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    Ali Baba's Cafe

    4.5 (926 reviews)
    ModerateMediterranean
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    ALI BABA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Ali Baba's Cafe

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    Peter M.

    There is no question that the SFV is a superb dining destination. Nice, eclectic and vibrant choices, without the madness of driving into LA and being frustrated and clogged by endless traffic. Hence, once in a way, I like to head west on the 118, over the mountain, into the calm and beautiful neighborhood of Simi Valley. This time, I decided to try Ali Baba Cafe and came here to have their Kufte (their name for the minced kabob). When I gleaned the menu, I was surprised to see that you could actually order falafel, by the pieces at $1 each. Never seen that anywhere. I do not want you to think I am cheap, but it is so nice to have this option, instead of having to order 6 at a time and what happens, if they are no good? So, I opted for just two falafels to start with, while I attended to personal business on my phone. When the falafels arrived, I was blown away. The outside crispiness was unique (and I have had falafels at numerous other outlets). Freshness and taste complimented. Came with Tahini. Superb. Excellent service. After that, I decided to go with the Baba salad. Here too, no pressure down the throat, there is a smaller size, you can order. At $6, that was my selection. I requested no lemon (in my opinion, citrus can destroy a dish if it is not controlled. So I avoid). The salad was moist, refreshing, colorful, crunchy and satisfying. At this point, I had forgotten about the kufte, and still desired more of the falafel. So I ordered 4 more pieces. Once again, every bite was divine. On exiting, I had the privilege of meeting Omar, the owner, who was sitting outside. I took this opportunity to compliment him on his restaurant ....and the falafel. Which in my evaluation, is clearly, one of the best falafels, I have had, in both these lovely, attractive and magnetic valleys of Simi and San Fernando.

    Patrick W.

    Nice and friendly service and ambience. My order included a Chicken Shawarma Salad which was a good portion although I couldn't really taste the meat so much because it was cut quite small. The Baba Ganoush with Pita was good, although more garlicky than smoky Eggplant tinged like other places. The Chicken Kebab Plate was also a good portion. The Chicken was juicy and tender although not really flavorsome. Overall, a good place for lunch.

    Cali W.

    No color, no flavor kind of a rip off for close to 14 bucks for three small pieces of ground chicken kabob

    Chicken Kebab Plate
    Sarah T.

    My absolute favorite Mediterranean spot. Definitely a hole in the wall kind of place - you can easily miss it as you're driving on Madera. But once you try their food, you will be thinking about it for days! You cannot go wrong with the chicken kebab plate and the hummus. The rice is seriously to die for. I think about this rice in my sleep! The hummus is definitely on the more garlic side but I absolutely love garlic so it's perfect for me. Most restaurants you can tell the difference between eating in and ordering takeout (usually takeout food quality sucks) but here the takeout is just as good as if you were to eat in. The service is great and the takeout is usually pretty quick.

    Outdoor patio with plants for privacy

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    Photo of Sheryl R.
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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Consistently good food with reasonable prices. The service is always great too and you know folks are repeat customers.

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food is delicious, fresh and flavorful! Always a treat! It tastes yummy and healthy as well.

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    3 years ago

    Excellent service & Great, great flavorful food!!! Tasty Lamb! Best rice & the Citrus tea is superb!!!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Ordered beef shawarma sandwich. Did not come with fries, when I ordered the fries they brought me ruffle fries and charge me $15.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food. The hummus is the best in town. The wait staff is always friendly and the service is quick and efficient.

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food was good! Nice service, but a bit slow when they are busy. Would definitely go again.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Food is always amazing and there customer service is great. Very friendly and accommodating.

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    3 years ago

    Fabulous service and delicious food. The Baba fries are out of this world and the hummus is amazing.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Yummy hummus! This place is reliably good. The baba ganoush is also excellent. Always friendly workers.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Ordered a sandwich. Cost $11, does not come with sauce or chips or fries. Overprice and not even good tasting.

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    3 years ago

    Delicious food! Their salmon skewers are always good. Also, their garlic sauce makes everything taste even better!

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    3 years ago

    Good food, reasonable price, great for a party. I always order the family combo. More than enough, with leftovers for the following day

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    Page 3 of 24

    Ask the Community - Ali Baba's Cafe

    Is the food here halal/zabiha?

    Yes

    Whom is the owner/operator of Ali Baba Café in Simi Valley Ca.?

