Absolutely Delicious! Do not be afraid, authentic Turkish Mediterranean. Just brought my son who is a steak and potatoes kind of guy! His one word to describe the food.. Epic!!! read more

Great Turkish food for the area! They have a great selection and after trying 5 or 6 different meals at the restaurant I can't say I have been disappointed once. The staff is always very friendly and the food arrives in a timely manner. We had a larger group for one of my visits and the staff was more than accommodating. The food still arrived very quickly and it did not seem like a hassle at all. read more

Wonderful Turkish Mediterranean restaurant! We ordered the Chicken Curry and Chicken Sheesh and a bowl of the lentil soup. They brought a complimentary lavash (big hollow bread puff with sesame seeds) and some yogurt tzatziki sauce. Everything was delicious - as always. We love having this delicious cozy restaurant nearby and look forward to future visits! read more

Had a conference at the Hilton. There was no way I was eating lunch at the hotel Restaurant. I drove north and found a diner. The Yelp reviews were less than stellar. I looked for a higher rated place and found this place. It was amazing. Got a salad with chicken (get the chicken). The bread that came with it was amazing. I'll be back!! www.scottrichardsrealestate.com read more

This will probably be my shortest and most cryptic review. When I say this is the greatest restaurant in the Capital District my basis is simple. If I was on my way to the electronic chair my last meal would be as follows: 1 large lavash 1 Mixed Plate 1 Meat Pide If you don't know what these are or you haven't been to Ali Baba, you have just been enlightened. Now what are you waiting for!!! read more

I'm basking in the warmth of Ali Baba leftovers while I write this, so excuse me if I'm glowing. I usually get takeout from this place, so I can't speak to the service. The times I have dined in, it's been fine and I had nothing to complain about. Foodwise, this place is five stars, absolutely. I will say that getting takeout denies you the pleasure of the full lavash experience. They'll give you nice, fresh, warm pita if you get takeout, but it's completely unlike the huge, magical, puffy bread you will get eating in the restaurant. My wife and I will frequently get the large dip platter, which is the perfect accompaniment for the lavash. Hummus, baba ghanouj, ezme ... But for my money, the real joy is in the hot dishes. Gyro meat, or doner, has got to be one of my all time favorite foods, and there are several ways to have it here. Today I had the beyti sarma kabob, which is like a gyro roll sliced so that it's almost bite size. It comes with two, yes two, sauces (tomato and yogurt). There's also the doner kabob pizza which is totally delicious and comes covered in jalapeno peppers, so be careful if you don't like it hot. read more

Can I just tell you that I am so disappointed that NYC doesn't have a clone of this place? I crave the lavish bread on a weekly basis. So when I come home my mom and I make it a point to come here. Loves: The menu has pictures! Complimentary lavish bread just out of the brick oven An awesome selection of dishes Great service Off the beaten path No loud music Dislikes: It's in Troy... I think we need an expansion to the city. Bring your friends, order a lot of dishes, and spend some time trying all of them. My mom and I love sharing food and being able to try a few different flavors, and that is one of the great appeals of Ali Baba's. I will be back! read more

This place is awesome. The appetizers with the lavosh are so good. All of the entrees are wonderful. I wish it were closer, but probably good that it isn't. We will be back many times. read more

I had never had Turkish fare prior to Ali Baba. I'm Jewish, from Buffalo, and I consider my self I Foodie for certain. I had had Israeli, Lebanese, Moroccan, and a slew of other food from the surrounding region, but Ali Baba blows it all out of the water! The place is always humming with some customers coming in to dine and take out, I do both and the take out is excellent as well. I recommend the Curry Iskender that is my favorite dish there I order it every time. Also they have good grape leaves and a fair portion for the price. The Lavash is unreal!! the yogurt dipping sauce, similar to a tzaziki is delicious. Service is great always with a smile and in a timely fashion... I recommend this place with all my heart. Truly a gem to be found in Troy, NY! read more

Excellent food, hummus and lavas bread from brick oven, wow awesome. Definitely will go back!

