We ate here a few years ago and enjoyed it. The food was yummy and it had a nice cozy atmosphere. Tonight we went back for my husband’s birthday. Wow! Big mistake. The food was absolutely disgusting. The pasta was rubbery and tasted like dirty water. The lobster ravioli was revolting. It smelled like Asian fish sauce and tasted like vomit. I couldn’t even take another bite because it turned my stomach completely. The brussel sprouts were very good however. The worst part however, was the way the owner talked to his staff. Berating them, calling them names, telling them they were useless. Some of them are young girls under 18. What a bad tempered bully! In all consciousness I cannot support someone who treats other people, especially minors, like that. We will never go back and I would not recommend it to anyone. Honestly, there are much nicer places with good food and pleasant people around here. Go spend your hard earned money at one of those instead of supporting this bad tempered bully with nasty food.
Christina
This place would be over the top if the chef tried his own food! I have been here a few times to give it a chance because I like the small Italian New York style atmosphere and the menu seems amazing, but each time I was disappointed. I got one dish where the chicken was hard and over cooked, and ordered a steak the other time that was so rare I couldn’t cut it or eat it- when I ordered medium. If they could get this down and perfect the cooking, this place would be great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Celeste Cochran
I dined here, for the first time, a couple of weeks ago. We met another couple who recommended the restaurant so I was anticipating a nice meal. I was very disappointed. I ordered the pork tenderloin with oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms were rubbery and the pork was tough and hard to chew. The young waiter came to check on us shortly after the food arrived and asked how everything was. When I told him the pork was overdone he said he was sorry. As I had barely touched the food, I thought he might let the cook know and I could order something different but no one followed up. It was not at all crowded so I am not sure why things weren’t addressed. The food was not cheap and it was pretty inedible. I won’t eat there again although I would buy their gelato. It was good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Carolina Yankee
Underwhelming. I might be willing to try the food again, but not the atmosphere. The deli is interesting, but the restaurant seems like an afterthought with insufficient space.The ambience seems self-sabotaged. Brown Kraft paper on the tables over the tablecloths (why?). Portable air conditioner propped up on stacked crates with a humming fan behind it. Dingy drop-ceiling. Juvenile classic rock/oldies music further downgrades the experience. The overall vibe is not unfriendly, but not particularly happy.I ordered a wood fired pizza. Not so good. Dough/crust baked well, but not sufficiently proofed and risen. A "mixed green salad" consisting of romaine(?) lettuce and some chunks of tomato. My date enjoyed her entrée.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Allen R
Our family eats at Lelis several times a year and also picks up things in his market we cannot find anywhere else. We hosted our daughter's Sweet Sixteen at Lelis. The food, as always, was amazing. Joe and his staff were extremely accommodating and made sure all our guests were tended to in a fast, courteous, and professional manner.
Katerrell Barnes
Decided to try this spot since we were in the area. Ordered the salmon and shrimp entree, was only able to eat a little of it as the dish was a nice portion. Asked for a to go box to take it home. The waiter offered to take the plate and box it for me, which I appreciated. When he came back with the leftovers in a small box I was a little surprised as there was still a great deal left on the plate but I figured he may have a technique to get a lot of food in a small container. The next day when I reheated the meal for lunch, I noticed that the shrimp, some of the artichokes and part of the rice that I hadn’t eaten the day before, were not in the container. Was very disappointed by this as I was expecting all of my leftovers to be in the container.
Service: 2
Sharon C
I hate to say it but this was the worst food I’ve ever had out at a restaurant. The Brest they brought to us was burned on the bottom and dry and tasteless. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were large and completely burned and hard on the outside and mush on the inside. They had little flavor. The pasta was slimy and the sauce tasted burned as well. My daughter had chicken parmigiana which was way over cooked with terrible pasta. My granddaughter wanted pasta with butter. The first pasta they brought was some large noodle that was obvious precooked and had been sitting out. Parts of it were hard. She wouldn’t touch it. We asked for some regular spaghetti which they brought out and she refused it as well because it smelled. It really did. Like it had been dunked in dishwater. We didn’t say anything but made an excuse to leave. No one ate more than a couple bites. Do not waste your money here.
