Babylon Restaurant

Walking in for lunch, we were greeted by a friendly host. She gave us a couple menus and explained once we're ready to order we would do so at the counter. Putting in a couple appetizers, we opted in for the kibbeh, baba ghanouj, and manakeesh (za'atar w. cheese). The kibbeh was seasoned and fried perfectly. The baba ghanouj was creamy and accompanied with a very nice and airy pita bread, and the manakeesh was wonderful. It reminded me of a sauceless cheese pizza with the middle eastern spices. For mains, we opted in for the Mashawi which included a trio of meats. Kofta, beef kabob and chicken. All three meats were nicely seasoned, but the star meat for us was the kofta. The side of hummus was nice, and the salad was nicely seasoned even before pouring the dressing over it. Also opting in for the lamb chops, I found these to be perfectly grilled and incredibly tender. These were grilled closer to a medium-well, but still remained juicy and packed full of flavor. We found our server and the kitchen employee (perhaps the owner) to be pleasant and full of hospitality. This small-from-the-outside restaurant blew us away and we enjoyed everything we had. We look forward to returning in the near future to try other items on their menu.

All the food was extremely fresh and you can tell that it’s made from scratch. Really good & authentic! The people working were very happy to have us and polite, every thing is very clean as well. There is a lot of variety for drinks including yogurt, glass coke and more

Really enjoy this place. The owner and employees are extremely kind and patient. They actually show excitement with every customer which is very refreshing. The food is really top notch. We've been here a few times and have nothing bad to say. The food is as fresh as could be and very flavorful. We'll be back again soon for sure.

Try anything lamb, it’s cooked to perfection and it falls off the bone. The portions are excellent too. The veggies were fresh and overall everything tasted authentic Well almost, the white bean soup wasn’t great, tasted like out of a can But in general great prices and authentic tasty food

Always a wonderful place to stop by, the staff is always amazing (fast service, occasionally stopping by for a quick chat, offering free baklava and tea). The food is incredible, some of the best and most authentic Middle-Eastern/ Levant cuisine I’ve ever had. Notable standouts are the lamb kofta and gyro platter, both of which have become new addictions for me. Overall, a restaurant that deserves to be far and beyond more popular and successful than it currently is.

Best restaurant I've been to in Rochester. Authentic, fresh, and absolutely perfect. I had the veggie combo plate and it could make me a vegetarian! The baklava was perfectly fresh and soft as butter. The young lady who took my order was sweet and very attentive. I'll be back soon!

Stopped in for lunch. Food was fantastic! Service was attentive and polite. I had the shawarma plate and my wife had the mashawi. Both were great. The place was empty when we arrived. The ambiance leaves a little to be desired, screams "American Strip Mall Special." But, when the food is this good, who cares? Will definitely return!

This place is just delightful. Every time I visit I feel like I'm treated as family. The team is so lovely and kind. The pita wraps are absolutely deliveries. As are the pastries. And it seems every time I visit, they bring out some additional treat for us. It is a joy to eat here. It may not look like much but the heart is in the people and the food.

Very pleasant family-owned restaurant in suburban Rochester. Food was excellent. Service was outstanding.

Unassuming family-owned place with great food! I got a lamb shawarma sandwich and it was fantastic. Service was remarkably fast and the people who work there are all delightful. And they offered us some pieces of baklava for dessert for free! I'm so glad we stopped by and can't wait to go again. Truly wishing this place the best.

My family loves this place- tried it out back in November and everything we ordered plus the service was great. Super friendly owner/cook? My mom ordered tea and we received a full pot! He even gave us some dessert! Go try them out!

The food was amazing, and the people were so amazing. I felt like we had been invited into their family home. We were welcomed and taken care of. The comfort of food and good people at its absolute finest!

Delicious lamb shawarma sandwiches!! They brought cardamom tea and a little phyllo dessert. Yum! Just go here.

Great food, very large portions! The service was amazing. They brought me some hot tea and desert sample just because! Would recommend stopping in for sure!

