Ali Baba Persian Restaurant

Ali Baba Persian Restaurant on SR 434 in Longwood.

I went to Ali Baba today, a Middle Eastern cuisine. They have a buffet with a variety of food, and countless veg options. A vegetarian/vegan buffet is only $9.95.

There are five different types of buffets at Ali Baba. First, the salad bar. The salad bar includes chopped iceberg lettuce that contains sliced green peppers, sliced tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Ali Baba has their own homemade dressing that is to die for! It is a vinegrette style with a little more tang. They also have tabouleh, and Shirazi salad (chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and mint in olive oil and lemon juice). There is also a bowtie pasta salad.  (There are other salads, but they are not vegan.)

The second bar includes an assortment of different Middle Eastern dips, including hummus, kashk-o-bademjan (baked eggplant, but they top it with whey -- yuck!), and others.

Following that is a bar that we will attend to the most. It includes cous cous (nom), falafel, potato slices, three types of soup, and two types of rice. (Sometimes they even include grilled vegetables.) Today's soups, included lentil (vegan), creamy lemon (vegetarian), and ash reshteh (vegetarian). Ash reshteh soup is a blend of reshteh (very thin noodles), parsley, and red kidney beans. It is not vegan (includes whey), but it is vegetarian. The rice provided today was white rice (Persian style), and keshmesh rice or raisin rice.

The final bar is the cruelty bar (meats, meat, meat), and beside that is the dessert. (Two bars I never go near.)

First, I had salad. The iceberg with the amazing dressing (drool), the bowtie pasta salad that was topped with vinegar, alongside the Shirazi salad.

Next, I had cous cous with falafel and hummus, along with the potatoes. Absolutely delicious and filling. Their falafel and hummus isn't the best I have ever had, but it did the job.

The lentil soup included red kidney beans with bits of potatoes, and was mildly spicy. I hate spicy foods, but this was tolerable and tasty.

Majority of the bar is not vegan-friendly, but it just goes to show you in even a meat-eater's environment, we can survive. What's great about Ali Baba is, not only do they have display signs naming the item, but they also provide the ingredients, whether it is vegetarian, and if it's gluten-free. You'll be doing a lot of reading, but in the end, it's worth it. I left satisfied and full.

I also had two cans of Chabaa juice. One was peach juice, the other pomegranate. Both were very yummy, but I loved the pomegranate. They also sell mango juice (which was sold out), and pear juice, which I am opted to try next time.

They also have menu items, some of which are not at the bar. They provide hookah (outdoors only), and alcohol (beer and wine). On Fridays and Saturday nights, they have bellydancers. It's a great place to hold an event, or go to for special occasions. It's very spacious, and have enough seating to accomodate to large groups.

There is a small market to the corner of the store, beside the stage where the bellydancers perform. The market sells Middle Eastern seasonings, ingredients, and other products. They sell very nice hookahs, hookah tobacco, and charcoal. All at a decent price.

Ali Baba
1155 Florida 434 #105
Longwood, FL 32750