Alibaba is probably the oldest Turkish restaurant in the Albany area, and it recently got a nice upgrade -- from the furniture to the serving plates and menus. The place feels much more modern and inviting now. Our family especially enjoys the beyti kebab, the güveç, and their pide. I haven't tried the pizza yet, but since their pide is very good, I imagine the pizza would also be solid. For me though, the real highlight at Alibaba is the mezze. In Turkish cuisine, grilled meats and kebabs are almost always enjoyed with a variety of mezze. They might technically be sides, but they're a big part of the whole experience. These days there are several Turkish kebab places in the area, but none of them offer a wide selection of fresh, house-made mezze like Alibaba does. At many places you're lucky if you find one or two options, often just a basic ezme. At Alibaba you'll find around ten different mezze and each one tastes distinct and freshly made. Every time I tell myself I'll just take a little... and somehow I end up filling a big mezze plate. Honestly, even when we grill at home, our motivation is picking up mezze from Alibaba to go with it. I'm not sure if it gets the credit it deserves, but don't skip the mezze here -- you'd be missing out. In fact, start with the mezze and figure out the rest later :)) read more

Ali Baba - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

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So so so delicious! We are visiting from NYC and so happy Ali Baba was opened despite the snow storm; the staff were so friendly and the food was phenomenal! We had my 3 yr old son with us who was a little loud but they never made us feel unwelcome which is always a relief! Will def come back next time we are in town; wish there was one in queens near my neighborhood!! read more

Ali Baba - A little bit of everything - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

Ali Baba had been on my must-try list for a year, and we finally made it! It definitely lives up to the hype--authentic, delicious Mediterranean food. Every dish we tried was incredible. For appetizers, I really enjoyed their lavash bread, and their white halal sauce was my favorite. I actually preferred it over their hummus. Seeing their wood-fired pizza oven, we had to try a couple of pizzas. We ordered the Ali Baba's White and the Doner Kebab pizza. Both were delicious, but we all agreed that the Ali Baba's White was the standout. I don't typically go for white pizza, but since one of our friends can't eat marinara, we gave it a shot--and I would absolutely return just for that pizza. It was ooey, gooey, the onions added a perfect crunch, and the flavors were just chef's kiss. I was craving a wrap, so I went for the beef wrap/dürüm, packed with beef, Ali Baba's white sauce, and onions. The portion was huge, so I had leftovers for lunch the next day. My boyfriend enjoyed his mixed kebab dish as well. The food was fantastic, and I definitely need to come back to try their baklava! I also loved that you could watch the staff cooking--especially the guy making the bread. There's plenty of seating, and service was quick. Just keep in mind that parking is street-side only. Can't wait to visit again! read more

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Summary: Best Turkish I've ever had. My friend was talking about it all night. Open a branch near my house. The long story: I was up in Troy and asked my friend to pick. He knows I'm a foodie and threw out a few ideas. Ali Baba stuck with me because the Turkish here in Essex/Morris, NJ have gone belly-up in recent years. Plus their menu had foods I've never eaten. Here we go! First impression: What a lovely place. Wide open inside. You can see the whole oven and kitchen area. Right as we walked in, a waiter came by with a giant food tray and I said, "I have to eat whatever that is." Turns out that is lavash and yes, it's coming to your table with pretty much anything you order. Handmade, oven-baked bread, fresh and toasted with seeds in that oven, brought right out to your table and you can then dig in to dip into sauces, appetizers (I tried five, all 5 stars), soups... My only regret is that my main order came with lavash as well and I could have pushed for another one to come by. But my stomach didn't have room for more. Because this place = i/8. I could not stop enjoying the delicious apps. The bread. The stew - which honestly, is pretty much solid cheese soaked delicious meats and veggies, and not at all a soup-type to eat with a spoon. Oh, that cheese and that meat. My friend actually liked his dish so much HE was talking about it all night - and he's not a foodie. I wish we had room for dessert. I will have to come back again (preferably every few hours) next time I'm up this way. And, as noted above, pressure them to open a second location down this way so I can indulge every week/day. read more

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Came here to get wraps to go and had a great experience. They were hot and ready on time. The guys working were friendly and the food tasted wonderful as well. I'd love to come back the next time I'm in town. read more

