Ali Baba is a local Middle Eastern restaurant in Oakland. The restaurant is not far from the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. Ali Baba, a local favorite in Oakland is a casual and quick place to stop for great food. The small and cozy restaurant is focused on providing Middle Eastern food in the city of Pittsburgh.

The menu at Ali Baba had many options.

Ali Baba is as intimate space but typically there is not a wait. Many locals go to Ali Baba because the restaurant is known for great food at a casual place. The restaurant’s look is simple, as the main focus is on the food and sharing the time with others. Ali Baba offers lunch and dinner on weekdays and dinner on weekends. The menu includes traditional Middle Eastern foods, such as grape leaves, moussaka, and tabouli. There is a large selection on the menu, with options for vegetarians and vegans.

When we were first seated, we did not have any silverware or water. For about five minutes we waited, but once our server arrived at our table the problem was fixed quickly. This issue might have been because they were busy, but they were moving quickly, so we did not have to wait long for the problem to be fixed. As our starters, we got the hummus and baba ghanouj, which came with pita. The hummus at Ali Baba is our personal favorite, and I would highly recommend getting hummus and baba ghanouj to share with the table. The hummus is perfectly seasoned, and the baba ghanouj has a great texture and flavor. The hummus and baba ghanouj also come with free refills of pita bread, which is great because the dish comes with a lot of dip but typically not enough pita to finish it all. This dish is definitely something to share with the table, and we typically get the large size, so there are leftovers to take home.  With my parents’ main dishes, they got a small side salad, which was nothing very special, but it did help start the service of the main dishes.

The side salad was very simple.

The baba ghanouj had a great flavor.

The hummus was classic and great.

The main dishes were traditional and tasted great. For my main dish, I got the grape leaves, which were very traditional, and they were made nicely. The grape leaves also have a vegetarian option, as they come with lamb. The filling of lamb and rice was perfect and was not overwhelmed by the strong flavor of the grape leaves. This dish is a very classic and simple dish, but  I do recommend it, as Ali Baba makes them very well. I feel as though the small portion of the grape leaves is not enough, as they are typically pretty small, so I would recommend getting the larger portion, which comes with twelve. For my mother’s main dish, she got the shiek el mahshi, which is a roasted eggplant with lamb and onions, topped with tomato sauce. This dish came with a large portion that was hard to finish, but the taste was very good. The texture was soft, and toward the end, the dish became slightly mushy, but overall, it was a solid dish. The lamb was seasoned well and the eggplant was not overpowered by the tomato sauce. There was quite a lot of tomato sauce, which made it hard to eat at times, but it did add additional flavor. For my father’s dish, he got the lamb shank, which was amazing. The meat was very tender and fell off the bone. The flavor of the dish was great and the taste is classic. This is a dish worth getting. It comes with a side of rice, but the main focus is on the lamb shank because of the great flavor. It was cooked to perfection and was not dry. I highly recommend this. To finish off dinner, we had the baklava, which was classic and great. The pastry was flaky and crunchy, and the honey provided a nice flavor.

The grape leaves had a classic flavor.

The mix of eggplant, lamb, and tomato sauce was great.

The lamb shank was amazing.

The wait staff at Ali Baba was very kind, and when we had the issue of not having silverware or water at the beginning, they were quick to fix it. They stayed on top of our order and the food was brought out quickly. Service moved quickly, and our server checked in on us to ensure that our food was good. We were in and out of Ali Baba quickly, making it a great place to stop for a quick bite to eat.

Ali Baba is located in Oakland, right by the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. This restaurant would be a great place to visit after going to the museum or sightseeing in Oakland. I would recommend Ali Baba to anyone who is looking for great food at a casual place.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Location: 404 S Craig St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Telephone: (412) 682-2829

Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon-Fri), 4pm – 9:30pm (Sat), 4pm – 10pm (Sun)

Accepts: Credit cards, cash

Parking: Street

Pricing: $$

The Vandal is a modern cafe located in Lawrenceville that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The small restaurant has a clean and minimalistic feel with simple colors that really put the main focus on the food. The room is bright and open, as there are only around 8 tables and 6 counter seats. Although there is limited seating, the food is definitely worth any wait.

