Located at 6378 Thompson Road in East Syracuse, the Middle Eastern eatery Ali Baba offers a variety…read moreof 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.

I like the ambiance and the positivity of this place. Fresh fruits abound for the smoothies. People…read moreare 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!!

Excellent food that fed a bunch of jacked up pro wrestlers performing in town over 3 days…read more Amazing taste. Supreme service. Authentically delicious. -I|I

The food was very good and the woman at the counter was very friendly. Everything was very fresh…read moreand tasty..the chicken shawarma was shaved right off the vertical broiler and seasoned nicely. It came with a choice of barley or rice, which was nice and a small portion of either hummus or baba ganoush. It was very busy at the Market for Friday lunch. The outdoor seating is wonderful and I'll miss that when it gets too cold to sit outside.

By now, you must know this is our favorite restaurant. That's a big statement, considering I have…read morebeen a chef for over 40 years. I recommended the place not only for its excellent Mediterranean food but also because it offers a great learning opportunity. They are currently facing a shortage of staff and need a line cook. This is a perfect chance for someone to learn Mediterranean cooking and maybe even add a few American-style dishes. I also suggested my friends join the ACF, which is the American Culinary Federation. PS, I had the lamb kabobs--my favorite! No one cooks my lamb quite like they do!

For those of you that liked Bubul (Liverpool) then you're in a for a treat. Same owners, different…read morelocation, same great food! I missed their hummus and their kebabs! We had the hummus with chicken shawarma and their falafel for an app. The kabob skewers in the Diwan mix were very juicy and the wife loved her bowl of chicken gyro. Definitely worth the trip to Manlius.

I absolutely adore this place, their vibe, the menu offerings, chatting with the owner, and the…read moreprompt service. The wings and potato wedges are absolutely top notch, but I've not yet had an item from this place that was less than excellent. Sometimes they have special pricing for certain items, especially in Wednesday afternoons. They also have regular off-menu special items posted in the store but not always online.

Service was quick and friendly. Clean interior with minimal decor. Comfortable seating and several…read moretables. My order came up quickly and you can see your order being made. The burger was tasty and the wedges were flavorful and crispy. I just wish there was some more sauce on the burger.

Very quick friendly service, apple desert very tasty simple crisp puff pastry with warm Apple…read morefilling a bit of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon and lovely treat!

I was on a short road trip to Syracuse New York, and thought I'd try out a few places recommended…read morefrom Guy Fieri's DDD series, and was really looking forward to it, given the yelp reviews. The place was pretty small and unassuming from the outward appearance. Upon coming in, there are limited seats, but everything was neat and clean. I could smell some enticing aromas from the kitchen. Not sure if they are short staffed, but it took a while for someone to come to the counter to take our order. I really was looking forward to having the lamb gyro, so that was what I ordered, as well as ordering a baklava for dessert. The food took a while to come out, but I'm fine waiting for something great to eat. They did have a number of takeout orders that were served while we waited, maybe 3 of them. Once the food came out, the lamb was pretty nice, and there was a reasonable portion of meat in the gyro, as well as some tomato, lettuce, and onion on a nice pita bread. But the tzatziki was very disappointing, it was very thin, and didn't have much flavor. That sort of killed the whole gyro. The baklava was very tasty, and had nice pistachio crumbles on it, but the honey was a bit too much, giving it a very soggy bottom. Flavor was good though, and I don't mind a little messy dessert. All in all, I was a little disappointed with the meal. I tend to be a little generous in my reviews, so I gave it three stars, as I felt I couldn't rate it as a 2, but I couldn't quite give a four star rating. I'd give it another try, but maybe not go for a gyro.

Excellent food, excellent service, cafe sort of atmosphere, great dinner selection, at reasonable…read moreprices. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. Highly recommended.

Went to lunch here yesterday. I love Mediterranean food but have a hard time choosing what to…read moreorder. We were greeted promptly and given menus. My friends ordered a chicken wrap with chutney and fries. I wanted to try a lot of different things so I went with the kabob grill for one. The waitress was very friendly but the wait for our lunch was rather long. It was 30 minutes for our food and only 1 other couple was in the place and I didn't see many to go orders. When the food did come out (mine 10 minutes before my friends) so they technically waited 40 minutes it was delicious. I had enough to take home half of the platter for my husbands dinner.The only other knock was the music was loud and irritating. I would come back but probably get take out.

The lamb meat was not tender. There was good flavor mixed with veggies and rice but I won't be…read morecoming back. Dessert was tasty and filling. Service was good and the place and setting could be spruced up some more. Plenty of parking available.

Loved it here! We…read moreordered baba ghanoush, pita, hummus, salad, dandelions, chicken schwarma, flavored drinks, the gyro and baklava. Everything we had here was amazing. We first tried Goodies' food at the Regional Market and loved it; so we knew we had to stop in for lunch. I'm glad we did! They had a location on Marshall St that recently closed. We loved it here and will be back soon!

So so so good. We happened to be there on Valentine's Day and got the special for two which was a…read moresampler of a whole bunch of things. There wasn't nothing we didn't like, but the standouts were the rice and grain, the dolmas, and my husband really liked the meats. I also ordered the spanakopita and I highly recommend it. Dinner for 3 with tip was only $55!

Incredible. Absolutely love their food, it always tastes fresh and is consistently delicious. The…read morehomemade humus, chefs kiss... can't go back to store bought. Their delivery is efficient and the delivery fee isn't an arm and a leg. I haven't been inside the new store front, but hope to soon. Either way Baghdads is on my list of places I'm craving to order from again!

Good food, fast service, not too busy! The employees clearly care about the business. Plenty of…read moreseating inside. We ordered beef saj, chicken over rice, falafel, and baklava. The beef saj was nicely spicy, the fries were nicely seasoned. The chicken over rice came with a nice fresh salad on the side which lightened everything up. I don't think the falafel were homemade but they tasted good & came with a good portion of hummus. Baklava was two large pieces, lots of yummy pistachio and good sweetness. Altogether was about $50. Excited to go back to try more!

It's in the cut. But it was worth it. I got the double beef Saj with tzatziki sauce. It was…read moredefinitely delicious just the right amount of spices and seasoning. I'll definitely be back to try some more of the food.

I love how simple the decor is inside and there are high top and low top tables to sit, as well as…read moreoutdoor seating. The service was prompt and friendly. Now the food, it was truly delicious! I got a lunch special with a lamb gyro, fries, and a drink. Great value and great taste. They hand cut their own fries, and slice the lamb right off the spit and grill the pita. It comes with some extras that I decided not to get like olives but it makes it a special gyro. I also got some falafel and spanikopita. Everything was delightful.

Solid place to grab a fulfilling lunch or evening meal…read more Bottom line is that the service is always friendly and prompt, the food is good while the portions will not leave you wanting plus the restaurant is always clean. Give it a try..::