Ali Baba Mediterranean Grill

Had lunch here yesterday and I absolutely love their buffet. Very fresh meats and veggie plates. There is a good rotation of dishes coming out of the kitchen so you know it’s not just sitting there. Very clean restaurant.

Dropped into this Mediterranean buffet with a buddy for lunch. I had seen a couple people mention it was a buffet but for some reason didn’t catch that that’s all it is (at least during the lunch hour) — no menu here. We arrived around 11:30 and got seated promptly but by noon the place was hopping and there was a line forming.
The food itself was really good. I generally avoid buffets for various reasons but Mediterranean ones are generally decent and Ali Baba didn’t disappoint. If anything I loved the fact I could go around a get a little bit of everything.
Lunch is a little over $ 14 and does not include baklava. I love baklava so I had to order it ($ 2.60ish for two pieces). It’s the American style (honey not syrup and no pistachios) but I still enjoyed it.

Food is good. The average wait time on weekend dinner is about 15 min. Serving was really quick.

Very good selection of food, the hummus and the kabobs are good, falafel was a bit dry but still not bad. Service is great!

Only okay… It used to be a lot better. It’s gotten greasier over the years. I’ve started only going to Afrahs.

I usually only use Unilocal to see what other write, but after visiting and boasting about this place so frequently, I felt compelled to contribute a review.
This is my favorite restaurant in Dallas and really, ever — it goes beyond just serving a meal but it feeds the soul, it can make a bad day feel good, and really leaves you with sense of satisfaction without weighing you down. I am a bit of a «Mediterranean» food/​buffet junkie and have tried just about every Mediterranean buffet in the DFW metroplex — this one exceeds them all, by far, no contest. Ali Babas has been serving the same food in Dallas for almost 20 years; they are family operated and use authentic family recipes from Lebanon — it’s a rare thing to see a business not alter its menu and stand the test of time for so long.
Heres why I love the place: (Note: this is for the daily lunch buffet specifically, but many of these themes would apply to dinner/​dining/​menu service as well)
Food: Everything is made fresh daily and not per-​packaged/​canned– you will notice this immediately. The owner is adamant that he only serve items that he would eat himself or feed his family — they do not cut corners. The produce is all fresh and new shipments come in several times a week — produce is chopped by hand, all dips are made in-​house fresh each day, nothing is canned — this takes extra time and love. Even on the buffet, the food is a both a visual and culinary feast; it is consistent: wonderfully fresh, beautifully presented, and salads are perfectly dressed and seasonings are flavorful and balanced.
Quality: The owner takes great pride in his ingredients, and honestly this is one of the reasons why this place stands above the rest. He has gone to great strides to make sure that his meats are sourced of high quality (fresh, never frozen, non-​hormonal chicken), lamb from California, organic ground beef, premium tahini and olive oil. He has taken great care to import much of this to ensure you are experiencing getting the world’s best ingredients (san marzano tomatoes, cheeses, olives, oil, spices all come from various countries of origin in Europe rather than just going the cheap route and going domestic — you can taste the difference. Also, many ingredients are organic, high quality, & still used generously.
Variety: This place has it all, plenty of options regardless of your diet: carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, kid/​picky eater — and its not just 1 – 2 dietary options; they are extensive. Everything is well labelled as well with the item name, description, and dietary information. Most items on the buffet are staples and some rotate depending on the day of the week. I will spare the descriptions & photos for another review, but all is excellent.
Price: While some people may think that 12.99 is expensive for a weekday lunch, let me remind you that you get all you can eat, a wide variety of items, & includes a drink. On top of that, this is high quality food, most of the items are the exact same that you would get off the dinner menu just in an endless/​self serve environment. On top of that you cant get a lunch these days for less than 12 – 15 $ at most current concepts. Really this place is a great value at the price!
Speed: This can be a quick lunch if needed, faster than most «fast casual» places even. You pay up front before you start the buffet, and then its up to you to get your food, drinks, and leave when you have to. There can be a line right at noon but the wait is still minimal depending on party size (10 – 15 minutes max). Its nice to not have to wait on a waiter or check to leave. They also offer takeout, weight by the pound if youre in a BIG rush.
Cleanness/​freshness: Given the volume and rush at lunch this place remains remarkably clean and attractive. The staff are meticulous about refilling items and turning dishes over quickly, they will manicure and clean up the items/​displays as well — the food is always fresh and attractively presented so — you never get the «bottom of the barrel» experience. The restaurant itself is spotless, it gets a «full» cleaning twice a day before the lunch service and dinner services.
Staff/​Management: Honestly this might be what has pushed it over the top for me. Ali Babas is family operated and all customers get a greeting and thank you when then come and go — I honestly feel that they appreciate my business and patronage in the truest sense. The staff are hard-​working, friendly and polite, and always attentive to bus plates and clean your area — without being rushy/​pushy. I have never been in a restaurant where everyone was so friendly, attentive, and genuine.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Ali Baba’s is a gift to DFW, they have almost identical restaurant operations in Irving and Fort Worth under the name «Terra Mediterranean» if you need something closer. Try it out please and spread the word. I always feel fortunate to be able to experience the food and dine here.

