Located at 6378 Thompson Road in East Syracuse, the Middle Eastern eatery Ali Baba offers a variety of halal food prepared fresh, from mixed-grill skewers and gyros to chicken shawarma on top of rice or in a sandwich. The restaurant also serves chicken wings and tenders, seasonal soups, tabbouleh, falafel, hummus, and jalapeño poppers, and a couple of its walls are lined with pre-packaged candy. There's also a selection of cakes and smoothies, with flavors of the latter including strawberry, mango pineapple and banana. Kaib Saleh, who goes by the nickname Adam and runs the restaurant with his brother Shihab and their Jordanian business partner Alaa, says he opened Ali Baba because he likes to share all the different Arabic and Middle Eastern food there is to offer, plus the sweet stuff too. The establishment had converted what was briefly intended to be a smoke shop into the sweets section to give off more of a family-friendly and kid-appropriate atmosphere. Starting out, the business was meant to be a convenience store with a carry-out deli, but when the owners noticed that people were sitting down to eat at the chairs and tables used for the grand opening, the trio decided to take out the shelves and pay the extra licensing fee to properly turn their place into a sit-down restaurant with takeout and delivery options. I work in East Syracuse and have driven by Ali Baba every day since it's been opened and thought "I gotta get lunch there one day." I love Mediterranean food, so I decided it was time. I was able to easily order online on their website, and went with the simple chicken over rice combo to try them out. There's a small parking lot to park in, and this isn't an extremely busy section of the city, so there's always open parking spots. Went in and my food was not ready yet. The girl at the counter didn't tell me my food wasn't ready, just took my name and walked over to ask and then stood waiting for it, but she seemed pretty shy so no big deal. It's very nice inside, not at all what I was expecting, with several tables to sit and eat, and a couple tables outside to eat at as well. My food was ready about 5-10 minutes after I arrived. I decided to just eat thee at one of the outside tables, as it was a bright sunny day outside. Everything was tasty, although I could've used a little more of the white garlic sauce personally, and it was enough food to feed me twice. Prices were comparable to similar other restaurants in the area. What I love about the place is that it's open 24/7. I honestly am almost never out late at night, or even near the area other than for work, but I like knowing that if I ever were, there is a place I could go to to get fresh cooked, delicious food at any time, in an age where there are very few late night food establishments open anymore. I definitely plan to go back and try other stuff. read more

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I like the ambiance and the positivity of this place. Fresh fruits abound for the smoothies. People are very friendly and joke with each other creating a warm atmosphere. The food had good flavor and was fresh according to my son who was working a double as a local manager unable to leave his store. The downfall was the missing tzatziki I had asked for extra of after verifying they had it. Will give em another try and they owe me some tzatziki sauce!! read more

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When you get to Ali Baba the smokiness of their meats strikes you right away. The restaurant has a solid menu - nothing overly ambitious, just the right amount of stuff to be made in exquisite confidence. They have a smoothie bar - and it's the real thing: truly natural and rich smoothies. Additionally they have have a huge candy selection. The location is quiet, between a campus of several hotels and the more commercial parts of Syracuse. It's a nice place to get away for a bit. The chicken shawarma was great, rich in taste, abundant in meat. The beef shawarma was great too - the meat portion was a bit smaller but the taste was great too. The falafel was among the best you could have - sometimes falafel can have a dry texture but these are just right. The soft drinks were a tad pricey... but the food was well priced. The service was great. Polite and enthusiastic about their food. read more

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I've only tried their chicken over rice, lamb over rice, and shawarma.. either through Uber Eats or from their cart at Syracuse University. The food definitely hits the spot and the portions are generous, which makes the price feel worth it. Great option for a filling and flavorful meal. read more

I've ordered a hamburger from them twice, but it took forever to get my food. I called to ask about it, but they didn't provide any help.

I've been here twice, both times were solid 4's. Service is friendly, enthusiastic, and invested in making your food like you want it. They're really easy to get along with, and there are multiple things like pies that aren't on the menu that they can make. They seem pretty authentic in that the dishes are full of spices and flavors uncommon in American-ized restaurants, with very little sugar-sweet flavors. I found the zatar pie well made, but it's blend of lemon was too much for my palate. However, the shish kebabs were really nice and not at all dry like some restaurants. I'll be back to explore the menu. Next time I'll try the egg pie in the morning, since they're 24-7. read more

Ali Baba Restaurant - Zatar Pie - Middle Eastern Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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2/8/25, 6:30pm - the weakest seekh kabob sandwich I had. Skinny one. Compared to other Arab locations I felt the difference in sandwich volume! $11 sandwich, looks like for the money and the quantity read more

I have waited my order delivery for 2 hours and when I called them they did not even cared about the situation.

very good Middle Eastern food so delicious I'll try a couple times in a really good I recommended all the time read more

Fresh, friendly and unfussy. Smoothies are made with fresh fruit, not preprocessed, organic and no junk. I also had a mixed grilled skewer and the meats were perfectly seasoned and neither overdone nor underdone. Staff was very friendly and eager for our business...we will come again and again and again! read more

Best Mediterranean food I have ever had & I've been to Greece, Turkey, & eaten in all types of Mediterranean US & Canada restaurants for years!! Don't hesitate to try this place! I had the Chicken Shawarma pita dinner & it came with Fries done to perfection, tomato cucumber salad & delicious hummus. Can't wait to go back! read more

Their cornbread is amazing and the staff is welcoming! Additionally, you can see them make the food in front of you.

very bad, they took really long for a single order also made alot of mistakes, and we found black hair in the food we threw it away, i would not recommended it. Overall this is shit. Y read more

This restaurant may not look like much but the food is definitely fresh and delicious. The kitchen was very clean. The gentleman at the counter was very nice and gave great customer service. But the food was authentic, delicious, and fresh. Very casual very fast like fast food- but full restaurant quality food read more

Ali Baba Restaurant - Shawarma Chicken Dish Shawarma Chicken Dish - Middle Eastern Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Great food and service! Mango smoothie was elite. The staff loves what they do. Great experience

Stole my money refused to give me entire order. Very rude and under cooked what we did get.

Very friendly service, delicious, authentic middle eastern food. And they're open all night, come try it out!