Orla Reviews

Beautiful place, wonderful service with very friendly staff. Food was delicious and they even surprised our friend with a birthday dessert. Highly recommend going.

Very bad Service, took over an hour to bring the food. Finally when he arrived, the meat was overburned. The manager gave us dessert to make up for it but the truth was a bad experience.

The Orla restaurant is located in an alcove on the noisy and crowded ground floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel complex. The Mediterranean inspired menu is a welcome change from the standard fare found in Las Vegas. Don't expect a quiet or romantic dinner here. There will be hundreds of people walking past this restaurant either on their way to the casino floor, to an event, or just gawking. We enjoyed the house made bread and small dishes of baba ganush, tzatziki, and hummus. But the star of the meal was the fried Saganaki cheese flamed table-side: Yum! Our prime NY steak was appropriately cooked medium rare, but the four asparagus spears was not a good value for the price. The wine-steward was slow and pretentious. It took more than twenty five minutes for him to deliver a bottle of Cava to our table. It arrived well after our appetizers. This is a fine restaurant if you are staying at Mandalay Bay or seeing a performance there. But it is not worth a special trip.

Terrible night. Busy as usual so we went at 5:30. Place was empty and yet we were put in the very back and told that we had to leave by 6:45. We ended up just ordering wine (crazy expensive) and a bunch of appetizers. The waiter looked down at us and went "I knew you guys wouldn't order dinner". I kid you not. My family has owned 8 restaurants, so I am all about service. Bread & Spreads was good. Lobster Salad was great. Everything else we had was mediocre at best. Three tiny dry meatballs. Maybe at 5:50 the main chef wasn't there. All in all a very annoying experience, especially as I took two business friends after the Licensing Show.

Possibly the worst meal I’ve had in Vegas in 20 years. Everything was stone cold and medium steak was cooked to the consistency of an old boot. I could have forgiven it was too dark to read the menu without the torch on my phone had the food been even ok. Dreadful meal. Paid a lot of money for the platter. I never complain but this was so bad I had too. The manager never even came over to apologise. Will never go again

Let’s start with the hits. It’s a lovely restaurant space. Very visually appealing. Nice bar area as well. The service was fantastic. Water was refreshed before it had a chance to get too empty. Upon seating, we were presented with glasses of champagne on the house as well as a very tasty zucchini fritter amuse Bouche topped with caviar. The menu is solid Mediterranean. We started with some cocktails. The old fashioned is strong! (But delicious!). The hummus plate and bread, pickle and taziki plates were excellent. The entrees were a bit mixed. The whole chargrilled branzino was a pheasant surprise as it arrived mostly as a fillet. Delicious. As were the mediterranean fish fry, which was three very large pieces of fish, and the brussels sprouts. The lamb chops were fatty so with only three on the plate, they were a disappointment. We skipped dessert as we were too full at that point. Overall, while the majority of the food was good. It was a very pricey meal. With so many options here I’m glad we tried it once but I’d be in no rush to return a second time.

Phenomenal experience with the flavors to match. From the entrance to the tables the ambiance is like no other taking you to the Mediterranean with olive trees in the middle and a nice bar lounge to have a cocktail to wait before your reservation. Our server Jackie recommended the tasting menu so we could try all of the menu highlights. The spicy lamb hummus is some of thee best i have had. The greek salad comes with plenty of feta cheese on top and the tuna on falafel has the texture like no other. For entrees the lavraki fish either assorted meats was plenty. The lamb and filet mignon medium rare was moist and nice cuts. Hunter the manager checked in on us and Bobby paired some amazing greek wines. The staff really guided us and mads our night from recommendations. Kudos to the culinary team everything was delicious. Overall amazing experience and must try if at Mandalay Bay!!

Reading recent reviews I hesitated about keeping our reservation. But we did— and it was nothing like the recent pans. We came at 8:30 following the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show. We were seated promptly. Drinks arrived promptly. Service was prompt and attentive throughout the evening. The food was excellent. Noise level was fine and better than many LV restaurants. Prices were on par with strip restaurants— expensive, but not unreasonably so. A fine dining experience with no complaints.

Simply stunning food, with a wine list to match! 4 of us ate, starter and main course and all 8 dishes were up there with the best that we’ve had. There are not many restaurants where you can honestly say that the food is top end of the scale no matter what dish you chose. This place was awesome. Great staff, not too busy and a great prelude to the show that we did at Mandalay, which was also awesome!