Kelly Osborne
I had dinner at Leli’s this week - May 2023. This is advertised as an Italian restaurant however, even the basic bread is awful! I knew after eating the bread it was going to go downhill. The chicken was chewy as if microwaved and there was no flavor to anything. The menu is overwhelming. I would recommend limiting the menu to items that you can make well. The place was empty and now I know why. Please work on improving your concept and recipes.
Valerie Jurik-Henry
Was told about this place - came with an open heart. Well, they fell way short of even being decent. We ordered wine and the pours were very low - below normal. My linguine w/ clams was very Sandy! Clams were not cleaned before cooking. My friend ordered eggplant parm and the sauce tasted like it was from a can. It was served at room temp.Overall, very disappointed. I did have hopes as it is local……
Stephanie Wright
So... I absolutely LOVE the food here. And the staff are great. The market section is also great. My only problem is, they seem to be closed frequently. The hours online and posted on their door say Tuesday thru Saturday. Today is Tuesday. And they are closed. Not the first time I have encountered this. Came by to pick up my mom from her salon appointment and thought we'd go for dinner. But no. :-(. And while I have been sitting here in the parking lot waiting for her, I have seen at least 6 people pull up, try the door, and leave disappointed. Especially considering that online says they are open. Such a shame, because it really is a wonderful restaurant.
I had the Milano pizza, which I feel like is the most authentic Italian pizza I can get in the area. It has a simple yet rich taste, which is not overpowering. Also, it definitely does not taste like any of the American styled pizzas I had countless times. I will definitely keep coming back to this place!
JOANNE M
From the moment we entered the vibe was odd. Seating is tight and service was slow. Started with a salad and the meatball appetizer. The salad dressing was good however the meatballs were deep fried with a hard outer shell and lacked flavor. Veal parm with pasta and a pizza were our mains. I am not sure what kind of Italian they are attempting. but there are definitely better choices in Wake Forest. Within 5 minutes of the meal being served a waiter presented himself and stated that the dish had to be brought back to the kitchen because there was a problem with the pasta. The "hand tossed" wood fire pizza was not airy and the crust really tough. Decided not to take a chance on replacing the entree because the reason for removing the dish was not explained. I would not recommend this spot. Ended up spending $55 for a really poor meal.
Samantha K
The freshness at this place is the best available! I can really taste the difference with fresh homemade pastas vs. others. I really appreciated that extra effort here, and the pasta tasted great! Looking forward to trying their pizzas.Their baklavas at their bakery was very good as well!
Michael B
My wife and I went here for dinner based on the recommendation of one of her co-workers. The restaurant is small and cramped, but it wasn't loud even though they were fairly busy. As this was our first time here, we took our time looking over the menu. We finally settled on some of our favorites ... calamari for an appetizer, ceasar salads, chicken picata, and chicken parmigiano. The calamari crust had a decent flavor, but it was not hot and came with the aioli sauce instead of the marinara we requested. It then took 15 minutes to get the correct sauce. At this point we just sent the appetizer back as it was completely cold, and the sauce was only luke warm. The ceasars came out. They were good sized for side salads and looked good, but they lacked taste ... no flavor at all. Then came the entrees. My chicken parm which I had requested spaghetti with instead of rigatoni had little to no sauce and again lacked flavor. I asked for additional sauce and got it, but they charged $2.00 for it! The chicken was just ok, but the spaghetti tasted like Chef Boyardee out of can. Easily the worst I have ever had at a restaurant. My wifes chicken picata was lacking as well. It had a subtle lemon taste, but the more you got into it the more all you could taste was oil and butter. Also, the bread that was presented was dry and hard. Just an overall bad meal that even after having the appetizer removed fromvthe check totaled out at $76.00. Now all this said ... everyone else in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying their meals. Go figure! Of course this was probably our first and last time here.
JAMES W
Wow - So many good reviews. I wonder if I was in the right place? I was in the right place though because I am writing this review from my receipt. My wife and I had a late lunch there from wanting a good pizza and salad. First of all we were seated by someone who was rude, and clothes were dirty.. We had to ask for several condiments and other items not on the tables. Salad was OK. Pizza was lacking in taste. Bread was hard as a brick. We bought cookies on bakery side and the cookies were too hard to chew. It will be difficult for my wife to ever agree to go back here.
