atmosphere here is pretty nice. There are definitely some remnants of Paolo’s, but this is much brighter and welcoming. The food was pretty good! It came out really fast too.
They don’t bring you out free pita or anything, but they have quite a few things to choose from in the apps list.
The dolmas as were delicious, we also got a dip sampler and some ground meaty spicy flatbread.
As an entrée I got a salad with falafel. It was a good sized fresh salad, I just wasn’t a fan of the pepperocinis… too spicy.
Our server was very personable and nice, he just didn’t check on us enough. There we’re a few things we were waiting on longer than we would have liked, but I overall it did not detract from the experience. I was with a big party to we kept ourselves occupied. I will definitely be back to try some more items.

Not a very good job on the food we had here on Friday afternoon. The service was good but that’s about where it ends.
Start with the dip sampler. Not bad but not great. The hummus was bland, the red pepper dip was good, the beet dip was ok, and the eggplant dip was bitter. The bread was thin and hard and not very good for dipping.
We both had falafel wraps and both were very dry. The wrap was mad from the same bread as the dips and fell apart as it was hard. The flavor was good but the dryness equated to swallowing sand on the beach.
Maybe next time will be better should I decide to go back. We will see but right now, I couldn’t recommend this place to others.

Good food, but very lax service and rather steep pricing for the portions. Met an out-​of-​state friend here because it’s convenient enough to Dulles/​her hotel without being airport food or DC food; ambience/​environment was good if not great (typical NoVa storefront restaurant with mellow electronica/​Muzak). Essentially, the food was like Muzak: paramutation chain-​store style version of what actual Mediterranean food should taste like. We enjoyed the falafel, and the cauliflower was good for what it was. The mushroom flatbread was essentially pizza, but okay. The chicken kebab was good (not amazing, but solid), but $ 22. My tiny From Georgetown With Love was, again, good but not great (but $ 12). None of it was truly authentic, but it all tasted fine –good.

Food 3 star, about average, service deserves 2 star at most if I am not being too generous.
Neyla is a new establishment to the Reston Town Center. The interior has improved significantly compared to when it is Paolo, modern and new. However, besides the new deco, Neyla totally disappointed me.
I came during the happy hour (5pm –7pm). First off, they don’t even have a happy hour menu printed out. You need to ask what are happy hour specials. Second, the bartender was training a new waitress during happy hour, which is obviously peak time in Reston. Due to this, service was extremely slow and it took a long time for our beverage and food to come. I am positive that other customers experienced that as well. Based on what I have seen, they are short of waiters/​waitress.
As for food, we had several flatbread, the LAHMAJEEN is a solid option. I also tried their hummus and baba ghannouj. Both are about average. Hummus lacks flavor, baba ghannouj is better. The bread is way better in my opinion, soft and puffy. I also had the Kibbeh, which is a ground beef dumplings. It comes in four pieces with a yogurt dip, very tasty! Beer selection here is pathetic. They have two beers on tap and one of them was out on that day. Two basically limits your option to nothing, and not to mention one is out. I had two drinks here. One is the popular marrakesh express, which is very minty and refreshing. Highly recommended.
Overall, Neyla needs some major improvement in order to survive in Reston Town Center, especially their poor service. The competition here is fierce. Even though some other places are known as meat market, their service is always prompt and good even during their crazy busy happy hour.

Belated «Welcome to RTC!» to Neyla!
I went here for the first time today with my colleagues and I really enjoyed the happy hour. Both the drink and food menu got improved from Paolo days I think.
The staff were all very efficient, nice and good looking! Those are all important.
I started with a glass of Marrakesh Express, a greenish vodka based cocktail and ended up with the second one. The house red wine was not bad either.
For food, we tried Soujouk Flatbread, Caprese Flatbread, Pita bread with hommus, roasted pan car, baba ghannouj. All three dips were very good.
The fresh mozzarella on the Caprese Flatbread was really good.
I only wish they had some non-​carb food items in the happy hour menu.

I’ve gotten the Mediterranean salad to go — with a substitution of Lamb for chicken! Both times the salad has been delicious! An interesting mix of greens — I believe there was also some fresh Mint mixed in with the greens. And the lamb has been succulent! Tender, yummy, and did I mention tender?
Both times I’ve ordered the «to-​go» order at the bar. Usually takes about ten minutes for the order to come out!

NOTE: Bar review only
Neyla is a new addition to the restaurant scene at RTC. My friends and I were hanging out at the champions village during the World Police & Fire Games. After a few drinks, we were looking for something indoors as it was hot and muggy. So we decided to have a few drinks at Neyla.
The space has been very tastefully redecorated. The restaurant portion is bright white and airy. Lots of muted gray tones with splashes of blue. The bar is dark and it creates a nice separation of space. There are plenty of pops of bright colors to offset the darker tones of the bar.
We walked right up to the bar and seated ourselves. Our bartender introduced himself, Carlos, and proceeded to inform us about their happy hour specials. Neyla offers HH Monday through Friday from 5 — 7 pm. There are several drink choices as well as appetizers for only $ 5 each.
I was having some difficulty deciding between the Marrakesh Express and their Not Your Average Sangria. Carlos was generous enough to let us sample each. One sip of the Marrakesh Express and I was hooked. It’s made with Absolut Citron Vodka, mint, crushed ice, lemon and lime. This drink is dangerously delicious and I was able to drink two a little too quickly. It’s extremely refreshing and I highly recommend it.
My friends had various drinks — the sangria and the house beer. Everyone was pleased with the service as well as the happy hour pricing.
I will need to go back and try out the food in the very near future.

When we first sat down it was a few minutes until anyone came over to our table. The place is new though, so I will cut them some slack. The inside of the place looks nice and they have a decent amount of outside seating. The only problem I had with the place was not the taste of quality of the food, but the cost of the food.
I am by no means cheap when it comes to paying for food, but this is the only place I have been to that charges you for extra bread. They give you one pita bread for three dipping sauces ($ 12). That is a little but absurd. The portions are small and I get they are supposed to be small sharing plates, but some of it was a bit much. For instance look at the picture I posted of a $ 14 chicken salad, for $ 14 we should, 1-​not have to ask where the chicken is and 2-​should be able to take more than three bites of it.
To be fair the prices on some of the other stuff was decent, but whoever owns this place needs to realize they are going to turn some people off with some of the nickel and diming they are doing.