Ali Baba Lebanese Grill

We found this place through some mailing flyer, and it was close to the house. It's located in a very non distinct shopping center in East Plano, which is a very restaurant sparse area. We arrived early for dinner around 4pm, and we were the only ones in the restaurant.

I'd assume the owner/co-owner was the one that took care of us, and seated us at a two top. The decor of the place really gives me the feel of an outdoor, Italian cafe. They have a little coffee bar type area slightly separated from the dining room by a partition. The floor is covered in tile and stone type material which is very cool. It looks like this place has a lot of large parties come in frequently.

I don't have much experience w/ Mediterranean food, but I was open to anything. The menu has items ranging from hand tossed pizza, hummus, leg of lamb, and even paella. Pretty good choices in entrees. I decided to play it safe. I ordered the Spanish Beef Empanadas. Tender beef stuffed in garlic bread, sprinkled with cilantro and served with an avocado salad. The dish came out, and the crust of the empanada was crispy and buttery in flavor. Filling consisted of long green beans, potato, cubed beef, and herbs. It was served on top of some tomato sauce which gave a great tarty flavor which was a welcome compliment to the buttery crust and hearty filling.

My girlfriend ordered the combo kabob. Saffron flavored chicken and lean beef grilled and served with basmati rice and grilled vegetables. The meat was grilled pretty well, with the chicken being slightly dry. The yogurt sauce complimented the slightly dry chicken well, and the beef had a good flavor as well.

We also ordered the Spinach Mushroom - Bistro style salad which came with sliced strawberries and a vinaigrette dressing. The salad wasn't anything special, but the presentation was pleasing to the eye.

As we were waiting for the check, the owner was gracious enough to bring a complimentary dish of their "Cream Carmel" dessert, which he said is made fresh daily. A custardy flany type dessert which was great, not overly sweet and a good end to a wonderful meal.

I'd recommend anyone to seek out this hidden gem of a restaurant. I will definitely be coming back to try the rest of the menu. I'll upload a few pics of our dishes as well.

Ate here tonight about 15 minutes from closing at 1:45 a.m.

Being a former restaurant employee I felt guilty so I made sure to tell them I would be fast. They were very receptive and told me to take my time.

Ordered my staple Lebanese dish.... Shawarma and Baba Ghanouge. But this time they threw me for a loop, they asked if I wanted the "hot or cold" Baba Ghanouge. Seeing as I have never had hot, and I am always excited to try new things, I opted for the hot. It was delicious but in a different way from the cold, nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable. Shawarma was excellent, the pitted olives that come out before you are served were great, overall I really liked the place.

The decor was distinctly Mediterranean and but for the loud thumping club musing immediately next door (I could hear the DJ breathe), it would have made me feel transplanted to the coast.

If I happen to be around the area I will stop by again. Merci Kteer, Ali Baba.

I don't have much experience with middle eastern food or mediterranean, but I wanted to get some and I've known about this place for a while. I looked online for pictures of the food, they do have a very descript lil website, and saw the leg of lamb in an ancient recipe broth, tomatoes, okra, cilantro. The whole way home I knew it was gonna be good because it smelled great. I don't remember if I had ever had lamb like this maybe just in a gyro but this lamb was just so tender and juicy it went really well with the other ingredients I was surprised how much I liked it. The interior was very nice but I ate at home. I will probably be back they had some very interesting seafood dishes that I might wanna try out. The bread was very good too.

Well most of you know that they moved to Lakewood village but they have re-opened up this spot. They have only been open like 3 weeks so they are still working the kinks out but for the most part it is the same food as before... they do a few things different... but it is very good. I guess a lot of people don't know it is open again because it was dead when i was there.

go check em out... it is good.

I was out on a really, hot Friday, looking for a nice, cool & refreshing late (2PM) lunch... when I stumbled onto this little place... It looked closed.. no customers there... but, they were open. So, I sat down and looked over their very comprehensive menu. The baked bread was fabulous, especially dipped into the balsamic vinegar with roasted whole garlic cloves.... smash 'em, mix it up... dip in and Yum! Then I had the Lebanese Traditional Salad entree and boy, was I happy I did! Great presentation, very fresh, and great taste!

Nice place, great food... I can't wait to go back.

This review concerns only the newly-re-opened Lower Greenville location.

The original Ali Baba Cafe was one of my favorite restaurants, and the Lakewood and Las Colinas locations are just as satisfying. I even had them cater my wedding.