A gem, I crave this place at least once a month. The lavish bread is to die for. Menu has pictures so you can see what your ordering, i have no clue about this cuisine so it help me expand my options. But like I always have been told if the restaurant is serving people of its own ethnicity it is probably a good place to go to. I am a huge fan!!! If you are into high end restaurants and not little dives don't bother. If you are like me and go to eat the food, and enjoy a slice of the culture, then go. Parking can be a pain, and seating is limited, probably less than 15 tables, but its worth it. If you need a hint on what to try start off with get the Lavish bread and the sampler for an appetizer and Curry Iskender fr dinner/lunch. You will not be disappointed. read more

Always get the lavash bread. Ali Baba is one of my favorite hidden gems in the Capitol region. Tucked away on a small street is this beautiful, wood-stove'd restaurant. Turkish dishes are supposed to embody and exemplify its geographic identity (or lack thereof!); a fusion of Mediterranean, Balkan, and Middle Eastern flavors. Ali Baba doesn't disappoint! When you first walk into Ali Baba, you realize you entered a humble-abode: simple tables, Turkish décor, cold food display, and open kitchen. Ali Baba isn't trying to dress-up; what you see is what you get. And it's 100% real. The menu layout makes it easy to order for those unfamiliar with Turkish cuisine: pictures. Even then, ingredients aren't listed out on the dine-in menu (only on the takeout menu) so make sure to ask if you are unsure! As an appetizer, the mixed plate is a must. The Small Mixed Plate allows you to try five appetizer salads, which are essentially Turkish dips/spreads, and comes with Lavash Bread, which is a huge puff of bread used to scoop and eat the salads. The Humus is a must as well as the Ajuka. The Large Mixed Plate includes all ten appetizer salads. Both plates include a refreshing yogurt-cucumber side that goes well on everything. The Pide's are delicious, meat or cheese. The fresh feta mingles well with the mozzarella to hold the lavash wrap together. The parsley and earthy-seasoning ground the Pide well and bring the vegetables and egg in harmony. Turkish pizza, or lahmacun, is also interesting. One would think it's a American-Turkish fusion, but it's actually a common Turkish dish. Take a Pide and flatten it: Turkish pizza. Ali Baba's pizzas taste nearly the same as their Pide, with the only difference being what flavors come in what order. One pizza can feed a little over two so those prices do make sense! Interestingly enough, their menu has a separate lahmacun listed but it tastes the same as the pizza. Their kabob are also good! Quality meat and quite fresh too. I suggest their Beyti Sarma as I prefer their ground meet to their whole (Their veal and lamb mix is amazing with their seasonings, which you can't get from a whole cube). Ali Baba is a true Turkish import near the heart of the Capitol region. read more

Oh my. This is my 5th Mediterranean restaurant I've been too in the capital district and it is absolutely the best in the area. Geez, it was sooo delicious that I'll probably go back tomorrow. I had the lamb shish. It comes with pickled cabbage, pickled onions, grilled bell pepper, grilled tomato, nicely quickly sticky rice, and flavored lamb chunks (obviously). They served it with lavish bread and a lemon yogurt sauce. We asked for some type of hot spice to add and they gave us some type of pickled crushed red pepper sauce - perfect. I'm hungry all over again. read more

A staple restaurant. I can't count how many times I've been here but it's my top place in Troy and most of my friends agree. When people move away and return to visit, they always want to go to Ali Babas. read more

Ali Baba - chicken durum - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

Wanted to try out some Mediterranean and this is one of the best options near to Troy... Lavash Bread is made fresh from clay oven which should not be missed... We tried the salad combo platter which comes with lavash bread and spicy beef durum.... read more

Ali Baba - Salad combo platter - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

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This place is great. It is a cafe, informal, and I have had almost every dish on the menu over the years. It is all good. They the 5 piece app platter and the lavash hot out of the oven will do the rest. The lamb and beef rolls are my favorite, but there is no bad dish here. Service is good. There are always people making sure you got food and they leave you be to eat and chat. It almost has a coffee shop feel to it. Very chill place with great food. I have been coming here for a cheap authentic fix for years. read more

Great bread, food and super fast preparation. Very friendly staff. Somewhat sketchy neighborhood but really glad we stopped in.

This is, bar none, the best restaurant in the Capital region. Seriously. I crave the food constantly. The lavash is not to be missed. The yogurt sauce is delicious. Their Iskenders are all fantastic. Guveck is spectacular. Their curries are well spiced, but if you like really spicy foods they will be more than happy to spice it up for you. Their menu does not list a single thing about the food, just pictures of it, but the wait staff will explain it. My opinion is that this is not a problem, because everything is good. Just close your eyes and pick! I've never had a bad meal. Save room for dessert. Their baklava is phenomenal!!! read more

Always good quality delicious food. Still exploring menu but every meal I've had here has been delicious and unique. Tonight I ordered online but could not get there as planned. I called and they kept the meal warm for me until I could arrive as I was with a relative in hospital. The staff was very considerate. They graciously added some baklava on the house. I'll be back for sure. read more

