Leli’s Diner

I heard decent things, so I decided to try leli’s with my chef boyfriend. big mistake. when the biscuits and gravy came out I knew it was a mistake. it looked gray and my boyfriend said it was «obvious it came out of a bag.» the biscuits looked like they were previously frozen. my omelet (that was a special) of spinach, sausage, and cheddar was nothing special. the home fries had potential. but were cold and needed seasoning. two stars instead of one because the staff was curious.

Been there twice now. First time with a party of three. Two specials ordered and I had the reuben. Everything was delicious. Second time was a party of five for the Thanksgiving buffet. Best Thanksgiving meal EVER! Don’t tell mom.

Went for first time tonight– definitely will go back. Service was great– Josh was our server. It was quiet because it is Tuesday but they were well staffed and ready.
I had the pesto burger and took half home. The fries were home cut and cooked perfectly. Burger delicious. The slaw had an awesome unique taste with a seasoning I could not place but loved.
My husband enjoyed the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp. The bread they serve before the meal is tasty too. We split sorbetto– for dessert– four large scoops and it was perfect.
Will surely return– want to try their breakfast too!

Been here a couple times now. The first time was for dinner. Husband got their infamous Pimiento Cheese Burger and Fries and was quite pleased with it. (see pic, it looks amazing also). I had their also popular Salmon Salad. I’ll be honest… it was okay but nothing thrilling. Very plain actually. Again, see pic. (That’s what I get for going healthy… hah!)
Fast forward to a recent weekday morning and I stopped in by myself (while car was getting worked on nearby) for breakfast. Pretty much had the place to myself, which was a shame as they do a great job with breakfast! I opted for two eggs over easy with bacon, fresh fruit and a wonderful grain bread. Plus hot tea. All PERFECT. Server was as sweet as could be, brought the fresh fruit out first for me to nibble on which was awesome because I was pretty hungry. Besides the perfectly cooked eggs, the bacon was top notch and plentiful… yum! Even the grain toast (which I requested to be dry was excellent).
Note: like typical diners they are serving breakfast all day. Plus plenty of lunch and dinner options. Love that they source locally!

Our first visit — and it won’t be our last. Wide selection of regular menu and special items — breakfast all day. Today’s pancake special is blueberry pancakes — we didn’t order it but it looks like they come with half a berry patch on top. My wife had a simple two egg breakfast with bacon — she said the bacon may have been the best she’s ever had. My Eggs Benedict were done just right and very tasty. The highlight was the home fries — worth the trip just for them. All fresh farm-​to-​table ingredients — their sources are listed on a chalkboard over the counter — everything was delicious.

Nothing beats fresh farm to table eggs and bacon! Pancakes were amazing. Overall, everything was top notch and delicious. I would highly recommend checking out Leli’s!

This place is disgusting! We tried it three times so we could give it a chance and each time! Service was horrible! On our last trip our food was burnt and they never comped the food and were so rude! My daughter sausage gravy biscuit had layers of grease over it! It looked like wet dog food! Never again! Huge waste of money! I can’t believe people eat here!

As a far as diners go this is one of the best in the area… only in the area? Either way it’s worth a visit with their wide selection of food options.
I’ve eaten here several times now and it has been consistently good. The food is always prepared fresh and the service is top notch. If your around for breakfast you don’t have to worry about you coffee going empty.
Feel wise, it seems more of a cross between a diner and a nice Italian restaurant. They seem to off best of both worlds with a full bar and a dessert case with homemade treats. If you never been here and are considering it as an option, DO IT! Cheers!

Waite staff was very nice. Food not good.
For all of the positive reviews it’s hard to understand how the food could be so bad. When we went to pay the bill the cashier asked us all the food. Well we said it was not very good at all and all she wanted to do was argue. Customer service at its worst.

Nothing special. My wife and I had breakfast this morning, two eggs with bacon, and found nothing special about the restaurant. Each meal was around $ 8 each which was a little high when seeing the quantity of food it would buy. I couldn’t tell the difference in the freshness of the eggs and what I would cook myself from New England’s Best eggs. The potatoe slices were «ok» but slightly undercooked. On a brighter note, you do get your money’s worth on the bacon. It was the best tasting bacon I’ve had in a restaurant.
In the end, I would eat there again if others wanted to go. But, I wouldn’t be the one suggesting it. If the price was a little more reasonable, ~$ 6, then the place would be a great Sunday brunch location. The three stars were given because of the bacon :)

Delicious farm to table breakfast, the freshest eggs and bacon. Love that the bread and pastry are baked on sight, the service was excellent will certainly visit again.

