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Categories: Fast Food, Mediterranean
Neighborhood: MissionMon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Two friends and I were out exploring the Mission when one of my companions decided she absolutely could not wait any longer to use the bathroom and rushed into the nearest open business. My other friend and I followed her at a more reasonable pace into what turned out to be Ali Baba's Cave. The food smelled amazing and the prices were very reasonable so we decided to come back later for dinner.
We returned to the restaurant hours later, freezing cold and very hungry. I ordered the regular falafel (the super has eggplant but I'm not a fan) and my friend ordered the shawerma. The woman who helped us was polite though not overly friendly and her adorable daughter poured our drinks without spilling a drop and delivered our food to the table. The wrap I ordered was ENORMOUS. Literally as long as my forearm and bursting from being stuffed so full. Both the falafel and the shawerma were really tasty and flavorful. We shared the two wraps between three of us and all emerged stuffed and satisfied, without breaking the bank.
The seating area was fairly sparsely decorated but not unpleasant in the least. There was a great little cave-like seating area tucked away in a corner that was occupied already when we came in or we definitely would have sat there. The table is low to the ground and surrounded by low cushioned seats with cool looking drapes hanging from the surrounding walls.
This place was a really lucky find and I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the Mission!
so does anyone know what kind of hot sauce that is? is it some kind of skhug?
I have actually driven up here from so cal just on a craving for them wraps cause that sauce makes them happen oh so good
the falafels are great
the shawarma I think is a bit gamy so I prefer the chicken kabob wrap although it does take like 20 minutes to grill and it tends to be easily overcooked.
The lamb is strong on that lamb flavor but pretty good if you like lamb allot.
when in the bay I always eat here first and then pick up a couple of wraps for the drive home, dont care if it makes a big mess this place is clearly not for ocd neatos.
I enjoyed my experiences with the food & environment here.
The cool little partially enclosed majestic looking seating area towards the back was neat.
I totally loved their falafel sandwich (this is the only thing I've ever had from them---which goes to show you it was good because I came back). The sanwiches are also HUGE!
Also a pretty nice menu selection and overall pleasant interior. Decent service.
If the prices were any higher I'd have knocked off a star but... they don't exceed any limits in my book.... yet. 5 stars for me not being able to think of a reason to give 'em less!
Ali Baba's Cave: home to the music unique & varied falafel I've ever had the pleasure of consuming.
My past encounters with falafel, though delicious, have been fairly straightforward: pita, falafel balls, sauce, and maybe some lettuce and tomato.
The ABC falafel? Falafel balls, eggplant, hummus, hot sauce, tahini salad, onions, and maybe something else I'm forgetting all rolled up in a giant piece of lavosh (unleavened tortilla-like bread).
Aside from being delicious, the falafel wrap is big enough to make two to four meals out of, depending on how hungry you are/how much restraint you're able to exercise. Also, it's about $6. I'm a big fan of stretching my dollars (I'm currently living in SF & working as an unpaid intern), and this is a tasty and economical respite from PB&J.
Shawerma wrap.....(http://www.yelp.com/bi...) with everything on it. I had no idea it was going to be this big for like 6 bucks and some change. Ahh come on. You know I finished it. Even though I went in here for an afternoon snack, I ended up having this full on meal. The sauce was perfect and the filling was yummy. I found the chicken to be a little dry and chewy. Like the previous reviews have stated. Our wrap fell apart in one bite. I ended up eating it with a fork. Too dry.
The employees never smiled or welcomed us at all. They seemed like they were upset to even be working here. No plastic gloves on the lady that was preparing the food.
**r e c o r d s c r a t c h e s t o a h a l f**
I don't like it when I see this. Everything they were doing was with no gloves. I saw a hispanic man come in and ask for change, she stopped making some food and gave it to him. Back to the wrap without even washing. I hope that 20 dolla bill was clean.
Really hot in this shop from the grill but why not put a fan in there?? Plenty better places to try on Valencia but the food was good. Just need to work on that service and sanitation issue.
