Layl' A Rul Restaurant

I'm sure myself and MANY others are cheering that this joint finally got shut down for good the other night. Supposedly they didn't want to keep the current lease and the owner is claiming that he's opening a ""bigger and better"" club in Nashville's Gulch area. That's all fine and good, but I wish he'd do everyone else a favor and not re-hire any of the staff for that place that he had working for this ""ultra lounge"". Every one of those losers are all pathetic pretentious twits, from the doormen to their manager Deanna; mind you, I've had pleasant enough experiences in there myself, but I loathe the way they've treated friends of mine and other patrons/potential patrons. Discrimination, attitude, and a generally high school snob-mob mentality rules the roost there. And why in the Hell would a club even bother with a VIP section(which was pretty lame anyway, especially based on the dorks I saw let in there) on their last night of business? Newsflash to Layla and its staff: this ain't LA or NYC. Nor will it ever will be. Get over yourselves and cater to your customers. Oh wait, you no longer have any customers because you're over now, huh? Hahah!! Karma's a biyotch and so is most every person on your staff. Better luck next time, poseurs! Pros: Somewhere to go for amusement courtesy of the doormen/women Cons: Too many to mention! more

Ohhhh where do I start on this one... I threw a party there quite some time ago. We had a table in the VIP section reserved and it had a $600 minimum. NO BIG DEAL! I had over 100 people in attendance, granted all 100 did not order from our server in their defense. Anyway, we arrive around 10 pm and start the tabs immediaitely around 12 am (2 hours later) one of the rude snobby staff members approaches me and says ""I'm sorry to inform you but you have only reached $100 on your tab so far"" HA! What a joke that was... I had drink well over $100 on my own and then take all the people I had with me. So whatever I let it go.. and remind her that their are still 3 ENTIRE hours left in the night before they close. How rude to hassle me on a tab that had only been opened 2 hours! And I will be the firs tto tell you that we had already racked up over $1,000 by this point. I seriously thought it was a joke! You get the point.\r \r On to my next rant! I'm aware of the dress code at Layl'a and I dress very trendy. I had a hat on as I walked up to the door, but removed it before I was in sight from of any employee there because I knew the dress code. So I'm upstairs having a drink. I have my hat in my left hand and my drink in my right. My head suddenly had an itch so I do what most human beings do. I reach up and scratch my head with the hand I was holding my hat in. Some rude bouncer comes up to me in a threatening voice and tells me I BETTER remove my hat. I say back to him ""I'm not wearing a hat"" He then proceeds to bicker with me and talk to me as if I'm some low piece of (bad word). Must I remind this guy he is a bouncer in his 30's??? I was clearly not wearing the hat on my head. Long story short he ends up grabbing me and kicking me out. Some people in Nashville would consider me to be a public figure in the night life scene. I know everyone around town and everyone at most of the venues and I am actually likable...lol I'm through with this WANNA BE of an establishment! Pros: NONE! Cons: Evreything from the floor up!!! more

I am a native nashvillian, love to go out. I used to work at Boundry when Layla was being built. I went once in the beginning and hated the feel of the place. Several years went by and I ended up going there last weekend for a friend's b-day / DJ friends playing night. The music was great, good bartender...and then we were leaving and all hell broke loose! My uncle and his friend went outside first while my friend and I were paying and saying bye. My uncle started to come back in to check on us for rides and all and the A hole door man JASON got smart with him and wouldn't let him back in even though they had the receipt to prove they were in there. My uncle turned around and went back down the stairs when the door man pushed him into the boundry fence and a mob-style beat down began. 3 of the so called 'security' seriously beat up my uncle! When I came down the stairs, I saw the fight going on in the street...one security man had my uncle by the neck strangeling him, another was on top of him, and a third was kicking him. His friend was threatened with mace and no one was trying to break it up. I couldn't believe the unnecessary violence that took place ON MY FAMILY!!!! They bruised his throat, busted some vessels and blacked his eye. These aren't security men...they are short A holes with huge egos and are looking for a fight. I STRONGLY URGE YOU ALL TO NEVER GO HERE!!! There are many other cool places to eat /dance /talk /drink /flirt /etc ....and they don't have super short little men with huge egos to make up for the little little wee-wee's! I will NEVER GO THERE AGAIN!!! Cons: worst security staff ever....not worth it even for a second. more

