ali baba mediterranean grill

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 therestaurantis 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 the chicken kababs.
for lunch alone i would rate this a 4, but given the lunch crowds, and the slightly less interesting dinner menu, its 3.5.

my favorite restaurant. period.. ali baba is culinary perfection served within a cozy, peaceful environment by the nicest waitstaff imaginable. therestaurantlegitimizes the existence of a heaven on earth.

pricey but not bad for lakewood. thisrestaurantisn'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 saffron chicken that 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 therestaurantwere 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.

do not use thisrestaurantto cater!!! they were hired for a major event and delivered the food 1 1/2 hours late!!!

worth it. this is a very good authentic lebaneserestaurantwith a manager and servers that aim to please. the only appetizer that was mediocre was the hummus. the meals themselves were flavorful and beautifully plated (visually). the lamb kebobs were a bit overcooked but still flavorful. very good wines for dirt cheap. portions were ample.

horrible service...dine in or to go there aren't a lot of places that can screw up service both at therestaurantor 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

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 therestaurantatm-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.

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. therestaurantwas 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.

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 mediterraneanrestaurantis 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.)

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, therestauranthas 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), chicken curry, 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!