Ali Baba

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Location
220 3rd Street
Hours
Monday - Friday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday - Sunday: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Phone
530-758-2251
Prices
$5 for most items
Menu/Website
Order by phone!
Owner
Ali Moghaddam
Daily Specials

Mondays: Istanbuli Polo (Curry Rice, Chicken, & Green Beans)
Tuesdays: Gheymeh Polo (Basmati Rice with Beef & Lentils)
Wednesdays: Bagheli Polo (Dill & Lima Bean Rice with Curry Chicken & Onion)
Thursdays: Ghormet Sabzi (Basmati Rice with Chicken & Spinach)
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays: Fesanjoon (Basmati Rice with Pomegranate, Walnut, and Chicken)

Ali Baba is a wonderful little "pseudo-Persian" restaurant very close to campus on 3rd Street and A Street. During lunch times the place gets packed — and rightfully so! Ali Baba has amazing burgers (cheeseburgers especially), and cheap lunch specials that fill you to the brim. The burgers are on the greasier side of the spectrum, a plus for some.

The daily specials run a little under $6 with tax, are ready in an instant, and taste very good. Make sure you mix in the yogurt they give you — it's delicious! Also, you can order a half-order of the specials that runs much cheaper and gives you nearly as much food — they give you as much sauce but less rice. They have a red hot sauce that you can put on the rice to "kick it up a notch".

Their menu lists [WWW]gyros, sandwiches, burritos, cheeseburgers, Indian dishes (i.e. chicken and green peas in curry rice), onion rings, [WWW]baba ganouj, salads, and more. They are a "Jack of all trades" (where else can you get a Veggie Burrito, Falafel, and a Cheeseburger?). No sushi though.

The regulars (owners?) are always relaxing inside, playing backgammon against each other. Ali Baba is perhaps the backgammon capital of the area.

Also offering Mediterranean food (gyros, falafel, kebabs, dolmas,...) is Sam's Mediterranean, which is just a block down the street. Both are very popular, but Ali Baba may get slightly more business due to its proximity to campus and the fact that they take credit cards and Sam's doesn't. However, because of this, your food generally comes out faster at Sam's. Because both restaurants are so close in quality and location, there seems to be a bit of a rivalry; some people swear by Sam's Mediterranean, others swear by Ali Baba, but most are just excited that we have two great Mediterranean joints so close to campus.

Ali Baba offers free wireless internet.

Ali Baba changed ownership in June, 2008. Currently, the menu is exactly the same as before, although it may be expanded in the future. It was renovated in late November/early December 2008. The walls have been painted bright colors, the floor has been redone, there are new (and much nicer) tables and chairs, and there are new menu signs over the counter. The exterior was redone, too. Those that like the hole-in-the-wall look will miss the old decor, but it's hard not to see this as a drastic improvement in ambiance.

See a burger review in [WWW]Davis Life Magazine

Pictures

alibabaoutside.jpg alibabainside.jpg ali baba_night.JPG alibaba.jpgpre-remodel Wednesday-Special.jpgThe Wednesday Special

Comments:

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Older Reviews

More Current Reviews

2008-01-27 20:16:01   The burgers are good. —GregWebb

2008-02-06 11:58:39   I ordered their special today, which was the "Baghali Polo"...dill and lima beans mixed with rice and a side of chicken curry. I used to hate the way dill smelled and tasted, but this one was more of a lightly fragrant smell rather than the really heavy smell that I was used to. The rice was light yet very flavorful, and the chicken was tender and well flavored by the curry. You should definitely mix the yogurt sauce into the rice; it really adds to the flavor. —wootywoo

2008-02-19 22:56:54   Good falafel sandwich (much better than Sam's which has soggy falafel). I agree with the other comments that the service is slow, but the food is hot and cooked to order so I don't mind! —mj

2008-03-18 15:58:04   Two notes. Firstly, they never seem to change their specials.. ever, which is amusing. Secondly, they used to have good onion rings.. but now they don't, early march I went there expecting some nice deep fried battered crispy onion greasy deliciousness, but sadly was served some reconstituted pre-made stuff that they had heated in their fryer. I felt a bit gyped. —DavidPoole

2008-03-19 00:18:20   I believe the specials correspond to a certain day of the week. For example, you will find the same special every Thursday. Perhaps you tend to visit on the same day each week. —IDoNotExist

2008-04-06 09:43:10   The food here is good and inexpensive. Definitely a good place to eat. —IDoNotExist