So I really love going to Layla. I always have a great time however, I wasn't aware that the place was run by a bunch of arrogant , over-confident bitches. Saturday night my friend bumbed into a waitress carrying drinks and she dropped one of them one the floor. My friend clearly apologized for the accident and tried to pick up the glass but was simply glared at as the girl snatched it out of her hand. It turns out the girl tried to get our whole group of people kicked out by security...after, we spent around $400 on drinks and food!!! It was completely ridiculous however, I know one of the security guards so we were allowed to stay until close, just to spite her. This isn't the first experience I've had with these obnoxious girls I've actually had two of them directly yell at our group and tell us ""they were closing so leave"" right after the bartender called last call. Then they plunked down in the booth next to us and started smoking?!?! \r \r Someone needs to get rid of this bad service real quick. because although I love the place I dont feel like being insulted by a school girl! \r \r Make sure to CLOSE YOUR TAB too! Because if you leave without it they lose it. Pros: good music, good dancing, good drinks Cons: the little girls don't realize they're at WORK! more

16 of the 31 Reviews on this site gave this obnoxious place 3 stars or LESS... however, the overall rating is much higher (?)... obviously rigged... we were looking for a new experience when our group visited nashville from Los Angeles... I was the one who had read a little about this place when it opened, so we decided to spend our big Saturday night there... the boring, sad people in attendance complemented the unattractive and incompetent staff... i have no idea what dinner was supposed be, we just nibbled a little then moved on to drinks - which did not make our night any better as the crowd turned into a very pathetic mix of dolled-up coke-heads and date rapists... we had some good laughs at the layout and the overall atmosphere once we were on our fourth round -- but anyone would rather spend a good time in Nashville at one of the other 1000 spots better than this trend trajedy. Pathetic. Pros: Bound'ry is next door Cons: food, personnel, sad, unattractive people, atmosphere, layout, overall vibe more

This place looks great on the inside, and has a nice feel and some beautiful women, but the security at the door has 2 sets of dress codes, one for blacks and one for whites. I witnessed the same occurences as another reviewer when it came to whites getting in and blacks turned away for wearing the same clothing. I actually witnessed whites getting in with holes in their jeans, tshirts, and tennis shoes and blacks with button downs and neat jeans told their clothes were ""baggy"". If you go, get there before anyone is really at the door. The door men must have been picked on as kids. It is sad that this still happens in 2008! I would not recommend this place EVER to anyone else! Pros: Good Music and pretty women Cons: Door security using racial profiling more

Recently hosted a party there (granted it started at 9pm on NYE) but when you reserve way in advance & have to pay an outrageous deposit (that you can't get back, just goes towards your bill) - you expect service! We had ONE waitress for 25 people; were not ""allowed"" to order from the bar due to the table minimum we had to meet; our food (only three appetizers) was an hour late AFTER we ordered it again AND still got charged; two bottles of champagne were promised for our ""troubles"" but never came; couldn't find the waitress to close out our tabs; I still have no idea what $50 of the charges were, & we were charged for gratuity twice! All in one night. I generally love going to there, but NYE was a terrible mess that they acknowledged but didn't rectify, at all. Pros: Great atmosphere, great crowd, and always a great DJ! Cons: Terrible service, coordinator's unorganzied, not a place for a formal party! more

I visited this place over the thanksgiving holiday with friends from out of state and I would have to say we will not be going back. The place is really cool looking.But what would have been better is if we didnt get harassed by the so called security (they are little guys). They walk around this place thinking they are secret service and its actually quit amusing. One of my buddy's couldn't get in because he had American Eagle screen printed on his shirt. he had to go home and change. How annoying! Also, the bartenders are very unexperienced for sure. We asked for quit a few different drinks that they had know idea what they were. I wouldn't recommend this place if I owned it. Terrible staff with huge annoying ego's.Oh yea, in order to get a couch seat they require a minimum tab of 300.00. We had 15 people and so did the couch next to us.(in the picture above).and yes both couches had ONE server that could not keep up and it took forever to get drinks and their attention. DONT GO TO THIS PLACE>( Pros: Unique visually Cons: Terrible staff more

