Ali Baba — Restaurant in Okayama

Eating at this restaurant was one of my favorite nights in my entire japan trip! I came here with my friend for her birthday and I wanted to surprise her so I contacted Ali and he went out of his way to bring us cake with candles , play birthday music and even turn the lights off to blow the candles. It was such a sweet and memorable surprise, my friend was so happy.

The food was extremely delicious and diverse! Ali asked us what we liked and created a unique dish for us that was vegan but also included a side of meat for me. Everything was seasoned so perfectly and the portion size was great. Every bite I had made me smile.

We ended up spending 5 hours at the restaurant smoking shisha, drinking Turkish tea and chatting with Ali. He’s extremely kind and hard working, I feel like we made a new friend that night. If you’re in Okayama I could not recommend this restaurant enough. The food, hospitality and atmosphere is fantastic. This restaurant is run by someone who truly cares about people and food.

Thank you for an amazing night Ali! I hope to be...

Thank you Ali for making my birthday dinner the most special one I’ve ever had! Me and my friend are travelling in Japan and decided to go to Ali Baba for dinner. First of all, the food was divine and the best Turkish food I’ve ever had. I asked Ali if he had any vegan food and he prepared a delicious platter for me. This restaurant feels like a warm, welcoming hug. You truly feel like you’ve been welcomed into Ali’s home and not just a restaurant. My friend had asked Ali if he could prepare anything for my birthday and he went out of his way to buy some beautiful cakes to bring out after we had dinner! It was amazing to hear all of Ali’s stories, we spoke for hours and it was for me, the most inspirational part of my trip so far. Ali’s restaurant feels like a beautiful communal space. If there’s one thing you do in Okayama, PLEASE make it to visit this restaurant. You will have an experience you’ll never forget. Thank you so much again Ali, me and my friend feel so lucky to have met you and ate at your restaurant. We will...

Went to this restaurant on Saturday 12th April 2025 because of the good Google reviews. The place was full of smoke when we walked in with a weird smell and the owner looked at me and his face looked disappointed that we'd arrived. The atmosphere was very strange and it felt like illegal stuff was happening. The owner was arguing with someone sitting at the bar very loudly and a young woman came in looking like it was against her will, like she didn't want to be there but she wasn't a customer, very strange. Our food arrived and it was awful, we ordered a chicken casserole which was terrible, the chicken consisted of chicken skin fat with no meat. We mentioned this to the owner who tried to tell us that this is how Japanese people like their chicken, absolute rubbish. There is no way this place should score highly on Google, do not go to this place, you will be wasting your money. We have been all over Japan in 5 weeks and this place was the worst and most...