Cancel

Open app

Search

Ali Baba’s Kitchen

4.4 (16 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Order Ali Baba’s Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

ALI BABA’S KITCHEN · YELP ASSISTANT

Ask Yelp Assistant

Ali Baba’s Kitchen Photos

ALI BABA’S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?

You might also consider

More like Ali Baba’s Kitchen

Recommended Reviews - Ali Baba’s Kitchen

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

"Samosas" (with tamarind sauce and chana masala)
Matthew L.

Ali Baba's Kitchen is a Middle Eastern restaurant that opened in Hamden, Connecticut in 2014. It was founded by husband and wife Pakistani immigrants Jamshed and Sobia Khalid. Jamshed worked in the fishing industry as a young man, but dreamed of working in the restaurant business. He came to the United States in 1989 and worked for a vending machine business. He finally entered the food industry in 2000 when he started "Mughali Foods": a food cart that prepared Indian and Pakistani food. In 2003, Jamshed became the owner of Noor Mahal, an Indian restaurant in Orange, but continued to run the food cart. He sold the restaurant three years later to focus exclusively on the food cart operation. He later dubbed it "Ali Baba's Fusion" and shifted the menu to halal Middle Eastern cuisine. At one point, Jamshed even had six Ali Baba food carts operating around New Haven. The Kalids opened a brick & mortar location in Hamden in 2014. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the couple cut down their food cart division to a single cart and put most of the focus on the brick & mortar location which was rebranded as "Ali Baba's Kitchen". The menu was also augmented to focus on healthier food options. A second location opened in North Haven in 2025. My wife and I recently ordered take-out from Ali Baba's North Haven location for New Year's Eve. We had previously sampled food from the Hamden location, as well as their New Haven food cart, but this was our first time getting food from the North Haven location. We were excited to try because it's only a five minute drive from our house. The newer location is nice but it is a bit on the smaller side. I would imagine that most of their business is take-out as opposed to dine-in. I ordered the "Bites Chick Bowl" (lemon chicken & beef gyro served on a base of rice & pita strips, topped w/ lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, chickpeas, cucumbers, feta cheese, drizzled w/ ABK sauce), my wife had the "Running Foodie Bowl" (ginger chicken & chicken kebab on basmati rice & pita strips, topped w/ tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, feta cheese, and ABK sauce), and we also shared some "Samosas" (with tamarind sauce and chana masala). As I've stated in a previous review, we think that the food at Ali Baba's is sensational and we plan to order from them again and again!

Tiffany's good eats bowl
Elizabeth A.

Recently tried Ali Baba's for lunch and already can't wait to return. The restaurant was clean, other than some tables needing to be wiped down. The person that waited on me was very friendly and patient while I decided what I wanted, since it was my first visit. I ordered the lemon chicken and gyro bowl off their specials list of bowls and it was delicious! It was a very short wait for the food and it was delivered hot and fresh. I look forward to going back and trying more menu items.

Mixed basmati rice bowl with lemon chicken and gyro meat
Alex C.

One of our favorite go-to meals in North Haven! We love their lemon chicken and mixed bowls. The service is second to none, with manager, Sai, always going above and beyond to ensure every order is on point and his customers are satisfied. Whether dining in the modern and clean dining room or picking up a to-go order, we've become regulars at this Middle Eastern/South Asian fusion restaurant which consistently provides top-notch quality! 10 out of 10, would highly recommend!

Hummus and pita
Lauren B.

It would be an understatement to say I love Ali Baba's. This is the second time I've had Ali Baba's, and it has been consistently delicious both times! You can't go wrong with the ginger chicken bowl with the rice and salad base. It is so flavorful, and the portions are amazing! I also tried the pita bread with hummus and the baklava, which are must-tries! We placed our order online, and the staff called us immediately asking for clarification to make sure we got exactly what we wanted, and they were very kind and patient. I can't recommend Ali Baba's enough!