Quiet eatery with a very relaxed vibe. Ordered from the friendly, kind woman at the counter - was particularly gratified to discover they have pickled turnips available! It was easy to ask for a couple tiny changes to my food as well. Their drink selection is also good - it's all bottled stuff, but that's the kind of thing I want at places like this. They have mango nectar, most importantly, which is just so good with shawarma. I was also offered a dessert while I waited - znood, I believe - and cannot recommend it highly enough. The custard filling worked really well! I come to shawarma shops for the wraps, first and foremost, and that's what I ordered - my lamb shawarma was fresh and juicy, the meat was generously portioned, and their garlic sauce was incredibly on point. Maybe the best I've had this side of the US-Canada border. I will absolutely be coming back.

Great kebabs, rice, soup, pastries and cardamom tea. Baba Ghanoush is good, but I prefer a little smoky. No tap water so order drinks. Cheery mango alcoves offset the dreariness on a rainy day. Service is cheerful and thorough.

Fresh pita made in house is worth the trip. Light fluffy warm, perfect for kebab, soup and anything else on the menu. And the dollar where fantastic. I will definitely come back.

The food was excellent, and the staff provided helpful explanations and offered great suggestions for menu options, while also offering spacious accommodations.

I got the Pompano Fish Plate as take-out. It came with the Salad & I chose Tomato White Bean Soup as my free side. The service was okay - I didn't get any utensils even though I had requested it which I found a bit odd. It was takeout so I'm not sure what the restaurant is like atmosphere-wise. The portion of the fish was absolutely massive for the price and the fish was fantastic. The yellow rice it was on top of was also good. I wish it came with napkins though, since it does get a bit messy eating it. The Tomato Soup was very disappointing - it tasted pretty bland and overall I didn't find it very tasty; this could be due to personal preference though! Overall very good price for the food, but the flavors & service could be stronger in some areas. Again, this could be due to it being takeout and not dine-in.

Always fresh, delicious food, speedy service, friendly owner & wait staff. Our family loves this place! Have brought many friends & co-workers here. They've also become regulars.

Outstanding, excellent food the girl the counter needs a little more training on exactly what they sell and how they sell it we will be back

Love this restaurant. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and they seemed happy to work there.. i ordered a greek salad and it was colorful/fresh/delicious/large portion. honestly was the best greek salad i ever had! The lentil soup was tasty. The lamb was just perfect! The beef was amazing. They had vegetarian choices too. I tried all their desserts and they were YUMMY! The environment was cozy and relaxing. Everyone should try this restaurant!

Great food and service and very reasonable price on top of it. We had the Lamb Shawarma sandwich, Beef Shawarma Manakeesh and Znood.

I just had the best Middle Eastern meal at Babylon Restaurant in Henrietta! Totally delicious! OMG, the freshest, lightest pita ever. I had the vegetarian platter and ful (fave bean dip) appetizer. And the people there are so nice. I can't say enough good things about it! And... if you're looking for a place where you can have a meal and be able to talk with you companions and hear each other easily, look no further.

Food is good home style service is fast The seating is cafeteria style Good for lunch and early dinner

My friend and I came for dinner tonight and it was a first time for both of us. My son, Andrew raves about Babylon and is a regular there. The gentleman at the counter was absolutely wonderful, polite and helpful. We each had a sandwich, my friend had the white bean soup and I ordered the Chicken Kabob Sandwich to go for my daughter. Everything was fantastic and we were brought a complimentary plate of znood for dessert. I highly recommend Babylon if you haven't been!

Wow! Wondered in on a Friday night. Friends had mentioned the restaurant to us but we had never been. The service was quick and the food fabulous. Probably the best kibbeh I've had in town. Their tabouli is spot on as well. They even brought over a free dessert for us while we were finishing up. Can't wait to go back and try more.

The husband and I wanted to try a new place for us on Valentine's Day. it was quiet and had been open for about an hour. took the menus and made our selections. Boy we're we not expecting the amount of food that came out! Everything tasted like magic but we could only eat half. The fish was tender, the bread was so fluffy, perfectly seasoned Falafel (I'm a falafel maniac). my husband enjoyed his chicken as well. we will for sure be back!

Pita was great and authentic. Will be going back again. Local spot and fries were great.

Please get your good from this restaurant with delicious food! I did take out of the pompano fish plate land it was big and meaty on a generous portion of a bed of yellow rice. The entree includes choice of lentil soup or white bean soup, and very fresh and delicious chopped salad - sorry not pictured. Delicious! I didn't even try to start the soup because I knew I would never finish the entree. I also order babagaboosh and no way was I gonna finish that either with the generous fish entree. Go support small business and delicious food! They will be even packed me fresh sample of each dessert when I got there to pick up. Same price cash or credit.