We ate here a few years ago and enjoyed it. The food was yummy and it had a nice cozy atmosphere. Tonight we went back for my husband’s birthday. Wow! Big mistake. The food was absolutely disgusting. The pasta was rubbery and tasted like dirty water. The lobster ravioli was revolting. It smelled like Asian fish sauce and tasted like vomit. I couldn’t even take another bite because it turned my stomach completely. The brussel sprouts were very good however. The worst part however, was the way the owner talked to his staff. Berating them, calling them names, telling them they were useless. Some of them are young girls under 18. What a bad tempered bully! In all consciousness I cannot support someone who treats other people, especially minors, like that. We will never go back and I would not recommend it to anyone. Honestly, there are much nicer places with good food and pleasant people around here. Go spend your hard earned money at one of those instead of supporting this bad tempered bully with nasty food.
This place would be over the top if the chef tried his own food! I have been here a few times to give it a chance because I like the small Italian New York style atmosphere and the menu seems amazing, but each time I was disappointed. I got one dish where the chicken was hard and over cooked, and ordered a steak the other time that was so rare I couldn’t cut it or eat it- when I ordered medium. If they could get this down and perfect the cooking, this place would be great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
I dined here, for the first time, a couple of weeks ago. We met another couple who recommended the restaurant so I was anticipating a nice meal. I was very disappointed. I ordered the pork tenderloin with oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms were rubbery and the pork was tough and hard to chew. The young waiter came to check on us shortly after the food arrived and asked how everything was. When I told him the pork was overdone he said he was sorry. As I had barely touched the food, I thought he might let the cook know and I could order something different but no one followed up. It was not at all crowded so I am not sure why things weren’t addressed. The food was not cheap and it was pretty inedible. I won’t eat there again although I would buy their gelato. It was good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Underwhelming. I might be willing to try the food again, but not the atmosphere. The deli is interesting, but the restaurant seems like an afterthought with insufficient space.The ambience seems self-sabotaged. Brown Kraft paper on the tables over the tablecloths (why?). Portable air conditioner propped up on stacked crates with a humming fan behind it. Dingy drop-ceiling. Juvenile classic rock/oldies music further downgrades the experience. The overall vibe is not unfriendly, but not particularly happy.I ordered a wood fired pizza. Not so good. Dough/crust baked well, but not sufficiently proofed and risen. A "mixed green salad" consisting of romaine(?) lettuce and some chunks of tomato. My date enjoyed her entrée.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Our family eats at Lelis several times a year and also picks up things in his market we cannot find anywhere else. We hosted our daughter's Sweet Sixteen at Lelis. The food, as always, was amazing. Joe and his staff were extremely accommodating and made sure all our guests were tended to in a fast, courteous, and professional manner.
Decided to try this spot since we were in the area. Ordered the salmon and shrimp entree, was only able to eat a little of it as the dish was a nice portion. Asked for a to go box to take it home. The waiter offered to take the plate and box it for me, which I appreciated. When he came back with the leftovers in a small box I was a little surprised as there was still a great deal left on the plate but I figured he may have a technique to get a lot of food in a small container. The next day when I reheated the meal for lunch, I noticed that the shrimp, some of the artichokes and part of the rice that I hadn’t eaten the day before, were not in the container. Was very disappointed by this as I was expecting all of my leftovers to be in the container.
Service: 2
I hate to say it but this was the worst food I’ve ever had out at a restaurant. The Brest they brought to us was burned on the bottom and dry and tasteless. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were large and completely burned and hard on the outside and mush on the inside. They had little flavor. The pasta was slimy and the sauce tasted burned as well. My daughter had chicken parmigiana which was way over cooked with terrible pasta. My granddaughter wanted pasta with butter. The first pasta they brought was some large noodle that was obvious precooked and had been sitting out. Parts of it were hard. She wouldn’t touch it. We asked for some regular spaghetti which they brought out and she refused it as well because it smelled. It really did. Like it had been dunked in dishwater. We didn’t say anything but made an excuse to leave. No one ate more than a couple bites. Do not waste your money here.
