Ali Baba's King of Gyros

Say hello to the best gyros you can buy in the Twin Cities. The seasoned fries are killer and my kid is addicted to the baklava. Better is the people who run this place. Always smiling and kind. This place is clean and smells nice. I get cranky if I don't get a gyro once a week. Love it!

Decided to give this place a chance because I love supporting mom and pop shops. Sign on the front said 1292 for gyro, fries and a can soda. On the online menu it said around the same price but you can switch out the fries. In any case it was quite a bit more expensive than I thought it was so prices are a bit deceiving. We ordered a: 2 beef gyros that came with fries. Chicken gyro. They charge around 92 cents for extra sauce which I think is kind of absurd. It's cash only!! So be sure to bring cash or else you can't eat here. Food: The Euros were good enough, the meat however was really dry. The tomatoes and lettuce seemed fresh. Nothing special about the pita looks like they just took it out of a wrapper. I suggest getting extra sauce because the meat is really dry. The chicken gyro what's good. Meat seemed fresh. The styrofoam container of fries we got was utterly disgusting. So $12.92 plus tax so above $13 gets you one mediocre gyro disgusting fries in a can of pop. To me that's not really a value meal. From the business standpoint I can see why they give out so much fries, because they're cheap. Again the fries were utterly disgusting. Soggy, and overly hot. There's a lot of other better places to get gyros in the city. For the money, I would probably save your money and go somewhere else. Hope this place can revamp their pricing, and try to make their meat a little bit more juicy and tender.

We ordered plates of greek salad, fried vegetables and mixed meat. The salad was watery and cheap cheese (not feta) and no oil. There was maybe half a zucchini and one cauliflower floret in the veggies on a bed of iceberg. The meat was salty and very sparse. The 2 pieces of bread were dry and not enough. We were saved by the hummus. It's very rare that we leave an eatery still hungry, but we headed home to top up our appetites with food that we actually enjoyed.

As a descendant of a Lebanese immigrant who was raised on home made Lebanese food, is very picky when it comes to any middle eastern or Greek food and has high standards for my favorite comfort food… this place rocks. I wish I knew it was here sooner because I’m less than a mile away. Will definitely be a regular customer. If you’re in the area you have to check it out!!!

I really thought I took a picture of the beautiful plate of Falafels sitting on a delicious salad. The thick Mediterranean Dressing was rich, fresh greens,onions,tomatoes,olives. Really,the best Falafels this vegetarian has found in years. Other customers raved about their experiences,too.

Way too overpriced. Gyro meat has no flavor and was hard. The only good things were the spinach pie and baklava, which come from outside sources and aren't made in store.

Stopped quickly while waiting for a bus. Glad I did! Very friendly service. The gyro 🥙 I had was prepared quickly, very generous portion and tastes fantastic. Best gyro I have had in a long time. Will be back soon for a meal special when I have more time.

Great Gyros!! The owner is very friendly. Well worth the trip. Good, good stuff!

Like it on the lighter side with the sauce.... Other than that it's soooo goood! Yummy flavors. Great texture and good service.

Dry stale rice, dry gyro, everything seemed like a day old. all around not good experience.

Love this small Greek joint, everything is fresh and staff/family friendly. We get our food to go so I can't say much about the atmosphere other than there are a handful of tables and it's clean. We usually get gyro sandwiches and fries with extra tzatziki and I like the fried veggies.

Could not see going back here. I was SO looking forward to trying this place. It's Labor Day and headed from the airport so called to see if open and yes until 2 so we rush over and got there at 1:45. The guy was instantly rude and said he was out of the several things I wanted so I ended up with chicken gyro and a gyro plate and baba ghanoush. He instantly tells us he will bring things to our car even though there were about 5 others in the dining area so that made us feel unwelcome. The baba ghanoush is bland. The gyro meat was average and dry. The hummus had one olive in it and also unremarkable. I think I may have come back to try the chicken with vegetables if I was more welcome, but for kind of a whole in the wall went went out of our way to get to in the first place - no need to go back. Even Dinos is better.

Food was delicious and great portion sizes. Only reason for not giving a 5th star was needed a 2nd pita for that portion size.

I have been buying Gyros form Ali Babas for nearly 30 years. Always what I ordered was consistent in texture, flavor, and product ingredients. This time, the Humas was very runny with no flavor and also Baba Ghanouj. The Falafel was so disappointing, probably frozen pack. The Dolmades were Okay, but they are canned. The gyro meat was over cooked or dried. Pita was good. Baklava was excellent. I used to brag to friends how great it was. Can't do it anymore.

