Good place to get hookah and good food. They have a variety of hooah flavors. Service was good. Atmosphere was as nice.

Poor customer service for 15 percent added to your bill. Hookah Towers Chicken Shawarma read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - a plate of food - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My review is just for food. 2.5 stars. Average tasting food. I came here to grab a sandwich to go. I didn't know it was a hookah lounge too. I was driving by on Lawrence Ave. and saw this place open so I stopped by. It was a happening place. I went straight to the counter and looked through the menu. The servers were busy attending to the patrons who were seated. The manager saw me at the counter and asked me how could I be helped. I told him I wanted to order a Kafta Kabob sandwich to go. He said, it'll be 15 mins or so, have a seat. I was seated and about 10 mins later, one of the servers asked me what I was waiting for and I told her, it was for a Kafta Kabob sandwich to go. She said it was ready. I said cool. That wasn't a long wait. I paid cash (($7) not credit) when I was asked how I wanted to pay. It was a skinny, long wrap in a aluminium foil. The red, hot sauce and the tahini sauces were not included. So I asked for the hot sauce. The sandwich tasted okay. Nothing special. Because I was super hungry, it hit the spot. The hot sauce was pretty good in the sense that it was spicy. The sandwich was $5.99. The menu had a good variety. The food items were pricey. The service was okay. I am not a hookah person. Once in a while, I may indulge in it but otherwise, it's not something I go for. I didn't care for the atmosphere inside the restaurant. I just observed that while waiting for my food. Sure, maybe if I was with a group of people I may not mind that. I am glad I got to try their food. But overall, I wouldn't go back here for food. read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Im a celebrity DJ from Chicago and this has always been our go-to spot! Very lowkey but live. Great authentic Mediterranean food and especially if your out late and hungry! Hookah's never disappoint me and great customer service. Hookah coals are always replaced in a timely fashion , and the back room (lounge) is just a straight vibe! Threw plenty private parties here. Ali is my boy! Great conversations and very helpful / knowledgeable about the difference in brands and hookah flavors. -MOST OF ALL , IS A SAFE PLACE TO HANG. read more

Came here a few times and it's always crowded. I must say that the service here is very slow. The place seems to be unstaffed and the 2 waitresses are unable to remember orders and do not come around enough, making it frustrating. The food here is mediocre and not worth the price. You might as well just eat ahead of time. Alcohol is allowed but there is a charge per person. Other than the poor service, the hookahs here are alright and the music isn't bad. The vibe in the back room is definitely better than the front. If you plan to come here with a big group, come ahead of time. read more

Horrible customer service. And the shittiest hookah I had in Chicago. Spend your money else where. Not worth it. read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - The horrible shisha - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I shouldn't have ordered a food, not worth it. and my food costs 18 and my coke was 2.5 but total came out $26 including tax. you do the math! sorry it didn't worth a tip after this calculation. read more

I am a guy that enjoys a bit of shisha (hookah) in which they have a good amount of in this joint. I was introduced to this place a couple of months ago by my father who enjoys coming here quite often as he told me they have good food. I came by to meet him as he was quite excited about this joint and it was pretty cool. He was raving about the lamb chops, but I decided to go with the Chicken Saute which was very delicious. There was a very rich tomato like sauce in it that was awesome! They have all the standard teas that you normally get in these type of places so you can have the feel of being in the middle east in which I enjoy. Water and pop is available as well to wash the food down. The hookah was awesome as well! Both times I have been I got recommended flavors by the lovely women working here...Bluemint & Sex on The Beach were awesome and very mellow flavors. The girls that work here are very nice and they are good at recommending everything here thats good. The place itself looks like a place in the middle east so you have the authentic feel. You have everyone siting around and blowing shisha...even the owner and his buddies are usually out here hanging out playing cards and blowing shisha which is cool read more

Good ambience, amazing hookah and service. Food is good, tea is just Lipton. Ambience is perfect for hookah, as in dim lights and light background Arabian music. Good internet and power sockets everywhere. One drawback is parking, the waitress helped with that, but was not convenient. read more

