I was pretty satisfied with my visit here. I am from Delaware but moved away 13 years ago. I love hookah and was unaware there was one in Delaware. I was having dinner at Santa Fe across the street and noticed the sign. When I arrived the staff was very friendly. The host opened the door for us and asked what we needed. We express that we wanted hookah and drinks. They sat us right way and provided us with a menu. I asked questions and they were able to answer. I ordered the lemon mint hookah flavor and two shots. Service was fast and I was helped right away. Enjoyed my experience here and look forward to going back for the food read more

Ali Baba - Mediterranean Near Me - Newark, Delaware

This place is my favorite Moroccan restaurant. Order the Lemon olive Moroccan chicken platter with 2 veggie sides. Staff is great. If allergic to smoke please sit in dining room since the outside of the restaurant is a hookah bar. read more

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Went here over UD family weekend - the atmosphere is great and so is the food! Will come back the next time we're in Newark!

I must remove a star from my original rating of 4 because I came back here and tried some of their other dishes (bean soup, shrimp kabob, Morocan chicken) and found them all to be subpar. They were all pretty bland dishes. The Morocan chicken was bathed in some oils spice sauce blend and it was heavy on the taste of cumin. The chicken itself had no flavor whatsoever and the sauce did not make up for it. Shrimps were big but tasteless and rubbery. Bean soup was way over priced. $2 for a small bowl of boiled beans and lentils! Overall this restaurant has some great lamb dishes and some good chicken dishes, but everything else I've tried was bad. This place is a hit or miss. read more

Delicious, flavorful good made with care....outstanding service (always greeted with a smile) and reasonable prices! Great atmosphere is the icing on the cake! You'll leave with a smile! I was visiting in town and found myself eating there 3 times this week! I'm a very big-time foodie, vegetarian and eat organic...Ali-Baba more than fits the bill! I'll be back every time I'm in town...keep up the good work! read more

Phenomenal food very authentic and spiced perfectly. The staff is very friendly and courteous. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are traveling in another country... very cool place to eat and gather! read more

This place is awesome. Great Vegetarian options. We love the Babaganoush, hummus, eggplant appetizer, carrot salad...all great choices. You cannot go wrong here! read more

Service was fast and friendly. Food was good. Ordered the beef kofta with tabouleh and hummus (rice was the other option). read more

Ali Baba - Beef kofta - very good - Mediterranean Near Me - Newark, Delaware

It has been a great place for Mediterranean food in Newark for a long time. Parking in back. The food is some of the best from that part of the world. Vegetarian platter feeds 4 for as an appetizer. Any of the entrees is enough for 2 people. I love the place. read more

My first time here was super late night after hours on a friday night meeting up w friends who were there since 9pm. ive never smoked or done hooka before so i had no clue what i was doing and was a cool experience. Im so happy we all get our own mouth pc. I believed my friends ordered food and were on the patio to do the hooka, and i just came in time for last min drinks. I believe we met the owner, khalid? or one of them he was so friendly nice to our rowdy group. if you're reading this, hello Khalid, its Dr. Nancy, and i cannot wait to bring my fiance in for some food. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality!!!! read more

Great food. Great hookah. Great service! The staff is always welcoming and polite. Been coming here for years. Always an enjoyable time and good music always on deck. read more

I went here for the first time with a party of 9 and it was excellent. The atmosphere is casual and the service is friendly and welcoming. We had just about everything on the menu and it was really fantastic! Can't wait to come back here again. read more

Hookah bar and restaurant. Arrived at 11:35 (the sign posted in front door says it opens at 11) but front door was locked. I came in through the rear entrance. A young man informed me that the food would be a while because the cooks had just arrived for the day. The Moroccan eggplant salad was delightful! The chicken wraps were yummy, too. read more

Ali Baba - Take out counter - Mediterranean Near Me - Newark, Delaware

I love this restaurant. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants to attend. The food is wells cooked and e ambience is dope- they have belly dancers as well and a hookah bar as well. The staff are very friendly and I rarely wait long for my food. read more

Good, solid, mediterranean cuisine - we had the Kofta platter and the lamb kabob platter, both solid. Everything tasted homemade! Special callout to the wait staff - they were attentive and very pleasant, with a very positive attitude and definite pride in their establishment. Definitely return if I am in the area. read more

So delicious! Love going to Ali Baba every couple of months :) amazing service - never disappoints! read more

Ali Baba - Lamb Tajeen & Lamb Kabob - Mediterranean Near Me - Newark, Delaware

The Moroccan chicken and lamb were so so tender and delicious. I'm taking all my friends here!!!