Love the Mission!
Ummm... after riding my bike back and forth on valencia to find a quick Tuesday night snack I somehow settled for this place. The word "cave" in the name might have scared off someone more observant than I, but somehow it didn't click.
The vegetarian ojha was soldout, so I went for the veggie combination. Perhaps the ojha was good, and that's why it was soldout... but I'm stuck reviewing the combination, which was... um, way below par.
Four parts to the dish, salad, composed of wilted lettuce. Lentil + couscous mix, which was very dry, and tasted as though the lentils came straight from a can, without any kind of magical mixing. The hummus was bland, and the forth part, parsley couscous tabouleh, was edible. I did eat all of that, but it was really oily, and barely a 2star part of this illustrious meal.
The pita bread was kinda edible, it wasn't *too* stale, it's that thin kind you get at cheaper falafel joints.
The decor had potential, as you head inside, there is a back dining room with a little alcove, and low cushion seating. It's decked out like a little ali baba tent in the desert you were hoping for or expecting. But all the cushions are torn up and really worn, and I guess when the food sucks, you start to look at and criticize everything.
I eat here at least once a week. They are open late and serve healthy, fresh food at a reasonable prices.
I suggest grabbing a falafel sandwich to go and take it to your favorite watering hole. If only Ali Baba's had beer on tap!
I'm no Mediterranean food guru but they easily have the best falafel wrap I've ever tasted. It's huge and I couldn't believe how much they packed into it for only $6. Before they started making it, I was salivating over the homemade french fries and potatoes, wishing I could afford to get a side of each... little did I know I'd automatically get BOTH inside the wrap! Be sure to order the "super" version which includes their amazing, savory grilled eggplant for 50 more cents. A+!!!
Meh, I've experienced better is right. Now, I'm not a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food expert BUT after tying Truly Mediterranean a few days earlier the choice is clear. I had a Chicken shawerma and it just wasn't up to par with the one I had at Truly Mediterranean.
The chicken was over cooked and dry,...come to think, it was just very dry overall... all 9 or so inches of it. I'll stick with TM when I'm jonsin' for a shawerma--maybe you should too.
I've only been here for lunch, and the food is A-OK. Although the ingredients (hummus, falafel, tatzaki, toppings, etc.) are all out in salad-bar style-- you can't make custom wraps. I wanted an eggplant/hummus/tatzaki schwarma. All the ingredients were there. But since it wasn't on the menu, they refused to make this very difficult custom order. I ended up with the veggie one, which was my original request plus falafel and onions.
The upside is that it's cheap.
Meh. Everything in this place is dripping with grease. The falafel sandwiches, the shawermas...they're soooooo greasy. Middle Eastern food isn't supposed to be like this, not even Middle Eastern fast food. Last time I had the lamb shawerma wrap my plate after eating less than half the wrap my plate was swimming in grease...and so were my pants. This place is disgusting.
Interior is dirty too. On the upside, the portions are huge and mad cheap. But you get what you pay for. I couldn't finish less than half and didn't see myself wanting to save the rest. So it went away.
When you hear cave, don't you think dark, dingy, and well, not safe? Maybe you think batman. I'm not sure I'd necessarily put the word "Cave" in a restaurant's name but then again, I also never thought a spork could also be a restaurant name either.
I digress. If you've read any of my reviews, you'll quickly notice that I have a soft sport for all things sweet or fried (I haven't had that many encounters of fried sweet things hence the "or" conjunction). I love the falafel sandwich from this place and 50% of that reason is the crispiness of the falafel's exterior. In addition to the usual falafel sandwich ingredients of falafel (the crispier the better), pita bread, and hummus, Ali Baba's substitutes adds cucumber salad and their version of french fries and eggplant. It also uses lavash rather than pita bread. The result is a HUGE handful of yum. Their meat sandwiches, which are equally delicious.
