03/02/09

Amazing food!

by Mahamid

I do not know of the problems with the dancers that some have listed. I have been there no less than 100 times and never have had any sort of problem as I am seeing listed here recently. The place is FANTASTIC for food and atmosphere. Loud, yes on dancing nights. There are various types of dancers from time to time but hey, what is not to love about that? The food is really good. Never can I complain. The service is completely friendly and honest from what I have seen and I am a regular because not even my mother can cook like they do at Ali Baba. This place has been here since 1993 I think it is. Can not remain in business that long without good food. TRY IT and decide for yourself. Just remember some cultures see things differently than you may and you will be fine! Even my kids like this food!

• Pros: GREAT FOOD, GREAT FOOD, Food is GREAT, TASTY, HIGH QUALITY!
• Cons: Crowded and loud when dancers are on, but that is FUN for some!

02/28/09

Give Me A Break

by tinker844

We entered at 7:30 I asked about the pricing, they were very friendly and said that the buffet was $16.99 my husband ordered the buffet and I ordered off the menu. At no time were we told about entertainment, near the end of our meal a lady came out dancing, great we thought this was different, the waiter came over and tried speaking to us over the loud music, saying something about after 8pm the buffet being $24.99 ok we said, thinking he was informing us for future visits. We than asked for our bill and the waiter said, "oh, we want you to stay and enjoy our show, we have more great dancers coming out". Well we were done and had the clock ticking with the babysitter, So we get the bill and WOW he charged us $24.99 for my husband's buffet and then another $10 for me to watch the show without eating the buffet!I should add I also had a $25 g/c I could see if they told us upfront that if you are in the restaurant at any time after 8pm you will be charged $24.99 for the buffet and if you choose to eat ala carte you will be charged $10 to see some half dressed lady dance around, we would have gone out for a steak/lobster dinner!!! I talked to the manager at the front and he said that in order to take off the charges, he would not accept my gift certifate, I almost flipped, eventually he called out a number of $22.75 I have no idea how he got to that amount, but it was better than the $57 he was trying to get out of me. I wouldn't have been so angry if I hadn't asked all the info up front and presented my gift certificate immediatly upon entering the restaurant, you would think they would list the charges in their menu. We now know why people were shoving food down their throats at 7:59pm they knew their bill would change in one minute, silly us, ordered coffee!!! I wonder how much money they make off us people not knowing what they are in for when the clock stricks 8!!!

• Pros: Food was good
• Cons: The food changed price midway through the meal

02/16/09

Avoid At All Costs!

by noirespoir

Due to CitySearch's character limit, I will just be listing the main bullet points of why one should stay away from this restaurant/ den of thieves:

*Dishonesty/ Shadiness- my group and i were flat out lied to several times between 2 phone calls and over the course of an hour in the restaurant. Over the phone, the price per person was verified at $14/person before 8pm, $16 before 9pm and $26/ person after 9pm. When we got to Ali Baba they decided to let us in on the secret that you actually have to LEAVE by 9pm or you are charged the $26 price. If you've never haggled over the price of your dinner, you're in for a real treat. And they tried to "accidentally" charge me an extra $55 for the tip for the server that didnt deserve 55?.

*Mediocre Food and Horrible Entertainment- i guess if you happen to be a fan of country music and want to watch a girl dressed in a cowgirl outfit and boots line dance while you eat your middle eastern food, this place would be perfect.

*Stress/ Ruined evening with friends- Instead of being able to relax and enjoy our dinner we instead spent an excruciating hour haggling with the manager, arguing with the server (and she argued back!!) and scarfing down our food and drinks in ten minutes because of the ever fluctuating price per meal.

Thats a summary. If you are interested in seeing my full review of this "restaurant", with all the gory details of my harrowing dining experience, go on urbanspoon.

• Pros: ???
• Cons: Everything.