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Ali Baba's
Category: Restaurants Mediterranean Mediterranean [Edit]
297 N Central AveValley Stream, NY 11580
(516) 872-1190
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Pera Soho specializes in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, with an emphasis on a wide range of small plates, grilled seasoned meats and fastidiously… read more »
10 reviews for Ali Baba's
10 reviews in English
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Review from Nicholas F.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1/23/2012
Great twist on the traditional gyro...Keep an open mind and you wont be disappointed.
Gyro is Amazing and addicting ..fries, also different and original.
Johnny is also a good reason to check out this hidden gem. -
Review from Talisa G.
Brooklyn, NY
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
I settled for this spot after not being able to find a halal cart anywhere in LI (guess we're too good to fry food on the corner eh?)
I ordered the chicken gyro which was ok. Not as tasty as the city carts, it lacked that curbside taste..
And it's true what they say... The owner is a really nice guy! Give Ali Baba's a shot.
Oh and order ahead of time.. It's not "fast" food. 10-15min wait. -
Review from David C.
Long Island, NY
2/9/2012
I must admit, i've driven 10 miles to his gyros. It is good and again, I must admit I gone there off and on for 5 years. BUT, every time I go there I have to wait and wait and wait. He is one guy, but he is slow! When the local high school lets out, all bets are off. He's mobbed. I'm on my lunch hour like everyone else.
One time and the last time, I dropped in to pre-order my dinner. I gave him 25 minutes and went to LensCrafters. When I got back I had to wait 35 minutes more for my gyros. This is typical nonsense.
So, no more. I can get fresh stuff anywhere. His gyros are okay, but not to died for. But I died waiting for his food all too many times. No more.....
I wish I could deduct points for the long wait. -
Review from Ali S.
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a small shanty-looking place that offers a pretty robust gyro pita. It's seasoned well, it offers a powerful amount of delicious meat, and is pretty worthwhile honestly for this neck of Long Island. I say neck cause apparently there are a lot of necks here, which is a bizarre way of naming the city.
With that sidetrack out of the way, my caveats with this place is that the platter is worth skipping. He does slice potatoes but they come more like thick potato chips and weren't thin or crispy. I think I would have just been happier with regular fries, and it wasn't worth the added time of getting them sliced and fried. The side "salad" is some iceberg lettuce, with a little bit of tomato and tzatziki, which tastes more like a topping than a salad, in fact that is the topping.
It does take a lot of time, probably would have been less had I just went with the gyro. I think the gyro could have used more tzatziki itself, but I was still pretty happy with it since it was loaded with meat. It does fall apart due to the thin nature of pita bread, so I'm rather inclined to say that a traditional gyro is the more as Spock would say logical choice.
Tl;dr get the lamb gyro, skip the other stuff like fries/salad, come with time to spare, and cash only. -
Review from Dan W.
Manhattan, NY
2/29/2012
Ali Baba's is around the corner from my childhood home and I frequented this tiny gem quite often. People come for the gyros but I think the burgers are the real attraction. Flavorful and seared, Johnny will mold it to your liking. Ask for the Ali Baba sauce, which is tahini and some cheese. The fresh cut fries are delicious and I ask for them to be less crispy. (If you don't ask there is no guarantee how they will end up.) Service can take up to 20 minutes so a call ahead is advised. Johnny, the owner for probably over 2 decades, may just be the nicest business owner in all of the land of the island.
-
Review from Ronaldo M.
Valley Stream, NY
So, I've been living in the area for awhile, and have passed past this place many a times. I'm writing this review several visits later, after many Alibaba Special's, Falafels, and Gyros have been consumed. Alibaba's Eat It in a Pita is a small place located next to a supermarket and a comic book store. It's an unassuming place, in an unassuming location. There's only three high round tables, and a small counter for you to eat on.
What sets this place apart is the very friendly man across the counter. From the moment you enter to the moment you leave, he'll greet you quite friendly, and wish you a good night as you leave. . The food may take awhile to prepare, but its only because he prepares everything after you order, no precut potatoes, or chicken. He makes everything fresh for ya. Some of my favorites are Alibaba's Special (Gyro meat and chicken), gyro, and falafel. The homemade thick cut potato chips are great, and so are the sauces.
Some gripes are:
-Taking a while to make (though ordering ahead could rectify this)
-The pitas cannot handle the wondrous filling within.
-No credit cards accepted, though this only may be because I never have actual cash on me.
All in all, Alibaba's Eat it in a Pita is a good place to go when you want food that'll make you happy. -
Review from Jennifer M.
Long Island, NY
9/20/2009
I think as a native Valley Streamer, I am biased to favor Ali Baba's because Johnny is the nicest guy ever and everyone in town grew up going here. He even comes to the VS Central Senior Prom every year to take pictures and then posts them up in his store...awwww.
It's a one man show - literally. One man, the aforementioned Johnny, works in a 8x10 foot space by himself where he cooks up gyros and falaffel all day. DO NOT come here if you are in a rush bc each sandwich takes at the very least 20 minutes to make.
There are two small tables in there for dining in, but you don't come here to eat...you order to go. If you don't call ahead, the wait is abnormally long...to the point where it's borderline unacceptable. You can't get mad though because Johnny is so sweet and it's all made fresh. Sometimes he runs out of ingredients and runs next door to Central Farms to buy some fresh produce, but you are left inside and the wait is even LONGER! It's bittersweet.
Johnny will ask you if you want white or red sauce on your sandwich. If you are a fan of taziki "white sauce", then this is not for you because it's honestly so watered down - it's in liquid form and it makes the pita so soggy that it falls apart and the greasiness of the meat certainly does not help. The pita bread he uses is also really small. They are actually the kind you buy in the supermarket that you slice open at the top and stuff the contents inside. The fries it comes with are deep fried slices of fresh potato that are made to order which are delicious....my favorite part of the meal.
So like I said...if you are from Valley Stream, you will say Ali Baba's is awesome. If not, you're in for a disappointment because it's not a traditional gyro that you would get anywhere else. In fact, you'll probably ask for your money back and/or ask yourself "WTF is this?" -
Review from Natasha B.
Franklin Square, NY
2/17/2010
I'd give Ali Baba's a 4.5 as Johnny- the owner/cook/all around great guy is so friendly and makes you feel welcome. He always remembers your name and prior conversations which I find so sweet and that's definitely something missing in many establishments today.
The one thing you should do is call ahead to order and pick it up about 20-25 minutes later. Since he's a one man show, he needs more time to get everything ready, but it's definitely worth it. The ingredients are always fresh and never frozen & sometimes towards the end of the evening, he'll even run out of items because of this. I'd rather him run out of items though, then know it's coming out of a freezer as so many places do.
The price is about $6 for a chicken gyro & it comes with a very yummy & atypical sauce which he calls Ali Baba sauce.
It's primarily a take away place, although there are a few tiny tables squeezed in the small space to eat in if you must. Also, they're closed on Sundays. -
Review from Robert M.
Valley Stream, NY
2/17/2010
This place is great, I love the gyros. Come here for what I believe is good food but not if you're in a rush as it takes about 15 min's for a gyro and 30 min's for a burger yet Johnny always says 5 minutes! Good Chicken, Burgers and Gyros!!!
-
Review from George L.
Oakland, CA
8/7/2010
It's good to know a friend who knows which places they like and this happens to be one of them. Gyros tasty.