CAUTION for people who don't eat Cheesecake Factory portions per meal: I'm not kidding when I say huge. You will need to share the sandwich with someone. Imagine a burrito only times two and that's about the size of a sandwich. I ate half of one in the afternoon and am still burping. Sorry if that was that TMI? =P
This is probably the second best thing to come out of a cave. The first is batman. =)
My friend raves about their schwarma's.
My thoughts, however, differ.
Large lamb schawerma for the price. Red sauce was perfect like fire. But! Lamb was lacking in flavor. The entire wrap was kinda dry. It all fell apart in 3 bites. =/
Not cool.
Great portion to price ratio, but I'm way more interested in this equation:
Flies + Food = Fail.
I would hate to eat at the home of anyone who gave this place a 5 star rating - their standards for cleanliness must be on some Grey Gardens shit.
best F-ing lamb sawarma's I've had in my life! Under $8. God dang they are soooo good. If you're really hungry get a side of potatoes (they're home made french fries) and you can split them with some one else. I like my sawarma a little more spicy, so I ask for a little extra hot sauce, but be careful, cause that hot sauce they have can creep up on your ass and ruin your damn sawarma! "JUST A LITTLE".
There's also a little table with pillows real low to the ground in the rear to the left where you and all your friends can sit on the carpet and act like your cultured.
5 STARS
Okay having lived in Dubai until 18 I think I know a good shwarma - unfortunately this one is not good...
greasy...check
dingy place....check
average service....check
food sitting around....check
Much better places for you to get your fix...myself I think I could eat Shwarma every day...Yumma's here I come...
Lamb schwarma is tasty. It's a bit pricey ($7+), but you get a freaking huge schwarma. I just wish they made something smaller for less.
The "cave" was disappointing. It's more of a "nook" or "cranny" or "alcove". But then no one would visit "Ali Baba's Nook" doesn't have the same ring to it.
The potato french-fry things in the schwarma remind me of Giordano Bros.' "all-in-one" sandwich: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
+HUGE wraps.
+Pretty decent tasting falafel.
+Takes cards.
+Great price for the amount of food you get.
-"Chef" NOT wearing gloves while preparing food.
-"CHEF" LICKING HER FINGERS WHILE PREPARING FOOD, PROCEEDING TO CONTINUE PREPARING FOOD WITHOUT WASHING HANDS. DURING A SWINE FLU "OUTBREAK," NO LESS.
-Weird small child, under the age of 5, wiping down tables and taking an unnatural interest in the only table occupied in the establishment (mine). Standing watching us, reaching her hands into the vicinity of our bags. Staring. Where are her parents?
Bring your appetite, because you are gonna get SO MUCH FOOD. The cheap and tasty and filling falafel plate came with hummus, tabbouleh salad, yogurt/cucumber salad and plenty of pocket pita bread. I'll be eating the other 2/3rds of the plate I got last night for lunch today...possibly dinner.
And this place is not a cave! It is roomy, well decorated for a place without waiter service and comfortable. There is even a little sitting room with cushions and tapestry and a very low-to-the-floor table.
In an area of town filled with cheap Mexican food, it's stellar to find Mediterranean food that won't break the bank.
Next time I'll get a sandwich, because they PUT FRENCH FRIES IN THEM. Holla!
The lamb shawarma sounded like a good idea, but it was a complete mess that fell apart after a few bites...
There was gristle in the meat as well...
The place needs a thorough scrubbing to boot...
Food is cheap and in big portion, but personally not a big fan when it comes in taste.
My friend ordered a falafel dish and I think it's a bit on the hard side.. I have had better. My chicken shawarma was ok.. it's HUGE, but I suppose it would taste better if there's more eggplant and the fries weren't soggy. The sauce/hummus made it flavorful. And the hot source... is very spicy.
Staff was pretty friendly.
I always order the chicken schwarma, not sure how to spell it. It is very flavorful, one of the best I have had. I think what makes it flavorful is the sauce they use and the fries. I would give it a higher rating but it almost always falls apart when I eat it, and that really bothers me.
I am not fancy by any means, but truth be told, the place could use a scrubbing.
