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Ali Baba's Terrace
Category: Restaurants Turkish Turkish
862 2nd Ave(between 46th St & 47th St)
New York, NY 10017
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 888-8622
- Nearest Transit:
-
Grand Central - 42 St (7, 7X)
51 St (4, 6, 6X)
Grand Central - 42 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
44 reviews for Ali Baba's Terrace
Review Highlights
-
"I had an excellent experience on the terrace last night." In 4 reviews -
"...a food baby from all the hummus and bread I had, I would..." In 6 reviews -
"...with veggies to start and then Tavuk Sis which is a chicken..." In 3 reviews
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44 reviews in English
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Review from Ryan R.
5/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
*this review is strictly for the happy hour on the roof patio.*
$5 wines & a free app! Great deal, especially when you can also take advantage of their rooftop patio on a warm, spring day. They have a decent selection of wines to choose from as well.
I'm not very familiar with mid-town east, but Jaime H. had been wanting to try this place for a while. It's a super great deal!
And if you're gluten-free like me, they give you enough apps that you can eat without difficulty. They do serve pita, though, so just don't eat that.
I bet this place will be hopping in the summer! -
Review from Jaime H.
4/11/2012 1 photo
*This review is only for happy hour
Such a good rooftop spot in Midtown! This place is seriously affordable for happy hour (if you can make it before 6pm). Each happy hour drink comes with a cold appetizer. Wine/draft beer are $5 and mojitos, martinis, sangria, and margaritas are $7. The cold appetizers include a basket of bread and hummus, spicy vegetables, or my personal favorite - the Spinach Tarator ~yogurt dip with sautéed fresh spinach and garlic. There are two bars so you can choose between inside (downstairs) or outdoor seating (on a rooftop) and there is plenty of seating. The service is extremely friendly and timely. I'll be back plenty this summer! -
Review from Pia M.
3/7/2012 8 Check-ins Here
I'm shocked that this place only has 3 stars... I somewhat recently moved to the neighborhood and have quickly fallen in love with this restaurant. It doesn't look like much from the outside (inside's okay) but you come here for the food and the amusing waiters - seriously everyone from the bus boy to the manager cracks me up. Hands-down some of the most delicious Turkish food I have ever eaten... and I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in Istanbul thanks to my Turkish friends.
Your meal starts off with homemade, sesame seed covered bread which is yummy (but filling so pace yourself). The Babaganoush is perfect for an appetizer. For your entree, if you want to try a little bit of everything (and are not a vegetarian), go for the Chef's Mix grilled meat platter (it's big enough for 2 people to share) or stick with the Tavuk Sis (Chicken Shish) if you're not really a red meat kinda person. I don't think I've ever tasted such succulent shish kebab. You must end your dinner with their baklava - it's the MOST AMAZING baklava I've ever tasted (trust me on this).
When you finish dinner, they give you shots of coffee liquer... AKA Cafe Patron. My friend and I had to actually tell them one time that we didn't want the shots (shocking, I know) because we were so full.
Either way, if you like mediterranean/Turkish food, def go here... you won't be sorry. I took my foodie parents here a month ago and they won't stop talking about it.Listed in: Near and Dear
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Review from Peter S.
Kensington, CT
3/25/2012
We were visiting NYC last week and a relative recommended this place. What a great find! We were new to Turkish food and it was a very pleasant surprise. Everything is fresh and very tasty, from the appetizers to the main course. And wow, do they know how to cook meat. The lamb, beef, and chicken were all expertly done and full of spices and flavor.
If you want fast service, this is not the place for you - casual European style dining and pacing yourself is what this place is all about. The waiters were very pleasant - ours gave us a Turkish cordial at the end of the meal and on the house - very nice and unexpected!
Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food, we will definitely be back every time we visit NYC! -
Review from Ari B.