The brunch menu at The Vandal had a wide selection of great food.

The Vandal has a hipster vibe to it and customers can get coffee to go or sit down and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner on weekdays, and breakfast, brunch, or dinner on Saturdays. I went to The Vandal on a Saturday, anticipating a lunch menu; however, I was given the brunch menu. Although I was disappointed at the beginning, the amazing food soon turned around my disappointment. The brunch menu ranged from a fried chicken sandwich to classic eggs to tea cakes. Selecting was hard, but it is hard to go wrong with any dish on the menu.

The lattes we had were some of the best we have ever tasted.

To drink, I had a chai tea latte, which rivaled some of the best lattes I have ever had. There was a significant layer of sweet, spiced foam. The drink was not too sweet and there was a good flavor of spices. It was the perfect temperature and was a great addition to my meal. My mother had a latte, which also rivaled some of the best lattes she had ever had. It had significant foam and a cool design on top that made it picture-worthy. The taste was super smooth and we got some lattes to go. As our starters, we got the tea cake and the rice pudding. The tea cake was topped with a whipped cream and oranges and had an almond batter. The cake melted in our mouths and the almond did not get lost and was a strong flavor throughout the dish. It was very light and fluffy and the oranges added a change in flavor to the cake and whipped cream. The presentation of the dish was clean, but the main focus was on the tea cake. The rice pudding was amazing. It was topped with apple jam and crushed hazelnuts, which were a great combination. The pudding was smooth and not runny. The pudding itself was not too sweet and the apple jam added a nice touch of fruity sweetness to the pudding. The starter was the perfect amount and was not too much that it overwhelmed us. From this first impression, we had high hopes that were met with the main dishes.

The tea cake and rice pudding were amazing. I highly recommend both of them.

For my main dish, I got the soft scramble that came with chives, ricotta, rye bread, and an arugula salad. At multiple restaurants, I have gotten useless side salads that are just there for filler and add nothing to the dish. However, this was not the case. The salad tasted great with the eggs or rye bread and it added something to the dish. The flavor of the eggs was really good and I could taste the chives that were in the eggs. The portion size was very generous and I could not finish it all. The presentation was clean and simple but the dish itself was not as plain. The toast, salad, and eggs all tasted good together, and the different combinations of eggs, toast, and salad added variety to the dish. Overall, this dish was great and I would recommend it to anyone. For my mother’s main dish, she got the red potato hash with onion, squash, brussel sprouts, jalapeno, and sour cream. The dish had a slight kick to it because of the jalapenos, but it was nothing too spicy that overwhelmed the overall taste. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and were soft and not too starchy. It was a good portion of food that was easy to eat. The brussel sprouts in the dish added variety to it by mixing up the textures so potato was not the only taste or texture in the dish.

The soft scramble had amazing flavor combinations.

The potato hash had great textures and flavors.

The wait staff at the Vandal was very kind and they kept the food moving. Although we had multiple servers at the beginning, the servers became consistent and we got in and out of the cafe quickly. We did not have to wait long for our drinks or our food and everyone was nice about us taking the time to pick out what we wanted.

The Vandal is located in Lawrenceville, which is a very popular destination for restaurants and shopping. I would recommend The Vandal to anyone, really. There was something on the menu for everyone (although the gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options seemed limited).  The food and feel of the cafe were great and well worth any wait.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Location: 4306 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Telephone: (412) 251-0465

Hours: 8am – 9pm (Wed-Sat), 8am – 2pm (Sun)

Accepts: Credit cards, cash

Parking: Street

Pricing: $$

Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant located next to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History, right in the heart of Oakland. I went to Conflict Kitchen on February 4, and we were the only patrons waiting, as it was very cold that day. The outside of the kitchen was very colorful and easy-to-spot. There was seating outside along the park next to the kitchen for patrons to sit and wait for their order, or to eat their food. I, however, did not eat outside because it was cold, so I ate in my car instead. However, during the summer, going to Conflict Kitchen would be a great idea to grab a quick bite to eat.

