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| - Here's the real skinny on Ali Baba - either you're going to hate it or love it. There's probably not much in between.
As for me, my husband and I attended a friend's birthday party here on a Saturday night. As other reviews have mentioned this place gets poppin' on the weekends. My husband and I arrived as the first of the anyone in the party to get there. We were seated at one of the many long tables. That's a thing with Ali Baba, it does seem as though they tend to serve large groups, not small dining parties. I wonder if this is because of a tradition in Lebanese culture? I'm not sure.
Anyway, the place is dimly lit, with a disco ball spinning in one corner above the dance floor and musician's stage. There is a bar area toward the back. The whole of the restaurant is painted with Middle Eastern type scenes.
On Saturday night they have a band and a singer (yes, a real singer) who sings VERY loudly and everyone cheers and claps and some people sing along. Well, the only way you can sing along is if you know what language he is singing in! People get up and dance all through the night and through their dinners. The singer roams the dining area enticing people to sing and clap with him. it's like a Mexican place that has a band/singers, but taken to the next level.
By the way, they do hookah here directly on the tables while food is being served. So, if that ain't in your ball park, go elsewhere or it's going to seriously ruin your dining experience if others in the restaurant are partaking of the option, which our party was. I thought it was deliciously naughty and fun to be able to smoke, eat, and drink all at the same time. ;)
As for the food and drinks, and this is honestly one of only two dings I had regarding our experience here. I find the pricing to be a little much. My husband ordered a Jack and Coke and it cost him $10 (plus tip). I mean yikes. That's crazy. Plus, the food is NOT cheap. You can get food such as this elsewhere at lower prices.
What we had food-wise was appetizer plates split between our entire group. We got two orders of their Grand Mezza (which was actually too much for 10 people). It came with: Hommos, Tabbouleh, Baba Ghanouj, Labneh, Falafel, Kebbehballs, Mixed Pies (Cheese, Spinach, Meat), Fool Medamas, Sujok, Bastermaand Grape Leaves. I honestly cannot at this point in time remember what I actually ate, although I tried to get a bit of everything. I thought everything had great flavor and was tasty. The only thing I did not like was the Bastermaand Grape Leaves. Too much of a bitter flavor. I think I would have to go back and really sit down and know what I was eating to really give a good review on the food. But overall, for our party these dishes worked well.
We also ordered two bottles of Arak for the table. This is the national alcoholic drink of Lebanon and it is 100 proof liquor and it is not cheap. We all imbibed and we were all very merry. We danced and clapped and ate and smoked and danced some more and ate and drank some more.
Honestly I loved partying here! I thought it was fun. The only issue I had was that it was just a tad too loud to hear much of what my party was saying.
Besides the loudness and the high-prices Ali Baba was an awesome time. I would defintiely recomend if you are lookiing for something a bit different for a large group party.
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