Ali Baba Grill Cafe — Restaurant in Fort Walton Beach

Title: Disappointing Experience at Ali Baba Cafe and Grill

I recently had an unfortunate experience with Ali Baba Cafe and Grill that compelled me to share my thoughts. I ordered a variety of dishes totaling $45 (that was also inclusive of the tip), but the experience left much to be desired.

Missing Hummus: To my disappointment, the hummus was missing from my order. Given its significance in a Middle Eastern cuisine, this absence significantly impacted my overall satisfaction with the meal. The fact that I paid immediately but received an incomplete order was frustrating.

Burned and Rubbery Falafel: The falafel, a dish I was particularly looking forward to, turned out to be a letdown. The falafel balls were overcooked, bordering on burned, and had a rubbery texture. The taste was far from the flavorful and crispy falafel I expected, making it a disappointing part of the meal.

Unpleasant Lamb Dish: The lamb dish, which should have been a highlight, was far from appetizing. The meat had a terrible taste and emitted a pungent smell that was off-putting. It was a significant departure from the quality I anticipated when ordering a lamb dish.

Communication and Refund Issues: Upon realizing the missing hummus and the subpar quality of the food, I promptly contacted the cafe. While they acknowledged the mistake, the communication regarding the refund was lacking. I was assured a refund on the same day, but unfortunately, no specific time was provided (which is crucial since food was picked up and missing item was mentioned). The inability to refund immediately, considering the circumstances, added to the overall frustration. The lady mentioned that the money will be Zelle to my account however my question will be, will it take more than an hour for Zelle to be completed? I have used zelle for transfers and it take seconds to be completed. Why do I have to wait when the restaurant didn't wait to take the money out of my account for the food I've ordered?

Overall Experience: In summary, my experience with Ali Baba Cafe and Grill was highly unsatisfactory. The missing hummus, the poor quality of the falafel and lamb, and the communication issues regarding the refund left me disappointed. It's disheartening when a dining experience falls short of expectations, especially considering the investment made in both time and money.

I hope this review serves as constructive feedback for both the establishment and potential customers. It's essential to receive the quality of service and food that one expects, especially when dining out.

Photos attached and please judge yourself.

Update as of 1326hrs: After making another call to check on the refund, they then zelle me the money. At this point it's no longer about the money but quality...

Food: I had the musakka guvec with white rice, bulgur, pickled red cabbage, pita bread, and tzatziki sauce. I also got falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and walnut baklava. Disappointed they didn’t have the kanafeh or kazandibi desserts available! Will come back next time for them.

Extraordinarily delicious, extremely well seasoned, and by far one of the best moussaka variants I’ve ever eaten. Loved the pita, was warm and well balanced with crunchy and soft parts. Falafel was pleasantly surprisingly tangy and very fresh made. Hummus is very thick but true to the chickpeas. Baklava was astoundingly good and was the lightest baklava I’ve ever had; most baklava tend to be very thick and too heavy with the syrup sauce, but this was very balanced and rounded. Portions for the musakka was huge and are very reasonable for the price.

Service: This isn’t the kind of place you should expect the server to baby you. They’re busy and do not hawk your table fishing for a good tip, so you must flag them if you want/need something. This is very common for places with people who grew up culturally very different than here in the states, so expect to call for service. Aside from that, they’re very fast to prepare food and are more than willing to make exceptions for what you want. I asked to try small portions of falafel, baba ganoush, and hummus, none of which are available on their own on the menu normally, hence why they’re served on small plates and the hummus in a sauce cup hahah.

Overall: Expect to spend some money for food here, but the food is very very worth it. I wish I could eat here more often. Definitely a place I will return to and try more things in the menu.

Their menu says “if your [sic] a food lover, you have come to the right address.” Indeed, any foodie will like this place, especially if you are wanting hella good...

This was a terrible experience. Terrible food. There is zero pride in this setup. Its purely setup to survive on cash flow naïve tourists. The space is desolate, dinghy and half the lights were closed in the space. There was one person to greet, take orders, serve and run back and forth from the kitchen. We did not see another person so pretty sure same person was also 'cooking'. The food is old. It is not cooked when you order, rather it is sitting there the entire time. We ordered several items and all were cold or semi-warm. Nothing is authentic. The rice is clumpy. The chicken items were completely dry with no flavor. The red meat items were extremely poor cuts of meat with out any effort to season or cook. The gyro is out of a box. How this place has over 5 locations blows my mind. We had over 10 people in our party, and suffered through the meal b/c we were starving after a whole day on the water. The fried items were over done, dark or refried. All the kids items were from a box, reheated and served to with two nuggets and half pound of fries. The menu is extremely overpriced. All the items are $20 or above which would not be an issue if the food was not from Restaurant Depot and actually prepared w/ care and quality. Literally, the worst ethnic food experience. The poor guy who was doing his best to cater to us was polite but even he felt embarrassed when more than a few items were not even available. The ambience is terrible. No effort has been taken to maintain a dignified dining experience. Save your money and save yourself the frustration. This place is not worth the time, money or...