However, the new Lower Greenville spot is like a zombie version of the original.

It's mostly the same menu, but the execution is a blurry facsimile. The falafel and hummus tasted like they came from a boxed mix. Their trademark rice -- a rich mix of rice, vermicelli, and olive oil -- was an undercooked, lukewarm joke drenched in bad olive oil.

Bland, flavorless, and none of the homemade flavor of the Las Colinas and Lakewood locations. It shouldn't even use the name -- "Pita Pit" would be more apropos. I am sorely disappointed.

I guess I'm a little confused. Is this the same owners and chefs as before? The food was nothing like what it used to be. The hummus had no flavor, we had to ask for Pita bread, the shish tawook tasted completely different, and the golden chicken was so dry you could barely swallow it....completely unlike the Ali Baba food that my family knows and loves. They also don't have a liquor license or diet coke on tap yet.

I would recommend going to the Lakewood location.

This isn't going to be as long and detailed as my other reviews. I just want to validate what the other reviews are saying. Los Rios is another gem. The food is delicious and made from scratch and the service is warm and inviting. They had a full buffet when we were there (Sunday 8pm) and we were even treated to a delicious non-alcoholic sangria and fresh creme brule and flan simply for purchasing the buffet. You will not be disappointed if you try this place out. Look at all the poisitive reviews and check this place out.

This is the restaurant that made me want to write my first review on Yelp! Wow, what an experience. It's in a strip mall next to a Chase bank and an Albertsons, but don't be scared off because of this. Once you are inside, you really don't feel like you are in Plano anymore. It's not cheesy decor like in many Mediterranean style eateries. It is really classy with a coffee bar in the middle (will have to try some coffee next time!).

I think they have changed their name to Abuelo's Tapas and Mediterranean Bistro. The sign on the window Still says Los Rios Bistro, but the menu says Abuelo's Tapas. Also, they list a different website I can't recall.
First, they bring out some very tasty but light bread with an olive oil, balsamic and pickled onion dipping sauce. The bread was like a thick pita with toasted sesame seeds. Very nice. My wife and I decided to just order a few tapas to try a few different things. We ordered two from the veggie menu and two from the meat menu. I loved the fact that they sent out one plate at a time. This made our dinner roll along at a nice pace without feeling rushed.

First we had a pickled beet salad with pears and marinated mozzarella balls (I don't remember what the names of the dishes were on the menu). My wife doesn't care for beets, but she loved the pears and cheese. I loved it all. 2nd was a cheese and fruit dish. There were pears, peaches, walnuts, green grapes, marinated mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, and goat cheese. It was presented beautifully. We tried all the combos of fruit and cheese we could and my favorite was goat cheese, walnuts, and pears. Our first meat dish was crispy sole with just slightly cooked fresh green beans. No fishiness what so ever! The crust was a little citrus flavor with sesame seeds. The seeds gave it a nice nutty flavor. The flavors were just enough to still allow the delicate fish flavor to come through. Last we had what I think was a lamb and veggie empanada. There was extremely tender lamb with onions and mushrooms. Also a nice mushroom dipping sauce came with it. I couldn't finish my half because I was entirely too full. They do not skimp on the portions of their tapas! My wife wanted to try desert and ordered the crème brulee. Very nice! I have issues with sugar and dairy, so I just tried one bite, but it was a very well done desert.

After all of this, our bill came and it was only $40! After all of that and with tip it was less than $50! This was not only a fantastic meal, but a true deal as well. The menu is so extensive, that we can come here as often as we want and never try the same thing twice. I can't wait to come back! The only problem was ther were only a couple of other customers on a Saturday night. I really hope they make it. It's worth putting up with a strip mall for this little gem!

It's BYOB, so next time we will try some dishes that are more Italian and bring a nice bottle of red zin.

yum! Our family of 6 (4 kids under the age of 8) enjoyed a delicious lunch at Los Rios Mediterranean Bistro. The restaurant is comfortable and elegant. The dishes are wonderful. I couldn't decide between the Citrus Saffron Chicken and the Chicken Pomegranate so the owner gave me 1/2 a plate of each. Amazing service!! Both dishes were wonderful, but I preferred the tartness of the Pomegranate dish. The kids scarfed down pizza and Seafood Spanikopita before begging to taste our chicken and lamb dishes. The lamb was tender and very flavorful.

I would recommend this restaurant for a family meal or a date night.

We will drive the 45 minutes to visit again!