As a Rochester native, I can't say I have an extensive list of Mediterranean restaurants that I would recommend. Babylon Restaurant, however, would be at the top of that list. First, the food was absolutely delicious. Ordered the Chicken Shawarma sandwich, the Greek Salad, and the Baklava and would highly recommend eaxh. You can tell are the ingredients were fresh and the food was prepared very quickly. The Baklava was probably the best I ever had. The service was great as well. The worker who took are order helped us look through the menu and gave recommendations. After eating our meal, they provide a complementary tea service. I would say I'm picky about tea and found the one they served to be delicious. They also provided us with a sample of another of their desserts on the house! Not sure the name, but it was phyllo dough with a sweet cheese interior. Overall, a great experience and wish them the best of success!

I came here with my dad last month and we really liked the restaurant! Super friendly staff, very generous manager. Attentive to my dairy allergy. The tea served at the end of the meal is amazing! I should've asked where they get it, I'd buy it for my home. Great value -- I had lamb, chicken, and beef plus sides and soup all for about $22! 10/10 experience!

Babylon is delicious! They are always nice to me too and it's a little hole in the wall, kind of hard to find from the outside but WOW the food is good. You can eat inside and they will serve you but you order at the counter. No alcohol I don't think but great takeout and casual dine-in.

A small hole in the wall sort of place, but the food is really amazing and not too expensive!

My favorite was the custard phyllo dessert, first time trying and they were pretty good. The meats were good well. Soup was excellent. Garlic sauce can use a bit more salt otherwise pretty solid place would return.

3.5 stars. Pleasantly surprised. Hole in the wall sort of place next to some busy shopping areas. Order at the counter and then your food is brought to you. We tried a gyro platter as well as a steak sandwich. The platter was nice and I especially enjoyed the salad and sauce and came with pita on the side. The sandwich was a little disappointing. Best part of sandwich was pita, but there was not much else in it (no contrast such as pickled veggies, very minimal sauce). Would stop by for a quick bite in the future.

I should not have been able to find this restaurant and the ambiance did not call. But rave reviews from Yelp sent me hunting. I am fairly certain that pita was homemade; I know that shawarma was a gift from the gods. It was pouring rain and this sammie was warm and flavorful and better than I could have ever hoped. Yep. I will be back.

Friendly staff, tasty Mediterranean fare, especially desserts. Great place for a lunch meeting or a bit of quiet work.

We were at Babylon for the first time yesterday and had a great meal. I was looking for Mediterranean food with vegan options for my son and we were not disappointed! The delicious smells of spices and food were in the air as soon as we entered. The staff was attentive and they gave us recommendations for restaurant specialties. We tried the veggie combo plate, the fattoush salad and the lamb shawarma sandwich. The food arrived quickly and it was amazing. The fresh baked pita--delicious. We took our time eating in the restaurant and truly enjoyed this meal. We were not rushed through our meal and the server even brought us a dessert sample unexpectedly as well. This cozy restaurant is worth a visit! I know we will return.

I ordered this wonderful meal for pickup. Everything was good, the price was reasonable, and the portion was enough for 2 people.

Counter Service, Clean. Halal Comfortable seating area Semicircular booths plus three chairs each group, plus a row of two tops that can be combined. I had the Lamb Shank Plate with Yellow Rice, Greek Salad and Okra Soup. Generous proportions. Picture below. I'll be back - hopefully with company.

I can say without a doubt you won't be disappointed here. I have dine in twice and ordered take out once and each time I was satisfied with the quantity and most importantly the QUALITY of the food **falafel is not dry!! My first time actually eating one that was moist inside!!

The food was amazing! you have to try their manaeesh! This place has the best dough for bread, manaeesh, you name it. The service was great and the place is so clean for dine in! Great food and great, genuine people.

I've now been here 7 or 8 times and have never been disappointed. Tonight, I got a gyro pita and I have to say, it was the BEST gyro I've had in Rochester, and I've tried them all. From the homemade pita (their homemade pita is awesome), to the slices and chunks of fresh gyro meat, to the accompaniments (tomatoes, onions, lettuce, feta, traditional pickles and tahini sauce), it was everything you want a gyro to be. And, big, too! That was a gyro pita you have to hold with both hands. if you haven't tried Babylon Restaurant yet, what are you waiting for?