Solid dinner. Based upon the taste and perceived quality and freshness of ingredients, I would prefer to eat here over anywhere in the area, though the dining area was lacking in ambiance. I would have liked to have heard more about the food: local is great, and although our server knew the menu head-​to-​toe, he could have delivered it with more of a story or pride to add some personality to the experience.
The bar side looked nice, but overall, the restaurant had good-​tasting food without the extra comfort that I was hoping for in a diner-​themed short order restaurant. The owner was very kind and attentive to all, even in between our server’s attention.
Next visit should be within a year, and I hope to have better things to say! 3.5÷4, but I can’t give it the four at this moment.

Came here for lunch Saturday of last week. It was fairly busy, but there wasn’t a wait. Staff was super nice and accommodated the three children we had with us perfectly. We got the Italian nachos to start. I didn’t know what to expect, but they were AMAZING! I think I could eat those every day. Even the pickiest little one was sneaking bites of it. The bruschetta was also really good, and everyone really liked their entrees. I got the duck bacon and lobster sandwich which tasted as good as it sounds!
We were all stuffed but I’m a sucker for key lime pie and I saw some in the display case so we all shared a piece. It was really tart, which is totally my style, and totally delicious. I thought it was a perfect way to finish up the meal.
We will be back!

I went this Sunday morning expecting a «DINER» and what I walked into was a Short order café.
The eggs were undercooked and the ham was 3 very thin slices of deli ham, the grits were flavorless and lumpy and the coffee was just ok.
It is very expensive for $ 12 to get 2 eggs, toast, grits and ham & coffee and the service was chaotic.
I will not be back.

Not a bad little spot. We came here for lunch and ordered sandwiches off their standard menu.
When I come to a new spot I want to try their specialty named items. My thoughts are if you’re putting your name on something, it should be the star of the show. So with that being the case I went with the Leli Philly.
It was filling, but a bit bland. The steak could have used a good amount of salt and pepper. The cheese was mildly sharp, but not enough to impart the flavor to the steak. The fries were well done and double fried to make them that much more crispy.
Service was attentive albeit slightly awkward.
I’ll try them again.

Gourmet Diner!!! C & C and R & R enjoyed this Wonderful Addition to Wake Forest!!! I asked one of the Owners if She makes any Czech influenced or inspired Dishes and they do!!! Everything we ate here, had a wonderful interpretation of of the «traditional» Dish!
Hard to resist the Burger with Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella also hard to resist the Cuban Sandwich! Both Recommended when we join C & C for their 2^nd Dine here!
Amazing Food! You can easily tell by the Looks and Flavors of the Food almost everything is prepared in house! Incredible Attention to Detail with EVERYTHING!!!
Quality and Quantity! This much Food, this Fresh is fairly Priced! You could get something similar for less somewhere else though I doubt the Quality and flavor would beat or even Equal Leli’s!
Mussels with Marinara (a Heaping helping of Mussels) the Sauce included a liberal Volume of FRESH Garlic Slices! So nice that they were in slices so you could decide how much Garlic you wanted to consume
Italian Nachos with Sausage, Cherry Peppers, Four Cheese Sauce and Kalamata Olives (Kalamon)! Delicious! The Plate looked CLEAN after we finished this!
Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage! Very Gourmet other than the Grits being more gritty than I love
Pesto Burger with Fresh Mozzarella on a Sturdy Ciabatta Roll
POTATO Section of the Review: : :
Fresh Cut Fries ! Reminded me of what I would make at home if I would take time to do this! These Fries EASILY make my Unilocal «Lonely Fries» list!
Hot Chips (called «Home Fries») I HOPE they continue to make these exaktly as they did (as HOT Chips) WOW! Reminds me of a German Version because of the hints of flavor beyond the Onion and Potato!
Very Few Restaurants are going to pay this much attention to sides! Potatoes are NOT an afterthought here!!!
Desserts: : :
They have a Bunch, we ordered three! I was most impressed with the Cannoli, the shell was the Most UNIQUE and BEST I have ever eaten! I would Guess they even made it here! The Cream Filling was Rich and sweet with the Perfekt amount of Chocolate Chips!
Service: : :
Both Owners were working when we were here! The Chef/​Owner stepped out to say Hello even though they were really Busy and the Lady Owner who runs the Front stopped by a few times to check on us also!
All the staff are Very Personable and remember repeat Customers, also making the new people fell at home or even better!
Our Waitress was Fantastik! One of the BEST Servers i have EVER Met and would meet POPROCK LOVE Approval! We thanked and Complimented Her on our way out and she said he had know prior Restaurant Experience! Probably why she was So Excellent!!!

L=like the cow décor
E=egg omelet with mushroom and Swiss was good, but took a long time to arrive from kitchen and could have been hotter
L=loved the home fries, they might be the best ones I’ve ever eaten. I asked for them well done and they were perfection
I=will certainly return to try out lunch very soon
D=do think the prices are a little high, twenty five bucks for breakfast for two is not something I’d do every day
I=thought the coffee was just OK, a bit on the weak side
N=not really a diner (says this NY girl), more of a café
E=everything tasted fresh but the «farm to table» didn’t shine thru during breakfast
R=really would like to give them a higher score for effort, but it’s the food, décor, price and dining experience I am rating on, which is a solid 3.