1/21/2012
I was there for dinner just hours ago. I must say that I was pretty impressed with the food. I ordered an appetizer of eggplant salad to share, which was pretty good. Then I ordered the chef's mix of meats with rice for the entree. The meat was flavorful and pretty tender. To top it all off, the service was great. Our waiter was very friendly and put up with a lot of nonsense from some people in our group. Furthermore, the manager gave us Turkish tea on the house in addition to some small pastries, which was very generous. Finally, a friend made a comment to the bartender about some alcoholic beverage she was pouring, and not only did she explain what it was, but we were each given a shot on the house. It was very powerful, something like 120 proof so we didn't really take too many sips. Anyway, I had a good time and would like to come back again.
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Review from Maximilian M.
Atlanta, GA
2/13/2012
Great Turkish food! I have tried a lot of other mid-eastern restaurants, this is one of my top 5! Try the Turkish wine, is great! The deserts are to die for as well!
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Review from Neil B.
9/7/2011
I'll start by saying that I think most restaurants in Manhattan are overpriced ripoffs. Yes, that is an unfair generalization, but I usually stay in Brooklyn where prices are more reasonable and in the case of Turkish food, the food is better. As for alcohol...my aunt and my cousin each had a glass of wine and my cousin had a mixed drink. For what they charged for the drinks, you could have dinner for two in Brooklyn!
Because it was raining we sat indoors but my aunt and cousin tell me that dinner on the terrace is very nice.
We began with fresh bread and olive oil which on cue I spilled on my silk tie..yep..) and an excellent Shepard's salad.
Next I had Ali Nazik (Adana kabob on eggplant) that was okay, my aunt had shrimp shish (grilled shrimp) which she liked and my cousin had the combination ground lamb and beef kebabs that really were not that good but usually has chicken Adana which she does like.
Now here is the interesting thing. Unlike what others have experienced, our service was exceptional. The person who sat us down was very nice. Our Turkish waiter was patient and helpful and his assistant who spoke Spanish though I never asked where he was from was also very friendly! It might be because they were amused at my atrocious command of Turkish and Spanish or it might have been that they are good at what they do! -
Review from Uri B.
New York, NY
7/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Walking around the area on Sunday evening we ran into this little place.
First of all, the terrace was delightful surprise! And the weather was just perfect for outdoor seating.
We weren't specially hungry, so we just shared the mix appetizer which was delicious with warm bread.
For an entree, we shared a Sarma Beyti, a lamb kebab wrapped in Turkish bread covered in a very tasty sauce. It was delicious!!!
The service wasn't very fast (may not be a good idea if you're in a hurry) but our waiter was very attentive and his recommendations were spot-on.
All and all an unexpected, yet very nice, Sunday night surprise! -
Review from Kari g.
Manhattan, NY
6/9/2011
First impression didn't attract me because we were looking for a more relaxed restaurant, but the looked good so we gave it a shot. The menu had a lot of authentic Turkish dishes, I had Imam Bayildi which is an eggplant dish stuffed with veggies to start and then Tavuk Sis which is a chicken and rice dish.
Food was really good. Loved the appetizer. The wait staff wasn't so friendly and the dishes were kind of pricey.
I would go back if friends wanted to go, but with all the restaurants in NYC, I would rather try something new. -
Review from Anita A.
Manhattan, NY
7/29/2011
Came here for a lunch with a friend. They have a nice upstairs terrace which is great on moderate temperature days (these super hot summer days not so much).
It seems like a popular turkish lunch spot, though the hostess wasn't the nicest person on the planet and the service is really slow (-1).
The food was flavorful and the portions were large (my friend and I ordered the prix fixe). However, I'm not sure if they had a logistics issue that day, but considering we came for an early lunch and after suggesting an item which I ordered, they waiter comes back and tells me they didn't have it (-1).
The prices are on the higher end especially for lunch, so there are tons of other Turkish restaurants in midtown east that I would recommend before coming here again. -
Review from Samuel M.
New York, NY
6/29/2011
Their terrace in summer nights rocks! A beautiful spot to have dinner and turkish food. I never eat turkish food so it was time to give it a try.
The food was ok, the kebab with red peppers was a big plate, nothing out of this world, but i rather experiment with this places than having to deal with pretentious hosts. The babaganush was nice, light.
