Alibaba – A Flavorful Diamond-In-The-Rough

by Jessica Russak

Alibaba
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
515 Amsterdam Ave. (Between W 84th St. & W 85th St.)
Subway: 1,2 @ 86 St
212-787-6008
Serves flaishig Israeli

Does size matter? Not when it comes to this diamond-in-the-rough Israeli restaurant. Though there is only one table, the food is worth it. Eat it there, in your car, or standing on the street corner. If you’re in the mood for a snack or even a full meal at any time of day, even the early morning hours before dawn, Alibaba is the place to get it.

For anybody who loves Melech Felafel in Israel, this place is reminiscent. A large leg of lamb slowly spins for all to see, and cuts up into wonderful schwarma. Sandwiches, such as felafel, schwarma, or shnitzel, are five to eight bucks, and are oversized. With your meal, there is an open salad bar, so feel free to take extra fillings for your schwarma on a lafa, which is my favorite. Next time I’m telling them to add French fries to the mix.

If you’re looking for a healthy meal, don’t come here. The yipraks, bourekas, and other Mediterranean delicacies are rich with natural oils and fats. But oh! – they are delicious. I recommend experimenting with different dishes. Run wild. Let your hair down. Shake it up a bit. Order an extra potato boureka with that felafel. It’ll feel great.

A note on the service: it’s great. You order at the counter and they service you before getting to the next person. The wait isn’t long, which is a testament to their efficiency. I feel like they’re never out of anything. It’s open close to 24 hours a day, so they have to stay overstocked. So at four in the morning, after a night of bar-hopping or shteiging, when your stomach is growling at you for that illicit ill-timed meal, pop into Alibaba and satiate the urge.

By the way, when I say it’s open 24 hours a day, I don’t mean like Josh’s Place, which says it’s similarly open, but closes before two in the morning. But I’ll get to that next time, since that place needs a stern rebuke longer than one sentence. Now back to Alibaba.

Order a platter for a large group. I find that when I’m with my friends, and we’re on our way home to relax and hang out, picking up a large platter is quite important. It comes with humus and rice or French fries. I feel like I’m on an Israel summer tour, sitting on the floor of an Arab tent in the dessert, munching on Middle-Eastern treats.

So come on in and enjoy, because I can’t emphasize how integral it is to have an all-night Kosher felafel joint in this town.

What do you think? Click here to send a letter to the editors.
All content is copyright © Yeshiva University Commentator.