Ali Baba - Chicken Wrap - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

Food and service. Discovered this place 10 years ago when my son went to RPI.. the food was excellent then and it is just as excellent now.. quality is maintained and more choices. Really excellent kebab - ordered Adena (lamb &beef) kebab .. it's so good.. there appetizer where you select 5 or 10 different vegetarian choices that comes with freshly baked Lavash bread. And tszasiki... Prices are very reasonable.. if you have not tried a Mediterranean Halal food, this is the place to go.. you will be hooked.. I started 10 years ago and try to find ways to visit this place even if it is 7 hours away.. been to other Mediterranean places, but this unassuming place is worth a visit.. I see how their walls are adorned with those accolades for the best in the region.. read more

Enjoyed five salads from the showcase, with lavash bread freshly baked in their oven: grape leaves, eggplant salad, carrot salad, celery root salad, giant beans. My favorite was the beans. I could see from the display case that all these appetizers looked fresh. Tried veggie Iskender entree. It was OK but not my thing. Many reviewers recommend the Iskenders. Very affordable meal. Tables well spaced; A/C worked well on a very hot day. read more

Ali Baba - Salad display case. - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

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This restaurant is a halal Turkish restaurant which serves various kebabs and wraps. Bread and the white sauce dip is complimentary with an order of an entree without bread. The bread and sauce is delicious and fresh! I enjoyed it more than my main dish. The eggplant kebab and iskendar kebab was decent. I prefer the iskendar. The eggplant kebab was a mix of meat and eggplant. There wasn't much eggplant which could also use more flavor. read more

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I came here per recommendation from my relative. Right before I walked in, I could smell the food in between the double doors. The waiter sat us down and brought out a large bread with a yogurt sauce. I ordered a lamb guvech and it was very tasty. The lamb was tender and seasoned well. I highly recommend it. read more

Ali Baba - Lamb - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

This place has the most wonderful salads and dips I have ever tasted at a Mediterranean restaurant. The bread is the perfect complement; tear some off, dip, taste! It is that simple! read more

The food is always good, really good! The service is always friendly and helpful whether you are eating in, or ordering out! It's a family place, and nobody goes there for the ambiance or the wine :-) read more

Ali Baba is the definition of a hidden gem! I wish I knew about Ali Baba sooner, everything we ordered was delicious and reasonably priced and the staff was super friendly! They even had pizza for the picky eaters in our group! We will definitely be back next time we're in Troy! read more

Best mediterranean/Turkish food in the 518!! The sampler platter with the hot lavosh is what I dream of on the daily! Such a hidden gem!!

We recently found out this little gem in Troy and have been a fan of this place since that day. From food to service everything is just top notch. Do try their lavash bread with the garlic dip, shessh kebab and Adana Kebab. Also, this is the only place in capital region which serves Kunafa. So don't miss it! Highly recommended! read more

This is hands down our favorite place in the area! Everything here is delicious. We always order a small plate of mezze - which is big enough for 3-4 ppl to share. My go-to is the iskender kebab - but you can't really go wrong with anything. The service is always great. The servers are nice and very efficient. We also never had a problem finding street parking. Highly recommend!! read more

Ali Baba - Adana Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

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I absolutely loved the food here. It looked mouthwatering and tastes just as good as it looked. I had takeout and came a little late and the food was still very warm and tasted amazing. This place is located in Troy and there's plenty of parking near the area. Service from the staff were great. They were super friendly and helped me pick the right item when I called to order takeout. Only issue for me was the pricing, it felt a bit too high on certain items but if that's not an issue for you then by all means make sure to try this place out. read more

