Ali Baba Restaurant & Cafe

Before I write any detail, I have to say that Ali Baba’s food prepared by it’s owner who is a Master Chef, had the the best middle eastern food I have EVER eaten. Unbelieveable! I cannot say enough good things about the food or the very special personal service and delightful conversation we recieved from the owner himself. Thanksgiving eve, my fiancée and I were looking to eat before shopping. Beng part Leabanese, I wanted Middle Eastern food. The first restaurant we went to was closing for the evening, so we drove to an Indian food restaurant I really like, Chut — Ney. We were very lucky to find a place I didn’t know existed, Ali Baba, right next door. We decided to eat at Ali Baba, because I really had my heart set on Middle Eastern food. Boy were we glad we did! The owner and Chef, Jordano, waited on us. We decided to order gyros, a favorite of ours. Jordano, highly recommended the chicken shawarma. My fiancée hesitated, as she said she was not a fan of the dish. Jordano said if we didn’t like it, there would be no charge. So we ordered both dishes. We also asked for a cucumber side and we got a very large cucumber slices plate with homemade yogurt and chile. The lamb and beef gyro was served on a bed of very flavorful basmati rice seasoned with saffron. I have to say the gyro we shared was delicious beyond belief. The texture and flavor of the lamb and beef in the gyro dish was unbelievable! The chicken shawarma was also the best I have ever eaten, and made a believer out of my fiancée. We were also treated to excellent coffee in dematasi cups with the meal, and tea after the meal.
After this most delightful feast, we checked Unilocal,and noticed a negative review, slamming this great restaurant. We do not agree that that Ali Baba looked like «a furniture showroom» but found it was very comfortable, and had a great ambiance. I don’t believe this restaurant has ever «smelled of cigarette smoke».
Having eaten at hundreds of restaurants in my lifetime, this has been the best food and dining experience in my entire life. I felt honored to have the personal attention of Jordano, who served us personally. I feel a friendship with him now, and cannot wait to go back. A Master Chef who has owned restaurants in Jordan, Rome, and elsewhere, he also offers a month long international cooking class, two hours a day.
I am so impressed and delighted, I could write forever about my dining experience Thanksgiving eve, as it is so nice to relive it! If there were a six star rating available, I would give it. We need more Restaurants like this in El Paso. Very rare.

A small restaurant which is tucked into a tiny little strip mall on N Mesa.
The Indian restaurant owner next door bragged about Jordano, who owns Ali Baba, to my Fiancée, telling him that Jordano has cooked for kings. Upon conversing with Jordano, it turned out it was King Husain and Queen Noor.
We started with Turkish Coffee, which was served in beautiful little cups with cardamon seed.
BEST GYROS and the BEST CHICKEN SHWARMA we have ever tasted!!!
Before our entrees came various accompaniments were brought to the table including some chili relish, homemade pickles and green olives, homemade yogurt and pita bread. The pickles were tasty and had a flavor that reminded me slightly of radish in the background, and the yogurt was so delicious and very creamy, we could tell it was homemade.
The Gyros were my favorite! The flavors were perfect! Large portion of expertly browned, crispy on the outside tender on the inside chunks of ground lamb and beef that was served with caramelized onion on a bed of basmati rice that was seasoned beautifully with saffron sumac and lime leaf.
I would never have thought to order chicken shawarma, because I have been sorely disappointed by shawarma in the past, but Jordano insisted that if I didn’t love it, it would be free. It was superb! Cinnamon, black pepper, sumac scented perfectly cooked juicy tender as can be chicken breast was served on the same wonderful rice!
This was one of the best meals that I can remember for the past five years, and certainly one of the top meals that can be had in El Paso, by a longshot.
Eat like a king! This is a great place!

To be fair, I’ve only been here once, when it had recently opened. But that one time was all it took. It was the weirdest & worst experience I’ve ever had.
I was the only one there on a Saturday night for about 5 minutes until a waitress finally came out & asked if she could help me. It stunk like cigarettes in there & the décor looks like a furniture showroom.
It’s not very vegetarian friendly except for some hummus & I think some weird little pizzas. I tried the hummus & it was okay, but it came with jalapenos and pickles, like hamburger pickles! They also charged me a dollar for tap water.