The drinks weren't good, i had an apple martini to start, i didn't finish it, it wasn't cold, and with the wine the same, a bit hot. The music was excellent, the typical chill out, cuban music, perfect for dining. The total was $115 for two, cool.
The best is the terrace. Food was decent, nothing i will talk for years to come. I'm not recommending it, but i'm not talking bad about it. -
Review from Wolf G.
Westbury, NY
1/24/2012 4 photos
When I went to the city with a group of friends to celebrate my friend Scott's going away party for a college internship to Disney World, I never thought we would be dining at a Turkish restaurant. However, Adam, one of the guys in our group, picked out Ali Baba's Terrace as it was Zagat rated and got good reviews and he booked our group of 8 a reservation at 9:00PM. When I first walked into Ali Baba's Terrace, the dimly lit yet somewhat posh atmosphere made me feel at home. However, when I opened the menu, I had a bit of sticker shock as entrees were $20-$30 and appetizers were $7-$15. Undeterred, I ordered Grilled Calamari for my appetizer and a Terrace Sauté for my entree along with a Diet Coke to drink. Before our appetizers even arrived, a plate of briny and salty black and green olives greeted us along with a somewhat sweet Eggplant Babaganoush, which tided me over until our appetizers arrived somewhat quickly. I found the Grilled Calamari, which was my appetizer, to be pleasantly sweet and not rubbery and it was complemented by a slightly salty butter sauce. While it says that it is an appetizer on the menu, this could easily be dinner for one person. Not too much later, my Terrace Sauté entree arrived and it contained tender well cooked lamb in a brothy tomato sauce along with mixed vegetables on a bed of salty fried potatoes almost like home fries. This dish tided me over for two meals. While our group did not order dessert, we were impressed by our dishes and we were happily stuffed! In addition to the delicious food, we found our waiter Tolga to be accommodating, friendly, and efficient! All in all, in spite of the high prices, I would go back to Ali Baba's Terrace for delicious Turkish food if I were in Midtown East!
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Review from Lauren G.
New York, NY
10/24/2010
So good it doesn't hurt.
For our appetizer we ordered the hummus and we were yum yumming to the max....really good.
The food here was excellent. I had the chicken kebab, my bf had the chef's selection of chicken, lamb, and meatball? (i think).
Both of our orders came with the tastiest rice I've had in a while.
If I wasn't on the verge of having a food baby from all the hummus and bread I had, I would have licked my plate clean.
We ordered our leftovers to go as we pictured ourselves stuffing our faces with Saturday night leftovers at Sunday lunch.
Five blocks into our walk home, we realized we had forgotten our leftovers and just you know friends, there was absolutely no way we were going home without them.
I re-entered the restaurant only to find a look of "you're too late" on our servers face. Expecting the bad news that they had already thrown our food out, I sighed heavily and bowed my head in defeat.
Hope quickly excited my taste buds when our server told us to hold as he checked the kitchen for our leftovers.
Our server walking out of the kitchen with a "Thank You, Come Again" bag was such a beautiful site, I wanted to cry, but knew it was inappropriate.
Though he reassured me that our food had not been sitting in the trash prior to my arrival, I'm pretty sure he was lying as the to-go container was all gnarled as if it had been shoved into an overfilled garbage can.
You know what though? The food was just so good that we didn't care. On the way home we rationalized eating food out of the garbage by coming to the conclusion that a. our food was in a sealed container and b. they had given us a new shopping bag to take it home in anyway.
It's now Sunday afternoon and I just enjoyed some of our left overs. Dirt bag? Maybe. Hunger satisfied by delicious food? Most definitely. -
Review from Hideki K.
5/6/2010
I came to Ali Baba a year ago with the Squab when they first opened, with http://Restaurant.com coupon in hand. They informed us that their ties with the discount site were severed and thus our coupon was rendered useless. We decided to give it a shot anyway.
The food was decent and better than we expected. We had kebabs and even an appetizer sampler with babaganoush and other spreads. -
Review from Gizzie D.