Conflict Kitchen is located right next to a park. The outside was colorful and designed with patterns of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

I arrived at Conflict Kitchen at noon, and there were no other patrons when we got there because there is no indoor seating and it was very cold that day. However, someone did stop while we were there to grab something to drink. For my mother and me being the only patrons there, the service felt slow and from the time we placed our order to the time we got it, it had been about 15 minutes, which felt even longer because we were standing in the cold. However, our attitudes quickly turned around when we got out food.

The Wadesai’dö:ndak had a sweet maple flavor.

The Onädatgos had a unique sour flavor.

The food was great, and I have very few complaints about it. The ability needed to master and make dishes from different cultures every few months is admirable. Conflict Kitchen, when we went, was serving food from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which is made up of Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. On the menu, there were multiple options for gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. All of the menu options were either fitting to one of those diets or multiple, which is great for those who want to try new foods but are limited in their dietary needs. To drink, my mother got the Okdeahgi’, which is a hot root tea. I tasted it and the flavor of the tea reminded me of chai tea because it had a hint of spices. It was something I had never tried before, but I would order it. I had the Oya:gi’ to drink, which is a chilled wild fruit drink. It was very sweet and fruity; the overall taste was raspberry and it was very refreshing. I had also never had this, but the taste reminded me of raspberry lemonade. Overall, both were very good and I would get both again.

For a small plate, I got the Wadesai’dö:ndak, which was sweet maple baked beans with salt pork. The maple flavor really came through and was not overpowering. However, the salt pork was hard to find in the dish and there could have been more of it. The portion size was generous, however, and I was unable to finish it in one sitting. My mother got the Onädatgos, which was a salad of wild greens with cranberries that was lightly dressed with a blueberry vinaigrette. My mother and I were both anticipating a sweet salad, but, to our surprise, the salad was sour because of the cranberries. After we got over our initial shock that the salad was not sweet, we enjoyed the different flavors of the cranberry and blueberry. However, in the dressing, it was hard to get a lot of blueberry flavor as the sour of the cranberries overpowered the dressing. We also got the Ganya’hji’da’, which was a small  plate of corn tamales stuffed with mushrooms and corn truffle. The corn had a very sweet flavor in the tamales and the taste was great. I had never had this style of tamales and I’m happy I have tried it. The tamales were a little hard to eat as they fell apart easily, but their great taste was too hard to ignore.

This was a traditional fry bread that came with my chili.

The Ganya’hji’da’ had a sweet corn flavor.

For the main dishes, I got the Onyöhsowa:nes, which was a pumpkin and Iroquois white corn chili. The serving size of the chili was very generous and the ingredients made the dish very filling. The taste was great and had some spices added to it that enhanced the flavor of the pumpkin and corn. The overall appeal of the dish was warm and hearty. It also came with a traditional fry bread that reminded me of funnel cake because of its texture. My mother got the Oshöwe:’ for her main dish. It consisted of a crispy Iroquois white corn mush cake with a root vegetable hash. This was one of our favorite dishes from Conflict Kitchen. The root vegetables had an almost sweet taste and the white corn mush cake was soft but not too soft that it wasn’t good to eat. The taste was great and the dish was very colorful. The portion of this dish was big and my mother could not eat it all in one sitting.

The Onyöhsowa:nes was a chili with pumpkin and corn.

The Oshöwe:’ had many different flavors.