Hookah taste horrible. No matter what flavor they all taste the same ! Bathroom are disgusting They don't clean !!!!so if you think u can get work done here, think agin. Also they let minors in so if your lookin for a spot to sneak ur underage friend in this is the spot ! read more

Really expensive hookah, and even more expensive, fixed tip. Especially if you and that old man who brings you your coal and bong does all the work. Wings and other dinner entrees really good. read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went last night around 2 am after a Christmas party. Quickly after ordering the staff brought out both shisha. They had a great selection of flavors and drink options. The house made lemonade with mint really hit the spot after a night out. We did have to ask several times for new coals. Around 3 we got particularly hungry and ordered the hummus and a mixed kabob platter. All of it was delicious - my boyfriend who normally won't eat chicken went back for thirds. The pita stayed soft and flexible, unlike how it can often become hard and crunchy within a few minutes. Overall, this was a great late night hang out and we'll definitely be returning! read more

So what does a chic who spits on people and yells after getting kicked out from an establishment "I'm from Yelp!" when drunk knows about middle eastern food? Let's not forget about making fun of someone dressing up as a girl while her boyfriend is dressed as a woman nun. You guessed it right! Correct answer is "nothing". A real authentic food is not something an American born or anyone outside the culture may like. Still, it doesn't make it non-authentic. I walk into this place and I see the owner who is suckin on hukkah (authentic). TV is always showing a crappy show (authentic). Meat is washed 100% out of blood and the raw cooked (authentic). People from native country (Saudi Arabia) hanging out there with their friends (authentic). Someone who doesn't belong to a certain culture thinks it's not authentic (non-so-authentic). For everything else, there is Mastercard. read more

I've been here once long time ago, 10 years ago to be specific. I didn't like it then because it was too bright and way too open for customers. It's 2 rooms, the front is well lit, while the backroom is a bit more dim. I came here for a farewell party. I thought after 10 years it would be better. Well the place is a bit better looking but still nowhere near good. After we ordered our hookah, the waitress kept coming back to take everyone else's order, which is fine, but she came back like 5 different times without our hookah. You'd think after 15 minutes, our hookah would be ready. people kept showing up at different times, the people that came after us got their hookah before us. that was the first thing I noticed, how the heck does that happen? I go "hello Miss, we ordered before them" she goes "let me go check on it" I bet you she didn't even put the order in. That shows a very unorganized place. what happened to 'first come, first serve' moto?! Thankfully I ate before I went there because few of my friends did not enjoy their food there. The hookah wasn't good either, I've had plenty of hookah in many different places, some are better than others, this one burned quickly and God forbid if you put the hookah on the table...apparently it's one of their rules. Where I was sitting, in a corner with chairs and a huge table in front of me, there was no room to put hookah on the floor by me because of people's legs were in the way. we literally had to move the table back to make room for the hookah. and it had to go right in front of me because everyone's legs were long and crossed. I felt squished and uncomfortable the whole night. I don't like bashing business but yall need to get this place straightened up. I don't care about the food since I never ate there, but the main thing is hookah and if you can't accommodate the customer, I don't know who your trying to please then. read more

Never ever going back again. I went there as a last minute resort with some friends. They sat us down, and then it took about 10 minutes, until my friend stopped one of the waitress' and asked for some service. We gave her our order, and then 10 minutes later, another employee came by and with attitude asked to see our ID's after like 20 minutes of already being there. Then they brought us our hookah and food and when it came time to pay, we saw they added the gratuity to our bill, we asked why it was included if it isn't mentioned anywhere on the menu, and their was only 4 of us, the waitress didn't know and the other girl came by and said no ones ever complained, they always charge people that, theres nothing she can do. So we ended up paying it, even they didn't deserve it for horrible service! read more

This place deserves zero stars. The hookah was horrible, wasn't even smokable...gave me a headache..drove an hour for a hookah and literally stayed for 15 minutes and left.. Will never ever go back ... read more

