As I reported on the NJ Food News thread, the folks from Barrio Costero are opening a new Mediterranean spot, Reyla. I just saw the news pop on IG that the opening is set for this Thursday, July 13th. Can’t wait to get over there. CAN’T. WAIT. I’m going to try not to go the first weekend but I’m really excited for this one! Right now they don’t have a website up, something I can’t fathom–but maybe that will change by Thursday. Their FB page is here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/HeyReyla/about/
I’m headed there Thursday night.
Awesome! I’m wishing I could, but have a committee meeting outside of AP that night. GRRRR
I will be seeing the 50th anniversary of Days of Future Past tour by the Moody Blues Thursday night, so maybe next week.
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How was it? Sorry if I missed an update that you posted.
So I have now been three times since they have opened.
The first was opening night and it was a total of three of us. It is all small plates so the perfect place if you like to order a lot of things to try and share.
We had the padron peppers which were ok. The fava bean falafel was very good, the fattoush salad is incredible as was the spring mesclun salad. We also had the grilled asparagus which was a winner as well.
I sampled a couple of drinks, the Sultan and the Gibraltar. Both are gin based and the Sultan has spiced honey in it. Both were very good. My wife and sister in law split a bottle of wine.
We went the following Friday with a total of 6 people. Had all of the above and also got the lamb tangine, hen under brick, chicken liver mousse, burrata, pork soulvaki. The lamb tangine and hen under brick we’re fantastic. My wife, who doesn’t like lamb enjoyed it. The burrata was ok, the chicken liver mousse was good and the pork soulvaki was very good.
I also tried the same drinks and had a dam so, another gin based drink which I loved .
We went this past Friday and sat at the bar, it was just my wife and I. We had the fattoush salad and the beef and lamb kofte. The fattoush salad once again did not disappoint and the kofte was good.
Service the opening night was very good, service the second time on a packed Friday was so so and the bar service was very good.
The night we went with 6 people I was surprised by the bill. I thought it was wrong as it came to 71 bucks per couple and we drank a lot.
The food cones out as it is played so your order will likely not all arrive at the same time so if that is a pet peeves I would stay away.
We definitely plan on going back.
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Thanks for the report. I am looking forward to giving it a try. The other restaurant that this group has in AP also has food come out as it is ready. It doesn’t bother me.
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Agreed on the delivery; what DOES bother me is when we were walking out of Barrio the first time and one of my (guy) friends asked where we were going to get the pizza.
Let me start by saying I have not been here.
I can deal with food arriving randomly. I despise tiny plates (they always say, order 2 or 3 or person to start) at high prices. The only value here is for the restaurant. I am a big of lover of tapas the way it is done in Barcelona. Small portions for small prices, medium plates for medium prices and large plates for larger prices. The idea of many things to share and try is great. The execution at most places in the USA is a major ripoff.
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Three of us went to Reyla on Wednesday evening. We were Cibo e Vino aficionados (the restaurant that was in this space prior to Reylas), and we were surprised at the renovation Reyla did. Kind of cold and white with little adornment. Whatever, if the food was great, no matter. Well…the food was relatively tasty, no more than that, but they’ve taken small plates to a new level of minuscule. The fattoush salad they laud is particularly tiny. A disappointment. And the service was very amateurish. We love Middle Eastern food. All three of us just came back from Israel where we ate so well. We only hope the management will make the major necessary adjustments.
No surprise to me that a restaurant opening during the summer down here is having service issues, as the GOOD servers in the area are likely employed elsewhere; hopefully they’ll bump up their game a bit as they settle in.
As for the tinysmall plates, that’s my one concern, as it’s the one thing about Barrio (their sister restaurant) that people complain about.
Still looking forward to trying the food!
Still haven’t gotten there, but their fall menu is up and they just announced their Tues night special (I’m looking at you, @joonjoon):
Happy Cake Day!!!
Hmm. DID I WIN?!? 
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FINALLY got to Reyla, and I’ll most definitely be going back. We had a terrific server (Nichole, iirc), the signature Hey Reyla cocktail was fabulous (aquavit, lemon, mint syrup–tart, not sweet, and perfectly balanced in a more-than-legit rocks glass), the prices are fair, and the portions were far more generous than I expected (a good thing). Two of us shared:
Hot out-of-the-oven pita, which is served with olive oil and z’aatar (both for dipping) $3
Beef and Lamb Kofte ($11) are 3 sliders served on a carrot/cumin puree; delicious
Kale salad was more than enough for the two of us; perfectly dressed, and the tahini dressing was YUMMY
Mantar trio I guess mantar means mushroom in another language; there were 3 kinds of mushroom (grilled king trumpet, maitake tempura, and pickled lemon oyster). My favorite was definitely the trumpet because you could really taste the mushroom. The maitake was lost to the fryer, and the oysters just didn’t have any discernible flavor. It was the only disappointment, although my friend kept saying he didn’t care, because of the fried stuff. 
Mussels My friend ordered these at my insistence, because I had seen them on Instagram and thought they looked/sounded amazing. I can’t eat them due to a shellfish allergy, but he loved them–and couldn’t fully finish the whole bowl.
The Lamb tagine ($15) was full of cinnamon but I wish it had braised longer; the meat was tender, but some of the vegetables were a little crunchier than I expect in a tagine.
All in all, very tasty and I can’t wait to try some of the other items on the menu (but I’m sticking with that cocktail!)…they’re also doing LAMB BURGER night on Wednesday; iirc, it’s something like $15 for a burger, harissa-spiced fries (!!!), and a beer or glass of wine. @joonjoon (and any of you other HOs in the area), let’s do this!!
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I’m game! Maybe next week?
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Dat char!! How was it?