Boston, MA
6/19/2011
I have to agree with some of the low ratings. The option to dine upstairs on the terrace is definitely a plus. I had hunkarbegendi. It was ok but nothing to write home about. And the service... There were a ton of waiters running around looking all neurotic. But at the end i never got my diet coke... And waited for a long time for our food. There seems to be multiple waiters serving each table. This is also an issue especially when there is a disconnect between them. They don't know if one of the others took the drink, food order etc, hence the delay. I think next time i will stick with the original ali baba on 34th...
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Review from Anka L.
Brooklyn, NY
3/21/2010
I'll never even consider going to Ali Baba's again. Horrible service-our waiter was giving us looks full of hate and was very rude,hostess was extremely bitchy. When the waiter messed up our order he didn't even bother to apologize, all we got is an "OOPS" and a weird, sadistic smile. The food made all 3 of us sick,although it didn't taste terrible-it was just really heavy and greasy.
Bottom line-don't be fooled by the nice looking terrace and run away from that vortex of bad experience as fast as you can! -
Review from Melodie M.
NY
8/25/2008
I had an excellent experience on the terrace last night... It was a perfect Sunday afternoon with clear skies and a slight breeze. I was out with my Turkish peeps and all we wanted was to drink some raki and share some mezze somewhere outdoors.
5 of us arrived around 7:30pm while our reservation was for 8 people. They seated us within 5 minutes anyway. Then, the rest of our group started trickling in until we ended up being 10 people and they were still accommodating!
They didn't have their liquor license yet so they let us bring our own raki (which is quite common) and when we finished our bottle the owner just gave us a bottle he had lying around.
We sat there on the terrace at prime time for three and a half hours and only ordered mezze, no mains. Even though we were, drunk, loud and rowdy, the servers still treated us like royalty. Now I am half Turkish and my friends know the owner, but I've been to other establishments with similar hook-ups and have never been treated this well.
As for the food, I tried the sigara borek, cerkez chicken, fried liver, kasap kofte, grilled calamari, acili ezme, salad, feta cheese and honeydew melon. All the dishes were authentic and good. The honeydew melon was superb.
We ended up with a $250 bill for 10 people. Granted we didn't order mains and were gifted a bottle of liquor but still, that's pretty reasonable! -
Review from Ry G.
Washington, DC
4/12/2010
Wanted to try some different cuisine today, and after talking with a co-worker we decided on going out for Turkish and given the weather chose Ali Baba's for their rooftop seating.
Pros:
Tasty, creamy humus
Roof top seating (though be mindful during the spring time, as after the sun sets it is still a bit chilly out)
Large portions
Mehs:
Kebabs
Cons:
Slow and brusque service
The poor service was just too much to over look to warrant a higher rating it might deserve otherwise.
I give it a 2.5 rating -
Review from K S.
New York, NY
6/18/2010
I ate at Ali Baba on a beautiful summer evening last week. The restaurant was completely empty which should have been the first warning sign.
We asked to be seated at an outdoor table where the owners of the restaurant (the only patrons) seemed to be smoking hookah and having a bite to eat. They were as loud and obnoxious as drunk hobos walking down the streets of the city.
To start, we had to hunt down our waiter to place our order. Hunt down our server again to place our drink order. The first course I must admit was pretty good, hummus with pastrami (served warm). The bread it was served with was too thick and they did not have pita (go figure, a middle eastern restaurant with no pita). Next we had the grilled calamari, which was also pretty good but a little on the rubbery side. I question it's freshness.
Finally we ordered the teras tavuk, chicken with nuts and veggies in a cream sauce. The chicken was dry, rubbery and had NO FLAVOR whatsoever. NO FLAVOR is an understatement. After one bite we decided to send the chicken back and because the service had been horrible and everything had taken so long we decided to send it back.
