Layali Cafe sits on 11 Avenue SW in the Beltline, a block of stairs up off the sidewalk, with a motorbike mounted in the window and a room full of flags behind it. It is a halal Mediterranean kitchen and a shisha lounge in the same space, and it holds 4.7 stars across more than 850 Google reviews — a number very few restaurants in this city reach at that volume. It is also, reading those same reviews, a place people do not entirely agree about. Both of those things are worth saying out loud before you go. See it on the map.

The 11 Ave SW frontage after dark — up the steps, past the bike in the window

Fully halal, by the kitchen’s own word

The whole menu is halal. That is the restaurant’s stated practice rather than a certificate from a named body on the wall, which is the ordinary situation for most of the independent halal kitchens on this map — and it is the thing reviewers mention unprompted, which is usually a good sign that the kitchen says it plainly when asked.

“The portions are generous, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. Plus, the entire menu is halal.”

— S Mazumder, 5★ on Google

What people actually order

The menu is wider than “Mediterranean” suggests: pizzas and pastas sit next to rice and grilled meat, burgers, poutine and a long dessert list, with mocktails and coffee rather than alcohol. Reviews cluster around a few things.

The pasta and the lasagna come up constantly, usually with a note that they cost a little more than expected and were worth it. Rice and grilled meat is the other camp. And a surprising number of people arrive for shisha and end up talking about the food.

Lasagna and garlic bread, one of the dishes reviewers name most often

“The rice is absolutely the best in the city – fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The meat is so tender and delicious.”

— Calgary Guide, 5★ on Google

“The pasta here is genuinely really good and flavourful. It’s a bit pricier than I’d like, but it’s totally worth it.”

— S Mazumder, 5★ on Google

A chicken burger and fries — the menu runs wider than the name suggests

The room, and what it is for

This is a lounge, and it rewards settling in. Flags strung across the ceiling, screens on for the match, high stools at the counter and booths along the wall. Shisha is the reason many people are there, and it is worth knowing that before you book a quiet dinner: several reviewers note they do not smoke and were not bothered, which tells you both that the question comes up and that the room handles it.

Flags, screens and counter seating — a room built for staying a while

“We’ve been to a lot of shisha cafes, this is definitely on the top. The food was amazing 11/10, good prices and the shisha is also very good.”

— Salwa Gul, 5★ on Google

“This is the place to go if you need a chill evening.”

— Taylor Lebert, 5★ on Google

The other side of 4.7

A 4.7 average is not unanimity, and the low reviews here are specific rather than vague. The theme in both directions is service on a bad day, not the cooking. One diner who came because of the reviews described finding a hair in a soup and, harder to shrug off, getting no apology for it:

“Unfortunately visited this place with family yesterday because of the good reviews… there was no apology nor accountability.”

— ardrammu ardraammu, 2★ on Google

A second account, from a group arriving for an Iftar buffet reservation during Ramadan, describes being met rudely over arriving a few minutes late after a full day of fasting. For a restaurant that draws a largely Muslim crowd on exactly those nights, that is the review most worth reading before you book a table of five in Ramadan.

None of this outvotes 850 reviews. It does mean the honest summary is: the food is very well liked, and the experience depends more than average on the night you get. Go with that in mind and the odds are strongly in your favour.

Before you go

  • Where: 617 11 Ave SW #101, in the Beltline, just south of downtown.
  • Price: roughly $20–30 a head.
  • Good for groups, and reservations are accepted — worth using on a weekend.
  • Lunch, dinner, dessert and coffee. No alcohol.
  • Not especially set up for young children, and the entrance is up a flight of steps rather than level with the street.
  • Dine in, take out, or delivery — it is on Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes and DoorDash, all three linked from its page on the map.

Been recently?

Every quote above is a public Google review, and the photographs are the restaurant’s own listing photos. If your experience was different — better or worse — that is worth knowing: this map is built out of what people in Calgary actually report back, and a listing that has gone stale helps nobody. Tell us through the site, or leave the restaurant a review where the next person will find it.

Follow @halalcalgary on Instagram for new places as they open.

Common questions

Is Layali Cafe halal?

Yes — the entire menu is halal by the restaurant's own stated practice, with no alcohol served. As with most independent halal kitchens in Calgary, that is the restaurant's word rather than a separately listed certification body, and reviewers regularly confirm it.

Where is Layali Cafe in Calgary?

617 11 Ave SW #101, in the Beltline just south of the downtown core. The entrance is up a short flight of steps from the sidewalk.

Does Layali Cafe deliver?

Yes — it is on Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes and DoorDash, and it does takeout as well as dine-in. All three ordering links are on its page on the map.

Is Layali Cafe a shisha lounge or a restaurant?

Both, in one room. Shisha is a large part of why people go, and the kitchen serves a full menu of pizza, pasta, grilled meat, rice dishes and desserts. Reviewers who do not smoke regularly say it did not spoil the meal for them.

How expensive is Layali Cafe?

Around $20–30 a head. Several reviews call the pasta dishes slightly pricier than expected and say the portions justify it.