Very good and large gyros at a reasonable. Great fast service during the lunch hour rush.

The Sautéed Chicken and Vegetables is my current obsession meal! I've gotten it with both the rice and the hummus, and both are sooooo good. I could eat it every night, seriously. Everyone I'm eating with always loves what they have, too, so definitely consistent across the board. Absolutely check them out!

I went to this place for the first time a bit ago. I arrived 45 minutes before close and was met with one of the rudest men at the front counter. he was annoyed that I was dining in and made sure that I knew when they closed. his tone and attitude were entirely unprofessional. food was fine. would not go back.

What a gem! Discovered this place a few months ago and have been back multiple times already! It's addictingly good. Great options for a vegetarian. I've tried the fried vegetables (25), sautéed vegetables (26), falafel combination (33), and vegetarian combination (34). All terrific! My partner loves the gyro combo (9A) and has also tried a few other meat entree options. The guy at the counter is so nice when you place your order inside, then wait in your car and they bring it out to you when ready. There is no indoor dining right now on account of Covid. We always get a side order of fries which have an awesome seasoning salt. The portion sizes are plenty for two meals each. Just a shame it's on the other side of the metro, but worth the drive. Highly recommend!

Thank's so much to Arkan behind the counter for getting me the best gyro, grape leaves, and baklava I've had in a long time! Can't wait to try more on the menu, but wow what a great bite! Keep up the great work!

Do not recommend. I've never before disliked the hummus at a Mediterranean restaurant. The pita in my order was still in the store bought bag. Would rather drive 20 minutes to get to Christos.

Fantastic food. This is my new spot to get Gyros. Portions are great, the sauce and everything was on point. And I felt satisfied with everything. I saw another reviewers review about the inside, it's a small mom and pop shop. Obviously the other reviewer is stupid and doesn't know that small businesses make the best food. Will recommend to all my friends. I got the #12 it was great.

The food here is such poor quality! I am happy they are open during tough Covid times, so not rating them a 1 star but the food here is not worth hard earned dollars. I was served a sour hummus, bland falafels, bad rice and a mash up of some hot-sauce dipped chicken topped with poor service. The Gyro meat and tabouli salad were ok. This place brings shame to otherwise delicious Lebanese food..

This is a great Mediterranean place. The staff were friendly and the lamb and rice were excellent. Highly recommended.

COVID take out lunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. First, and most importantly, the gyros were amazing. State Fair level good. Three deep (me, wife, MIL) had the exact same thing and all achieved the same result - gyros completely consumed. Fries were good too, great seasoning, a bit too wedge cut for my preference but cooked to perfection for the style. Service was friendly even given these weird Coronaverse days. This is a place I am glad Yelp helped me discover and I will absolutely return. Outstanding gyros. Highly recommended.

I heard about this place on a neighborhood Facebook group so I had to try it. I got the falafel and veggies sandwich. It was perfect. Next time I'll try the chicken kabob

Freshly made falafel, not over cooked. Stuffed grape leaves. Friendly service. Very good.

I'm sure they are very nice people and trying their best but this was super disappointing...even during these COVID times. Don't want to leave a poor review (and yes, I give good reviews too) but EVERY item was subpar - meat was pretty dried out, even the rice. To top it off, we ordered 2 Ali Baba combos and says it comes with 5 meats. I see only 3 and definitely no kabobs. This is a good way to lose weight since I don't want to overeat any of this. I wish them the best. Time to move back to LA (this woulda been 1 Star there).

Average.. I was looking for something good just like the ones from Chicago. I was annoyed.. I was not given napkins ketchup in my bag and the gyro meat was room temp not hot .

As a gyros fanatic, this place is excellent. Always the same three working when I go, so I assume family run. They always seem to be good friendly people. Good service, great portion sizes and wide variety of canned/bottled sodas. The only thing I would prefer different is option for fountain drinks instead of just cans and bottles for beverages.

Don't waste your hard earned money. Went there last night spent over $40.00 for two meals (meal deal=gyros and a gyros combination plate), one piece of baklava and a spinach pie. The meat was dry and either reheated and some of the pieces of both plates were so dry they were not edible. The tabbouleh had so much lemon juice it was also left on the plate. The place was dirty. To spend that much money for a sub par meal

Stopped in today and the next generation was minding the store! Same great service, same great food, very friendly! Thanks Alan!!

I had the gyros with fries and a drink. It's not a fancy place. There is one person cooking but I believe it's a neighborhood favorite. I did fine with the gyros as well as my kids, but my hubby tummy did not do so well. I probably won't go back but it was nice to find a place since Gyroplis was closed.

