Reviews & Ratings for Ali Baba
14 reviews
What users are saying:
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The only buffet in Orlando worth eating at
by apollonysius
August 11, 2006
It's a buffet...and yet the food is really good. Mostly Persian, with some Lebanese dishes. Big, often crowded, especially when they're having a show. Quite a drive if you're not in Longwood, but well worth it. So tasty you'll stuff yourself; be warned.
- Pros: Exceptional food for a buffet
- Cons: Can be crowded and noisy
Amazing food!
by Mahamid
March 02, 2009
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!
Give Me A Break
by tinker844
February 28, 2009
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
Avoid At All Costs!
by noirespoir
February 16, 2009
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.
Okay food, but awkward entertainment and poor business practices.
by kenmore479
February 15, 2009
We saw a coupon in the paper for $19.95 instead of $26.95 for the dinner buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. The coupon encouraged us to try Ali Baba for the first time, so we made reservations for Valentine's Day on Saturday night. When we got there, we were told we might have to sit at a table with another couple because they were so busy. Fortunately, we avoided that scenario and got our own table. It was nice to experience new foods, however, we didn't get to enjoy the food much when the entertainment began. The 1st show was good - a traditional looking belly dancer. But we felt a little awkward when she kept asking us to clap to her dancing while we were eating. The 2nd show was a white lady who was wearing a short denim skirt, sparkly bra, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots. She was dancing to Shania Twain and then got off the stage and started giving private dances to the dinner tables to the song "Cotton Eyed Joe." It was awkward because we felt like we were at a toned-down strip club with all this provocative dancing. After the 2nd show, the DJ began demanding audience interaction. He wanted us to come up on stage and dance. Then he demanded everyone at the restaurant get in the "train" line and dance around the tables. I'm not saying this is bad, it's just far from what we expected. We were hoping for a romantic Valentine's dinner with authentic belly dancing entertainment - not a toned-down strip show with a bar mitzvah DJ trying to get us to put down our forks and join the dancers on stage. The last straw was when the manager did not want to honor our coupons, which was what actually brought us into this restaurant! He said Valentine's Day is a special night so the coupons don't apply. But how were we supposed to know that? The coupon said "Friday and Saturday Nights" with no exclusions. And yes, they charge a 18% fee for "service," which didn't make sense because we served ourselves at the buffet. We will never go back.
- Pros: Authentic food
- Cons: Awkward ambience and entertainment and poor business practices.
Very good Middle Eastern Food by Sharn???? K. at InsiderPages
Contributor
November 14, 2008
The buffet at Ali Baba's has a lot of variety and there are a good selection of vegetarian food as well. The food is always fresh and tastes wonderful. I really like the hummus they make. On one side of the restaurant they have a little grocery area so you can try and recreate some of the recipes.
Great Food, Great place overall!
by ShirazLeyla
July 20, 2008
I took my family for lunch one day and everyone loved it. Authentic food much like my grandmother made. All dishes I tried were terrific. No problem anywhere, we enjoyed everything we ate and the service was friendly and told us of the belly dancers on the weekends.We came for dinner and a show and everyone was thrilled with the entire evening. Can not go wrong at Ali Baba, guess that is why they have been in business about 15+ years...the food is so good I actually crave it!
- Pros: Best food ever!
- Cons: Enjoyed the whole experience!
Show and Food Great; Business Antics Stink
by Dazzo
June 05, 2008
I took my girlfriend there for a Friday night dinner. Had seen that prices change when the show starts; so we got there early. While the food was good, and show was terrific, the bill left me livid. They had charged me the post-show rate, even though we were done eating before the show ever started. But, more importantly, was the $20 tip that was AUTOMATICALLY assessed FOR A BUFFET! The waiter came over three times in total; once to bring the wine, once to fill water, and once with tea. 25% of the bill for that. I must be in the wrong business!
- Pros: Great food, great show
- Cons: SHADY business practices
Best Middle Eastern Food EVER!
by ShastaZam
May 19, 2008
Terrific atmosphere, very festive on a Friday Night., LOVED the Belly Dancers, Great Food so fresh, tasty and such a VARIETY that everyone in my group was very happy! Just had a wonderful time. Sure beats any other Middle Eastern Restaurant I have ever been to...5***** All the way!
- Pros: GREAT FOOD! CHOICE, QUALITY All 5*
- Cons: Crowded on weekends for the dancers, gets loud!
The best Indian Buffet! by katie a. at InsiderPages
Contributor
March 20, 2008
Ali Baba is a place for people who like to try new things. It has amazing food and service. You can go in, grab a tble and a drink, and start to fill up the plates! The food is amazing and is a reasonable price! The best thing about Ali Baba's is that on Sauterday nights they have live belly dancing!
I highly recommend this restuarnt!!!
Avoid being mugged
by doctorx3
September 02, 2007
Charged 26.95 (which we were not informed of an entertainment fee $15 and 12.95 buffet) just for walking through door, they charge for buffet on assumption alone, did not eat anything and was charged for buffet even though waitress knew I did not eat the buffet and put in on the bill anyway and did not correct this until questioned about why the charge appeared. I find them very deceptive in there billing methods and believe a bill should reflect what was actually eaten! The $15 charge for entertainment is excessive by my standards as the dancing was extremely scripted and uninspiring, not to mention well below average. I saw 5 dancers total the first was "overly" rehearsed and the second and third did no belly dancing and most of the dance was spinning and little else. I find being charged $35 for bread and water extremely excessive and think our prison system would have fed me better than what I paid for here. The fourth and fifth dancers did a salsa type routine which was both not befitting of this atmosphere but also boring and showed they show up for the performance and little else. I can find no reason to return to this establishment and be taken in by "ali baba and his forty thieves" which is the only summation of the visit that a person could conclude. You get little value in entertainment and the food was good (as reported by my company)although not great but outweighed by the overall experience and being overcharged for all but the drinks, which was very reasonable even though I did not drink as the designated driver of the evening. I think that for the nearly $100 bill a couple of two was handed for this was outrageous (which again one of which did not eat or drink), as a better atmosphere could be had at nearly any place on I drive for the same money or less. I would never return here and would discourage others as well, the cons surely outweigh the pros here. I would suggest watching your wallet here should you choose to go.
- Pros: fun with group of people
- Cons: rip off artists.scammers not afraid to charge for things not recieved