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Before the Snowmageddon / Snow Squals this weekend, I drove the 30 minutes from my Work From Home to Troy for Ali Baba. I needed some healthy grazing snacks (dip), besides craving their flavors and juicy marinated kebab meats. This is one of THE top places that I've missed, since getting a new job outside of the great food options of downtown Troy. AND this restaurant isn't even in downtown, but 10 minutes up the hill near RPI. I've lived most of my adult life in NYC and recently traveled to Istanbul, and the quality of freshness of this restaurant hits all those points. Apparently their Carrot Salad is famous in Troy. JUST ask around the locals and you will hear these whispers of "Ali Babba" is SO GOOD. People speak of it like a religious experience, but can't spare the details. It is really this unassuming GEM, on busy 15th Street, not far from McDonald's, an Irish Pub, and Mumu's Pastry (a new also tasty Turkish-owned bakery). JUST GO. Especially if you're ok with garlicky yogurt sauces/dairy. Or if you never tried, this is the place to try this sauce. The star of the restaurant is the giant oven. Not sure if it's the same as wood-fired, but it seems like any type of bready thing that goes in there, any meat thing on the grill, the cooks have figured out how to make everything tastes good! And then all of the cold salads / mezze dips are the perfect compliments to them. The intro gateway dish can be the Chicken Durum (ie. Grilled Chicken in a FRESH wrap) No joke, it's 12" long & 4" wide. Easily 2 meals for $8. With tomato lettuce, chop cucumbers, red onion, garlic dill white sauce. And you can ask for spicy sauce too. The cubed chicken is juicy & tender. Kofta (a seasoned meatball filling) is good also, the beef/lamb (regular gyro) is just okay for me. Maybe I went on off days, a bit dry & grisly. WHAT is that GIANT puff ball pita bread that everyone has at their table? Levash with dill garlic yogurt dip $8. Just do it! Especially If you're eating with others. I brought the extra dip home & spread it on everything. Too bad it doesn't come with a few dips, as listed on old menus. But next up, order a Small Sampler Platter $6 to go with the Levash. This is 'not small at all.' 3-4 tablespoons of each. Think coleslaw, but better... I usually get: -Celery Root Salad (refreshing, never had celery root before) -Giant Bean Salad (in a garlicky tomato sauce. I think it's Fava Bean) -Carrot Salad -Chemen (a thick tomato paste/spread with I think pine nuts and herbs mixed in) -2 Grape Leaves I'm not a fan of eggplant, but I'm sure those dips are great there. Hummus is nice, but I'd rather have dishes that aren't as easily accessible. There's one diced tomato & pepper dip that just reminds me of salsa/pico de gallo FYI. If you're not sure, just go to the case and the staff will show you the dips. The Dinner / Rice Plates are just as tasty, with large portions, fresh little salad, garlic yogurt sauces. I've had Chicken Kebab and Kofta. The Veggie one is ok, with some kind of tofu product & vegetables. Tried a Pide once, like an open-faced calzone, it was good. This item is heavy and needs sharing. Had a Aryan Yogurt Drink, like a watery "healthy" yogurt drink. My Turkish friend swears that yogurt cures every health ailment that there is. If it is isn't obvious by now, yogurt is that tiny addition in every part of their menu, and I'm perfectly fine with that. PS. They don't have coffee or serve Turkish Coffee (3x espresso). The ambience is casual, with beautiful artifacts on the walls. The staff is friendly & patient in explaining things. I once asked where I can buy a fluted black tea cup, like I drank out of in Turkey & we did deep google research because he drives to the grocery, but needed to translate the name. There's a steady stream of RPI staff and students that come in and Turkish customers. But surprisingly mostly a lot of non-Turkish customers. Ali Baba is one of my top five favorite restaurants in the Capital Region. I hope you enjoy this find. read more

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Food tasted great and they were very friendly- didn't have to wait long for food. Servings were generous

The portions were half the size and it used to be 6 months ago. I keep asking for the Greek salad dry with dressing on the side they didn't addressing and they gave me the wrong order twice the last two times I ordered.. doordash reimbursed me this company and restaurant has gone down it used to have great food and great service but now the portions are half the size they used to be and their food is dry now. I just spent $95 and gave a $15 tip and when I got home I realized again I shouldn't order from them again so now I think they lost my business permanently. read more

Ali Baba is a family favorite! The lavash and yogurt as the starter is a huge hit with us. I love the chicken curry and often enjoy leftovers for lunch. The staff are always friendly. I recommend this spot to anyone who asks me where to go :) read more

Great food! Great service! Friendly! Parking in front of restaurant and very quick service.