Just absolutely incredible food in a very fun atmosphere. This place serves authentic middle eastern cuisine in the heart of Newark, DE. The man who owns it is extremely friendly and always does his best to make sure everything comes out exactly as ordered. I've been coming here for over 10 years and have never had a bad meal. My favorites are the spicy Moroccan chicken or the shrimp kabobs... but you really can't go wrong! read more

Had a blast!! The drinks were good and we sat at the hookah for over an hour!! Very peaceful and cool atmosphere. Staff is very nice!!

Service is horrible waited over 30 minutes for our order to be taken . Wouldn't recommend there is better arabi places Out there read more

Very flavorful reasonably priced food with an authentic and enjoyable environment!! I give them five stars!!

Top notch food with excellent service in a beautiful room.

I started with the baba ganuj. I was a little disappointed. I had the house Israeli salad which was great. It was a very generous portion. I liked the ambience. The waiters were very nice and hospitable. read more

The best middle eastern restaurant on the campus. It has every element you can ask for when It comes to authencity of your food. The hookah is amazing also ! And a fair price for the students ! read more

Yum! The beef hummus appetizer is amazing and so was the chicken entree! I'm surprised the place is always popping off. They deserve to be!

Our food was amazing. Table ordered the Lamb Tajeen, Moroccan chicken (spicy) & the Moroccan chicken (lemon & olives). Everyone loved their meal & all plates were very plentiful. Plus, the staff were all very friendly & patient with us. We will certainly go back & order more deliciousness! read more

Ali Baba - Moroccan chicken & Lamb Tajeen - Mediterranean Near Me - Newark, Delaware

First time eating Indian food and I am so glad we choose Ali Baba! Their customer service is PHENOMENAL and their food is stupendous! From the vegetable appetizer to the lamb kabob entree with rice I was super stuffed and so happy with my entire meal! The whole atmosphere was great and comfortable! My husband and I will definitely be going back! 5 stars isn't enough for Ali Baba, if I could give them 10 stars I would! read more

Seriously awesome place - the atmosphere is super chill and it's obvious that the people who work there love what they do and who they work for. The food was INCREDIBLE. I got the falafel sandwich, my fiancé got the chicken (oh my goodness), and our friends both got the lamb. The lamb was the best, but everything was super delicious. The hookah was a little pricey in comparison to other places, but they have a wide variety of flavors, and because of the atmosphere I was OK with the price. We got watermelon mint, which was soothing with a slightly sweet, but not overbearing, taste. $3 beers can't be beat, either. Had a great time and will totally go again. read more

The food is great here! No complaints there. My main concern is there employees were not wearing masks while interacting with customers. With Delta infecting more people and with hospitals filling, I greatly appreciate when the wait staff take measures to stop the spread of the virus. I probably won't come back till after pandemic is over. read more

Excelente! Love the food! Go with an empty stomach! Love the variety of meat and other foods! Service is outstanding! Fun for special occasions! read more

Six reviews in, I suppose it's time I award my first five stars to a truly deserving restaurant. I visited Ali Baba's on Main Street, Newark, about a year ago for lunch. I was impressed then and I am again impressed with this Moroccan/Lebanese/Israeli combo of flavor. I am a big fan of the clean, fresh, not-too-heavy flavor this cuisine offers. It's tough finding friends who want to try something outside of the box (the box being your standard and crappy dime-a-dozen chains like Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday's). A friend with whom I'd been out of touch for some time suggested we meet up for some delectables at Ali Baba's tonight; I didn't argue! I arrived a little early and was seated and served a beverage right away. My friend soon followed and she was served just as quickly. We decided on some appetizers, salads, and would share a main. We started with the baba ghannouj, an Arabian dish of mashed eggplant with a variety of seasonings. It had an amazingly smoky and piquant flavor, no doubt imparted by the roasting the eggplant went through. Combined with a good amount of tahini (to give it a gorgeous creamy texture) and lemon juice (to cut through the heaviness of the tahini and eggplant), the only other thing to make this dish jump over the top was the generous drizzle of olive oil on top. The pita served with the baba ghannouj could have been a little warmer, but I'm niggling here. We also ordered the falafel. Now, I've had better falafel, but it generally comes from a city with a population above 1,000,000! For Newark, this falafel was fine. A good, solid crunch on the outside gave way to a tender, savory mix of herbs and chickpeas on the inside. I paired it with some of the carrot and cucumber salad provided along with our main course. With a little yogurt sauce and served on a pita, this was a perfect bite of food. For our main, we ordered the Moroccan chicken in the lemon and olives style. It would be a challenge to write something critical about this dish because the half-chicken we were served was perfect. Even the white meat (as often as it is overcooked) was beautifully tender and required nothing more than a fork to free it from the bone. We also ordered the warm Moroccan eggplant salad, an eggplant-y, tomato-y, garlicky amalgamation of flavor. A flavor, explosion, if you will...the meatiness of the eggplant standing up well to the earthiness of the herbs and spices so inherent in Moroccan cuisine. My friend and I really had an excellent meal. I need to get to Newark more and forget about my severe distaste for its population of obnoxious college kids. If only for restaurants like Ali Baba's, it certainly would make that decision much easier. read more