I came across these reviews and was very surprised to see some of the negative comments. Obviously, not everyone is going to like the same type of places. I must say that I highly agree with one of the other reviews when they stated ""not a dirty college bar"". If you prefer your drinks to be served in tiny plastic cups, Layla's not for you. Layla has a great atmosphere and ambience, it's clean, full of beautiful people having a good time, and the fastest bartenders in town. (many of these also work at Virago, which is also an excellent place for night life, and food as well!) One bartender in particular is the absolute fastest in Nashville, hands down. Not only are they efficient, they make great drinks (you will be pleased with the portion, and never have to worry that you were screwed out of the appropriate amount of alcohol in your drink) And to those who feel like they were racially discriminated against...No one wants to feel that way, but I must say I'm a regular at Lalya and have been for a few yrs. It is ALWAYS very racially diverse inside...whites, blacks, asians...you name it. There are times when it gets really busy that they may become choosy about who and how many they let in when reaching max capacity. However, I don't see this as being negative at all, it's their job to regulate the number of clients inside. If someone's being disturbing, or acting out because of heavy intoxication, one should expect to be trown out or denied entrance. Pros: Great atmosphere, awesome bartenders, diverse Cons: New bartender (only female there) makes lousy drinks compared to all the others! more

NEVER been treated in such a bad way. I went for my 21st birthday and drove all the way to Nashville to go here. I am shocked that other reviews reinforced what I had already suspected after my experience.\r \r I was well dressed as well as my friend. When I got to the door I slightly tripped on one of the steps, I had not drank anything prior to going and any competent doorman could tell that. However I did have my African-American friend with me and he had glanced at her.. Upon getting to the top he immediately dismissed me and said ""You look intoxicated you tripped"". Anyone around could tell I was not intoxicated at all or had anything to drink. I asked to speak to a manager he said ""I am the doorman, I decide who gets in"". I just wanted to have a drink and eat.\r \r Another African-American guy he had refused entry to was like ""Look they would not even let them in, thats ridiculous"" and I said ""They are probably just discriminating"" and promptly left.\r \r I am going to unrecommend this to several of my friends. They will see these bigotedattitudes affect their business. Pros: Never got in because of their bigotry Cons: Rude doorman who does not let certain minorities in. more

Ok, I hate to burst their bubble, but Layla is all that great! \r The table are always ""reserved"" and the waitresses will tell you to move. The funny part? They never seat anyone in these ""reserved"" tables! I have been there on many occasions for several hours, and the table are empty. Do they think that ""reserving"" table will make them appear more popular? No, it just makes them look like idiots. \r I have heard rumours around town that the owners are struggling to keep Layla open; that's why they went the ""night club"" route, so they could let most of their kitchen staff go. \r Additionaly, if there is a private party upstairs, were the restrooms are, you are not allowed to go upstairs-you have to use the employee bathroom in the kitchen. \r It's ok, I don't make an effort to go there. I wouldn't recommend doing so yourself. Pros: the waiteres are very hardworking-especially the curly headed guys-a real sweetheart! Cons: uh, just read my review more

I went here for a friend's birthday party and it was awesome! It's more on the upscale side and the drinks arent cheap but the food and atmosphere was great. I would reccomend to any of my friends and I will absolutely go back. Pros: Great atmosphere, killer food, good drinks Cons: expensive more

The food and the atmosphere are at a world class level.\r \r this is not the place to go ""slum it"", dress up a bit.\r \r to reserve a swanky table in the VIP requires a minimum purchase..depending on how many people, could be upto $200, you would spend that anyway with 6 people drinking...\r \r I go with my black friend quite frequently, and have never been discriminated against.\r There are times, with the club being so popular, that you may be turned away or made to wait.\r \r They also have themed event's and parties in which you would need a costume, 80's prom, old school hip hop, etc... on these nights those who are not matching the theme may be turned away.\r \r go early and try the food!\r \r you can find them on myspace to see upcoming events. Pros: World Class Vibe Cons: Selective Entry when reaching max capacity more

I was a law student at Vanderbilt when this place opened. It was right down the street from me and everyone was so excited when it opened! It's in a great location - Virago and Boundary are excellent restaurants/lounges nearby. The place is gorgeous. There is one major problem. The doormen are FAR from hospitable. I've experienced it myself and I've heard countless stories. I've patronized this ""hot spot"" on three separate occasions and I've been utterly disappointed and disgusted each time. The last time I went there (I was in town visiting friends), the doorman yelled at me! On April 21, a group of friends (mostly black professsionals, law students and med students) and I decided to go. My black male friends, who were professionally-dressed, arrived first and were immediately denied entry. The men at the door gave various reasons why they could not enter. When the ladies arrived, the men at the door stopped our entire group. I asked what was the problem and one of the men disrespectfully shouted at me that he did not feel like explaining to me what was going on while waiving his hand dismissively. He also stated that it would be a waste of time to discuss the ""problems"" further. I asked him to stop shouting at me and he walked away. Another man rudely told us that we needed to decide what we were going to do, basically rushing us away from the establishment. Most of us, including all of the guys, decided to leave because we were so embarassed. Would it surprise you if I told you that the white members of our group, including guys wearing white t-shirts and baggy jeans, were allowed in with NO hassles? Two thumbs down! Pros: Great location Cons: Thumbs down more

