ali baba mediterranean grill

oh really. some of these reviews are jaded by a bad experience and it is a shame because ali baba is a very good restuarant - the golden chicken with the garlic sauce rocks!! hummus and salads are very good...falfels are wonderful with the tahini...try it at noon when you can use the buffet to try many different things

horrible service...dine in or to go there aren't a lot of places that can screw up service both at the restaurant or taking it to go, but i guess this place is special that way. i wouldn't recommend this place unless you don't have another option.


-----07 sep, 2010-----

horrible service...dine in or to go

ali baba cafe - like it!. wow! i eat the buffet lunch here very often! great food & super value for the money. i take friends here who grew up eating the same foods ... they declare it the best in dallas.

horrible experience.. food is pretty good, but the service can be atrocious. so frustrating an experience tonight that i created this account in order to write this review.

payment time came after our meal tonight, and two credit cards with no common denominators (mine and my girlfriend) were turned down, according to the server. at this point i was forced to leave my girlfriend sitting at the table while i left the restaurant... i went to the atm, found that the card worked perfectly, got cash to cover the bill, went back to the restaurant atm-receipt-in-hand. showed them the receipt, at which point they swiped the card again (first time in front of me). it went through fine, and despite the 30-40 minute hassle they flatly refused to discount the meal in any way, and continually ignored requests to speak with a manager.

even if the food were perfect it would not be worth the hassle of dealing with the employees. avoid this place, or plan on spending cash and counting your change.

i have been a customer for many many years. know the food very well, and know for a fact that they do not use rice aroni as one of the comments made. this people are very hard working family they have been doing this for quite a while and know their food very well. in fact they know more about taste, quality and ingredients on a dish. i am sorry you think is rice aroni aperantly that's where your palet comes from. give this people a little more respect for their hard work contributing to the economy creating jobs and their delicious food that dallas so despretly needs thank you!

the san francisco treat? seriously? food's passable...but again: rice-a-roni.

best entire meal - this place has "got it". during a recent visit to richardson (for work), my co-worker and i stumbled upon this gem! this had to be the best entire meal i've had in a long time... from the mazza plate - finest hummus and baba ganoush i've had; real grape leaves (didn't seem from a can) for the dolmas, truly fresh tabouleh full lof parsley. we also tried the kibbeh, fabulous! garlic chicken - melts in your mouth and the garlic sauce on the side...mmmmm! the gyro, the pita bread, absolutely everything was so good that i'm considering a drive into richardson (from austin) at least monthly! i wonder if they will let me train in the kitchen?!

worst dining experience - this location has bad food and service.. i was a regular for many years at the lower greenville location. i loved the food and the warm family atmosphere. i ieft the area, but recently returned. i was delighted to hear about the new location and look forward to the old experience. was i wrong! the food, while not as good the old location, was barely acceptable. the shish tawok and vegetables were overcooked. the restaurant was only half full. the service person, a fat woman wearing all black went from not helpful to being downright rude. rarely, do i complain to management, but felt compelled to do so. when i asked her for the manager, she informed me that she was one of the owners. when i asked her about the bad service and she informed stated that because i only bought and entree and an appetizer, that she had other tables to wait on. i wished her well and told her i would let all my friends know. stay away from this location. this is cafeteria mediterranean food at best. need good food at good prices with appreciative service? visit galilee grill at 1520 elm in downtown dallas.

wear your fat pants because this amazing lunch buffett will leave you completely stuffed!

the portions are not only very good but large. fortunately, they let you share! recommended.

remember old/new?. old place small, busy, cramped...but good food.
hoping new location ...and meet old standard.
hope so.

ali baba is really one of the best restaurants in dallas. there food is as good as it gets. i love there hummos. better than any in town. try there lunch buffet so many choices.

lunch at ali baba = packed house, buffet, amazing!!!!


-----18 mar, 2009-----

warning! when u eat here once u will love it, which is good. but in 3 days u will be feening for this place and your hunger will force u to go back. it will definately become a weekly destination. >dc

lunch is best!. i have been eating at ali baba's ever since it opened on greenville avenue (they have moved to abrams and are no longer on greenville) and have loved it from the start. however, the move to the larger location has caused the owners to make certain changes that are not for the best. they have dropped their really exquisite vegetable plate and have added an oily vegetable melange to the the other dinners which is a tasteless mishmash of squash and onions. the addition of a full bar for those who enjoy spirits is a plus and the new location is much larger and has, finally, adequate parking. most of the dishes from their original menu have made the transition in tact, if not with the same "homemade" taste originally created by the owner's mother. somehow the food has taken on a commercial quality and has a slightly less savory palette. the real plus in the move, however, is the lunch buffet. this buffet beats everything else in town. all you can eat from a really exceptional choice of practically everything on the menu and then some. you can pick and choose the combination of flavors and textures you enjoy - the meats, vegetables, salads, soups sauces, etc., and avoid the set items at dinner which you may find less attractive. the owner's would do their fans and themselves a big favor by ditching the set menu at night and simply continue the buffet into the evening. one last quibble, the actual printed menus are really butt-ugly. they are an off color plastic coated design that looks as if they were created for a middle eastern denny's.

abrams location not recommended. maybe the greenville location is better, but the abrams location serves sub-par mediterranean food. ziziki's, kosta's, zorba's, or even a gyro stand at a mall will treat your tastebuds so much better than ali baba. one of the things that i look forward to the most at a mediterranean restaurant is lovely, fluffy pita bread, but ali baba's was disappointing--tasted like the kind you get from kroger's. i had read that you just have to try the mezza plate appetizer, but eh, it was just okay. i had read that the golden chicken was amazing, but eh, it was just standard roasted chicken with, frankly, an unpleasantly grainy "sauce" on the side. the gyro meat was dry and overcooked. service was lackluster, and the decor was reminiscent of a vegas buffet. (not a compliment.)