Ali Baba's Turkish Cuisine

Went with a friend twice as it was convenient. The first time we had zucchini cakes a cigar rolls for appetizers. Zucchini cakes were a bit overdone but cigar rolls(phyllo dough wrapping feta cheese and parsley) were great. For entree had the combination with choice of 2 things. I had the doner kebab gyro and meatballs. It comes with rice and French fries. Could have done without both. Meatballs had beef and lamb and were good.

The next time I had the Turkish dumplings that came with garlic yogurt sauce. Dumplings had lamb and onions. Had to start with cigar rolls again. There are 2 floors and we ate on each. Upstairs seemed more spread out.

It was an okay place and food was good. Meals were about $25. Portions were a good size.

Great find! The food is authentic the vibe is very old Turkish, the people and service is kind and attentive. We kinda stumbled upon this find and were pleasantly surprised. Can't go wrong with their kebab selection, and comes in a very generous portion.

THEY HAVE REOPENED AT A NEW LOCATION - 224 E 53rd St. Warm, lovely interior with impeccable service. The owner himself is greeting everyone at all tables and checking everything is well.

Food is absolutely delicious! The appetizers (brick oven baked bread, mixed appetizer platter, and spicy cigars) are unfortunately eaten before photos could be taken lol. My partner and I got two Turkish entreees, and the display is beautiful and their flavoring is on point. I am not a connoisseur of Turkish cuisine but it is the best I have eaten in Manhattan.

Highly recommend this place. Will be back!

I'm sure I've reviewed this spot... no!? Hard to believe. This is an easy 4 stars based purely on the positive experiences.

Good price, good food, good service, good location.

Dig the terrace


Everything about the place is good.

Good
Good
Good

Great lahmacun!
Slightly thin and dry gyro meat but still a good gyro sandwich
Awesome grape leave.
Good bread


Good good good

Delicious Turkish food, and rooftop seating area, but horrible service and management!

We went there on the Fourth of July, and there was one server and two bus boys running around. Service was extremely slow! I honestly felt really bad for our server as he was running around like crazy trying to get to every table.

Surprisingly food was delicious but the management of this place seriously needs to make some changes and hire more staff. They have such a nice rooftop area but it's a pity that they will be losing customers due to their slow service.

Overall very disappointing experience!

I like Ali Baba because to me they have one of the best Lahmajun's in the city! Let me explain why, first of all they must really have a good brick oven because the dough is always perfect. The flavors and spices of the meat on top are exactly like in Turkey, not like some other places that try to tailor the spiciness to the American audience. And most importantly they add chopped parsley, tomatoes and lemon to your order, which is exactly how you eat Lahmajun. I've seen other places offer romaine lettuce- no, that's not right!

I always come to Ali Baba whether for a perfect turkish breakfast, lunch or a business dinner with groups (pre pandemic). They are always eager to work with you on setting a pre fix dinner plan that works for your group. They have really good management.

They offer variety of turkish wines and beer, as they have a full bar. They also have a nice rooftop all glass with good views.

Food- besides Lahmajun really anything tastes great at Ali Baba. Lentil soup is also a big hit for me as it is real authentic. Their kababs are very good, gyros, salads, everything there is a big journey to your taste buds! I love this place.

I got a chicken shish sandwich and fries for takeout. I was expecting a pita sandwich but it came in this huge thick fried bread and was really hard to eat. I wish it was clear from the description what kind of bread would be used. The sandwich was mostly bread. The filling was good but it was hard to get to. The fries were also soggy and limp.

Came here recently with family and friends looking for a halal restaurant for some who eat halal. A friend of ours looked and found this restaurant and i got excited because I enjoy Turkish food. I looked here into yelp and the reviews that have like 1 2 stars are right about some things. The food wasnt that great i did like my dish but didnt love it unfortunately. The concept of cutting a gyro sandwich into bite sized pieces than coating it in tomato sauce and yogurt was a bit much. The rice clearly isn't necessary because you get like spoonful of it and thats it which is stupid. I tried a bit of one of my cousins dish the iskander and didnt seem too fond and neither did they. The server who took our order was such a bore and seemed pissy when what one cousin ordered was no longer available and she needed more time to relook at the menu to choose and nee dish. Seriously this guy has a stick up his butt or something get some help please. I definitely will never ever come back again and refuse to recommend it either because even though they have an upstairs which looks nice good view they leave the windows open for all to freeze and they have one heater above one table or behind it and thats it. You basically will suffer so i closed the window myself.

High quality service, very friendly and helpful. One of the best Turkish food places in town.

Decent Mediterranean food and service. Nothing to sing praises about, but I would drop by and have food if I was in the area and did not have the patience/ energy to look a place up.

Edit: This review is based on my last visit in 2019.