went here last night for dinner and was not really happy with my meal. I had a lamb gyro which was nothing like a gyro. It wasn't horrible but not up to my expectations. I also got the lamb chops. They were not as fresh tasting as I expected. It was not horrible but just not great for the great reviews this place gets. I would choose somewhere else for my Mediterranean food. read more

The meze dishes are excellent, the lavash bread is soft and fresh, and the ayran is delicious. The kebab and lahmacun are also very good. With friendly staff, the service is fast and attentive. read more

The wraps (Duram) are so tasty. The staff is friendly and the service is fast. I can't believe it took me so long to visit this diamond in the ruff. read more

Delicious Turkish food, friendly service. We started with an appetizer sampler of 5 items, eggplant salad, roasted red peppers, hummus, a salad with hot peppers, and two stuffed grape leaves. It was served with a lavash - see photo- sort of like a giant, puffed up pita, that was perfect for scooping up the apps. We then ordered a medium pizza, a kebab sampler and a kofta stew. Everything was shared, and everything was delicious! 3 slices of pizza and about half the stew went home with our friend. We shared a small piece of baklava 3 ways, and it was very sweet and very good. No alcohol served so my companions had water and I had unsweetened ice tea, which was made there. I also ordered a rice pudding to go, which I will eat later today. We got to Ali Baba around 5:45 on a Friday afternoon and had no trouble parking on the street. There were 2 or 3 other groups there when we got there, but by the time we left, it was full! Lots of families there. The open oven where they make the lavash, etc, was very hot - and really cool. Take a minute to watch the process - it's interesting We loved it there and plan to return, for sure. In fact, I'm joining another friend there Monday night Bill for everything for all 3 of us - and we would have been full and totally satisfied with less - was about $80. read more

Ali Baba - Lavash, served with most meals. Delicious, as was everything else we at here! - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

The food was awesome. Plenty of it. Giant white bean appetizer was to die for. We had lamb and eggplant kebabs. Wish I lived here! read more

This is a MUST try in Troy, NY. I'm a person who needs variety. But this place is good I actually went here two nights in a row! FOOD: -chicken iskander was lovely. In a yummy tomato based sauce -I loveeeeed the durum sandwich. It's HUGE - almost like a foot long subway sandwich but made with freshly made pita bread with tasty marinated chicken pieces and a homemade white sauce. -the hummus was classic and good -the lavash bread was so so fresh and perfect They have a wood fire oven! Does it get any better than that?! And so many of their dishes utilize the oven. I think the community and family centered vibes here really set it apart. I've seen the owner and workers sit down with patrons. The workers are all so nice and seem very happy to be making and sharing yummy food. read more

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The most authentic tasting Mediterranean food I've ever had in the US! The lavash bread is to die for with its exquisite pairing with the garlic tzatziki dip. read more

Delicious food, great variety, good sized portions. Really, what more can one want? We stayed at the Marriott and had it delivered. Worked so well for us. Again, simply delicious. I had a lamb wrap with extra meat, my spouse enjoyed a small 5 salad (you get to pick what you want for each salad-grape leaves, hummus, etc) , and a really good chicken shwarm (not sure it was called that). Troy has become an impressive place for visitors, just sayin' read more

Amazing service and the food is out of this world If you hadn't had a chance, I would definitely recommend this read more

Simply awesome. Great service clean restaurant and superb food. Chicken curry for me and chicken kabab for my honey. Lavash from the oven and tzatziki and ezme. We were visiting our son and when we come back to Troy we will be back! read more

Went in and seated right away. They were definitely very busy, but that didn't stop service with a smile ! Our server was a one man show! Didn't miss a beat nor our attention. He definitely had a grip on all tables. Started off with a pick 5. Came with a large ( they call it a small ) lavash bread. From the white beans, to the stuffed grape leaves to the eggplant salad, emus and red pepper salad, we dove in ! All delicious ! I had the mixed grill platter. Huge portion. I did ask if I could have my lamb on the rare side but I know from previous turkish dining they have a problem with rate. Well I got perfectly well done, lol. Still tasty and tender. Took home a lentil soup for my daughter. My husband went with the Meat lovers Pide. He loved it. All and all, I can't wait to go back ! Yup it was good ! read more