Went here twice during a business trip from CA. The first time was ok. Nothing spectacular, but not terrible. We sat in the large, main room. The ambiance was chill. The service was kinda sub-par, but not a huge deal, especially when going in just for hookah (which we were). The next night, we came back, and let's just say, WOW. The experience was terrible. Service, still sub-par, was even slower. The waitress, (the same one as the night before) was rude with her facial expressions, and she looked annoyed at our requests. Ordering rice pudding was impossible bc the first night, "it's only made on weekends," and the second night, "they hadn't made it for the night yet." (It was 9pm-mind you) Next, the cigarette smoke was completely oppressive, especially in the back room. When I asked our waitress how it's legal to smoke inside, she said it isn't and kinda shrugged her shoulders! We were in the back room and so I asked if they could at least bring a fan, or move us to the larger room in front, and we were met with apparent frustration. Fan "wasn't working" and the room in front was filling up! So we just left. I was having a LOT of problems breathing bc of the cigarette smoke, bc in the five tables/groups around us, at least one in each was lighting up! Hookah smoke is one thing. Not even getting into the legality of it, cigarette smoke, plus hookah smoke, in a combination with a poorly ventilated room made for a really terrible experience this time around. read more

The 2 stars are for the hookah. It's pretty ok. Everything else, doesn't even deserve 1star. The place is dirty, I felt like i had cockroaches crawling on me. The table was all sticky, the food was undercooked and really salty. The waitresses are clumsy and tend to forget what people ordered. I had to remind her 4 times to get our table an ashtray. A lot of underaged kids there smoking and drinking, i felt like i was at some teen party. They need to start checking IDs. Horrible experience. I do not recommend this place. read more

Sometimes you just need some good sheesha in a grimey dive in the middle of the night.. that's when you head to Ali Baba's. As soon as you enter this joint you probably wonder if you needed to bring your passport with you. Arabic Pop music videos playing on the flat screens around, some old arab "uncles" sitting on their designated tables playing cards or backgammon drinking tea.. a bunch of other kids in another corner acting like they're too cool for school.. yeah.. you get it all here. The foods okay.. not sure if they cook their own food or get it from the kabab place next door.. but the sheesha is pretty good. They 'll mix whatever flavors you want together even if its not on the menu, serve the base with whatever drinks you want inside.. sure you pay a little extra but whatever.. the place is still ridunculously cheap. so why not. read more

BYOB and cheap hookah! Love hanging out in the backroom where they always have music playing and videos on the 2 tvs they have. People bring their bottles of liquor and cards and just hang out and relax. The place reminds me of the middle east with the decorations and tables they have throughout. Also, there is a $50 max that you can charge to a credit card so keep that in mind if your group is spending more. Pretty ridiculous and not something I've heard in the past but it is what it is! Im sure I will def be back here since I dont know many hookah joints in the area. There are always extra charges for everything so make sure you triple check your bill before you pay. read more

We walked in it took us 20 to even get serviced with a menu we had to go up to the counter and finally ask for one our self.... We sat there another 12 mins for them to cook back then before we could open our mouth he was like you need more time oh okay and walked off when we were actually ready so we just left they were really rude. I felt disrespected and came here due to good reviews. I will never be back here. read more

Update: Apparently you can't get food in the lounge anymore (only the attached restaurant area) which makes me sad because that was one of the appeals to this place. I used to love going to hookah lounges when I was at U of I and I think I found a great spot in the city now. The back area has a plasma tv and plays lots of good high energy music videos. It's funny because that back room really reminds me of a VIP room, if you catch my drift...maybe it's the red leather couches... You can bring alcohol here but be warned that they're charge $5 a head for that. Tried their hummus too and it was very tasty! Love hummus! You could really taste the chickpeas in them. Can't wait to go back and try some of the other foods! read more

So nice place to have fun to be honest. Unique place with Arabic style. Good service, and you can eat and smoke at the same time. To be honest the club room is nice, because it looks like a little area for a club. So you can sit and enjoy read more

