Ya Hala

I ordered a shish tawouk and it was burned and the fattosh wasn’t fresh and auful. I don’t recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Food is fine, but the service was really not up to standard. I waited a good 25 mins for my order, which only takes 5 mins to prepare, not because it was busy at the restaurant, but for unknown reason, my order was forgotten… Then when paying the bill, they again kept me waiting for quite a while. Not gonna come back…

I’m in London for a few weeks for business and Ya Hala has become my go to spot to pick up lunch or dinner. The restaurant is cute and interesting. They have some fun caricatures of movie characters up basically telling you to ear there and they’re all fun to check out.
The lamb shwarma has become my favorite and at only £3.50 it’s an easy item to keep going back for.

Had terrible service here. The gentleman that was serving me was laughing with his co-​worker and speaking in Arabic while looking at me like «why are you here?» I’m Filipino so I assume that is the reason why. His co-​worker didn’t even laugh, which made it more awkward. I’ve been all over northern Africa, the middle east, Malaysia, Indonesia and Marseille and I usually get exceptionally good service from Arab people as it is part of their culture to be hospitable. I grew up around many Persians so I know this first hand. I think this guy was just an aberration but he was definitely a socially awkward, weird dude.

The fish is vey fresh and the lamb is so delicious. The plate is big and well worth the money. The whole family enjoy the food.

«Sir, the wifi works but we don’t allow customers to use it…» I don’t want to judge a restaurant for its WiFi connection but it says something… Food ok, for a fast food restaurant.

What for a great food experience !
Nice, helpful and funny waitress.
The meals are very tasty and great.
I defenitly can recommend this location

We saw the chef take the lamb cubes and rice from a table they just collected from, placed it in a bowl and put it in the microwave.
They then put it on a new plate with salad and served it to our table. It was very dry lamb when we cut it and who know how may times it had been re-​heated”!
This was very disappointing. Never going back.

I’ve eaten here a few times. It’s just off Praed street and an easy place to step to from Paddington station. I’ve had the felafel a couple times and the vine leaves and both are just great. The service has always been quick enough, even during the lunch rush.
Frankly, the place doesn’t look like much. You could easily walk by and not realise there’s good Lebanese food here. I recommend getting the starters with a main. In some restaurants I get just the main, but here the mains are not quite big enough to satisfy on their own. I think getting a starter first complements the food and makes it a bit more satisfying.

Vous venez de débarquer à Londres et vous né savez où manger? Venez donc au Ya Hala. L’accueil est chaleureux et la cuisine est délicieuse. Vous pouvez manger sur place où vous avez un large choix de spécialités libanaises. Et si, comme moi, vous aimez partir en vadrouille la journée, vous avez la possibilité de prendre des sandwichs chauds à emporter et pour un prix raisonnable. Mes amies et moi avons pris un assortiment de mezze copieux et tout simplement à tomber !!! Très bonne adresse à essayer.

I liked it a lot! Friendly service, good, healty food, and a lot of options! Great healty alternative for the fastfood chains around the corner!

This place is great spot for Middle Eastern cuisine. I ordered the Shish Taouk entrée with comes with rice and salad. This is one of my usual dishes of choice when dining here. The garlic sauce for the chicken has been different in each one of these places I go but nevertheless its fresh and tasty. The quantity is more than fair for the price and definitely recommend this dish for both those well-​versed in this type of food and those who are trying this spot for the first time. You won’t be disappointed!

I used to live close to this place and have loved getting their spreads, ie tabouleh, hummus etc… especially bc time and time again they give you complimentary mini baklava bites which are heavenly.
I typically get the wraps… and what I have found out unfortunately is that what the board SAYS is in the wrap is not what actually is in there. and this has happened at least 6 times.
The wrap I typically get is the halloumi wrap and there apparently are a number of roasted veg etc… but you actually find a pickle and courgette… that’s it… this has happened a few times. I initially did not notice as I would always take it to go and by the time I would eat I would not put two and two together. however, once I asked them to ensure that what’s on the table will go in the wrap. I got confirmation and once I opened it. it was the same usual crap.
So … sorry I cannot give them more than 3*. even this is only due to the complimentary baklava. I sure hope that mine is just a one-​off.