Food is okay, but the portion is what makes coming here worth it. $7.50 (after tax) for a schwarma large enough to feed two - gotta love that! Plus, they close pretty late at 11pm.
JONASAPPROVED!
falafel wrap. drool.
by far my most fav falafel wrap. i make a point to visit ali baba's at least once everytime i'm the s.f. the thing is massive and stuffed with goodies like eggplant, fries, parsley, cucumber yogurt, etc. though they did raise the price most def is worth you wild. agian, my 2 cents
The falafel sandwich was huge and delicious! And on lavash, which I love. Good value for what you get. However, my boyfriend got some sort of round phyllo and sesame covered ball and it was not good at all. Get the falafel, but I can't vouch for anything else.
This place is YUMMY! And I don't think it looks dirty in there at all. In fact it looks like a kick back place to sit with a hookah, in the corner of the restaurant area.
I got a felafel sandwich and it is THE best place to get falafel in the Mission. They put everything but the kitchen sink in it. French fries, eggplant, and generous portions of all else.
That falafel (with eggplant) is fantastic and big enough to share with someone special.
Plus its wrapped like a san francisco burrito, so you can take it on a walk..
Ali Baba's a great place to go to get lots of tasty food if you're on a budget. The decor is decent, mostly what you expect from a hole in a wall kind of joint, simple tables and chairs. What is really nice is that they have this little cove, with throw pillows, curtains, where you're seated on the floor. It's a fun little sanctuary.
My favorite thing to order is the falafel sandwich. Instead of pita, they use lavash, creating a huge, long burrito-like wrap. In addition to the typicla hummus, and tahini sauce, they also add french fries and eggplant to it to make a really robust, tasty meal. Definitely at least two meals worth of food, but hey, leftovers make for the best midnight snacks.
Wow, I've been going to Ali baba's for years going back to their original location on Haight and Fillmore but I haven't been for a while so I decided to pick up a shawerma and a side of babaganoosh last night. The price has gone up and that's expected but the Shawerma seemed small and the babaganoosh was way too lemony, lemon was the only discernible flavor. Also they didn't even toast the pita bread. The interior is dirty and falling apart, in desperate need of sprucing up. I wanted the turkey shawerma but could see the rotisserie was not working properly and I didn't want salmonella so I had the lamb instead
This was once a great place but seemingly no one cares about it any more.
Oh boy, this place is pretty bad.
I ordered falafel, and what I got was burned, cold, and very bland. Worse even, the ingredients tasted [and looked] like they'd been sitting out for several hours! Why would you feed that to people?
The place was dirty, too. I actually felt like I needed to wash my hands for touching the table I was sitting at, and it looked like the staff wasn't even bothering with cleaning the dining area at all.
Gross, gross, gross.
Next time, I'll walk the extra coupla blocks to Truly Mediterranean.
Ali Baba, Master of the Falafel.
Mari C., Easily Impressed by the Power of Garbanzo.
What the hell is in the Falafel Sandwich of Epic Proportions? The eggplant has to be filled with crack, and the hummus tainted with pure delight. Holy garbanzo it is frickin delicious! AND HUGE. AND CHEAP.
I bought the thing for a late lunch and ended up snacking the end at home before a night out with the roomies. After a series of VERY GENEROUS "okay, sure you can have a bite"s to my roommates, they demanded that I lead them back to The Cave to replicate the experience.
Since then (five days ago), my neighbor has been back four times and we have plans to return on Friday. I'd say we've found a gem hiding in the depths of this Mediterranean hideout...
I liked the food the first time i went. I didn't notice the bugs. I went back with my friend and we both noticed tiny bugs all over the restaurant. by the counter, by our table, all over the place. I thought the haight street one would be different so i went with 3 friends one day. Guess who was there? the same friends (maybe the cousins of) scampering around the counter. I ordered my food and one ran across the counter. I yelled to the guy by the counter WHATS THAT?!? he acted like he didnt hear me till i said it loud enough the whole restaurant turned around and looked at me. he hit the bug and then the two guys behind the counter started talking and i heard the words sucio and limpiar; dirty and to clean in Spanish, yeah kinda sketch. Falafel King up on Divasdero has better falafels anyways....try them out.