This was my first time at a hookah place and I am hooked!!! I initially went there for the food, I mean come on who doesn't appreciate some good Mediterranean food right? The ambiance is very calm and cool. You have the option to sit in a well lit room or in a more intimately lit side room. We chose the latter. Upon entering you can lightly smell the sweetness of the tobacco. I can't stand the overbearing smell of cigarette smoke and so I was a bit nervous that this would be like that, but the ventilation system takes care of that. In fact there were some cigarette smokers there and had I not seen them I would've never realized they there there. We got a combo platter, some baba ganoush, and humus. Everything was amazing! The steak was a little tough but it was so nicely flavored that I didn't mind. (FYI I'm not really a steak chick so I'm super picky about that. Lol) Now for the fun part. I know I said I don't like cigarette smoke but I was a cigarette smoker. I know weird right? Anywho I was a little intimidated by the hookah so I made my hubby try first. I saw he was having fun so I just dove in. We didn't pick our flavor, our amazing waitress did. Funny enough she didn't tell us what we were getting so we guessed. Turns out we received a nice watermelon mint blend. I don't personally like watermelon, (I know I'm weird) but the taste was like chewing bubble yum. It was so cool. The place got packed really fast so get there early. One thing to note there is a $10 minimum per person on the busy weekends, but that's not hard to do. :) read more

Haven't been to a hookah bar in a while. But it is one of my favorite ones in the city. It is pretty convenient, since it is only a few minutes away from my home. I got a peach kiwi mint flavor hookah and it was delightful! There is parking available all around the streets for free ! The service was excellent and the Nescafe's i got were just like the ones i used to get back home in Bosnia ! Loved the chill environment and the deep house music ! Good place to go with big groups of people ! Nice and clean seating and tables ! Also, a good spot to do homework ! Oh, && you can smoke cigarettes inside which I think is a plus because i smoke cigarettes ! Lol read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - My girl enjoying her Nescafé and hookah ! - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Based on ordering carryout: I ordered baba ghanouj but wanted taste it first. the server refused to have me try it. I figured the reason behind that when i got home. Went straight to the garbage. Pouring babaghanouj straight from the can is not the way to go! Poor food and poor customer service=Horrible establishment read more

Not only did I wait longer than they said. But this was pretty much the worst food I had. Pita was flat. Chicken was not shawarma. The sauce is all mayo and way too thick. I would say don't ever eat at this place. There are places blocks down that are way better. No offense but will never order for this place again. All salt and mayo. Not even a single good spice. read more

Thought I may like this place based on the reviews but the customer service, awkward unwelcoming vibes and cold glares let me know I should stick with my regular hookah spots. I came in on Wednesday night with a friend. No one was at the door nor counter so we seated ourselves. After a couple of minutes a waitress came to our table and we ordered shortly afterwards. However, 35 minutes later the waitress came back asking us what we wanted. What we wanted was our first order, hello! After seeing several people walk in after us and receive their hookahs and food we realized we'd been forgotten We waited OVER 45 MINUTES for 2 simple hookahs. We ordered a hookah change and then had to wait 20 minutes for that and it wasn't even crowded. The night continued on like this with glares from other patrons and an inattentive wait staff. We actually had to get up and go to the counter just to pay because the waitress just never came back. Two stars simply for the okay hookah. read more

I don't usually tell people to avoid places but *AVOID* this place. Cons: -Terrible crowds... mix of thugs, middle aged loners, alot of loudness and thick smoke in the air -Terrible service. .. they are biased towards regulars and sometimes forget to service you -Terrible seating arrangements.. I really find it hard to give this place a nice review.. I've once seen the manager turn off all the lights less than 10 mins after new customers came in to enjoy hookah because he wanted to close early. I've seen employees smoking weed behind the place when looking for parking as well as gossip about customers literally 10 feet away. I've also noticed that some of these reviews are by friends of employees ..and in one picture someone posted you can see all the employees sitting together as if they are guests... Hrm.. weird. Also reminds me that often times tables are taken up my employees and friends of employees.. read more

I have been to this place at least 4 times. I love their food . It's always fresh and yummy. Pretty authentic also.. My only problem with this place is the starbuzz hookah brand that makes me nauseous every time I smoke it. They should have more options for the Al-Fakher brand.. 2 other people have had the same experience and they are regular hookah people.. Overall, it's a cool place. However, I have to share that the last time I was there.. there were 2 couples that brought in their 2 children. How can someone do that with smoke blowing around!? Oh well, not everyone is a responsible parent apparently... read more

