Al Basha Restaurant

My friends and I decided that a summer evening poolside followed by some Al-Basha and hookah hits the spot just about right. It will now be a tradition.

The Turkish coffee was delicious and presented very cordially by the owner of the place, after which he noted that his three sons would be serving us that evening.

This cuisine is hands down my favorite and so it's tough for me to complain as long as it is real food prepared by real people, and Al Basha is (the owner is Iraqi and as mentioned, his family helps run the place). The hummus was the amazingly flavorful--watch out Ali Babba Grill. My friend's vegetarian platter was huge and full of (heart-shaped) falafel and all the other standard good stuff. My lamb kabob could be considered a bit dry, but I enjoyed the char on the outside with the burst of seasoned flavor that was inside. The garnishes and salad were served with a lot of fresh parsley, which was a refreshing touch. The pita were nothing special--Ali Babba, you still win there.

When I walk into a restaurant run by people from another country, I think I usually leave my ethnocentric ideals at the door. Possibly not all the time, but such was the case at Al Basha and the service therefore gets a pass. I had to ask for a water refill and it took a while to get the check, despite being the last and only table there. But the relaxing time on the patio overcame any complaints about that.

My wife and I went to Al Basha last week for dinner.  We had gone about a month ago on a weekend and all they had was the buffet.  The food was great but service wasn't that good.  Last week was a completely different experience.  The owner greeted us at the door with a huge smile.  The food was incredible!  I had the lamb shank and my wife had a mix of kebobs that were outrageous.  We also ordered the veggie platter with hummus and falafel.  The whole plate was amazing.  Finally, I ordered the baklava for dessert.  It was made with pistacio and when my wife, who doesn't like baklava, finally agreed to try it, she shouted out her order for one!  I was licking the plate clean.  What a change this place has undergone.  You must take your friends and family there but if you want to order from the menu you have to go during the week...that's the only downside.

Ignore this place. It was my first time there and will be the last for sure. I don't know much about Arab food but trust me, this is nothing like what I"ve had when I was in Dubai. The food was cold, boring and the service was INTERESTING. My boyfriend and I went there because it was "under a new management" and near where we happened to be. We walked in around dinner time and this place was quiet. First warning: no customers, no good! We sat down and guess what?!! the electricity went off! Mind you we went in at 6:30 and it was dark, the waitress came and took our order in the dark she pretended like nothing happened. HAHA! She only acknowledge my boyfriend, only asked me what he needed and totally ignored me. I felt invisible. She was just a very traditional, nothing is wrong with that but I've been a waitress and we were always taught to acknowledge the women first. The lights eventually came back on and the man there, who I'm guessing is the manager apologized. The cook was nice enough to mold something we ate into heart shapes. Just ignore this place. There are better Arab/Mediterranean food out there.