I don't base my decisions on service, but I love commending on exceptional service. Was ordering to go and the gentleman taking my order make recommendations, but not is a used car person way. Portions are plentiful and I had a nice lunch the next day. The kafta was perfect, salad was fresh and I can not put my finger on what they put in their Hummus, but it has a distinctive flavor; Excellent. Texture is spot on and the oil drizzle and olive are a nice touch. Now the surprises. The bread was warm and very tasty, could almost just get that and the hummus and be a great dinner. Lastly! The baclava. I am torn on it. Going to say the best I can remember eating. The filling not the punch I remember from some, however, this one is not swimming in honey, or what ever they drench it in at other places. Over all going to be a once a week place when in town traveling.

My husband and I are in Rochester overnight, and after a long drive from downstate, we were ready to relax and have dinner. I checked Yelp for nearby restaurants and luckily Babylon popped up first. We knew we picked the right spot when we saw several people picking up to go orders. We decided to eat at the restaurant and placed our order at the counter. The staff is warm and welcoming (Oznur is amazing!). We sat down and dinner was brought to the table. Of course we ordered too much, and everything was delicious. We both ordered the shawarma platter - each of the meats was juicy and perfectly seasoned, salad, tahini, hummus and the best fresh hot pita we've ever had! My husband started with a bowl of lentil soup and said he wished Babylon was in our town. I ordered za'tar manakeesh which was also hot, fresh and perfectly seasoned. Oznur brought znood over for dessert, compliment of the chef. A baklava type pastry filled with custard - a sweet finish to a wonderful dinner. We'll be back!

I ordered Babylon again for delivery and once again I was delighted!! Clearly my food was prepared fresh and served immediately .. my GrubHub driver delivered 20 minutes earlier than anticipated with a smile and followed all instructions to a T .. I couldn't be happier with the quality of the food and the quality of the service from GrubHub. I ordered the large Greek salad which was fresh crispy and chock-full of Wonderful vegetables such as cucumber and tomatoes .. I also did a side of chicken kabob which was Juicy and Delicious .. my order came with a free pita bread which was fresh and soft .. absolutely delicious!! I felt like I ate something super healthy but in a fast food/takeout format .. !! Will definitely be ordering from here again ..

I stumbled across this place purely by accident - I had a meeting somewhere nearby, and I saw the name of this restaurant on the map when looking up directions. Reviews seemed pretty positive and I love Middle Eastern food, so I figured I'd give them a shot. I came in at an off-peak time, and it was fairly quiet except for the regional music that was playing softly overhead. I took a look at the menu and had a hard time deciding on just one thing to order, but I eventually settled for the lamb shawarma pita. Now, there's two things I want to mention about this dish in general. One, there are a lot of places that serve it in such a way that you can barely even tell that it's lamb. Two, the flip side of this, is that there are some places that do a very poor job with this particular meat, and it comes out so gamey that it's hard to eat. These guys knocked it out of the park. The warm, soft pita was stuffed with shredded lamb that was seasoned perfectly - countering the meat's natural gamey flavor without completely hiding it. The spice blend they use is clearly different from any other Middle Eastern restaurant I've been to in town and that's probably due to the fact that the owner is from a country that is grossly under-represented in Rochester. The veggies inside tasted fresh and crisp, and the pita wasn't some horrible mixture of 90% veggies and 10% meat. And as an added bonus, they serve Moussy - a non-alcoholic beer that I rarely ever see in the US, let alone here. We finished up with an order of znood for dessert. If you've never had it - or even heard of it - think baklava, but rolled up and filled with a semi-firm custard. I'd never heard of it myself, but who can say no to something that looks so good? It had a sweet taste on the outside, with just a slight hint of citrus, which was a perfect complement to the custard. It's a counter-service restaurant: order at the front, seat yourself, and they bring you the food when it's ready / clear your place when you're finished. The gentleman who took our order and served us was very friendly and happy to answer questions. We'll be back again...and again....and again....