Very bad hookah, 2 weeks ago, I asked the lady is the tobacco Alfakher she said yes, then when I started smoking I felt that I want to throw up then I asked the man who do the hookah about the tobacco he said nobody told me about your request and I gave you our tobacco, when I want to leave I asked the lady why she did that she said I don't know about the hookah , I paid $49 for 1 sprite , 1 arabic coffee, 2 bad hookah and falafel sandwich. very bad customer service and bad hookah read more

Alibaba as a hookah lounge is only worth 2 stars. The hookah towers are big and look like a steal for $12 but they probably need to be cleaned b/c they don't hit that well. Also, the establishment has no circulation or air filtration, the smog was so thick you could barely see to the other side of the room (ok exaggerating, but it was bad). It's because people smoke ciggs in their too. I'm only giving them an additional 1 star because the place is BYOB and has good customer service and is open pretty late. read more

We went on Saturday night. Customer service was great. They have a music room in the back. So relaxing and the food it's at a great price. BYOB so it can't get any better. read more

Ended my birthday celebration here. The lack of ventilation was HEAVY. 99% of my accompanying party needed to take frequent breaks outside. Beyond that, the hookah attendant moved swiftly. The chicken tenders and fries were on point. BUT! That heavy smoke was a KILLER Decent time; crazy bill read more

Had a great time smoking hookah, met some interesting ppl and the grilled chicken salad was good. I'd come back here the atmosphere was nice, good music, our server was very attentive all and all great place. read more

The hookah is a lil pricey and old, drinks are great but they took percentage as tips and it's 25%

We've been here about 4-5 times. The hookah is priced around $12 (which is decent) and we can only vouch for the double apple flavor, which was good. The food was alright, definitely not worth the price though. The cheesecake is typical store bought and the drinks are given in cans (no glass) They show sports on 1 tv, arabic music on another, and the way they're positioned, mostly everyone in the place can see. The hookah experience overall was good (according to SO, i don't smoke). They changed the coals consistently It's a great atmosphere, but we didn't like it the times we sat at the tables. it's only comfy and relaxing when you get to lounge on the couches, but they're usually "reserved" (which tends to mean people who know the owner get first dibs, even if they aren't showing up until an hour after you leave. not the best business practices). The people love to stare at you if you're not what they're used to seeing, and it can get uncomfortable at times. We kinda got tired of the scene after our 5th visit and never really returned. read more

NOTE: This review is from a compounded perspective of a total visit of 7x. PRICING Hookah can be good, but ridiculously expensive for the amount they give. Food is also good, but you pay a premium price for something you can obtain at a higher quantity and cheaper at surrounding restaurants. I found the charge per person esp for BYOB to be inconvenient. SERVICE Customer service definitely could use more of a fun-loving touch from some of the associates-- def a strong feeling of arrogance for non-regular customers. AMBIANCE Atmosphere is pretty much the strong point here with high quality decorations, however not very inviting-- feels like a mafia hideout or a place for shady biz lol (sometimes fun, depending on my mood) read more

I stopped by after midnight in hopes the kitchen might still be open and ta-da. . . . . . . it was. The girl who took my order was so sweet, and the food was unbelievably great I ordered chicken which came with rice and a salad I also ordered a small hummus which came with pita bread however the hummus should be shared with a friend because it's a lot, they also included a generous amount of two sauces one of which was garlic flavored and extremely yummy I never had it before but I will be requesting it on my next purchase. I highly recommend this place and have to come back to try some hookah with friends or a perfect date night, it looks like a very entertaining environment with Arabic music playing and overall gives you the vibe like being in a foreign place. I look forward to returning. read more

Ali Baba Cafe & Restaurant - Even to go they made it look so appetizing and it was soooo good. - Hookah Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went here on a date. i'd def. go back, it was a saturday, more people came as the night wore on, the hookah guy working the rotation of the coals and hookahs was nonstop and great, and it's byob, something i didn't take advantage of but would be nice. total for 2 for 1-2 hrs smoking, coffee, water and tip? 26 expect people under 21, but diverse crowd toward the night. read more