Matthew L.
Yelp
Ali Baba's Kitchen is a Middle Eastern restaurant that opened in Hamden, Connecticut in 2014. It was founded by husband and wife Pakistani immigrants Jamshed and Sobia Khalid. Jamshed worked in the fishing industry as a young man, but dreamed of working in the restaurant business. He came to the United States in 1989 and worked for a vending machine business. He finally entered the food industry in 2000 when he started "Mughali Foods": a food cart that prepared Indian and Pakistani food. In 2003, Jamshed became the owner of Noor Mahal, an Indian restaurant in Orange, but continued to run the food cart. He sold the restaurant three years later to focus exclusively on the food cart operation. He later dubbed it "Ali Baba's Fusion" and shifted the menu to halal Middle Eastern cuisine. At one point, Jamshed even had six Ali Baba food carts operating around New Haven. The Kalids opened a brick & mortar location in Hamden in 2014. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the couple cut down their food cart division to a single cart and put most of the focus on the brick & mortar location which was rebranded as "Ali Baba's Kitchen". The menu was also augmented to focus on healthier food options. A second location opened in North Haven in 2025.
My wife and I recently sampled Ali Baba's delicious cuisine for the first time. Although I had heard several great things about them for a few years, I never got around to stopping in. While my wife was recovering from a minor surgical procedure at Yale-New Haven Hospital, I ventured to nearby Cedar Street in search of a cheap lunch. Located adjacent to the hospital, the street features a menagerie of food carts that are often visited by hospital visitors and staff. When I saw (and smelled) Ali Baba's food cart, my decision had been made. I ordered the "Mixed Combo" (grilled beef gyro and lemon chicken strips, sautéed onions, rice) and it was phenomenal. A week later, once my wife was home, I decided to head to the brick & mortar location to get takeout. Once again I ordered the "Mixed Combo", my wife ordered the "Side Dishers Bowl" (chicken biryani with ginger chicken and falafel topped with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, black olives, pickled onions, tamarind sauce, ABK sauce), and we shared sides of "Samosas" (with tamarind sauce and chana masala) and "Hummus" (with pita bread pieces). We think that the food at Ali Baba's is sensational and we plan to order from them again and again! We look forward to trying out the new location in North Haven because it's just a five minute drive from home!