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This is a simple restaurant with awesome and authentic food. The serving portion is liberal. The food is very flavorful. I loved the lavash bread they served right after we were seated. It came fresh out of the oven steaming. Nothing can beat that! The service was excellent, with the waiter taking time to explain the difference between the Syrian recipe versus what is generally sold as "Middle Eastern" food. I would visit this restaurant every time I visit my daughter who goes to school in the Troy area. read more

happy to have found this place. the food is excellent and authentic. the Lavash comes out crispy and steamy sooo good! loved the Lamajune reminded me of Istanbul! the staff is friendly and efficient, and the place is super clean and comfortable. absolutely check this place out! cok guzel read more

Ali Baba - Doner Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

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I stopped in Tuesday night after memorial day. I tried to place an order earlier and thought I did sense it let me select. The chicken islander with four piece baklava as a treat. Turns out the phone would allow me to try to place an order, but because the cell service went out on me, it wasn't placed correctly. The staff there was gracious enough to order for me there and in minutes, I was on my way. The chicken islander was very tasty and along with the cabbage and onions was a very delicious fitting meal and reasonably priced as well. The baklava was very good. Thank to the staff of Ali Baba for helping me that evening. Well done! read more

I like the food at Ali Baba. I like eating rice with either chicken sheesh and/or Adana kofta kebab. I also like their bread.

My tastes have changed over the past five years. I have come to appreciate more vegetables, especially roasted red peppers. I can't get enough of them. When my wife suggested we come here for date night, I quickly agreed. It isn't a terribly large restaurant, but it is well lit and you can see into the bread oven area. The staff are very friendly. I have been here before, and their Lavash bread stands out in my mind as being huge and wonderfully tasty. I think I probably had gyros in the past, which is pretty safe for me, but wanted to try some new things on our recent visit. And that meant actually studying their menu. We started off by doing the sampler where you get five side dishes or dips and some Lavash bread. I picked the carrot salad and the white beans, and my wife picked the roasted red pepper dip, the tomato dip, and the stuffed grape leaves. Now here is where my ignorance really shows: in the past I have seen these in their display case and not known what they were, so I passed. Online menus list their Arabic or Turkish names, but don't say what they are, so I pretty much ignored them. Only by reading the paper menus did I see how many flavorful ingredients went into each one. I have been missing out on them for years because I didn't know what they were! I will never get those years back. The roasted red pepper dip was a stand-out favorite. It was so flavorful and salty. The tomato dip was like this tomato paste with hot peppers and spices, and I really enjoyed that one when it was spread on the Lavash. The carrot salad was pretty tasty but my mind kept saying "hey, this tastes nothing like carrot Jello salad" after each bite. The white beans were good, and I would order them again, but they were a bit more mild. I ordered the chicken Iskender as my entree, which is chicken in a tomato sauce with cabbage and onions piled on the side. I had them hold the onions. When it arrived, it wasn't bad. Surprisingly, there was cubed white bread masquerading as chicken. I didn't mind it, though when I shared some with my wife I was actually giving her bread instead of chicken. She thought it was better, actually! The sauce was nice but after eating the strong flavors in their pepper and tomato dips it was a bit of a let down. Had I started off with it, my story would be different. I really liked the cabbage, which was more like cold, pickled vegetables. The rice was super flavorful, no doubt because of all of the salt and/or butter contained therein. When everything was combined in pieces of Lavash... yum! I eat a lot of chick peas, peppers, and tomatoes at home for lunch so this meal gave me some great ideas to mix things up. In the future, I think I might try and make my own meal by picking sides and seeing if I can order meat separately (without the rice and stuff) to make a killer wrap that I will design. I can't wait to come back! read more

Stopped again, on move in day. Having a hard time deciding on what to order, I want it all. read more

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TLDR: every town needs a Turkish place like this They make their own bread. There are spits of meat going on. Food is delicious and reasonably priced. Would easily make this a regular place if I lived here. read more

A great selection of Turkish food, friendly staff. Strongly recommend the lavash with the appetizer sampler as a starter course, but we've enjoyed all we've had here: iskander, kebab, etc. On street parking, but we never have had to park more than 1/2 block away. read more