I was pretty intrigued so I ordered a few things off the menu just to try them and I'm sad to say I wasn't impressed and the hummus was so terrible it ruined my entire meal. Whatever you do don't get the hummus.

The food was all good. The ingredients didn't seem to be very high quality, but they were all very tasty. The baklava was very good.

Very good! My friend and I did take out and got gyro platters. The meat was seasoned well and all of the other sides (rice, hummus, tabouleh) were delicious and the portion sizes are big! I would stop in again.

I've stopped in here a few times while running errands in the area and have always been happy with my meal. Ali Baba's is a Greek and Lebanese deli tucked away among a number of small businesses on Robert Street in West. St. Paul. While it doesn't stack up to some of the other Greek or Lebanese restaurants in the Cities, it has still consistently hit the spot. The building itself is fairly no frills as it's an unassuming small shop with limited outside signage and seating inside. The menu has a number of variations of gyros, kabobs, falafel, sandwiches and platters to choose from (both carnivore and veghead friendly). The gyros are large and filling and the platters make for a hearty meal. I could take or leave their hummus, but will definitely keep coming back for the lamb and kufta. It's always been a one-man show every time I've stopped in and since everything for the most part is made to order it can be a few minutes before your order is ready depending on how busy they are. That said, the service has always been friendly and the food is not a bad value for the price.

Good gyros and their Greek dressing was great , should like to see Greek lemon soup added

I order gyros at least once a week. I ask for Tahini sauce on them. Excellent gyros! There fries are excellent and the tabuli salad is different but I like it.

Ordered for carry out. Food was ready right on time and packaged to keep it fresh. Great gyro and fries. Humus was really bright flavor and a big portion. Will stop back for sure.

Delicious, well priced, good customer service. Great value. Would recommend. Better then dinos gyros.

Been here a few times and it hasn't disappointed. Gyro and fries combo is a great deal, highly recommend checking this place out.

Stopped around 1:30 p.m. The lunch specials were posted but no price. One man working, no customers but me. Ordered a regular gyro for $6.99. He proceeds to microwave something. Ugg! It was the pita. Opened the gyro to two tiny tomatoes, lettuce, lots of gyro meat and watery cucumber sauce. Gyropolis is much better and have huge chunks of cucumber. The baklava was good but premade elsewhere. The pita was chewy and tough after being nuked. I don't think I will return.

This place is unironically kitschy as all get out. It's amazing. And the gyros are top notch. We shared a basket of fries. The seasoning was good, if a bit too heavy. St Paul has just about every road in town torn up right now, including the one in front of Ali Baba's. Go around back to access the parking.

This place never disappoints. It's been owned by the same family as long as I recall ... the food is always fresh and delicious. Whenever I get back to wsp this is where I stop. The gyros are fabulous. Tons of meat, delicious creamy cucumber sauce and crispy fresh veggies. Huge menu, delicious desserts. Top it off with the best customer service. As other reviewers have noted, the place is spotless and sparkly clean. Great experience!

I just pulled myself out of a damn near day long meat coma to write this review. This is a classic example of one of those places you drive by and think, "Is that place even still open?" while you're on your way to somewhere else. Then, eventually, you drive by it so often that it just fades into the grey tapestry of Robert Street and you stop thinking about it all together. I'm glad my girlfriend and I finally decided to falcon punch the blinders off. We ended up going with the falafel and spinach pie appetizers. We both got gyros, as well, and he was very happy to give alterations (no tomatoes, extra onions... etc). While were were hanging out and waiting for our food we were eyeballing everything like anxious, starving hawks. It was very, very clean (even the windowsills) and it smelled like an alluring mixture of seasoned meats, spices and falafel (Eau de Greco). There's something truly mouthwatering about watching someone carve the meat off the spit and onto a warm pita. He also carefully shaped all the falafel nuggets and fried them up perfectly. The kitchen, too, was immaculately clean and readily visible from pretty much any vantage point in the tiny restaurant. Having been sucked into a couple Gordon Ramsey marathons in my day, I find things like this very favorable. The gyros? -Huge-. Like... "Oh, lawdy, I got me the meat sweats" huge. Absolutely chock full of tender meat, creamy cucumber sauce and onions. The spinach pie had great flavors that popped and the falafel were crispy and fresh. For a fee*, though it will pain me**, I'll come and falcon punch your blinders off too. Stop driving by and start noticing. * Ten dolla fo you. ** It won't, just kidding.