Had some hummus and salad followed by a mixed grill. Yummy stuff very fresh. Juices are nice good place for chill and detox.

Best falafel ever. Made fresh to order, no prefried here!
And that smooth, creamy hummus will be on my mind for days.
It was the kind of meal that when you’ve finished you get sad. Sad because you couldn’t possibly fit anything else in and you want to eat it again; and sad because it’s a million miles from home you won’t get to eat here again for a while.
Go. Eat everything.

Bargain for the price seriously. The price is ok, of course the quality is not amazing but still good and the portion was pretty big and I will not complain :)
Service was ok, the girl started to work there just few days before so she was still new and a bit nervous but she’s really nice.

I live in Worthing, and this little place is often on my mind for a good reason to visit London. I love the food and it’s close to the Paddington Station. The service is a little on the slow side, and not terribly personal, but the food more than makes up for it. Try the homemade ginger drink if you’re feeling adventurous — it won’t disappoint! The kafta sandwich is great, the shawarma also awesome. The spicy hummus is fantastic, and the tabbouli is definitely legit. I cannot say enough good things about the food at this place — it’s very authentic. I cannot wait to go back again and keep tackling that menu.

Found this place randomly when looking for a Persian restaurant (which was closed), but Lebanese and Persian are practically the same thing.
This place was quite busy the night I went. Its like all other kebab take away shops, but with a table service eating area.
The food is reasonably price, the menu is choc-​a-​block full of delicious options and the service was friendly and efficient.
I was quite surprised at how amazing the food was. It was extremely delicious, and very generous in portions. I would highly recommend the apple and ginger fruit juice.

Netter sit-​in Imbiss mit gutem Essen. Normal große Portionen & typisch lebanesische Gerichte, die lecker schmecken. Einfach und schnell.

It’s a souped-​up neighbourhood kebab shop, and that’s OK with me.
Located right around the corner from the Bakerloo Exit of Paddington Station, this is a clean, large Mediterranean spot. Bright lights, clean interior, glowing sign outside, it’s hard to miss. It does feel a little sterile inside, but I’d rather have that then dirty, I tell you what.
The food is good. Not amazing, but not terrible either. The falafel is always filling and cheapish (about £9 for a meal) and they make a damn good haloumi sandwich. They also usually have little bits of baklavah on the counter for free sampling. Yes to that.
They’re usually busy and you will usually have to wait a bit for take-​away. Once they forgot my order and I had to remind them, but usually they’re on their game and you’ll get it within 10 to 15 minutes or so. It’s not fast, but you can see it being cooked, so you know it’s fresh.
I don’t go out of my way to go here, but when I’m craving it, it’s a good spot for a quick bite.

Good value.
FOOD: 3.5. I had the Mixed Shawarma with couscous, and it was very filling. The sliced lamb hit the spot, and the condiments enhanced the taste. I would order it again!
I also tried the Lamb Sambousek mezze as it looked interesting. Glad I tried it, but won’t order it again.
SERVICE: 3.5.
AMBIENCE: 2.5. Fast-​food atmosphere. TIP: avoid the table next to the door unless you want a blast of (in Mar) cold air every time someone enters or leaves.

I love it when Unilocal brings me to new places and new flavors and new experiences. I can’t say that I’ve ever had «Lebanese» food before so when I was in the Paddington area but not quite ready to take my train back to Reading, I let Unilocal do the searching and the suggesting. And now I have a favorite place to get a meal before getting a train!
Clean and welcoming, I looked over the menu and went with a hummus starter and the Lamb Shawarma (with cous cous instead of rice). No beer of course, so I had a bottle of sparkling water instead.
The food arrived almost immediately. The hummus presented nicely in a bowl with another bowl of cut up pita breads for scooping. A moment later, the lamb. A generous portion with a nice salad and a good pile of cous cous. Delicious and moist, I completely cleaned my plate. I would have picked it up and licked it if I didn’t want to be thrown out. Since I was so appreciative, they gave me a free bit of baklava for the ride. (Not the usual triangle — it was rolled. Strange but good!)
A fab deal for a decent price. I was stuffed and ready for the train back to Reading. I will absolutely return!
It’s just across the street from the station, so there aren’t any excuses.