My yummy Falafel Sandwich in pita bread with tahini dressing, Salad and Organic Mango Juice.
Laura T.

Ali Baba's Kitchen in North Haven has a great selection of Tasty Mediterranean Food. The place is a nice, clean, small restaurant where you can order from the counter, then sit down to eat or take out.

Order a pita - you won't regret it!
Michelle S.

Ali Baba's just recently opened in North Haven. I had heard good things about their other locations, so I was excited to give it a try. We ordered online for pickup within 15-20 minutes. Ordering was easy and provided lots of options. My daughter and I opted for bowls that you can customize. She ordered the Mixed Combo, which was Lemon Chicken & Beef Gyro. Both proteins were incredibly tender and flavorful. You get to decide from a variety of different preparations including half salad/half basmati rice, over rice only, salad/pita strips as well as other options and add-ons. She chose salad and rice and then selected the additional vegetables she wanted. I went with the Lemon Chicken with a base of sautéed vegetables and basmati rice with some cold veggies on top, including cucumbers, tomatoes, chick peas and black olives. I was unsure if I would like the ABK sauce, so I listed in the special instructions that I would like it on the side. I also added feta for a small additional charge. When we arrived our meal was ready and waiting. We checked the order before we left and I thought mine was wrong because it looked like a salad on top and I didn't see the sautéed veggies. I brought it back up to the counter and the gentleman showed me that the rice and sautéed veggies were underneath and the cold veggies were placed on top, so the only thing that was wrong was they had included lettuce, that I did not ask for. They offered to re-make it, but I said it was not necessary. i was not sure what the sautéed veggies were going to consist of from looking at the photo online. It ended up being mainly carrots, string beans, and broccoli. There mqy have been a bit or cabbage in there as well. The portions were large and satisfying. We also ordered 2 falafel, which were well seasoned and crispy, and 2 pitas, that were warm and fluffy. If you want to dine in, there are a few tables to do so and I wish I took a photo of the interior, as it is very aesthetically pleasing. I strongly suggest giving it a try. We will definitely return.

Lamb Kati Roll

See all

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Susan V.
182
246
299

4 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

15 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

The food and the person working behind counter was great. I had two delicious meals. I am definitely going to return. Highly recommend.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Amazing pita bread and chicken with rice. I recommend trying the baklava it's a sweet desert

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Amazing!! Food was excellent, portions were large, and service was friendly, quick, and helpful.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Ali Baba’s Kitchen

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Middle Eastern 101 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Mamoun's Falafel - Falafel Plate (comes with 2 pita bread)

Mamoun's Falafel

3.7(638 reviews)
8.1 mi
•$$

Came in around 4 pm on a Saturday. There were two people eating, and one other person who came in…read moreto pick up food. I walked in and a worker greeted me, confirmed I was getting to go because I walked up to the ordering screens. I got a chicken sandwich, pita chips, and baklava, which came out to around $30. Then chips come with either hummus or baba ganoush, and I didn't write down when I ordered which I wanted so they asked me. The restaurant was a nice and casual place to eat with some outdoor seating, but I opted to go and my food was ready probably 10 min later. The pita chips were freshly made! Really hot. I got baba ganoush which was good and lemon and garlic heavy. The chicken sandwich was also good, a ton of hummus, and possibly heavy on the dill? Chicken was well flavored and well cooked. The baklava I got was huge, maybe twice the size of baklava I'm used to eating. So happily consumed that. Overall good place with reasonable priced and tasty food!

Very tasty, great patio, friendly vibes…read more I came here to get falafel, but I saw that they have mujadara, which I love. So I ordered that and then just a couple of falafel balls to taste. The mujadara was very yummy. A little oily but that's a dish I love and you can't find it everywhere. The falafel was tasty too, although the individual balls came without any tahina, so I imagine it would taste better a little moister. Overall, the patio was a great surprise, especially when you think that the outside seating is just the tables in the front. And my dish was yummy.