The waiter came over and said he would be happy to bring us something else. He also mentioned that he tasted it and he thought it was great. He proceeded to tell us he was making us dessert which we accepted since the main course had been so bad. The dessert was also sub-par and overly sweet. After not eating any of the dessert we asked for the check where we were surprised to see the chicken entree on the bill. We asked the waiter why he had left the chicken on the bill since we barely touched it and his response was, "well i offered you something else and you didn't want it". at this point we pretty much laughed in his face and told him to get the manager. he quickly looked like a deer caught in headlights and said he would take care of it. long story short, he tried to scam us by bringing us a "free" dessert in hopes that we could pay for the rubbery, uneaten chicken entree.
we paid the bill and left, never to return again. to be fair the ali baba on 34th street is much better. however after the fiasco at ali baba terrace, i think i'm done with the chain. -
Review from Patricia S.
New York, NY
3/13/2011
Everything veggie-centric is very delicious. Hummus, Babaganoush, even the salads and the one veggie stew they have on the mains menu. However, they miss when it comes to starches. Why do they serve little rolls instead of pita bread? It's quite strange. The rice is a bit greasy and salty. Oh well. This is me and the bf's default when it comes to Turkish food in the area. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere, but we tend to get takeout and use the pita we have lying around.
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Review from Myra O.
San Ramon, CA
12/27/2011
A nice find - surprise your friends with great food.
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Review from Pamela S.
11/24/2010
Had a very late dinner here on a Saturday and experienced good service, perhaps because it was past peak dining hours. The hummus was great, and the chicken shish was quite good. I enjoyed the buttery rice and grilled pepper that came with it. Seems like a family operation -- the servers, bartender, manager were all conversing loudly amongst themselves throughout our stay.
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Review from Ruth G.
Manhattan, NY
11/18/2011
Had lunch with a friend visiting from London and we loved it. We shared some mixed appetizers and doner kebab. The portions were generous and everything was delicious. Our waiter, Tolga made wonderful suggestions and was especially helpful. Can't wait to go back!
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Review from Michele A.
New York, NY
7/10/2011 2 photos
Try Shrimp Casserole, it's great!
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Review from Meghan K.
Manhattan, NY
4/12/2011
By far the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant. To be fair, I ate there last summer and am just getting around to writing this, but I've never had a waiter actually yell at me before, so I thought it was necessary.
Food was not great either. I sent back a very gross looking salad, pointing out that not only was the lettuce brown-ish, but that it was iceberg lettuce, not the "masculine greens" (yes the menu misspelled "mesclun") that was described on the menu. That was when the waiter and manager came back and yelled at me and pointed to another salad (one that I didn't order) that said it had iceberg lettuce. I of course yelled back that the salad they were pointing to was not the one I ordered, I ordered the one below it with the "masculine" lettuce. That shut them up, but still, under no circumstances should it have gotten that far.
Additionally, service was terribly slow, and all around rude. We ordered a dish of dips, and they refused to leave the caviar off of it (we have a friend that is allergic to seafood), saying that the kitchen didn't have time to take special requests.
Probably worst restaurant experience I've ever had in new York. -
Review from Apurva P.
Manhasset, NY
6/17/2009
We went there last night. I had made reservations although we got there about 15 mins earlier, they seated us immediately. The place was crowded - there was a big group of people having a party. They sat us right across the aisle from them. It was probably the most crowded and inconvenient section of the restaurant I think - I should have checked if they had slightly better seating for us but did not.
We ordered Babaganoush for appetizers and the Ali Nazik, Lamb Chops and Mixed Grill offering for the main entrees.
Food came quickly enough - they had warm sesame bread of some sort, with olive oil for us, even before the appetizer plate. Babaganoush was to my liking as it had nice little kick to it.
Main entrees came soon after. The lamb chops were so so - not the best I have had, so I would not recommend them. The Ali Nazik was some type of shredded meat on a bed of warm Babaganoush - it was pretty nice as there was a lot of Babaganoush to go around. The mixed grill had 4 types of Kababs - so nothing to complain, except lamb chops were nothing great.
