We were in Orlando this past weekend celebrating our engagement and were looking for some good Mediterranean food. There is every kind of restaurant imaginable in Orlando, but what we experienced at Ali Baba’s was more than we could have dreamed up.

From the outside, Ali Baba already has a lot of character, the stucco; Moroccan inspired architecture really draws you in from the parking lot. Once you get inside, the ambiance continues with low lighting, tiled tables and hanging lanterns all done up in deep reds.

As you look to your left, pure food heaven awaits you as you begin to smell the symphony of spices and sauces that await you. Not only does Ali Baba serve food from all over the Mediterranean, but it is a buffet, so you are encouraged to try everything! The chefs at Ali Baba do not use any MSG, pre-packaged, canned or processed foods in the preparation of their dishes. The vibe was so authentic inside that we decided it was easy to pretend that we were on vacation somewhere, like Turkey! The food was delicious.

There were the usual Mediterranean stand-bys like hummus, baba ganoush, greek salad, rice pilaf and falafel as well as lesser known fare such as beef stew with preserved limes in a tomato sauce, Persian stew and Avgolemono Soup and some of the lightest flakiest baklava I have tasted. Also unique is their wine and beer list featuring choices from Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey and Greece. I started with a sweet wine from Greece and Roberto enjoyed a refreshing frothy Casablanca beer, imported from Morocco.

We were feeling nice and content when the bellydancing show was about to begin. That feeling was about to leave us…The first dancer came out and as the music began Roberto and I quickly recognized it as a Tarkan tune, which made us very excited. However as her set began to go on she became known as “the clown”. Her facial expressions and quirky personality, although amusing, did not exactly jive with the music or her dancing. Skilled as she was with belly rolls and shimmies, her last number which was her twirling around with a veil to the music of Coldplay was confusing to say the least.

When they announced the next dancer I was feeling a bit relieved until I heard the music – Shania Twain? I began to look around the room wondering if perhaps they brought her out when there were lots of cowboys in the audience, but all we saw were blank stares, horrified looks and giggling faces – no cowboys. Then the dancer steps out wearing cowboy boots, cowboy hat and a mini skirt. I was beginning to have serious doubts about Ali Baba at this point, especially when the next song was also country-western and dancer one and dancer two performed a “dance –off” making Zoolander look like a serious movie. After the Clown and the Cowgirl left the stage things began to take a better turn – we were enchanted by the Golden Goddess who had great facial expressions and control, performing a cane dance and a sword dance that was beautiful.

The next set of performers was a Spanish fusion duet that turned into more sword dancing and serious feats of flexibility. It was beautiful to behold until again, that famous Tarkan song began playing. Ali Baba’s dancers sure love Tarkan, as that song was played on at least 3 separate dance numbers that night! After the duet, the Cowgirl came back out this time in a beautiful green cabaret costume accompanied by the music of Bellydance Superstars. She also performed a sword dance with 3 swords at the same time which was incredible! By the end of the night we were having a great time and very happy we stayed! That was until we got the bill – On Saturday nights, because of the 2 hour bellydancing show, the cost for 2 people, with drinks is about $90! However, it is a crazy experience that you are not likely to find anywhere else– delicious, healthy Mediterranean food eaten while watching cowgirl bellydancers perform amazing acts of defying gravity all wrapped up into one night! That is an experience you are not likely to forget in a very long time!

Ali Baba Restaurant
Fine Persian Cuisine
Serving you the finest in Persian Cuisine with 2500 year-old recipes
1155 West State Road 434
Longwood, Fl 32750
407-331-8680