PS this was in 06' so they might've dealt with their infestation.
Fun lunch.
Portions are epic. Shawerma is the size of a small child.
Man working there was able to make recommendations and didn't slather too much hot sauce since I told him that I have a sensitive mouth.
I was there this past weekend. We were the first to get in that day. The food is very tasty (at least the humus was). I ordered the shawarma plate and my date ordered the falafel plate. There are a few things that i peeved me so I took off some points
1) The proprietor used his bare hands to pick up the falafel and the lavash bread. If that doesnt kill your appetite then good for you.
2) My date said she thought the falafel were stale and seemed like had been refried a few times. I didnt eat them, but she has frequented MANY greek restaurants in chicago so I trust her judgement. She hardly ate anything and refused to take the stuff with her to eat later. She must have not liked hwe food at all.
3) The interior is really unkempt.
The wraps here are really tasty, definitely fill me up. Just go to the counter, decide if you want turkey, lamb, or falafel and they'll make it and bring it to your table (or you can take it to go). It's sort of like a middle easter/mediterranean burrito :) I like the yogurt sauce, and I REALLY like the spicy sauce. The french fries/potatoes in the wrap are a nice surprise. I've also had the side of eggplant, and loved it!
I don't have any other reviews on here, but I HATE this place (both locations) so much that I have to tell the city about it.
These people are absolutely retarded. I brought a party of four in to the Haight location for lunch and every body wanted a schwarma plate. We all tried to order per the menu, specifying our meat and salads and the counter person looked at us like we were from outer space.
This has happened to me at both locations. For some reason there is a SERIOUS language barrier and their staff is under trained.
The food is decent but not worth putting up with the aggravation.
Had lunch, very good serving size more then plenty for the price, lamb was good...service could of been a tad better, pretty no-frills place.
I was well sated after my meal, though.
There's nothing like a shawarma the size of a grown man's forearm to pick you up again, and boy did I need a pick-me-up. After the most depressing job fair ever, this shawarma and this shawarma alone made the day all worth it. (Will work for food. If you have a job, let me know, college grad with a BA)
I normally don't like making small talk with restaurant owners because I'm kinda introverted like that, but the dude behind the counter was just so bubbly that I had to ask his recommendation. It was a plus that there was a Yelp sticker on the door. He asked "vegetarian or meat." Meat all the way, baby. "Garlic or spicy?' Give me enough garlic to ward off the population of Transylvania. Hence me ending up with a chicken shawarma sandwich wrapped in lavosh (vs pita, how i have it everywhere else)
The french fries in the shawarma was inspiring, and the chicken surprisingly juicy, though I think it may have been from the sauce more so than the how the chicken was cooked.
My friend M had the falafel sandwich, which was pretty damn tasty too, but nothing beats piles and piles of MEAT. We both dominated our sandwiches within minutes and still had room for ice cream later (we puposedly walked really slow for 4 blocks and stopped a few times to make room though..)
The owner was a sweetie who brought out water for us, even though I went up to the counter to get it. The girl behind the register however totally ignored my request for water. Oh well, the food in my belly is still making me smile, so all good.
So, I ate here a few weeks back and the food was good but, I couldn't stop staring at the dirt all over the place.
I went again tonight, expecting it to be better in dim light.
And theeeeeennnn, a RAT came crawling out from behind the sheet they have in the corner booth thing. It was terrible.
I will never go again.
Gross, gross, gross.
I am having visions of the massive rat now.
Thanks, Ali Baba.
I get take out from here twice a week....it's great. I like the chicken shwarma wrap[get it with eggplant] and the hummus. Its some of the best hummus I've had.
1/2 Price Wine Special
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
Happy Hour Mon-Sat 5PM-7PM
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Greek
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Category: Greek
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Category: Middle Eastern
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