I'll start with the bad so that it's not all that you remember. Ali Baba's service is pretty bad. There have been times when I've actually left the restaurant thirsty. How ridiculous is that? Waits (whether they're for a table or for a waiter/waitress to take your order) are long when they really don't need to be. I think the food there is affordable and pretty good. I go to RPI and this is one of the few restaurants within walking distance from campus, so I go there pretty often. You can pick up your orders. I've never done this, but it's probably a good way to bypass the slow service. read more

Their lavaash bread and the dip they serve with it is amazing. You can eat an extremely filling meal for less than 15$. Their 7$ Beef Durrum was yummy. I usually get the chicken curry which comes with rice,onions and beetroot. It costs about 12-14$. The portions aren't huge but I usually always have enough to take home for a second meal. But we did have a bad experience with one of the servers who brought my friend the wrong order and then proceeded to loudly yell at him and accuse him of lying. It was so unbelievably unprofessional! But the other servers were extremely apologetic and wrapped up the right order for us even though we just wanted to leave. We left almost immediately, after paying the bill quickly, and never went back. 5 stars for the food at those prices. 0 stars for the server who made us never want to return! read more

Fortunately, I've never had a problem with service here. It's delicious, affordable Middle-Eastern food in a fairly no-frills location. Large portions and the perfect amounts of spice. However, for some reason they have pictures of their food on the menu. These photos do their food no justice whatsoever. I assure you it's far more appealing looking in real-life than the menu might have you believe. If I lived a little close, I'd go here all the time. read more

What a lucky find! Fabulously flavorful and fresh-- Lavash baked to order with amazing salads. Thank you Yelp! read more

Seriously. Update your opening hours on Yelp. Came here tonight based on ratings...closed. :(

I'm stunned by the reviews of this place by others giving this a five star. It like rating Mc Donalds??? The interior looks like a tired old storefront pizza joint. The service was perfectly adequate both times I was here. Here's my problem with Ali Baba: The lavosh with yogurt was delicious. But, the mixed grill was just that. Meat, lamb and chicken cooked on a flat grill. Overcooked, and tasteless. Stunningly bad. All of it. Then the chicken curry was stunningly good. All of it. One out of two is bad. read more

The food is 100% authentic and tastes so delicious. You must try the bread with yogurt sauce... To die for!!! The staff and servers are also really friendly! read more

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Place is absolutely fantastic. The Naan style bread they give you is one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. Every single thing on the menu is delicious. Chicken/Lamb is tender and seasoned perfectly, rice is well cooked, the sides are all very tasty and flavorful. One of my favorite places to eat, ever. And the service is very great. Very sweet gentlemen running the place. 5/5! read more

It was my first time tasting turkish food. Heard a lot about lavash bread here. Its basically tastes like bread sticks but thin structure. But attractive thing about lavash bread is, its literally served freshed from oven. The oven is right in front of you. And also, it is served with yummy yogurt sauce. A worth try. The drink- Aryan is basically plain buttermilk. Main course was OK. Red sauce on most of chicken dishes tasted mostly like marinara sauce. One thing I absolutely did not like is, there is not even a single word description of dishes on the menu. They just have photos. read more

This is an authentic and authentically delicious location, or as the cover of the takeout menu says, a "house of homemade deliciousness." Amen to that! The fresh lavash bread from the oven was delectable. The lamb shish plate was with hot, tender, well flavored lamb, not greasy or "cheap," yet affordable. My colleagues raved about the yogurt sauce with dill. The service was excellent. Decor felt like the real deal: there was plenty of middle eastern art on the wall and rugs. The staff was ultra friendly, and spoke with accents that helped us know that they had expertise in the style of cuisine they were serving. A very warm, inviting place. For those who aren't familiar with the cuisine (an adventurous to try something a little different from mainstream American cooking), there are pictures of each dish on the menu to provide an idea of what you get. I expect to return there as soon as possible and try additional items off the menu. read more

This is one of my favorites in Troy. We went here a lot when I was at RPI for both lunch and dinner. The inside has a very cool and traditional decor. Its not too flashy, nothing like a fancy restaurant but its nice. Parking can be tough sometimes, you have to park on 15th street where its usually packed.But I generally park on the side of the building or behind it. To this day, I honestly do not know if that's legal parking, because the area behind looks like its parking for the house/apartments there. But so far I never got towed so it should be ok. Now on to the food. The food here is great , I actually never had a bad experience with it. With most dinners you get the large lavash bread, which is simply amazing, its straight out of the brick oven (literally). For the food my all time favorite is the beef durum (or gyro as most other places call it) I also had the chicken with cury and gyro pizza, both of which were also good. The prices are more than reasonable last time I went for lunch with my friend, we got two durums, small lavash bread, drink and baklava for about $25, it was more than enough food for 2 people. This is definitely my favorite place for lunch in Troy that's close to rpi campus. I would recommend it to anyone who love Mediterranean food like I do. read more