The food was good, and the service was excellent. A manager named Sam did everything he could to accommodate us. Unfortunately, he could not change the architecture. We were holding a "Celebration of Life" (memorial dinner) in honor of my late wife, and we had reserved a private room for the occasion. When we got there, however, we discovered that the room was not private at all. It was merely a section of the main dining area, with only a curtain separating our group from everybody else. The curtain did not keep out music and other diners' conversations. We had planned to have members of our party give little speeches about my late wife; but the din was too great for us to do so. That was disappointing. In the future, Orla should not claim to have a "private room."

Good food. Excellent vibe. Very accommodating of dietary restrictions. 5 star for everything except value for price (4 star for that).

TL;DR: Just go here for dinner. You will not be disappointed! If you're a seafood person, order the Salt-Baked Sea Bream; you will not regret it. The Review: Oh. My. GOD. This meal was spectacular, start to finish. Right from the friendly, smiling greeting I received at the hostess stand, this entire experience was simply superb. Start with the wine list: there's more than 1,000 bottles of wine on there. The depth and breadth of the wine list is impressive. But what caught my eye was that they have an Assyrtiko BY THE GLASS. It's rare to find an Assyrtiko on a wine list at all (sure, you'll find it in a Greek restaurant; that's cheating), but even then it's typically by the bottle. Assyrtiko by the glass is a first for me. (Full disclosure, I'm not an Assyrtiko fan, but I am a wine list fan, and the very presence of the Assyrtiko impressed me. That said,I went with the Puglia Primitivo. I'm Italian; I love a good Zin.) The chef's appetizer was a zucchini ball, similar to (but not exactly) a kolokithokeftedes. I should have written down what it really was -- but either way, it was terrific, and a great start to an excellent meal. My appetizer was the Marinated Big Eye Tuna, which was nicely presented -- but the most memorable aspect was the combination of flavors and textures: crispy falafel, whipped tahini, and spicy cucumber. OMG. Chef Michael Mina, of Egyptian origin, claims to combine "timeless flavors and textures with contemporary craft" -- and he totally nails it with this appetizer. The flavors are remarkable, the textures work wonderfully together, and the net effect is a simple-yet-remarkable appetizer that just keeps pleasurably tugging at your mouth memory, even hours later. It's not just an appetizer; it's an experience. And speaking of experience, my main dish was the Salt-Baked Sea Bream. This is a dense, juicy white fish when properly prepared; and it's a dry, rubbery fish when overcooked. The challenge with Sea Bream is that the time between "perfectly cooked" and "overdone" is around 300 nanoseconds. ;-) And this is even more of a challenge when baked in salt. Not surprisingly, Orla totally nailed the dish -- the fish was juicy and flaky and absolutely delicious. It felt wonderful on the tongue, and was truly a joy to eat. The salt crust was not overdone, the flavors were excellent, the oregano (and capers) vinaigrette worked well with the fish and the other flavors, and the bed of summer squash blended nicely to create a perfectly balanced dish with excellent flavors and wonderful textures. But a salt-crusted sea bream is just as much about presentation as it is about taste and texture -- and Orla delivered flawlessly on the presentation. The fish was excellently and professionally "de-crusted" and presented tableside by Deliah (I'm sure I have spelled her name wrong; my apologies), who did everything with a smile and truly enjoys what she's doing. Deliah described every step in the presentation process as she performed them. Her presentation didn't just complete the Salt-Baked Sea Bream experience, it added to the experience. And this entire meal was serviced by Jamal, a terrific waiter whose service and attention to detail (and recall of detail!) was impeccable. As noted above, this meal was superb, start to finish. There is nothing I would have changed about it. I believe you will love your Orla dining experience as much as I enjoyed mine. (I actually broke "travel tradition" and returned a second night. This time, I had the Phyllo-Crusted Petrale Sole with Caviar Cream Beurre Blanc, which was a unique and utterly delightful sole preparation. Priyanka, this evening's waitress, was fabulous.) Standard disclaimers apply: I am merely a customer, I do not personally know any of the staff/employees or Chef Mina. I have not been asked to provide this review, nor will I receive anything in return for it. I was (and continue to be) genuinely impressed with this venue, and wanted to share my experience. Your mileage may vary -- but I think your experience will be quite similar to mine. Enjoy.....