1– Cleanliness: dining, buffet and restroom areas all clean-​impressively so in light of heavy traffic.
2– Selection/​quality/​taste: all food items are presented well, vary, compliment one another, use of quality ingredients are apparent in both sight and taste-​with consistency over many visits. Also, offerings have richness in taste and leave one wanting more (and more…). No ‘fillers’ or bland items can be found occupying the precious real estate of the buffet area.
3– Service: outstanding, accommodating and respectful. Owner (especially) and staff acknowledge customers and show sincere appreciation for patronage.
4– Value: though slightly cheaper prices can be found at other buffets, the value Ali Baba provides has yet to be bested by anyone else I’ve tried.
To put it simply:
For the same amount of dollars spent in a general comparison, I’d much rather eat exceedingly well three times at Ali Baba, then 4 times anywhere else.
5– Suggestions: difficult to determine in light of great experience, and noticeable attention to detail. Only thing that I would enjoy more is the pita found in the buffet. I prefer a fresher, less dry pita, though the ones provided are more than adequate.
Really, Ali Baba is worthy of your business, but not too much as I detest being made to wait for a seat, Cheers! :)

Great place to have a Greek salad, pits bread and wine. My choice is Pinot Grigio or the Rieslings. I like how the servers stay busy keeping you served before you need to ask. One is particularly interesting to watch. The place is clean, and the food is tastefully prepared and presented.

We came for an early lunch on a Wednesday — I don’t like to eat out at any restaurant early in the week, as I’m concerned I might be still eating leftovers from the previous week and weekend. Hopefully, by Wednesday morning, fresh food deliveries have been received ;-)
‘Nuff about my hangups…
I tasted most everything on the buffet, and the food was very fresh and delicious — every bit of it! Chicken dishes were moist and well seasoned, roasted veggies were al dente, hummus, zaziki and other dips and salads (+ tabouleh) were very fresh and tasty… I could go on and on.
I do wish the dessert offerings were a little stronger, like perhaps adding baklava or other small bites of sweet things.
Will definitely be back.

If you’re looking for a great place to eat Mediterranean food, do yourself a favor and come here during the lunch hour to try a little of everything at their Buffet. Their price is moderate, but it’s worth it… the quality, and freshness of the food is up to par.
If you’re a Vegetarian like me, this place has plenty of options for us to enjoy.

My boyfriend’s mom brought us here for lunch. I absolutely loved it.
The pros: A great selection of delicious Mediterranean food including but not limited to kebabs, gyro, kibbe, dips galore, lamb wrapped in grape leaves, rice stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, and veggies upon veggies. There’s a station just for bread and an fantastic rice pudding that blew me away.
The cons: The place is popular and super crowded. Personally, I dislike the way the everything is set up. It’s a recipe for bumping into people left and right with a plate full of food and a constant uttering of «Excuse me. Pardon me. Excuse me.»
This place was very family friendly so if you’re looking for a nice quiet lunch this is not your place. I got no sense of if staff is friendly or not because they don’t interact much. You even refill your own drinks.
I will definitely be back.

Today was my third time eating here for the lunch buffet. The food is full of flavor, there is a great variety, and the serving area is always clean. The first two times I went around noon, and as expected, it was so busy. Well, today I was there shortly after 1pm. The lunch hour crowd was gone. It was a better time to go because of the available seats, and I didn’t have to wait to get food.
I’m not a huge fan of buffets (because I watch the news and saw stories horror stories; and some buffets don’t serve hot food). This restaurant is the exception and not the rule. The hummus is incredible, the Naan is soft and tastes fresh… I could go on and on. I just think everything is delicious!

Excellent place for lunch. My coworkers took me and my fiancée out for lunch, so we were a pretty large group, I got the lunch buffet. Holy cow it was awesome! The lamb gyro meat was very flavorful, pita bread was so soft and delicious, saffron rice, kababs, salad, it was all good. Good selection of food, including fruit. Price was reasonable for a buffet (and included drinks!), food was all mainly fresh & not like your typical buffet. Staff was friendly as well.
I hadn’t gotten a gyro in quite a few months since I tried it for the first time and loved it, it was great getting some after so much time. Will definitely return.