2008-04-14 18:45:01   the specials are really good! especially the tuesday special, as well as the friday (pomegranite special). you can even order 1/2 special which is still a lot of food. i also highly recommend the burgers. if you do not want a lot of toppings you can always request that they be taken off, there are a lot of good combinations. PS. davidpoole, the onion rings are cooked the same way they have always been —ReginaGunn

2008-04-18 19:08:35   I got the Veggie Special today at 11:00. The cook down was 25 minutes but I had nothing to do so I was not in a rush. You can grab a copy of the Aggie while you wait for your food. The Veggie Special is a cup of sweet curry with potatoes, carrots, and lima beans with a huge rice and a small cup of non sweet yogurt. The food is very good considering the price is just a little under $6. If you are healthy, you can divide the Veggie Special into two portions (share with a friend or take out) and still be full. Good place if you don't mind the long wait. —justinhu

2008-04-22 12:55:39   for about $8 I got a REALLY dry and sort of gross salmon burger, fries and a drink. Compared to other salmon burgers that I have paid the same amount or less for, I was REALLY disappointed to say the least...disgusted might better convey my feelings. However, I LOVE Ali Baba's falafel and regular burgers, so I can't say that the entire restaurant is bad, in fact it's pretty good. The service is faster around lunch time and their fries are great (I don't like a lot of salt so I think their choice, but adding salt might be a good idea for some people).

My advice for first time, or any-time, Ali Baba-goers, get ANYTHING on the menu BUT the salmon burger...gah. —ArianeMetz

2008-05-11 11:50:19   I've been to Ali Baba a couple of times now, and I like the food there. The gyro I had was pretty good, and the dolmas were the best I've ever had. Last time I ordered the gyro burrito and got waaaaaaaay more than I expected. It was the biggest burrito I've ever seen. It was also very tasty, and how could you pass up a bottle of Sierra Nevada for 1.50!!! Hell, all their bottles are a 1.50. Good food and cheap beer, what more could you want? —JasonA

2008-06-14 03:54:38   Ali Baba's Bacon Cheeseburger = delicious. and they don't put stupid onion rings on it like the fast food places. —KellyCorcoran

2008-08-23 01:19:13   I absolutley love Ali Baba's! I've been going here for the longest time, my parents took me ever since I was a toddler. I can remember it going from different owners, and it's various remodels. I just recently went there again after not having been there for a long while. It is absolutley the best place for Persian food (im persian) other than my dad. Highly recommend the Fesenjun, which is Friday's special. It's this pomegranate walnut sauce with chicken. To die for. They give you wayyy more than you can eat, and just the right price. —natalie0927

2008-10-15 21:20:49   I think they may have changed their hours. They were not open when I biked by last Sunday (before 9 PM). Anybody know their new hours? —IDoNotExist

2008-10-15 21:33:22   We really, really miss their burgers. —EdWins

2008-11-07 18:10:26   Hi everyone, My name is Ali and I'm the new owner of ALI BABA.
I'm remodeling the restaurant and it's going to look great, I'm very excited. Ali Baba will be closed Nov. 27th-30th.
I'm planning on having an opening party with music and everything $5. Please let me know what you think, as your
feedbacks are greatly appreciated. I hope to make your visit to Ali Baba a lot more pleasant.
Thanks again,
-Ali

p.s. feel free to contact me, my e-mail is: alismoghaddam@gmail.com —alismoghaddam

2008-11-08 11:35:24   Are you the new owner (as of some time this summer), or the new new owner? ie. Did Ali Baba change hands again after Darish sold it? —IDoNotExist I don't think so, but Ali is the current owner and it's always nice to see business owners on the wiki! —StevenDaubert

2008-11-09 17:04:12   SunjeetBaadkar, I actually do remember you, if I recall correctly you either work or own a bookstore, right? —alismoghaddam

2008-11-10 23:57:04   I went to Ali Baba's last week with a few friends. To my dismay, they were out of their delicious Onion Rings (on a Friday night, A FRIDAY NIGHT!?)!!! I wasn't VERY hungry, so I ordered a Greek salad (which has NOTHING on Crepeville's, and was honestly kind of expensive). In the end, I needed to get some salt, and again, I was bitterly let down. THEY HAD DONE AWAY WITH THEIR STEAK FRIES! OH THE HUMANITY! Now they have (obviously pre-frozen) crinkle-cut fries...oh I was so sad!! I will definitely go back to Ali Baba's for their deliciously onion-y falafel...but for now they have disappointed me. Aree Rating: 7/10. —ArianeMetz

2008-11-18 11:40:43   I should have heeded the comments and got a burger. I ordered the falafel sandwich to go - wrong move. Old lettuce and no tzaziki sauce. Falafels were soft, not crunchy. I was quite disappointed since I had my mouth all set for tzaziki sauce. Oh well. The place smelled of old grease too. Open a door or window!! —Zabadu