    I don't know the name of the owner, but it's the brother of the owner of the other location (I think maybe they are in the San Fernando Valley). I heard that the two brothers don't exactly get along. The owner of the Simi Valley location seemed… Read more

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    Greek House Cafe

    Greek House Cafe

    4.4(1.3k reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Family-owned & operated

    I'm impressed! This is my first time coming in years and the atmosphere got a huge upgrade! It's a…read morebeautiful and relaxing vibe. Soft lighting so if you're neurospicy you'll probably love it. The color of this restaurant put me at ease. I could've stayed for a while if I had the time. I got the chicken gyro and lemon chicken soup. They're both delicious! And gluten free. Holy cannoli, the gluten free pita bread is phenomenal! It's not too dry like most gf breads. And most importantly, the heart of the Greek café is the staff. Two waitresses helped me. They were both genuinely kind and warm. Even though I was just getting take out a waitress brought me water while I was waiting for my order to be ready. She was so friendly! The portions are generous my lunch was huge and I'm so here for that! I feel like I could easily split that with someone. I will absolutely be coming back with friends. Thank you Greek Cafe!

    Not a bad place. I love seeing a Greek restaurant that serves saganaki. The spinakopita was…read moreexcellent. Probably my favorite dish. I also ordered the gyro pizza. The meat and flavor was good, but it didn't work as a pizza. It needed a meltier cheese to bind everything. Every time I'd pick up a slice, the toppings would just tumble off. The fries were excellent. The staff was very attentive with refilling drinks and very friendly. The decoration is cute.

    Photos
    Greek House Cafe - Inside

    Inside

    Greek House Cafe
    Greek House Cafe

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    Sadaf Restaurant - Chicken Barg

    Sadaf Restaurant

    4.5(556 reviews)
    7.1 mi
    $$

    A+++++ Sadaf has a beautiful new look, and as always, the food was absolutely amazing. Our waiter,…read moreAli Reza, provided excellent service -- he was knowledgeable, attentive, and made wonderful recommendations throughout our meal. I highly recommend trying Sadaf, especially the Thousand Oaks location. It was a fantastic dining experience from start to finish.

    I'm a big fan of Persian food, and I've eaten in many a restaurants. Some good, some not so good,…read moreand in case of Sadaf, some amazing ones. This food is so good, it is the standard to be compared with. The only other time I had Persian food this good, was twice. My mom's cooking and another Persian restaurant in San Jose. If you are here you're in good, nay great hands. I know I get too poetic sometimes. But bear with me. Order any of the appetizers, and you will be superbly satisfied. The Naderi Kabob, done medium rare and Albaloo Polo (cherry rice), we're literally delectable. I didn't get a chance to take a picture. Sorry! My bad. The restaurant is at the site of N old Persian restaurant, but completely redone, and redecorated. Staff are professionally trained and service is just excellent. Can't wait to visit this place again. Come for a date, come with family. Update! Update...my second visit in just as many months, and the service and quality remain excellent. This time I tried the combination filet mignon and ground beef kabobs. In a word, Delish! Wait! Is that word? Desert was fresh

    Photos
    Sadaf Restaurant - Interior

    Interior

    Sadaf Restaurant - Beef Koobideh

    Beef Koobideh

    Sadaf Restaurant - Hummus and Maust Khiar

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    Hummus and Maust Khiar

    Fresh Grill Mediterranean - Baklava

    Fresh Grill Mediterranean

    4.4(192 reviews)
    12.9 miWinnetka
    $$

    I've sampled and supported lots of small businesses, and I've ordered lots of falafel plates and…read morewraps--but I've NEVER been asked if I wanted a "vegan" or "vegetarian" falafel wrap. I was like "what?" And then Alberto the order taker started explaining the difference, but I cut him off. I said I already knew the difference, but they were the first to ever give the option. I was very impressed and I hadn't even had a bite yet. The service was very attentive, warm and wholly professional. The food was very reasonably priced. The portion sizes were hefty. And the best part was how good my food was. My falafel wrap was as good as it gets--but even bigger than that. The house salad that came with the wrap included a delicious dressing. Great little business in a popular shopping center with Dollar Tree and laundromat. I use the laundromat for my big blankets, and now I know where I'll go to kill time and wait. 5 stars.