Orla exceeded our expectations!!! We weren't sure how things would go since they had only been open 5 weeks. Michael Mina has a great reputation and we were not disappointed. We made reservations and were promptly seated by a cheerful hostess. Jamal was our waiter and he was personable and upbeat. His service as well as others, made our dining experience wonderful. We tried the Saganaki(flaming cheese) appetizer and it was soooooo good with a great presentation.(see pic). My husband had the Red Snapper and seriously, it was the best we have ever had! I had the Sole and although good, the Snapper was better. Christine came by our table to see how everything was. She was delightful and cared that we were enjoying our dinner experience. Very nice touch. Dessert was outstanding! We were so full when we left. If we go back to Las Vegas, we will definitely eat there again. Every person, from the hostess to the water pourer, waiter, servers, and manager were friendly and made us feel so welcome. 5 Star from beginning to end!!

I cannot say highly enough how amazing the food and the service we received the other night! From the moment we sat down, our server Jackie put at ease. She made thoughtful recommendations based on our group and our dietary restrictions. Every runner was incredibly knowledgeable, and the table side Greek yogurt presentation with 24 karat gold and an explanation of each ingredient was truly one of the most memorable dining experiences I have had in 10 years in Vegas!

Pre-show meal that was so good we went back again! Being in an ideal location in the Mandalay Bay Hotel just a few minutes walk from the Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil show we had a great start to a fantastic evening. The four of us were very impressed with the quality and level of good service we received from start to finish, the waiter was attentive and dedicated to making sure everyone had a great experience dining at Orla. The food was delicious, the breads and dips were delicious, the meatballs, steak and kebab platter were tasty and filling, the Saganaki starter and the mango tart for dessert were memorable, the textures, flavours and presentation was amazing. If I ever return to Vegas Orla would be at the top of my list for a must when in Vegas. Mediterranean food at its best!

Best meal of our trip. Chargrilled octopus, hummus and pita, lobster salad, filet, wine and cocktails. Pita was light and fluffy, best we’ve ever had, we asked for more. Filet was done perfectly, octopus a study in contrasting textures - charred outside but tender inside. I was surprised that the lobster salad had no greens - just a pile of lobster, avocado and mango artfully arranged on the plate, but it was light and refreshing. Elegant restaurant with friendly hosts and sommelier. Adam was our server, one of the best we’ve ever had.

The red snapper was perfectly cooked, but beware it is COVERED with capers. Easily removed however. Husband had the octopus and said it was really good. Our service was also very good. Attentive but not solicitous or annoying. It was not loud though it is right next to the casino and somehow they managed to keep the cigarette smoke from the casino out of the restaurant.

Opening night and we were not to be disappointed! Wonderful Service and over the top food led to an evening of impressing very important people! So, if you are looking for an evening of “special”, the food has wonderful blending flavors, great wine selection and terrific ambiance!

My husband took me to Orla to celebrate my Birthday, and I am so happy that he chose this restaurant. Amazing food, outstanding service, beautiful decor. Hummus, bread service with babaganoush and kebabs were to die for. They even brought a complimentary desert for my Birthday. Our waiter Adam provided an excellent service.

You will be irritated so avoid. Fantastic food, but overpriced even by Vegas standards. Horrible service ( had to ask 4 times to refill water, took 45 mins to get first item, didn’t bring initial drinks without prodding, charged twice for coke, restaurant wasn’t even busy). Had the tasting menu and the food tasted fantastic.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Our visit to Orla was nothing short of a disaster. After being seated, we waited over an hour and a half—yes, 90 minutes—only to be told that none of the dishes we ordered were available. Not one. How does a restaurant run out of its main entrees, including basics like chicken and even pork? The staff kept stringing us along with vague delays, never once mentioning they were out of key ingredients. No apology, no effort to make it right—just a casual “we don’t have those” after wasting our entire evening. It felt like they were hoping we’d just give up and leave quietly. This wasn’t just poor service—it was complete incompetence. If you value your time, your money, or even the bare minimum of hospitality, do not eat here. Las Vegas has plenty of great restaurants. Orla is a waste of time!!!!!

The best dinner we had in Vegas this week. The lobster skewer was delicious. Will definitely come back next time we are in town.