Wonderful food and exceptional service. Definitely give this place a try. We had the chicken shawarma sandwich, white bean soup, labnah, falafel, and a zatar flatbread. Everything was hot, fresh, flavorful, and delicious. You order at the counter and then a server brings everything to you. Food came out really quickly and the server was very attentive and brought us more warm bread for the labnah without us even asking. She also brought us a complimentary pot of spiced tea and two delicate, crisp pastries stuffed with a soft custard and drizzled with honey. It was so unexpected and delightful. Everything was excellent, but the falafel was exceptional - the best in town IMO. It was crisp on the outside and tender and light on the inside and overall perfectly spiced. Will definitely be back. I also liked that they had several things on their menu and that I haven't seen at other local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean eateries.

Ok, as a fan of Mediterranean food, this is definitely the worst Mediterranean restaurant in Rochester. We ordered a large order through DoorDash. First of all, all the meats were extremely dry and overcooked. Next, we got two dishes wrong. We got what we didn't order. And also, we ended up getting incomplete order. Unfortunately, by the time we received the items, the restaurant was closed. We were willing to drive back and give them back the whole order if not for that. Very very disappointed. And ruined our evening. Also, not at all flavorfully. Just bland dry food. And the dishes were inconsistent too. Me and my friend ordered the exact same dish and had different components in our combo plate ‍

Very friendly but not in-your-face service. Informal restaurant (order at front and choose beverage from cooler) with standard middle eastern menu. Fattoush salad was good with pickles (!), onion and lemon as well as requisite fresh vegetables and fried pita. Babaganoush was fluffy and delicious. Oil was very light. Freshly paled bread was delicious with my eggplant. They surprised with a not-too-big Iraqi dessert - sweet custard in fried filo with a light drizzle of syrup. Hit the spot while I was on the run.

Great food and service! The round booths are fun, but the material seems a little worn. Very nice folks and a wide selection of authentic menu items! Delicious cardamom tea and baklava!

The people who work here are so sweet. I would come back for them alone. I don't know anything about Mediterranean food, but I thought everything I had was excellent. The homemade pita bread was awesome. Desserts were fresh and flakey. Even their olive oil was flavorful. They put a lot of love and time into their food. Hidden gem in Rochester.

I've been here quite a few times now, and I have to say I've never had an experience that wasn't great. They have fantastic shawarma and fresh pita bread with great service as well. Even though it might be pretty unassuming, they definitely know how to make return customers.

I have eaten at many Mediterranean restaurants and this one was just okay for me. I decided to give this a try while visiting in Rochester, based off of the reviews. Looked at the menu online and also ordered through online services. Decided to order two chicken kababs, an order of Baba Ghanouj, and Dolma. The kabab platters came with rice, soup,salad and hummus. One of the chickens I did ask for well done because my friend likes it like that but stated she shouldn't have asked for well because it was really dry. I did not ask for well but my chicken cooked the regular way was still very dry. I was a little underwhelmed by the flavors. Again I have had plenty of Mediterranean and the flavor was lacking in a lot of the food. The Baba Ghanoui was very bland, as well as the chicken and rice. The hummus has a really good taste, the dolma was very well seasoned and the salad was good but we got no dressing. I ordered extra garlic, tahini, taziki and labneh came with the dishes for free. I was not fan of their garlic tahini but the taziki and labneh had good flavors. I got white bean soup and lentil soup and they both lacked flavor. The pita bread was real good and they gave you a nice portion size which I appreciated. There are a few other Mediterranean places that I would try before I circled back to this one. In my opinion it wasn't bad food but it wasn't memorable either. I did appreciate the fact that they gave me a little piece of Baklawa as a gift for my purchase and it was delicious.

I'm from out of town and staying at a nearby hotel. Walked here and got the best middle eastern meal I've had in a long time. Delicious food and huge portions. My chicken kabob meal came with warm bread, lentil soup, tender chicken, rice, salad and hummus. Halfway through the meal they brought me hot tea. Unassuming place but EXCELLENT. Had to add this as I was eating when I wrote this. They also brought me a little dessert

Babylon was a hidden gem after our first visit. The food was and service was excellent. We ordered Chicken Schwarma, Lamb Gyro, and Beef kabobs. It was delivered nice and hot with fresh pitas. Food was flavorful and authentic. This place is a must go to.