ali baba mediterranean grill

we tried their lunch buffet for the first time on sunday. there was a long line but we were seated quickly. the quality, flavor, and options were pretty good. cost was about what we expected ($17/per person for weekend buffet) and you pay before you are seated. there were a ton ofchickenoptions and a handful of other meat options (gyro, lamb, beef...). 

my suggestions for management: explain the process better (drinks are self-serve and you will not receive wait service, so no need to tip). keep an eye on popular items (such as gyro meat) so the bowls don't sit empty. offer dessert options other than just fruit salad (baklava would be great!).

we went here for dinner.
we ordered mediterranean salad,chickenand lamb kabab ...
everything tasted great and was up to the mark and as requested.
ambience and service was good and we had a great time...
would recommend anyone to visit this place .

this is by far my wife's favorite buffet restaurant. and its obviously a shared opinion because the lunch-time crush can be brutal, especially on fridays. for lunch come early or later because the restaurant is usually full.
they have a large buffet (not as large as afrah's which i prefer) and my wife loves the chicken, humus, baba ghanoush!
i can never try the whole buffet because i will on on thechickenkababs.
for lunch alone i would rate this a 4, but given the lunch crowds, and the slightly less interesting dinner menu, its 3.5.

i usually boast, but not today. the hummus of course was perfect. i always get the goldenchickenwith the garlic dip. the dip has changed to a processed oil based dip that was unflattering and saltier. thechickenwas unusually salty. i usually only have one glass of water, but i had three glasses of water and couldn't finish my chicken. i drank two more glasses of water when i got home. did they start buying their chickens from a new provider that pumps them full of salt? i'm hoping this was a one-off incident. then i read some other reviews from other ali baba's fans that said they had the same issue and that it wasn't like that before. what has happened to you, ali baba's? did you cut back on food cost to balance out the lakewood rent cost? i will try again. i'm really hoping it was a one-off kinda thing.

one of my absolute favorite places to eat in dfw is ali baba. i've been to the lakewood and richardson locations and the food is great at both!

the lamb kabob is a personal favorite, but tonight i tried the roastedchickenbased upon a recommendation. it was fabu and that presents me with a dilemma ... which do i get?

pricey but not bad for lakewood. this restaurant isn't bad for lakewood and has kind of a homemade feel to it but is a little overpriced if you expect more flavor from middle eastern food. my husband and i have tried it twice and have concluded the business strategy is focused on generous portions and not the variety of flavors and sauces we have come to love in middle eastern food. the vegetables are fresh and flavors are decent. the portions are texas-sized. i highly recommend the saffronchickenthat had saffron, curry and white wine and whose flavor really hits you, especially the first few bites. the baba ganoush is also very fresh and excellent. at jasmine cafe in richardson, the $12 kabob plate is $7, a normal portion, and comes with several exotic sides like ganoush, hummus, and arabian pickles. at the same price points, iranian cafe izmir serves big flavor in small, waistline-friendly masterpieces. but, hey folks, it's lakewood and most people in the restaurant were wearing birkenstocks and came for the olive-garnished martinis. if you find yourself in lakewood and craving fresh, healthy food with no chance to go to izmir or jasmine, it's worth stopping in.

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 goldenchickenwith 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

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! garlicchicken- 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?!

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 goldenchickenwas amazing, but eh, it was just standard roastedchickenwith, 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.)

one of our faves. i can't imagine why people on here seem to dislike this place--the food is fantastic, the service is great, the restaurant has a nice atmosphere...what's not to love? we get take out from ali baba a couple of times a month, and other than a couple of minor incidents when this location very first opened, we've never had a bad experience. here are some of our favorite items: the mazza plate (great hummus and dolmas), foul modamas (fava beans with lemon and garlic),chickencurry, the gyros plate...and my personal #1, the baked kibbi (i ask for a side of lebneh instead of the cucumber sauce that is now included with this item--delicious!). anyway, this is definitely a place that deserves a second chance!