2008-12-03 18:32:01   Service is toooooooo slow! I used to go there for lunch but ever since this year, they seem to have changed things around. I used to be in and out of there in under 10 minutes (take away orders). Now it takes too long and management is pretty much incompetent . Whatever happened to the beer?? Burgers and Brew is the way to go now even for lunch. —Smithhammond

2008-12-03 18:43:30   I've found that since the management changed, it takes exactly the same amount of time to get my food as it did before. The time is primarily dependent on how long it takes the cook to make whatever you ordered. It's the same cook. Only the people at the counter have changed. —IDoNotExist

2008-12-04 11:57:51   Can someone tell me if they serve Kabob Khoobedeh and how good it is? —condemned2bfree

*Hell, yea it is! Beh Salemati!—CurlyGirl26

2008-12-26 11:23:06   Well Scott, in Los Angeles, where the falafel is good, you get a version of a tzaziki - a yogurt based sauce. However, even if they did have it, I wouldn't go back - the place smelled badly of old grease. —Zabadu

2008-12-26 11:54:34   I came here for an emergency (for lack of a better term) run for food for a small gathering. I needed a platter of different finger foods in a short amount of time. After patiently spending some minutes discussing the options with me, the on-site owner worked out a great platter of various vegetarian and non-vegetarian options at a decent price. About 15 minutes later, the entire thing was ready to go. The platter (which consisted of various kebabs, dolmas, falafel, etc) was a hit and was completely consumed over the course of the night. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-01-06 23:23:15   I like the remodel! Also, it seems that the restaurant has been reestablished in non-Euclidian space. :-) —IDoNotExist

2009-01-14 00:36:15   They've renovated the place and it looks a lot better than before. They have a filafel wrap that is [i]very[/i] similar to the kind they serve at Sam's right across the street. They prepare their filafel pieces a little differently though, and I actually prefer Ali Baba's version. Not bad for $5. Plus they have a buy 10 get one free card. I don't know if they still give those out, though. —AmanpreetSingh

2009-02-11 20:43:23   Both the quality of the food and the atmosphere of Ali Baba have improved substantially since Ali took it over and rennovated it. Recommended. —IDoNotExist

2009-02-19 20:44:38   Their burgers are definitely worth their price, their fries are amazing, and their Wednesday Special rice is wonderful. I never take rice back home from a restaurant, but this was my first exception. —JonathanChee

2009-05-29 03:11:59   its impossible to get something wrong, all the food here seems so wonderful. i love the daily special with lima beans and dill weed in the rice. that is just soooooooooo freakin delicious. i normally hate dill too. the lamb kebabs are soooooooo succulent, pour some lemon to take off grease and bring out the flavors. Oh and i love how they give you yogurt when you ask for it. hmmmmmmm. i havent tried their burgers, but im curious now! the prices are very reasonable. it may not seem so because the restaurant leans more toward being quaint than elegant. but the food speaks for itself. —chand3123k

2009-06-14 12:49:45   mmmmm food here is so good and the service is always friendly, especially the guy there. —skinnyfatgirl

2009-06-21 01:02:12   I like the new environment. I usually get the feta burger, but i've also had a chicken salad here. Both very good and reasonably priced. I would be interested if they added additional persian dishes to the menu. —Babhari

2009-07-16 21:38:25   The kebabs are pretty good and it was very cool to find out that one of the cashiers out front is from my neighbprhood back home. —BryceH

2009-07-23 14:57:23   Went there recently after a loonng hiatus after reading of the recent renovation. The cook still very creepily ogles the female patrons, and the chicken chunks in the lunch specials still has pink in the middle. Probably won't go back again. —AnnieSirrah

2009-07-26 19:41:18   Recently decided to check this place out after many years living in Davis, and extremely happy and wish found it earlier! We don't go out to each much, but recently we've been going here about once a week. The daily specials are super good and their burgers are amazing! the bacon is incredible! The fries are awesome and seasoned with cinnamon and something else (anyone know what it is?), and thick cut. You only need to get the small fries for two people if you get other food, as the portions are really big. super chill staff, free drinks after 5pm, and good music on the ipod. great stuff and pretty cheap for students! —ADP

2009-08-23 14:37:19   I'm a huge fan of the Aggie Kebab over the Greek Salad. A bit pricey for an everyday meal, but absolutely satisfying and filling. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-11-11 11:04:15   The Feta Burgers are the best in town (even after Burgers and Brew opened) and the Spinach Special on Thursdays is amazing. The owner is often on site and has an excellent attitude. —GJC02

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