Photos
Mamoun's Falafel - Seating

Seating

Mamoun's Falafel - Falafel Sandwich

Falafel Sandwich

Mamoun's Falafel - Back patio. They also have some simple tables in front

See all

Back patio. They also have some simple tables in front

Saray Turkish Restaurant - Chicken Rice Soup

Saray Turkish Restaurant

4.4(295 reviews)
10.5 mi
•$$

Needed to get a group lunch in West Haven. Placed my order online around 10:30 before they open for…read morepickup at 11:30. Parking lot is open and easy, and I walked in and they had my food ready to go immediately! They asked if I needed utensils but I said no I was fine. We ordered a mix of wraps and sandwiches and I would recommend the sandwiches for sure, they're really filling! Particularly the chicken was great, flavorful! People who got the lamb seemed less excited about the meat. Also got some baklava which was also good. Will be back to try some of their other items!

The service is quick, and the location is nice inside with on-site parking…read more I felt as though this time around our quality of meat was a little worse. The kofte lacked seasoning, in the past I remember it being flavorful and juicy, but it lacked salt and was a bit dry and crumbly. The chicken shish kebab was very well marinated and most pieces were cooked perfectly, melted in your mouth! However, there were a couple pieces that I can best describe as rubbery and tough. It looked cooked inside, but it could not easily be cut with a knife or bit into, and it made a weird "rubbery" sound as I bit into it. I think this is not a cooking issue, but rather maybe the quality of the chicken breast? The pieces that were good were really good. The mixed cold appetizers were good, a nice size to share with 2-3 people, and the warm bread and butter is always a delight. I'm not sure if today was just a fluke due to the meat batch or if the cooking style has genuinely changed (it's been quite a few years since my last visit). Perhaps the Adana kebab would have been better as it is a ground meat. Our waitress was friendly, and we thought the portion sizes were good

Photos
Saray Turkish Restaurant
Saray Turkish Restaurant - Mercimek Corbasi: Lentil Soup

Mercimek Corbasi: Lentil Soup

Saray Turkish Restaurant - Falafel Pita Wrap

See all

Falafel Pita Wrap

Turkish Kebab House - Kenefe

Turkish Kebab House

4.3(140 reviews)
9.9 mi
•$$

Haven't been in some time and just went and was incredibly satisfied. First off, they updated their…read morelook and it is so modern, sleek and clean looking!! Staff is as friendly as always and food-made with pride and attention and you taste it in every bite! We started off with the mixed cold appetizers which consisted of hummus, babagannoush, haydari (yogurt mixed with dill, garlic, walnuts and oil), patlican (cold salad of cubed egg, peppers, garlic and an incredible tasty tomato sauce), antep ezme (cold salad of tomatoes, hot peppers and bell peppers, parsley, garlic, walnuts), havuc tarator (carrot salad dip)-all delicious! And their bread, moist yet crispy but so good! Main courses consisted of Chicken Shish, marinated chicken grilled as kabobs served with 2 types of rice-husband LOVED it and this type of food is really not his jam but he was in heaven. I had the yogurtlu kebab with lamb adana-fabulous! So much food in both platters that we had leftovers for another meal and so healthy but yet so decadent! Dessert consisted of their rice pudding which is a homerun and revani which worked together fabulously as it took some sweetness away from the revani. Cannot wait to go back-everything on their menu looks delicious and would love to go with a great big party so that everything can be tried and devoured. If you are in the neighborhood, try them-you will not be disappointed and this food travels exceptionally well so great option for take out!

Good solid Turkish restaurant. Had the cold appetizer sampler, which is a great way to try several…read moredifferent mezzes. The labneh was a standout as was the shredded carrot dip. Easy location with ample parking. Definitely recommend.

