Restaurant, pizzeria, pub, and takeaway -- Ali Baba is all four. Tucked amidst numerous restaurants midway between Savignyplatz and Kurfurstendamm, Ali Baba is a haven for anybody who's after generous dishes of fare at cheap prices. If you're walking along Kurfurstendamm, take the north side of Bleibtreustrasse and walk straight for about 10 minutes towards Kantstrasse. Ali Baba is on your right.
Identified by a small Italian banner hanging against the entrance, it can't be missed. Groups of tourists and locals sit outside on old wooden benches from 11am to late at night waiting for a slice of pizza, a dish of pasta or a glass of beer on draught. While other nearby restaurants take time to have their share of the tourist market, Ali Baba is always busy - sometimes too busy to give personal attention to the needs of the clients.
Then what makes Ali Baba so popular? Surely it's not the decor that is gloomy, drab, and untidy, more reminiscent of a workman's pub than an eatery in Berlin's Charlottenberg. Nor is it the atmosphere inside, which is one of grab-your-food-and-leave. Nor is it the menu printed in German only on cheap green sheets and almost unreadable. It's undoubtedly the Italian food, which is so tasty and delicious, you feel it's coming straight from a wood oven in Napoli.
Their couple of Italian soups are to die for. Try Ali Baba's mouth-watering minestrone or tomato soup with home-baked cheese tortellini, each costing only 2.8 Euro. Or choose one of the 20 pizza varieties displayed on the menu. For less than 7 Euro, you can order a huge 30cms pizza; for 5 Euro, take a smaller one, which is equally tasty and delicious. Their Pizza Verdura with champignons, onions, pepperoni and paprika was my favorite.
Their wide range of pasta makes the choice difficult. A huge dish of tagliatelle for example, surely more than you can eat, immersed in copious amounts of white sauce with ham and broccoli goes for just 5 Euro. Similarly priced is a huge dish of tasty vegetable lasagna topped with steaming parmigiano. Besides soups, pizza and pasta, there are also overabundant meat and fish dishes that unfortunately, I hadn't the chance to try.
Homemade bread, actually unsauced pizza dough is served before each meal to all clients and is free. Try it, but refrain from eating too much; the dishes you're expecting will surely be overabundant. Wash down your meal with a large Pils on draught costing 2.5 Euro. Finish off with a tasty homemade cassata, an Ali Baba specialty consisting of layers of sponge cake and ice-cream topped with a delicious almond-flavored sauce. Before settling your less-than-expected bill, enjoy a free tot of sweet Amaretto.
Excellent tasty Italian dishes, quick service and cheap prices are the reasons why Ali Baba is so busy. Refrain from coming on a Saturday night when queues waiting for a table may be long. Opens daily from 11am to 3am.