We've been going to this establishment for a few years now, a quaint, but beautiful restaurant on the main street of the university. Everytime I seem to go, alot has been upgraded to tailor to the needs of their guests which is ever increasing since they first opened. The food, by no means, has not yet been commercialized... or... dare I say, Americanized by the national standard. They serve the right amount for a decent price, and service is very polite and generous. There has never been a time when I felt rushed by our server, as it is mostly understood that this place, among the cushion-clustered seating arrangement and lively middle eastern music with occasional bellydancing, that they'd prefer you to take your time the moment you settle in. The chef is no slouch either. Plate presentation is authentic, and it reminds you to eat with your eyes first but just a few bites of your meal and shared portions from that of your companions is really a treat. The food, by popular vote, is extremely good and has not lost it's cultural presence that is also expressed so creatively in the tapestry, dining furniture and music. When you enter this restaurant, you automatically "feel" like you're embraced in the warm welcome of middle eastern hospitality. So next time, take your date, a few friends or your family and try something new. It'll be worth it. read more

I am sitting here waiting for my food. I don't know where to start. After waiting a bit not knowing what to do, the waiter took me to a table. After 5 minutes he is asking me where are the other two? I said I told you table for one. The place is dirty and I don't know why they got the idea that this is a luxury restaurant. The waiter takes my order and asks if I want to drink a beer. I said only coke and he laughs at me. As you can see I have not got my food yet. So much for a Friday night trying something new. Running a restaurant in not only about the food. No food in sight yet. I asked the waiter after an hour that I want to leave and don't want the food anymore. He asked me if it was my first time and start coming up with all kind of excuses. It took 1 hr and 15 min. for the food to make it to my table. The food was cold and the lamb was like rocks. Yes rocks as in stones. For those of you that likes lamb please take a look at my picture and the lamb here was nothing close to the picture. Sorry my friend. Just to have a good location does not mean you are ok. Try to learn the business. read more

I went back to this place and I was slightly disappointed... thus I am dropping the rating to 3.75. Below are my reasons for deducting stars: 1. Slow service: we had to wait about 25 minutes for our food to come out. We were starving and when I asked our waiter about our appetizer, he just said "Oh, I didn't see it..." and went back into the kitchen. We ordered chicken shawarma and lamb kabab for our entrees and moroccan eggplant salad for our appetizer , so it seems that the service was way too slow for our food. 2. Taste of food: I loved their moroccan eggplant salad, but it was slightly salty today. I am assuming that it is precooked because this dish has that long simmered texture and taste. Moroccan eggplant salad is mashed eggplant simmered in olive oil and special herbs. The sauce almost tastes like something mixed with pepper and tomato, and the texture is extremely soft like pureed baby food. It is called "salad", but it is more like a dip. I really love this dish, and I wonder if it was salty because it was over heated for too long. Still, for $7, I can't complain too much. My biggest disappointment was their lamb shisi kabab. I remembered the meat being very tender, but it was really tough this time. Seasoning was perfect, and loved that oily herb taste on grilled peppers and onions, but the meat itself was dissatisfying. Despite my reduced ratings, I still do like this place. The prices have not changed much at all compared to last 10 years. Their desserts were selling at $1.50 (Baklava)... wa? Are we still in 2014? For college students, I think it is still a wonderful place to go to for a unique ethnic dining experience. For me, maybe I just got older and my palate has upgraded. read more

My friend and I went to Ali Baba based on several recommendations by local Delawarians. Nice place with lots of Middle Eastern arts and designs. What we ordered: 1. Ali Baba's Hommus w/ Pita - $6 2. Spinach Pie - $4 3. Ali Baba's Salad with Feta (Friend) - $7 4. Dajaj Mashwy - Home-style baked chicken - $11 The hommus with Pita was very good. I didn't like the Spinach pie that much because there was a lemon type sourness to it. As for the baked chicken, it was served on a bed of rice with a side of hommus. The baked chicken was so tasty and tender. The meat literally just falls off the bone. Very good dish. Service was good. Would've been nice if they took away the empty dishes. Seemed short staffed that night. Mastercard and Visa only. Free Parking lot in back of restaurant. Update: 09/12/2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Other delicious dishes of note: Raising this place from 4 stars to 5 stars - Baba Ghanuj - $4.00 - Morrocan Chicken (Spicy) - $13.00 - Mujadara (Vegetarian) - $7.00 - Kafta Kabob (Ground Beef) - $11.00 read more

