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: $$