Photos
Turkish Kebab House - Beautifully updated and comfy ambiance

Beautifully updated and comfy ambiance

Turkish Kebab House - Oops-dessert...yeah, clearly the rice pudding and the soaked spongecake were pretty darn tasty

Oops-dessert...yeah, clearly the rice pudding and the soaked spongecake were pretty darn tasty

Turkish Kebab House - Dinner special entree of ground lamb with peppers and spices made into kabobs-sooooo delish

See all

Dinner special entree of ground lamb with peppers and spices made into kabobs-sooooo delish

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place

4.6(168 reviews)
8.2 mi
•$$

I ordered takeout and it was absolutely delicious. It arrived really hot too. The falafel was…read morecrunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The hummus was legit and so was the TAMARI. I enjoyed this meal thoroughly. I was brought promptly and hot.

It was my first time here. My better half has been here quite a few times in the past, and always…read morespoke highly of it. Mediterranean is not my jive but it seemed like a good spot for a date night. Seemed. We were seated quickly, which was nice. It wasn't what I'd consider busy, but apparently it was busy for them on this particular night of service. Took about 15min from the time we were seated to have our order taken. Better half says it is usually more calming and intimate. Tonight absolutely was not that. It gives... Starbucks, if it served Mediterranean food... like, no coffee. With teacup candles. Real ones. (fire code???) I ordered the wings, with low expectations. Anyone that knows me and my heart also knows how I feel about a good wing. These wings were not that. They came out looking exactly how I anticipated them to based on what I saw in previous reviews (and the item description, which, shockingly, was painfully accurate) -- sad, and beige. First bite revealed various shades of pink, although the skin was seasoned nicely. I'm partial against this style of chicken wing so its hard for me to give it any credit... moving on. I also had the chicken kebab sandwich... which isn't really a sandwich. Its more of a ... gyro? I liked it. The chicken in the sandwich was really nice. Cooked well, definitely cooked better than the wings. Wish the cuts/pieces were smaller though. It was nice and hot, but also kind of wet, I guess from steam? It came wrapped in sort of a parchment paper, that was also wet. And the closer I got to the end, the more liquid dripped out from the bottom. Water mixed with tomato, other spices and whatnot... it wasn't pretty. I got less and less interested as I made progress. Better half got the Merguez Kebab Sandwich/gyro thing. Similar to my Chicken Kebab, the cuts of meat were huge however it was just hard to come to terms with the notion that they were each fully cooked through, and it was also... wet. More wet than my Chicken Kebab. She didn't finish it, and I don't blame her. The hummus was nice. The pita was hot and fresh. You could see some of the char from the skillet it was made in, which was nice. Unfortunate that either are individual at-cost appetizers (although looking at my receipt, I can infer that the first pita was included with the hummus as I was only charged for one and we had two). I don't think I will be returning there on my own volition. Maybe tonight was a bad night, and that happens sometimes. The staff were certainly nice, and considering it was a Saturday evening, the volume of patrons is worth appreciation. It wasn't rowdy, the music was nice, the ceiling fan blades passing over one of the ceiling lights drove me crazy a little bit, but it is a nice place. I'm just a little let down that this was how my Saturday night dinner went. I'm still hungry, dawg. There was also a woman in scrubs(?) or some sort of inpatient-wear that walked past the restaurant outside, locked eyes with the folks at a table, smiled and waved, and slowly meandered away until she came back to walk in the other direction. Not sure what that was about, but its typical New Haven shit. Stranger things have happened, lol! TLDR if you're not super picky/sensitive about your food and you're a big (gotta be big) fan of Mediterranean Fusion food, I absolutely recommend RAWA. Otherwise... hard pass -- for me, at least. Respectfully.

Photos
RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Inside

Inside

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Moussaka

Moussaka

RAWA Mediterranean Fusion, Middle Eastern Food, Pizza Place - Exterior

See all

Exterior

Ali Baba’s Kitchen - mideastern - Updated November 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...