Baba Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

Let's start with the positives. The environment is white, bright, clean, and inviting. The food was fresh and delicious and every staff member that passed our table checked in on us, which was refreshing and greatly appreciated. Outside of that the experience was underwhelming, bordering on insulting, at best. First off, my friend made 5:00 PM reservations for inside. I was the first to arrive, at which time the hostess turns me around and sits me at an outside table. Because it was breezy with the fans and there was ample shelter and shielding from the elements, I did not question or complain, but outside seating is not what was requested. Second, the prices are not equitable to what you receive. Collectively, my friend and I spent upwards of $150.00. We split an appetizer, each had an entrée, and I had two cocktails and took a dessert to go. I know $150.00 for all that sounds fairly reasonable, but when you consider that the hummus and pita appetizer alone accounted for $20.00 of that cost, it borders on ridiculous. Additionally, you are supposed to receive a pita and a piece of zaatar bread with the hummus, but we only received the one pita. When the server returned and saw we had an entire bowl of hummus and no bread, he inquired if we would like more. We both affirmed that we would, this time receiving both pieces of bread, and it becoming obvious that we had not received both initially. However, not once did he mention that we would be charged for this second helping of bread. Neither of us would've had any issue paying the $4.00 charge had we been made aware that there would be one and had we received what we were supposed to have gotten to begin with. Next, it took what felt like an eternity to get our entrees. We didn't time it, but it was long enough for us both to take notice and mention it to each other. Lastly, when the server returned to collect our credit card slips he advised us that our table was needed. It wasn't even 7:00 PM yet. The restaurant was not at capacity and, in fact, there were a number of empty tables both inside and out. We were not offered seating at the bar or anywhere else within the establishment so I could finish my second cocktail. When my friend asked if we could sit on the patio furniture for me to do so, the server responded that we were welcome to, however called to our attention that there were no cushions, as they had been removed for the brief early evening shower that occurred while we were there. He made no bother to attempt to get us cushions or ask management to assist us in any way. So I left my $9.00 cocktail, gathered my overpriced leftovers, and we exited the premises. I'm not trying to convince you to not give them a try if you haven't already been, but personally speaking, if I spend money with them again, it will be for lunchtime takeout and I will be thoroughly checking my to-go bag to ensure all of the components and items are included. I had very high hopes for this restaurant and my first (and likely last) dining experience with them, but sadly,...

Very nice place and authenticly Greek..We had a change in schedule and decided to pop in to finally try Baba. Servers and support staff are wonderful. And one feels very welcomed and at ease. Seating is well spaced indoors and out nit only for Covid safety but also it is just nice feel uncrowded despite the place being quite full. The menu was a bit frustrating as so much of the drink and food items are described using specific Greek labels which leaves the novice uninformed as to what one might be ordering. We looked up a few items to figure out what some ingredients were. Seriously, it would have taken half an hour for a waiter to even describe what each of the drink specialties were. I defaulted to a safe choices from the well. My partner tried one of the Greek drinks, Aphroditi, Both were very good. The ginger in my whiskey and ginger ale was overly potent but a bright taste. We chose 2 items as appetizers. The roasted Beets (in the salad section) was a well prepared dish. Very unusual and truly a flavorful delight. The Falafel appetizer was well made. Both portions were plentiful. For Entrees, I chose the hostesses favorite of 1/2 chicken. It was render gently seasoned and surrounded with flavorful compliments. My partner tried the eggplant which he found very satisfying. There was a mix up in the kitchen on his entree but the manager came out, apologized and made sure his correct entree was quickly prepared. An example of their good service was her offering to take my plate and keep it warm while we waited so we could have our meals at the same time. The menu is not lengthy but varied enough the each of us saw at least 2 or 3 dishes we wanted to try. Guess we'll have to come back! Desert was a tough choice. 5 items, each of which is very tempting and not of generic stock. The Brownie with Pomegranate seeds was our waiters recommendation and was truly a flavorful delight. We have friends who have named this as one of their favorite choices. The Mayor happened to be dining there tonight. We now know why. I would HIGHLY recommend...

The food was delicious Greek/Mediterranean food. They have a super cute outdoor seating area that is very relaxing. The octopus was well cooked. The chicken was flavorful and juicy. The halloumi is garnished with citrus, mint and honey which gives it a delicate but delicious texture.

I would have given this place 5 stars but the food took a while to come out and was luke warm and when it comes to the dishes we ordered especially the baked halloumi it makes it not that great when it’s cold.

I would not have even cared that much about the luke warm food but the manager, Allisonwas unfriendly and it seemed as though she wanted to turn away our business, which left a bad taste in my mouth. There were about 5 tables open when we arrived for a late lunch around 2ish and she told us she had an hour wait, which there was no one visibly waiting around. One side of the outdoor space is first come and she never communicated that and just told us we could order from the cafe to go. We did order from the cafe and overheard her telling someone else about the open seating in that area so we found a seat and ordered our food. No one ever took those tables that I inquired about and the place started emptying out because it was at the close of a normal lunch time when we arrived. It’s so easy just to be warm, welcoming and friendly which she wasn’t. It’s the hospitality business after all.

I wanted this to be my favorite restaurant and even said it was before I actually ate there because I loved the menu, the pics of the food online looked great and the ambiance is so cute. It’s funny how treating someone poorly can change their perspective even when you have a great establishment.

I also do digital marketing and have several clients that are restaurants so I get the industry and the owners are definitely not...