I was in Dallas visiting with my Aunt. Before I left town we out to a group lunch with family and a friend. We got there at 12:30 and this place was jamming. I’m not a huge fan of buffets because people get real weird at buffets. It’s like the leave their manners and common sense at the door. However if it’s lunch time and it’s busy the turnover on food is pretty quick. And let me tell you there was a line of people waiting so it was get it, enjoy food and get out. This place was super huge maybe about 50 tables and outside seating. It was in the middle of July and you had to be out of your mind if you were going to sit outside. I noticed that there were a lot of big work groups dining together.
When you come in you pay the cashier and then they seat you. There was plenty to choose from in the cold and hot Mediterranean selections. Pita bread was nice and hot and went great with the hummus, baba ganoush, gyro meat and tzatziki sauce. I had some Kibbie, dolmas, tabbouleh, tomato basil soup. All was great. The food was fresh and had good flavor. I couldn’t eat too much because I was hitting the road to drive back to Austin. My Aunt said she’s eaten here a couple of times and she really enjoys it. If I’m back in Dallas I would definitely come back. Staff was friendly and they were turning tables as quick as they could to get more people in and out for lunch.

WOW! This mediterranean joint has exceeded my expectation and MORE! I couldnt be more impressed with everything. I have been to almost all of the mediterranean restaurants in the Richardson area (trust me theres a lot!) and this IS THE BEST. I’ve always passed by the restaurant but have never thought twice about trying it out.
My sister and I went for a lunch buffet on a Thursday around 1pm and it was PACKED. We waited for about 20 minutes for a table and it was all worth it. The lunch buffet had a great variety of different mediterranean favorites and the quality of each dish was five stars. Each dish was soooooo fresh and I honestly cant wait to go back. The buffet option was $ 12.99 which makes everything THAT much better. The staff was friendly and very attentive.
Overall: I STRONGLY recommend anyone who is a huge fan of an amazing mediterranean buffet. I am kind of mad at myself for just now discovering this joint. I loveeee LOVE love every single thing about this restaurant.

What do I like about Ali Baba?
— The wait-​time is never longer than 10 – 15 minutes
— The lunch buffet is delicious: the roasted cauliflower, babaghanoush, pita, saffron chicken, shawarma, chickpeas, and everything else I’ve tried is just wonderful.
— It satisfies every Mediterranean craving you could possibly have
Why don’t I like it?
— My pants suddenly feel tighter after eating here
Do I plan to return: Yes
Am I satisfied with my experience: Yes
Do I recommend this place: Yes
Does this review help you in any way: if you are interested in Ali Baba, which I assume you are if you’re reading this, then sure
Do I own Ali Baba: No but I wish
Do I have financial interest in Ali Baba: No
Did I get anything for writing this review: just carpal tunnel

One of my favorite restaurants! I was just joking the other day with my husband, that if I had to be stuck in a restaurant for the rest of my life & this was the only food I could eat for the rest of my life, this would be the restaurant I would want to be stuck in. Especially if they had the buffet open! Such a good variety; multiple types of meats, prepared in different ways, many types of vegetables, plus good rice. They also have this very excellent violet or rosewater rice pudding, it is to die for.
Service is always good, prices are moderate & we have already figured out the good times to go to miss waiting in line (after 12 on Saturday or Sunday can leave you waiting outside…).

The keftta entrée is incredible… Meet is soft and juicy. The vegetables were tasty!
Babaganoush was excellent… the hot pita was perfect.
Moussaka… Honestly first time trying and didn’t like it.
Chicken saffron… Not all that but nice curry option on the menus.
Best things about this place:
Clean place and nice environment.
Big portions
Great service
Excellent meat
Fresh food tabouli salad was yumm
It would be nice to see little bit more options on the menu.
Only complain… Rice was greasy… too greasy.

I got a message from the manager stating that the hours on Unilocal have been updated. My mom and I were craving Mediterranean food, we stopped by, and they were open! I had forgotten how good the food is. It’s really some of the best Mediterranean food I’ve ever had.
The hours on the door still aren’t accurate/​updated :/

Okay, I’m follow up in agreement with what you have likely read in other Unilocal reviews of this restaurant… it’s good. The gyro meat and warm pita were especially tasty.
I didn’t make it for the lunch buffet and ended up doing dinner, but still a really positive experience. Place is clean and spacious. Wait staff are fairly quick and efficient. Food was very tasty with good sized portions and a reasonable price.
My gyro plate with rice and pita was $ 12 for dinner. Very reasonable for what I received.