Welcome to Wake Forest, Leli’s Diner! We visited this new spot tonight on a whim. I had heard through the grapevine that a new diner was in town. Having lived up North for quite a while I was Jonesing for some good diner food. Leli’s is not just a run of the mill diner. They have taken the diner concept and modernized it to something so much better. They are basically a farm to table. Everything is made in house and so fresh. I would not surprised if they had a garden out back because the veggies were so good and fresh I felt like they were picked to order! They have a really good variety on the menu and they serve breakfast all day. Score!
We started our dinner with Mussels Marinara. First off this is a huge portion. It could easily be shared with 2 – 3 people. The mussels were wonderfully prepared and cooked very well but the star of the dish was the Marinara sauce. Oh my word! It is drool worthy. There is a reason they serve this dish with spoons and bread. It is so you could drink the sauce. It has freshly chopped bits of garlic and basil all throughout it. So after you finish all those lovely mussels, make sure you sop up all that lovely sauce. So yummy!
For my entrée, I had the Cuban sandwich. This was a hearty sandwich stuffed full of roasted pork, ham, cheese, and pickles all wedged in a toasted ciabatta bun. This was served with a house salad with homemade balsamic dressing. This was amazing! They roast the pork loin in house. I have eaten at several farm to table places before. I have even eaten at the other one in Wake Forest. There is no comparison. Leli’s is top notched. Usually I don’t know whether everything is locally grown and organic. I have no doubt that Leli’s uses fresh and organic. Everything was top quality ingredients and very well prepared. My salad was so fresh that I was having to fight my husband to keep him from stealing my tomatoes. I love that Leli’s keep everything simple. They use great ingredients and let them speak for themselves.
We ended our meal with dessert. We had the fruit cake. No this is not the British style fruit cake that you are thinking of. This was a lovely sponge with a layer of slightly sweetened cream topped with fruit. It was delightful. Not too sweet and a perfect ending to our meal. They have a pastry case full of house made dessert. Each one looked so good. I am so thankful that they make their own desserts and don’t outsource them somewhere else.
Finally we were able to meet the owners. Both were delightful and very knowledgable about food. You can tell that they love food and love what they are doing. Being a foodie myself, I appreciate that. Service was great. They were always quick with a refill and the food came in very good timing.
I would most defiantly recommend Leli’s. I am going to even wager that this could be the best restaurant in Wake Forest. We have eaten at almost all of them so I think I am a good judge. Fresh top quality ingredients lovingly prepared. How can you go wrong. In fact it was so good, I texted our favorite dinner companions while eating and made plans to come back next weekend so they could try it and I can have it again!

I’m so confused as to where to begin on this review. First I must emphasize that one should not judge a book by its cover but by the quality of what is inside, this proves true for Leli’s Diner.
Never since I moved to NC can I say that I was so moved and compelled to just keep ordering. Yes my meal ended up costing quite a bit however after eating three entrees, an appetizer and a dessert every penny was worth it. Not only was our food a roller coaster worth waiting for but the service was truly and genuinely equal to the quality of food that teased and danced around our tongues.
We started our adventure with the most delicious freshly made mussels that tasted if not equal, better than a high end five star restaurant. Yes you have heard correctly this diner has re-​invented what it means to be a diner and revolutionized food from the heart. What is even more amazing is the mussels were an appetizer fit for a king. One may expect four or five maybe even six but we got well over 15 mussels. These mussels were married to a succulent freshly made marinara sauce graced with bits of garlic and basil. In my humble opinion this is a must try and by far better than NYC.
Now I must move on to share about the main courses but with so many flavors I am having a full circus dancing in my head. I ordered the pesto burger which was made from grass fed beef and totally organic with fresh mozzeralla atop. The roll was a warm lightly toasted fresh ciabatta bun. The basil pesto was reshot made with a wonderful coarse texture. Gracing the top was the most juicy red tomato and organic lettuce. Now that I have everyone literally drooling I cannot forget the amazing fries. They were literally potatoes cut to order and fried then seasoned with Himalayan pink sea salt.
Finally I will not share everything to leave room for my beautiful wife to write about her side of the meal but I shall conclude with my penne a la vodka. The pasta was so amazing that I already can’t wait to return. Their sauce was made in house from a man that cooks like a Michelin Star recipient but without a culinary degree. Honestly I nominate him for at least a James Beard award.
Now as indulged as I was I did try the fruit cake dessert and no it is not traditional American but rather Czech. I finally conclude another must have.

First visit to new diner in Wake Forest was very enjoyable. Friendly staff and open atmosphere you would want in a diner.
Good portions and something for everyone in the family. Also– breakfast all day long!!!
Will return again