Best. Bread. Ever. The food was ok Middle Eastern fare, the service was meh. But the bread. Holy moley. Drool-like typing detected. The bread is so very, very yummy. read more

Food here are so delicious! We were coming back from Vermont to NYC and found this place to stop by for lunch. What a great find and treat. Wish this place is in New York City or somewhere close so we could come here again! read more

When I left Delaware, I thought I would not find another Ali Baba with good food. Well I was wrong, and found one in the Capital District! I've never been to a Turkish restaurant that is also a pizzeria. The place does not have much decor, but it has a few designs on the wall. It has a fast casual feel to it. There is a wide selection of dishes on the menu. I started with a hot mint tea, which is my go to drink at any Turkish/Middle Eastern restaurant. However, this is the first time I've seen the tea bag left in the cup. Before this, I thought the tea was made fresh or it was the loose tea. Now i know it's just a regular tea bag. For my meal, I had the lamb shish kebob. I was with two other people, and they ordered the chicken filet with cheese and the adana kabob. However, before we received a humongous piece of bread. From reading other reviews, I understand this type of bread is called lavash. We were very surprised when this came to the table. The waiter just left it with two dipping sauces; I think it was taziki sauce. The lavash was so delicious! We could not stop eating it. Our dishes were good as well. The lamb was good, but some of the pieces were a little hard. The adana kabob was very tasty. The chicken was okay, but did not like there was cheese on it. Each dish came with rice and a mixture of onions and radishes/red cabbage, and slice of green pepper. The one food I regret not trying was the baklava.I will have to go back in the near future to try their version of this pastry. If you are looking for great Middle Eastern food that's not too far from Albany, come to Troy and give this place a try. read more

Ali Baba - Lavash, with a side of hot mint tea. - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

I have only had the opportunity to get Ali Baba take out thus far and so far I am a fan - I imagine dining in and having things fresh I may be able to update this review with a better rating. My takeout order included some of their wraps that I split with some friends. We ordered the chicken, beef and vegetable wrap. All three were good, but the chicken was a little dry- again keep in mind I brought it home so it might be the culprit here. The beef was very tender and juicy. The veggie wrap was really the star though - jam packed with flavor! I'd love to go try some of their more entree type dishes and dine in for a fresher experience. read more

Just a neat place to enjoy good food without any pretense that seems to accompany so many restaurants. The decor is slightly dineresque but the open kitchen keeps the boys entertained. Watching them cook the lavash in the open oven and bring it out piping hot and puffy like a balloon is just fun. We have tried the wraps and the open-faced pizza with egg. Not sure what it was called, but it looked good on the picture menu and we were right. Definitely something to try and enjoy. read more

Service was friendly and fast and the food was very tasty. We had a medium lavash, a lahmjun, a meat pide and a doner pizza. There was more than enough food for two ten year old and two adults, we ended up taking home most of the pizza and eating it for breakfast (it may have tasted even better the next day!). My only regret was not ordering more lavash, it was absolutely delicious. read more

Ali Baba - Lavash, meat pide, lahmjun and doner pizza - Mediterranean Near Me - Troy, New York

1st time trying Ali baba ...I order take out the service was great after cooking over 15 years in the restaurant business and still am this is the best restaurant in the capital district hands down !! The food was so FRESH and so TASTY ! And the restaurant was so CLEAN I will tell family and friend about this place and it is definitely my new spot !! Can't wait to come back ! read more

Amazing... everything was fresh and tasty. The naan and yogurt sauce is some of the best I have ever had. The eggplant shish has a wonderful blend of flavors . I would highly recommend. read more

Chicken Durum. Best $7 you can spend on a sandwich, period. Also, the lavash with yogurt sauce is one of the best fresh bread experiences one could ask for. Lima bean concoction is also delicious. Beyond that, a lot of the selections seem strange and/or over priced, although, if I felt like taking a risk and spending a bit more money, I'd like to try some other stuff. The menu is ugly as hell and the restaurant looks like a pizza parlor in Gaza, but I suppose that's part of the places awkward lack of ambiance. Service is more than adequate and if your nice to them they are nice to you. read more

We have had take out from here at least 10 times in the last few years. It used to be awesome but lately, it seems the chicken ishkandar is always over cooked and the portions are smaller. They have even started cheaping out on the rice. Where's the rice? Rice is cheap guys! Heap it in the aluminum container like you used to do. And that sour purple shedded cabbage stuff is nasty. Does enyone even eat that stuff? read more