Ali Baba Restaurant
(412) 682-2829
404 S Craig St
Pittsburgh,
PA
15213
40.4449
-79.9487
Neighborhood: North Oakland
What People Are Saying About Ali Baba Restaurant
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
Ali Baba has been here for many years, supplying traditional fare to an appreciative audience in the Pitt and CMU communities. It's located on N. Craig Street, a small commercial street situated between the two schools. There's one long dining room, decorated simply. Service is friendly and quick, provided mostly by local students working their way through school.
The Food
The menu offers traditional Middle Eastern dishes; hummus and baba ghanoush are good, and the salad offers a great lemon-based dressing, though it's occasionally overdone.
If You Order One Thing
One perennial favorite is the shish kabob of seasoned lamb or beef. Cubes are marinated and roasted, served with salad and rice with pine nuts. The sleek and baked kibbee are also worth checking out.
User Reviews
didomonster
February 20, 2009
We tried this place with hopes high- the menu looked nicely varied and tasty. But everything we ordered was just so bland. The tabouleh was unbalanced- about 5% cracked wheat, 75% parsley, and 20% cucumber and tomato. I thought they gave me fatoosh by mistake, but no, that is their idea of cracked wheat salad. The hummus and baba ganoush weren't bad, just totally lacking in seasoning. Who enjoys can eating mushy tasteless food?- got plenty of that to look forward to in old age, so I don't need to be eating it now. The artichoke salad consisted of canned in water artichokes dumped in a thinned out tahini- gee thanks. Could have done that myself, except I would never, because I have more sense than that. The lamb and mushrooms in brown sauce was blander than goulash, and the mushrooms were clearly from a can. Come on!!!! How lazy and tasteless can you get?!!! My husband proclaimed it the most tasteless lamb dish he had ever consumed, and it looked gross, too. I guess we will have to stick to Kassab's.
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PhilipMarc
April 13, 2008
I had built my hopes up pretty high a few nights ago when a few friends invited me to Ali Baba for some Arabic food. I can't say that I was entirely disappointed, but it wasn't what I had hoped. The hommous could have used less tahini; the muhammara was overly spiced; the kibbeh was slightly bland and had very little meat; the tabouleh was more tomato than parsley, and the chef may have juiced one too many lemons in the fatoush. The service was also a bit inattentive and I found the wait-staff to be unprofessional. The atmosphere is very nice though. The music was very relaxing (they were playing traditional Arabic music which is beautiful to hear), and the decor was very much authentic and comforting. Although as I said before the service was inattentive, the man who I presumed to be the owner was very hospitable (even for an Arabic person), and that's saying something. I did enjoy myself, despite the short-comings. I would not neccesarily reccomend it to all my friends, but I would not deter anyone from giving it a shot either.
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Vududoll
January 26, 2008
We have been dining here since the early '80s and have enjoyed every meal. Last weekend, the baba ganoush was especially good, and our friends -- first-timers -- raved about the stuffed grape leaves and the rice with pine nuts. The hummus was a bit garlicky for their taste, but even so, they said they liked it and none went to waste. Even though there are numerous meat-based items, vegetarian selections are clearly identified, and there are quite a few choices. Warning - the Turkish coffee is ultra-strong -- definitely not for sissies! -- but the 'regular' (American) coffee is outstanding and goes well with the excellent bakalava for dessert.
read full reviewThe Details on Ali Baba Restaurant
Chow Down:
Ali Baba and the forty thieves think this Middle Eastern fare is worth the steal.
Shopping Nearby:
History
In Addition:
Desserts are standard, including super-sweet baklava.
Smoking Permitted:
Yes