The service at Conflict Kitchen was good. Even though the food took a while, the people taking our order were very kind and helped us pronounce the names of the dishes. Conflict Kitchen is located in Oakland, which is a great spot for visiting and sightseeing in Pittsburgh. The restaurant itself was not far from the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. The idea behind Conflict Kitchen is to serve food from places the United States is in conflict with. They also style the kitchen with designs from those places and play music from the cultures, too. We also got a sheet of interviews from people from the confederacy that had problems with the United States to read as we waited for our food. This new idea turns out perfectly at Conflict Kitchen because of the great food and atmosphere.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Location: 221 Schenley Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Telephone: (412) 802-8417

Hours: 11am – 6pm (Mon-Sat)

Accepts: Credit cards, cash

Parking: Street

Pricing: $

Nancy’s East End Diner is a traditional diner located in Wilkinsburg. I went to the diner on January 28, and it was quite busy for being one of the few restaurants in the town. The diner is exactly how a diner is imagined: booth and counter seating, a window to the kitchen, and a bell for when the food is ready. The menu had traditional diner options, too.  The diner had a strong community vibe, with pictures of past patrons hanging on the walls; the diner seemed to be a keystone of the community.

The strong community vibe was easy to see in the diner. Pictures of past patrons were hung on all of the walls.

I arrived at Nancy’s at 9:42 and our order was taken at 9:50; although it took a while to get our order taken (it seemed as though our waitress forgot), we got our food 10 minutes after placing it. We left around 10:30, so service moved quickly as people shuffled in and out. The waitstaff was extremely kind and took great care of us while we were there. They checked in on us multiple times once we had our food and were quick to solve any problems.

This was our breakfast set up – lots of classic homestyle food.

The menu had classic American diner options, including grits, pancakes, and omelettes. The menu was not very adaptable to different diets, however, but there were breakfast options for those with gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian diets, such as egg breakfasts. However, they didn’t have pancake or french toast options for those different diets. To drink, I had a coffee- a classic in any diner. The taste was classic, and one plus was free refills on the coffee and cream. For my starter, I had a pancake, which was done perfectly. It had a great flavor that was not too sweet. The crunchy ring on the outside was contrasted by the fluffy, soft center on the inside. The pancake was perfect for any toppings, like syrup or jam. My mother had the challah french toast, which was done in a similar fashion to my pancake. It had a crunchy outside but then a fluffy, soft inside. It didn’t get soggy after putting syrup on it; overall it had a classic taste and was done to perfection.

A classic pancake with a great texture.

The challah french toast was traditional and delicious

The menu had traditional options, but it did have some surprises, like the main dish I got. I ordered the grilled havarti and apple breakfast sandwich, which is not something that is typically on small town diner menus. The sandwich was loaded with havarti cheese, apples, and apple butter, but no flavor was too powerful or overwhelming. It was served on Mancini’s raisin bread- a local favorite. The sandwich was toasty at the beginning but got slightly soggy toward the end and the cheese was more toward the middle of the sandwich, so the corners missed out on all the sandwich had to offer. However, the flavor was unique and the dish diversified the menu. For my mother’s main dish, she got the smoked gouda and ham omelette. The taste was great with the smokey flavor of the cheese contrasted by the ham. The omelette was quite large as the portions were very generous. The dish came with toast, making it even harder to finish it all! However, the gouda did not get the chance to melt in the omelette, so there were only slices of ham and gouda; some parts of the omelette didn’t have any ham or gouda, which was disappointing because the taste was great.  My mother also got a side of grits, which far exceeded our expectations. The grits were smooth and not runny. They had a classic flavor that allowed anything to be out on them, from syrup to jam to butter. The presentations of all the dishes was very clean and classic, but nothing special- the main focus was on the food.

The havarti and apple breakfast sandwich diversified the menu.

The smoked gouda and ham omelette was classic and tasted great.

The grits were great tasting and had a perfect texture.

Nanacy’s East End Diner is located in Wilkinsburg, which is located east of Pittsburgh. The neighborhood of Wilkinsburg used to be very popular and busy; however, today, there are very few restaurants and shops around Nancy’s East End Diner. Wilkinsburg is in need of some love and a great way to give some love is to support local businesses. I would recommend Nancy’s Diner to anyone who is looking for a classic, homestyle meal and a great community and family vibe.

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Location: 616 South Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15221

Telephone: (412) 242-3447

Hours: 7:30am – 2:30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am – 2:30pm (Sat), 9am – 2pm (Sun)

Accepts: Credit Card, Cash

Parking: Private lot and street

Pricing: $