We got complimentary Baklava - which was very nice. Also, the service was quick even though the place was crowded and there was a big party going on. For 3 people with 1 appetizer and 3 entrees - the tab was about $80 (no drinks). A little expensive considering the noisy, over crowded experience. Food was nothing to rave about, just average. I may not go back. Keep this place as a back up, if you can get a table quickly enough.
I have heard that seating on the terrace enhances the over all experience - we did not try it as it was a bit nippy out. -
Review from Rob R.
Bronxville, NY
2/3/2011
Came here one Friday during the summer , was a great nite weather wise. I sat on roof top looking down to second ave, good sidewalk cinima . the food was really good. The babaganoosh, and stuffed eggplant i loved. Now when i go for turkish i know what i want... I dont think you can go wrong here. Hope it stays that way.... good value .
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Review from Marcello G.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2010
This place is awesome. I was skeptical at first because my dad scoped it out while walking around and he usually isn't very good at picking out new restaurants. However, this time he did good. Ali Baba's is amazing, their Babaganoush was flavorful, light, and I liked how they used plain cooked eggplant rather then the smoked/burnt eggplant you might find in other Babaganoush plates at our Turkish and Persian restaurants. The bread they have is also very good, I definitely filled myself a little too much on that. For my main course I had the Ali Nazik which was a shredded kebab mixed in with eggplant, yogurt, some kind of cheese, tomatoes, and bread. It was absolutely amazing and extremely filling. I couldn't even finish it. I will have to come here again in the future.
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Review from Summer Y.
New York, NY
8/14/2008
Ali Baba's just opened up this week on the corner of 46th & 2nd Ave. My co-workers wanted to give it a try but boy was that a bad decision.
I could have died at Ali Baba's!
But before I get to that, let me give you my unbiased opinion despite all of that:
1. It took too long for them to seat us for lunchtime. They had about 1/3 of the tables empty when we arrived, however it took them 15 mins to set one of them for us.
2. We told them we were in a rush and it took 30 mins for them to prepare our meals.
3. They had no lunch specials. All entrees were in the $16 to $30 range. For going out to a casual lunch with colleagues this is a bit much.
4. The value did not match the price. All side such as rice and yogurt/tzatiki were extra. The portions were average even though my friends said the flavoring of the food was pretty good.
5. No one checked on us during our meal, when it did finally arrive, even when customers at the next table showed their concern that I was nearly choking.
Now let's get onto the major issue.
I ordered the Lamb kebab, which was recommended by the waiter. I specifically asked that there was no nuts, as I was allergic. Definitely no nuts. That was fine.
However the kebab came sliced on my plate with some rice and roasted vegetables. I ate what was disguised as a slice of roasted green bell pepper, but what in reality was the hottest pepper I've tasted in my life. I took a huge slice of it and put it in my mouth, and instanly I was onfire. My eyes started tearing, I'm panicking because the pain from the pepper was so hot, and the waiters were no where around to give me bread or more water. A gentleman from the next table over looked concerned as I was flailing about and recommended I have some bread. I just keep saying, "I didn't know it was hot" embarrassed and getting more frustrated by the moment. The host/owner? comes over and says, "They should have told you". I had to shout for water and bread to get the attention of someone. Finally after at least 15 mins of suffering, a waitress who wasn't even ours asked if I could use some yogurt, and she gave it to me. That finally provided some relief to the intolerable burning sensation that bridged the roof of my mouth and tongue.
When my colleagues and I had to leave to go back to work, I asked the host if he could take my meal off of the bill, since I didn't but a bite of it due to my episode, and he said "It wasn't our fault". Fine, I'm thinking, I understand where they're coming from but hopefully they will take the suggestion going forward that you let people know if you're going to be grilling and serving your meat with jalapenos or the like. "But we'll give you a desert for your trouble". Well that was very nice. So at least they were trying to make up for what I went through. "Can I get it to go please?". Then we had to wait another 10 minutes for them to bring the desert out. They brought it on a plate when they knew we were in a hurry to get back to work. I said to the host again "Can we get it to go please, we need to leave". He said that it would melt.
I was about to dig into this desert, when I thought to double check again, that there was no nuts. And of course there were! So basically they are now trying to poison me when I specifically said I was allergic to nuts!