Just the hummus and fatoush salad are worth coming here for! As soon as you're seated you start to forget that you're even in Delaware. The colors, motifs, and seating is nicely done giving a warm, casual, exotic feeling. This is a great place to bring a date, come with friends, or just to have a satisfying meal. Start off with a couple of appetizers (did I mention the hummus and fatoush!). You can't really go wrong with anything on the menu. A very welcomed destination away from the ordinary! read more

I really can't say enough good things about Ali Baba's... I never really realized just how often I came there when I was in college at UD (1998-2002). It must have been a lot more frequently than I remember, because even though I only make the trip to Newark about once or twice a year now, they STILL remember me and treat me like a VIP. Not only do you get 5 star service, but the food and the ambiance is amazing. I was always a fan of Casablanca (their sister restaurant in DE) before Ali Baba's opened, and I certainly didn't think anything could improve on their 7 course meal. Much to my surprise, this restaurant definitely did! Being able to order all of my favorites from Casablanca ala carte AND choose from a ton more dishes really did the trick! Now when I go, I tend to order a bunch of the salads and appetizers and just make a meal of them, but you definitely won't go wrong ordering entrees. It's a great place for a group dinner as well; they are great about taking reservations and the benches and low tables in the back make for a great group setting, plus they don't rush you. They also now have a liquor license, which is pretty awesome. All in all, I have only glowing compliments to give! Ali Baba is one of the few reasons I wish I still lived in Newark... read more

this place is very cute. my boyfriend and i ate here last night and we ordered the veg platter, the carrot salad, and the veg rolls. If you order appetizers - the main platter is big enough to share. The falaffel was tasty and crisp, the hommus was very good, i had a Moroccan tea and also really enjoyed the pickled beets that was more of a garnish but hey - why not! They do have a hookah area that seemed very popular - though i was sitting inside and away from all that smoke. i found out about Ali Baba b/c they catered the Delaware Veg Fest. I seriously LOVED the carrot salad they provided and knew i had to go back! it might seem weird but whatever your diet is - vegan or not the carrot salad is a winning dish. i already want to go back and get it again tonight! I'm docking a star b/c in all honestly the pita bread seemed a little stale / cold / not fluffy - it was somewhat sub par. and also the music was too loud, it was distracting. either way i would go back again for sure - i had a great dinner there. read more

I was excited by the atmosphere walking into Ali Baba- they asked us if we wanted a booth or table. We responded table and were ushered into a very comfortable lounge area- clearly where you used to be able to smoke hookah and lounge about. Opening the menu was, well, disappointing. You see, we had arrived for dinner excepting that dinner in a college town would have reasonably priced options, but despite plenty of cheap "LUNCH AND CARRYOUT ONLY" options, we were stuck with the mostly $12 and up dinner plates. I opted for the beef kabob, and was treated to two large sticks of meat and a massive pile of rice. I found the seasoning on the rice and meat to be unimpressive and bland- but thankfully the yogurt sauce helped me to accentuate my meal. I felt like most of my meal was derived from the basket of seemingly bottomless pita bread. As one of my dining companions just noted out loud, "Maybe we just got the wrong thing". She, like a previous reviewer, got the baba ghanoush- but missed out on her opportunity to be reminded of Seinfeld. read more

Longtime favorite of mine--one of the first restaurants I really liked in Delaware and it's very reliable. The good: Traditional Middle Eastern fare such as kebabs, stuffed grape leaves (dolmas), lentil soup, mjeddara (lentils and rice with caramelized onion), hummus, falafel, shwarma, gyros, and salads. I'm a huge fan of the salads, carrot salad, fatoush (pronounced FAT-TUSH, love that, eh?) and tabbouleh are great. There are MANY vegetarian, even VEGAN options; the lentil soup, the dolmas have no meat, the falafel, hummus with pita bread, some of the salads, mjeddara (if you ask to have them leave off the tatziki yogurt side dish.) They have those tooth-achingly sweet pastries beloved of the Middle East--baklava and lady fingers (rolls of phyllo stuffed with nuts and honey.) Not vegan, the recipe includes a lot of clarified butter brushed on the phyllo. They even have Bastilla, the chicken and scrambled egg pastry in phyllo, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Yes, that sounds WEIRD but you have to try it. The flavors blend and it's one of those "more-ish" (forgive the pun) dishes that make you want to take another and yet another bite. You sit in a Moroccan styled room with the bright but dimly lit decor, couches surrounding the room and the low tables. Mint tea, quite authentic, is served. The Bad: It is not very fast for a seated lunch. The concept of FAST doesn't jibe with this part of the world, where eating out is a party, and meant to be savored. Which is a shame in a way, as I'd eat this every day, every meal if I was close enough and sometimes in the US, speed is of the essence sad to say. But you can call and order ahead for take out or they have some delivery (never tried that, I'm out of their area.) Summary: One of my faves, delish, healthy food, plenty of it and you can take a vegan friend and they will be absolutely satisfied as well. Happy happy. read more