Address - Azabu Sakurada Heights 1 Flr., 3-2-7 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku Opening hours - Open from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm (lunch) and from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm (dinner). Closed on Sunday Map - No Telephone -3470-1497 Menu - In English and Japanese CC -No

I found Ali Baba in Volume 12 of the "Wining & Dining in Tokyo" series of restaurant guides by BWC Books, and decided to give it a try. In its own way, it's a unique, incredible little place. As the review in the guide says, the main reason for recommending Ali Baba is its authenticity: not only they are Halal, they do not even serve alcohol.

The two Iranian cooks are hospitable and friendly fellows with broad faces that will make you feel at home right away even if they speak no English and no Japanese. No need for neckties, here.

Many people, and especially the Japanese, will find Ali Baba too simple and cheap-looking for their tastes, but I like very much its homeliness. That is not to say that the food has no merit: their Kebabs are among the best I have ever had, and the food in general is robust, tasty and true. They serve a very special type of rice I have seen only once before in a Persian restaurant near Venice, with extremely long, cylindrical grains, truly excellent and vaguely similar to the Indian rice variety Basmati. During the summer months you can have dinner at the table outside, and enjoy the evening breeze chatting with your friends. Recommended.

Pros: Friendly, simple and genuine. Good food.
Cons: To some it might be too informal.

1999