I had the kofte and they were delish! But that pic is friend m their social media…that’s the Wednesday night special 
People. Get thee to Reyla. I finally got over there for brunch today, and the only thing I can complain about is the fact that there were 3 of us and we wanted to order one of everything!
My friends hadn’t been there yet, and I think one of them was a little unsure about some of the less-than-commonly-known ingredients, but he ended up ordering the whole wheat pancake with tehina-maple syrup and pear compote, and we was raving from bite #1. He also enjoyed a sample of his husband’s lobster eggs benedict, which was a special. I’ve been on a shakshuka kick of late and was absolutely thrilled by their rendition, which featured eggplant/tomato puree and a duck egg. How have I not been eating this my entire life?!? Seriously–just the right amount of heat, and perfect on such a cold morning. The coffee was excellent (it’s from Small World Coffee in Princeton; while I was surprised they weren’t using one of the local roasters, I can give them a pass because it’s REALLY good). The service was terrific. Oh, and we may have nibbled on some of the harissa-spiced fries while we browsed the menu. OMG. $54 + tip for all of this delishusness. ETA: the ketchup was so good one friend was eating it with a spoon and declared it’s the best he’s ever had. Housemade, of course.
As I said, get thee to Reyla. Wednesday is still their lamb burger night; a burger, fries, and a beer or glass of wine for $16.
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Birthday brunch yesterday at Reyla was delicious! We dove in to an order of those swoon-worthy Harissa fries while perusing the menu–and had another order with our food. 
We had:
2-Scrambled eggs with Maitake mushrooms and herbs (a special)
1-side of cacao bacon
1-Lobster Eggs Benedict w a saffron hollandaise (a special)
2-Lamb burgers
1-Kale salad
For dessert we shared the rosemary and pear sorbet, the warm chocolate cake with Turkish ice cream ? (desserts aren’t on their site so I can’t confirm), and an order of the VERY mini preserved lemon and poppy seed muffins, which came with wonderful butter (although nobody tasted the juniper, even though we could see it). I 
that sorbet, which was full of pear flavor, but the rosemary was MIA (didn’t care). The cake was wonderful–not overly sweet!
If I didn’t mention it uptheead, their coffee is stellar. It’s from New World in Princrton.
I need to get back in here for dinner; it’s quickly becoming a favorite in AP!
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Can’t tell you all how much I’m loving this place; I was back on Wed night for their lamb burger special ($16 for the burger, harissa-spiced fries, and a glass of wine or a beer–$12 if you don’t drink). I arrived ahead of my friends, so I felt the need to have a Hey Reyla (aquavit, lemon, mint syrup), which is THE cocktail I order every time, in spite of some very interesting other options. It’s exactly what I like–tart, not too sweet, and refreshing. 
Of course we couldn’t JUST have the special…we started off with 2 apps (for $10)–VERY legit portions of muhammara and labne with hot pita. I’m watching carbs so finally started piling both spreads on each bite. DELICIOUS.
At my suggestion one friend requested some ketchup for his fries. As I explained, it’s house-made and you could just eat it with a spoon.
This is a lovely spot but SO unpretentious, and I can’t emphasize how welcoming the staff is (even before learning we were all local) and how much I’m enjoying their food. GO NOW–all of a sudden AP will be packed…
Any time any of you want to meet up, holler. I’M local!
I would love to meet up but usually work on Wednesday nights. Do they have anything on another night?
Missy
I can’t remember if it’s Tuesday or Thursday, but they do a kebab night as well. The types of kebabs change but it something like $12 . Even without the specials it’s worth a drive up…
Curlz we need an official NJ kebab thread! Start it up
Kebabs any night sounds good to me!
One of the things I’ve come to love about living here is that even on weekend days when I have no plans, plans always seem to appear. So when I got a text this morning from @seal saying he’d be in AP and asking if I’d like to meet for brunch or lunch, I was happy to say yes–lunch it was.
First we met at the Transparent Clinch gallery (at the end of the Asbury Hotel). I keep telling everyone, so I’ll say it again; if you haven’t been in here and you care at all about photography, AP, or music (past or present), GO. The pictures are insane, the place is completely approachable, and if you’re interested, Tina (who runs it) knows all of the stories behind the photos, and they’re awesome.
So…on to lunch. At Reyla. I figured David needed to go somewhere new, and since this has quickly become my favorite local spot, it was my pick. We sat at the bar and both of us immediately honed in on the L&L - Lamb and Latke. Full description and a photo of the dish:
As the bartender promised, it was plenty of food; I couldn’t even finish the latke, in fact! This is my kind of eating; I love these flavors, and I really do think this place is doing a great job. Try to get in before summer hits–and of course, holler if you want company!
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So I was in AP for the Cat Convention today and luckily @CurlzNJ was free for brunch. After she introduced me to perhaps the best free experience I’ve had in Asbury at the Clinch gallery, we sat at the bar at Reyla. Although I hated to have two of the same dishes, the L&L sounded so good that we both ordered it. Great food and great company, and we even topped it off by going to CatsBury Park afterwards.
Jesus christ that looks awesome for 12 bucks. I can’t commit yet… not sure when I’ll be getting off work tonight. 
Just sent a text
Thanks for thinking of me. Unfortunately I already have a dinner commitment. Why is that I have nothing to do a gazillion days in a row and 2 things on 1 night???
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That’s how it always is! Just got here so I’ll report back
That octopus looked amazing I can’t wait to hear about it. I’ll be following Reyla from now on.
Gotta say…it was REALLY REALLY good. It’s a legit portion for a small plate, but I could have easily eaten a second one. I had a glass of their Spanish chardonnay (NO oak whatsoever–yay!) and it was a lovely+ a small pile of fresh herbs/mixed greens and a few fingerlings was a terrific mix of textures and flavors. $12, people. $12.
Damn. Should’ve had a 2nd one.
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If the wine was good, that’s worth $12 on its own and the octopus was free. Yeah, you should have had that second glass.
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We did brunch here today after we quick had to make other plans (We had reservations at the Grand Tavern but they don’t have a high chair and didn’t mention that when we made reservations for 2 plus a baby). Thankfully, they got us right in with a nice big table. I am loving this place. Delicious drinks, awesome food and great service.
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Back here for dinner Friday night. I really love this place. Tonight’s standouts were the lamb entree and the pork belly because it was literally the largest pork belly I have ever seen. It would have been appropriate for 4 to split, but for 2 it was so big we took half home. The lamb was my favorite version of lamb. It was medium rare with a delicious tomato based spiced sauce. It was served with a potato pancake and a soft boiled egg. Wow. The drink menu never really speaks to me, but my husband is all about their drinks. I wish they had a vodka drink but it is always gin, rye or mescal drinks which I’m not into. I’m always happy with wine!
Also, I love how great the staff is with our kid. I realize that it isn’t a kid restaurant, but we like to eat and go out so we bring her everywhere. They bring her coloring books and crayons, plays peak-a-boo and brings her cups of milk.
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