He then said "I can take them out". And I said "I am deathly allergic, they cannot be touching my food".
He looked perplexed at such a concept. I gave the Apricot Walnut desert to my friend, he had one bite and didn't like it and we walked out.
At least I walked out with my life.Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Randi W.
New York, NY
7/3/2010
Food is ordinary, but SERVICE IS TERRIBLE!!!! The outdoor space on top is interesting, so I decided to go back after walking out the first time because of a snobby attitude. The manager wouldn't sit me at a table in the sun despite the fact that there were 4 open. For the entire time that I was there, the tables sat empty. Rarely saw the staff for the entire lunch. When I asked to see the manager to discuss the poor customer service regarding the preferred and open tables, he took 15 minutes to come around. He was RUDE and ARROGANTand NASTY saying that they cater to United Nations clientele (as though everyone else is unimportant).
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Review from Jessica F.
New Orleans, LA
6/9/2010
I had a fun lunch here with my brother today. Food was decent, nothing that will stick out in my memory for long. The service was very good and the wait staff was very attentive. We sat upstairs on the terrace, felt like we were in a club with all the techno they were blasting and the way the hostess was dressed.
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Review from T- b.
New York, NY
10/21/2008
I am truly shocked to find that there are two reviews giving this place 5 stars. When we arrived at the restaurant on a Saturday night we were seated right away with no reservation, great ! Ah hem.... but why was the restaurant empty, we would soon find out. Our waiter had the WORST body odor I have ever smelled, it made me lose my appetite, but we proceeded to order anyway. My husband and I started off with (forgive me for not recalling the names) two appetizers. He ordered a green bean salad. The green beans were mushy and a disgusting color of green; there is no doubt that they came from a can. After one bite he could eat no more. I ordered the crab appetizer, I am also quite convinced it was canned crab meat, and not lump meat but the crappy kind they sell for $1.99 from a can Trader Joe's. It was tiny strings of crab flesh full of hard pieces of the crab. It had no taste and was beyond disgusting. I also could not eat more than one bite. We shared an entree. I was so traumatized by this point, I blanked the rest of the meal out. It was not awful, and we managed to eat a few bites, but it was far from good.
I can only guess that Ashley A is code name for Ali Baba's owner. -
Review from Reshma B.
5/2/2010
Came here last night -- were luckily able to reserve a table for 9 people at 8pm on a Saturday with very little notice. The terrace was great - the weather was nice and warm so sitting outside was pleasant.
Two of the people in my group were Turkish so they took care of ordering for us (that was key tor me - always trust a native's recommendations!). We started off with the Raki (licorice tasting liquor) and a whole bunch of appetizers (hummus, baba ghanoush, salads, etc.) which was munched on for a while. We next moved onto the entrees - a chicken kebab type of dish and 2 lamb dishes. FInally 3 hours later we moved onto dessert - a cheese dish topped with dried vermicelli and a rice pudding type of dish. Everything was good at least for us amateurs. My cousin commented that the baba ghanoush was not as good as it is at the 34th Street Ali Baba - he thought that it didn't taste like it was made in a wood burning oven but rather just heated up in a microwave. Service was fine -- there was a mishap when our cheese appetizer was served to the wrong table but we had enough to keep us occupied. The bill came out to close to $360 for 9 people -- pricier than I'd like but we had abundant food and drink and sat there for nearly 4 hours in a nice atmosphere so I'm not complaining. -
Review from Lorelei D.
Queens, NY
4/9/2010
I went there last night prior to a dance class in the area. My friends and I sat on the roof and the service there was great. We had drinks and 2 appetizers. I think the bread is really good and the babaganoush was great. The cheese platter's feta was tasty (I ended up eating most of it, sorry friends! :) ). I'm looking forward to going back and having dinner there.
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Review from Ms. G.
New York, NY
7/6/2009
The good points: very nice atmosphere on the rooftop terrace, and the waitstaff was very attentive to keeping my water glass filled.