    I'm actually mad at myself that I am just now writing a review. I have been coming here for years…read more I enjoy the food so much. My favorite items are the boneless chicken (Whether it's a pita wrap or entree), the salmon, and the house salad with their house dressing. Sometimes I even dip my salmon in the dressing directly. The boneless chicken is so good and juicy every time. Like they don't miss. It's literally always grilled to perfection. I can't tell you enough how much I love this place. I always get excellent customer service. Always friendly and pleasant. It's a very comfortable vibe.

    Photos
    Fresh Grill Mediterranean
    Fresh Grill Mediterranean
    Fresh Grill Mediterranean - Fresh Grill Mediterranean outside

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    Fresh Grill Mediterranean outside

    Casalena - Garden (Altar View) at Twilight

    Casalena

    4.1(1.8k reviews)
    12.5 miWoodland Hills
    Family-owned & operated
    Women-owned & operated

    We went on a Tuesday evening to hear Jazz got a reservation right away at 6:30 and seated in the…read morearea for the music too. It was nice and good service food ok but a nice evening overall. We decided to come back with friends but on a Wednesday night at 6:30 instead. Sat at a table in the area where the music was but it was very loud and tightly packed with tables and guests. I could barely hear my friends due to the loud conversations, loud laughter, and just the acoustic affects in the restaurant were bad from that. We ordered steak, sides, and thought baked potatoes but got mashed instead. After we ate dinner we asked the manager if we could seat outside for dessert instead due to the loud noises around us. He brought us there but we had to wait at the bar outside till we were seated took an additional 15-20 minutes. After seated it was better than inside with a nice decor too instead. Dessert was ok service good. For such a high-ended restaurant and pricy food it's only avarage, inside decor pretty but very and tightly packed with guests and loud especially for a week day night kind of unusual, I was disappointed think it's a bit overrated sorry to say. I think Flemings, Ruth Chris, or Morton's are better food wise for the same price and dining experience and not as loud too. Think what could make it better is to thin out the crowded packed affect in the main inside dining area would help a lot too, or, if we ever go back sit outside instead I recommend. The service and staff there were very nice, friendly, and attentive and worked hard during service though. So overall raiting is a 3. Tuesday music night inside was good though think because the band is set up where tables of guests would be so less talking and guests listening to the music instead. Hope they make some changes to there inside seating there for improvements will and could help overall.

    our family enjoyed an excellent celebratory dinner at casalena…read more EXCITEMENT (NOISE) LEVEL when we booked our reservation for 9 pm on saturday through open table, we did not expect the energy to be so high so late in the evening! the beautiful, expansive restaurant was buzzing with animated conversation that was even louder than a dim sum restaurant! we all needed to lean in a bit to hear one another. PARKING valet is available, but we found street parking on ventura blvd. FOOD 01. squash blossoms ($21 for 5 pc): 8.3/10 these were crispy and light, delightful to eat on their own without the tomato marinara sauce served on the side. casalena's squash blossoms had a strong, lovely hint of lemon that wasn't present in mother wolf's rendition. 02. chicken piccata ($29): 7.5/10 this main was served with a generous helping of potatoes mashed into a delicious velvet. 03. vodka lumaconi ($25): 9/10 this dish was the standout of the evening! the pasta shells were cooked al dente and coated in a slightly spicy, perfectly savory vodka sauce! casalena does not skimp on the sauce in any of their dishes! 04. tagliatelle ($29): 7/10 this pasta dish was not nearly as impressive. 05. tiramisu ($15): 7/10 since we mentioned the dinner was for a special occasion in our reservation, this dessert was served with a candle. while its presentation was lovely, its taste was underwhelming. the espresso was extremely subtle, and there was more madeline than mascarpone/cream. overall, our party of 4 was fully satiated after splitting 1 appetizer, 3 mains, and 1 dessert. service was lovely throughout! and as another yelpie mentioned in their review, their matchbook is very nice.

    Photos
    Casalena - 34 oz Wagyu Tomahawk Steak

    34 oz Wagyu Tomahawk Steak

    Casalena - VODKA LUMACONI
 
 Spicy vodka sauce, ricotta, pesto spice

    VODKA LUMACONI Spicy vodka sauce, ricotta, pesto spice

    Casalena - Yuzu & Lychee Martini

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    Yuzu & Lychee Martini

    Ali Baba's Cafe - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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