I had dinner at Leli’s this week - May 2023. This is advertised as an Italian restaurant however, even the basic bread is awful! I knew after eating the bread it was going to go downhill. The chicken was chewy as if microwaved and there was no flavor to anything. The menu is overwhelming. I would recommend limiting the menu to items that you can make well. The place was empty and now I know why. Please work on improving your concept and recipes.
Was told about this place - came with an open heart. Well, they fell way short of even being decent. We ordered wine and the pours were very low - below normal. My linguine w/ clams was very Sandy! Clams were not cleaned before cooking. My friend ordered eggplant parm and the sauce tasted like it was from a can. It was served at room temp.Overall, very disappointed. I did have hopes as it is local……
So... I absolutely LOVE the food here. And the staff are great. The market section is also great. My only problem is, they seem to be closed frequently. The hours online and posted on their door say Tuesday thru Saturday. Today is Tuesday. And they are closed. Not the first time I have encountered this. Came by to pick up my mom from her salon appointment and thought we'd go for dinner. But no. :-(. And while I have been sitting here in the parking lot waiting for her, I have seen at least 6 people pull up, try the door, and leave disappointed. Especially considering that online says they are open. Such a shame, because it really is a wonderful restaurant.
Restaurantji Recommends
I had the Milano pizza, which I feel like is the most authentic Italian pizza I can get in the area. It has a simple yet rich taste, which is not overpowering. Also, it definitely does not taste like any of the American styled pizzas I had countless times. I will definitely keep coming back to this place!
From the moment we entered the vibe was odd. Seating is tight and service was slow. Started with a salad and the meatball appetizer. The salad dressing was good however the meatballs were deep fried with a hard outer shell and lacked flavor. Veal parm with pasta and a pizza were our mains. I am not sure what kind of Italian they are attempting. but there are definitely better choices in Wake Forest. Within 5 minutes of the meal being served a waiter presented himself and stated that the dish had to be brought back to the kitchen because there was a problem with the pasta. The "hand tossed" wood fire pizza was not airy and the crust really tough. Decided not to take a chance on replacing the entree because the reason for removing the dish was not explained. I would not recommend this spot. Ended up spending $55 for a really poor meal.
The freshness at this place is the best available! I can really taste the difference with fresh homemade pastas vs. others. I really appreciated that extra effort here, and the pasta tasted great! Looking forward to trying their pizzas.Their baklavas at their bakery was very good as well!
My wife and I went here for dinner based on the recommendation of one of her co-workers. The restaurant is small and cramped, but it wasn't loud even though they were fairly busy. As this was our first time here, we took our time looking over the menu. We finally settled on some of our favorites ... calamari for an appetizer, ceasar salads, chicken picata, and chicken parmigiano. The calamari crust had a decent flavor, but it was not hot and came with the aioli sauce instead of the marinara we requested. It then took 15 minutes to get the correct sauce. At this point we just sent the appetizer back as it was completely cold, and the sauce was only luke warm. The ceasars came out. They were good sized for side salads and looked good, but they lacked taste ... no flavor at all. Then came the entrees. My chicken parm which I had requested spaghetti with instead of rigatoni had little to no sauce and again lacked flavor. I asked for additional sauce and got it, but they charged $2.00 for it! The chicken was just ok, but the spaghetti tasted like Chef Boyardee out of can. Easily the worst I have ever had at a restaurant. My wifes chicken picata was lacking as well. It had a subtle lemon taste, but the more you got into it the more all you could taste was oil and butter. Also, the bread that was presented was dry and hard. Just an overall bad meal that even after having the appetizer removed fromvthe check totaled out at $76.00. Now all this said ... everyone else in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying their meals. Go figure! Of course this was probably our first and last time here.
Wow - So many good reviews. I wonder if I was in the right place? I was in the right place though because I am writing this review from my receipt. My wife and I had a late lunch there from wanting a good pizza and salad. First of all we were seated by someone who was rude, and clothes were dirty.. We had to ask for several condiments and other items not on the tables. Salad was OK. Pizza was lacking in taste. Bread was hard as a brick. We bought cookies on bakery side and the cookies were too hard to chew. It will be difficult for my wife to ever agree to go back here.