Layl'a Rul discriminates against customers based on race and gender, especially when concerning black males. During my last encounter at this establishment, I witnessed approximately 10 black males turned away at the door for ""dress code violations"". However, that same night, I saw several white males with the same ""dress code violations"" allowed in the club. When this issue was addressed with the persons at the door, our concern was disregarded and we were treated very rudely by both the bouncer and security guard. I do not recommend this night club for anyone, especially if you do not want to support a club that finds racial discrimination acceptable. more

Nashville needs more higher end bars and clubs so that we don't have to put up with the service at Layl'a Rul. Pros: music, hookahs, dance Cons: over-crowded, (no jeans?) more

This place is way over rated. Every since they've tried to become a ""night club"", I've noticed the quality of service decline. I stumbled across one of the managers when this place first opened up. I was told they were fairly new and were lacking business. I invited friends out for the evening and made it a point to stop by. We had actually had a decent time, so we kept returning for food and drinks. As of late, when stopping by, I'm treated deplorably. Everyone from the doorman to the hostess have been extremely rude. I've never seen anything like it...if I weren't a mild mannered professional...things could have escalated....\r Whatever happened to treating customers like you wanted their business? One of the most basic concepts of running a business revolves around customer service. News flash!!!...customers don't need you....you need them. \r Congratulations...you've actually managed to run off someone who was once a faithful patron. more

This club has great potential but they need to have someone better on the door. Regardless of how many drunk people security deals with on a nightly basis, they can still be courteous. That is sign of proper management. Turning away the majority of guests who approach isn't a great tactic. I frequent Layl'a and I ALWAYS get in and I'm ALWAYS treated as a VIP but this club pretends to be something it isn't. Layl'a is not in a position to be arrogant in regards to its status as a Nashville Hot Spot. Nashville is too small to treat people as rudely as many are treated as many are at Layl'a. If they want to make good on their attemp to be a big city night club, they need to start with proper training for the doormen (and door woman, she can be nasty too), more variety with the cocktails, I don't drink Heineken or Hennesey, but my clients do and they see it as a racially biased snub, and last but not least, a better DJ. The music is the WORST part of the club. They could turn on a radio and the dance music would be better. The DJ should play TO the crowd, not from a freakin playlist. I suggest the owner visit some real clubs like Prive,Mansion, Pure, or even the old Hyde (at least they play some hip hop) Pros: Austin is one of the nicest bartenders in town Cons: They need a consistent VIP host/hostess. more

Layla is a great bar thursday-sunday. I have been going to Layla since they opened and even the same spot when it was Chu! I know many people think it is a little pricey......so go somewhere else! Its a great place to dance and listen to good music. Great people, although somtimes snobbish(but thats everywhere), fast bartenders and friendy employees. I've read the reviews and noticed the comment about the security guy Eddie. He is the nicest security guard I know and the only reason he is rude is because he deals with drunk people all night! wouldn't you be rude by the end of the night too? The owner has done a great job with Layla and Virago. Its def the place to go for a fun weekend night. It is full of beautiful people and great drinks! Its a great bar to go with friends but not TOO many bc someone will get lost in the crowd. Get there early for a seat at the bar. 10:00 is my advice. Bring some extra cash for tipping and enjoy! Other great spots: Virago, BarTwenty3, Cabana, Trace(on Monday) Pros: Great Bar scene, fast service, not a dirty college bar!!!!! Cons: sometimes too crowded more

I've been reading alot of the reviews about Layla, and it makes me laugh when I hear people complaining about a $10 martini, about how they have been to big cities and that price is unbelievable. I live in the city of Detroit and martinis here are $12 or more(we're not even close to being New York, Chicago, or Miami). I think the people giving their opinions have never been anywhere but Nashville, or maybe Memphis, and have no idea what a contemporary, modern restaurant is supposed to be. I've been to Layla and Virago and they are the best thing that has ever happened to Nashville. Quit bitching Nashville, your lucky to have that much culture in your hillbilly ""city"". The food is remarkable! The service is outstanding!! The ambience at both places....remarkable!!! more