Food: -Chicken gyro (shawirma) sandwich, passable as a gyro sandwich and fairly tasty, but based on this I wouldn't say Ali Baba's is the "king of gyros", maybe ~10th in line for the throne. -Decent no frill stuff, good for the price -Along with the whole no-frill thing, they use imported spinach pie and baklava as well as blatantly displayed grocery-store pita bread. I'm counting this against them because I'm a food snob bitch. Realizing that little is truly homemade takes some magic away from this small family deli, and disappointed me in a finding-out-that-Santa-isn't-real way. Service: -Very friendly, one of the best I've experienced in smaller diners like this -What really impressed me was when the counter boy gave me one of their bottled waters for free after I'd asked for some tap (they only have beverages for sale). Free bottled water, big fucking deal right? You know what, it IS a pretty big fucking deal because small restaurants like this typically make access to free water either extremely inconvenient or nonexistent, and I was ALWAYS charged a disgustingly inflated price for bottled water in similar settings. I was super touched by the free water and the realization that there ARE still some decent-non-moneysucking-souls on the planet.

the first guy who helped me was nice but another guy came and was rude and seemed uninterested and was messing with his hat and hair, my gyro fries were more fries than gyro.. it was dry, most of the fries were dry and hard or had a burnt flavor, barely any sauce and the onions were poorly cut and were huge. the place itself looks run down and i was very disappointed because the reviews are mostly good but today they didn't show that.. i don't know what it was but i must've caught them on a bad day.

Wow! There are a ton of Greek restaurants in downtown St Paul (where I work) but none of them come close to this place. It's a little pricier and you'll wait a bit longer to get your meal but it is more than worth it! These guys buy more expensive meats than typical shops and, if you ask, they are more than happy to explain how/why they cook the food the way they do. These guys take pride in what they do and they should! Fantastic! The number 17 is my favorite.

food is good but the workers are A-holes! I wish I would have known I had to wait for my food on a 95* day before I left a tip. I won't be back.

This place has great prices for authentic Greek. Down the street prices are definitely more for similar taste/quality. Dino's gyros moved in across the street a few years backs (typical corporation tactic). I was so glad to see Ali's beat them out in a manner of a couple years I'd guess. One small victory for independent business!

You might not have known, but the King of Gyros is a lady. She was workin' this place by herself on a hot Saturday night, but make no mistake--she *is* the King. Very good tzatziki sauce, best I've had in the Twin Cities. (Which, okay, isn't saying much.) Tangy, and yogurt-y instead of mayonnaise-y. Falafel was nicely prepared, and the Gyros meat was good, maybe a tad dry. Both sandwiches were heavy on the meat, light on the vegetables. Service was not fast, but it was worth it. I'll definitely go again.

Our office folks decided to try something new, so we got Ali Baba's. Gyros were moist and super tasty. Falafals were super good. But oh man, the baklava is the best any of us has ever had! Nice people, clean, and they made our food fast.

Good food, very healthy portions. Great family fun establishment. Prices were reasonable and staff was very friend.

Good flavor but the only thing I didn't like was they didn't use gloves the lady kept touching my bread and the salad with open hands!!I would love if they start using gloves or some kind of utensils to touch salad especially!

A nice family-owned neighborhood restaurant. Common for small family businesses, staffing can be thin and a rush of business will mean some wait times, but that's understandable. The food is good and portions are ample. There are lots of vegetarian options clearly marked on the menu. Recommended if you're in the area with a taste for Mediterranean fare.

Look, I rate restaurants on the basis of what they purport to offer. Ali Baba claims to be The King of Gyros. And he is, no question. He doesn't try to put on airs, or pretend to serve something else. It is what it is. The restaurant is smallish, styled after a diner you may have visited on a road trip somewheres. But it's clean, the family working the counter is friendly and attentive (always honoring my request of "Hold the tomato, extra onion, extra cucumber sauce.") Served up fast, hot and cheap, the bag has a little heft to it, and so does my wallet as I walk out, know what I mean?

This is the best gyro place I've tasted in my life time. I am at ease to it's simplicity and watching the FRESH lamb rotisserie behind the counter justa...rotating! . Haha, LOVE IT. I joined yelp just so I can find a gyro place that's better and least to say I HAVE NOT. I've been coming here for 10 years sporadically. But that's to say, I only come here for the gyros. So my review might be a little biased. It's the king of gyros! I did not come to the king of gyros to eat baklava and spinach pie or complain about the choice of decor. (Someone called the gryo meat dry, hello?!? Tell me where it's better IN Minnesota and I rest my case. I'm a health nut so maybe not dripping in access oils is dry to some.)