The bad points: There is really only one, but it's a big one: the food was not good at all. One-third of my mesclun was wilting or rotting and the dressing was very sour, though perhaps I am uneducated in Turkish cuisine and it really is supposed to be very vinegar-y. The "Chef's Mix" was a nice idea - a combo plate of some meat dishes. The seasoning was nice, but the meat was either overcooked or the quality of the meat was just very poor. I was hungry when I came into the restaurant but could barely eat half of the food, it was so bad.
I think my husband nailed it on the head when he said "it's like diner food," except that this food is certainly over-priced, and a shame since the rooftop terrace is a nice escape from 2nd Avenue.
I definitely wouldn't recommend it. -
Review from Amy K.
New York, NY
7/27/2009
Stumbled on this place on an early Sunday evening as we sauntered up 2nd Ave. looking for someplace "new" to eat. Found the food to be excwellent, as opposed to some of the other reviews. Pricing is just a cut above other Turkish places we've been, & food was much, much better than street-cart fare!
We shared a small choban salad, served elegantly in a slanted bowl on a large romaine leaf, the dressing on the chopped cuke, tomato, green pepper & red onion was just right - not oily, but not chokingly vinegared, either. I added the olives served with the bread into mine. For a main dish, I tried something different; lamb over an "eggplant spread," the menu called it (can't recall exact name, started with Hun... I think). Well, the eggplant spread turned out to be a creamy babganoush, which I usually don't care for - but it was served warm, surrounding small, incredibly soft & tender lamb cubes in a bright tomato-y sauce. The combination was luscious. I even liked the "hot" long green pepper on my plate. My husband had the chicken shish, and pronounced the chicken cubes "soft as butter" and the rice better than that he's had in other Turkish restaurants.
The torrential downpour began as were finishing our main dishes, so we ordered dessert (paid for the baklava, it wasn't complimentary as one reviewer had it!) & it was perfect. We sat long enough until the rain abated that we thought we might have to eat breakfast there today! They weren't packed, so there was absolutely no rush or pressure to leave.
Found out that they are affiliated with a place in Ridgewood NJ that some friends have told us about & liked. -
Review from atinc s.
Atlanta, GA
11/25/2010
Dined there 2 nights in a row. Our waiter was cool. Soups were very tasty, salads were really good. Main courses Adana and Iskender; both delicious. Will go there again when we go back to NY.
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Review from Regina K.
Brooklyn, NY
12/14/2010
Food is ok, had much better , kind of dissapointed, service is horrible, so many people but no quality at all. The owner shoul pay more attention to reviews...
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Review from Zahid R.
Washington, DC
10/17/2010
The dips, vegetables and meats are typically fresh and when they do it right, it is downright delicious. I eat here pretty often, and always try different dishes and have never been disappointed. The kebabs are succulent, and the yogurt and other sides are very creamy and delicious. The one downside is that it is a bit overpriced, and sure, based on other reviews here, some of the waitstaff could smile every now and then. Bottom line: the authentic Turkish cuisine is very good! And the outdoor terrace is an added bonus on a nice fall evening!
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Review from Miguel S.
New York, NY
4/5/2009
The first time I came here (during the opening week) I had perhaps the worst dining experience of my life in terms of the service -- a horror story to be detailed at some other time. The two times I've been there since, the service has been fine. I'm probably not going back any time soon, though, since this place really is overpriced. I'm not sure what happened with Turkish food in recent years (and this place isn't the only culprit) but prices of the entrees are getting outrageous. When exactly did chicken and rice (which is what a shish kabob platter is) become worth $20? I mean, I don't get it. It's an admittedly higher quality version of the stuff that they sell in the carts on the streets, but it's not THAT much better; in the end, it's still just street cart food. By comparison, for example, you could pay that much for a chicken dish at only the most expensive Indian restaurants in town, and even then you'd get a nice sauce for dipping the bread. This is about 6 oz. of grilled chicken and a cup of rice for $20. Think about that. Can't do it; not even on a terrace. Most appetizers I've had there were very good and much more reasonably priced.
