February 2023 - BABA - George Street, Edinburgh

BABA is a gorgeous restaurant which focuses on flavours from the Levant highlighting mezze dishes as well as having a charcoal grill.

BABA welcomes you in off George Street into the bar area which is perfect for a quick pre-dinner drink or to nip in if you’re just out for a few drinks. Through the bar and down the steps is the restaurant. The restaurant décor echoes places such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon through the use of multi-coloured tiles and tapestries hanging on the wall and the glow from the rustic lighting. Although it is a big space, BABA have made it feel cosy, welcoming and a place you would like to spend time in.

The Food

At BABA its encouraged that you share and I love that – in my opinion there is nothing better than chatting with friends over a pile of pitta bread and mezze dishes.

As I was there with my friend who is vegetarian, we stuck to veggie options which were delicious and I really didn’t feel like I was missing the meat. Although I have been before and, if you would like a meat dish, I can recommend the chuck eye steak with chargrilled gem and chimichurri which cooked on the charcoal grill.

So, what did we have:

· Cauliflower fritters with Zhug and Crème Fraiche

· Hummus with Zhug, Pine Nuts and Lemon

· BABA ganoush with pomegranate and mint

· Marinated Artichokes with Falafel and beetroot Hummus

· Blackened Sweet Potato with Saffron Crème Fraiche and Harissa

· Dark Chocolate and Tahini Cremieux with Cherries

· Whipped Labneh, Roasted Plum and Cashew Nut Meringue

We felt this was the perfect amount for 2 people sharing but there is so many delicious dishes on the menu you might be tempted to order more.

All of the food was flavourful and delicious so it’s difficult to pick any highlights but for me it was probably the Cauliflower fritters which were light and crispy or the smoky BABA ganoush. It worth pointing out that the mezze dips are served with pittas which have been warmed over the charcoal grill so you could smell and taste the smoke (but it wasn’t too overpowering) – so good.

The Artichokes were a great surprise, it is something I wouldn’t normally order but 100% would if I went back. They were tasty and the texture contrasted with the hummus and falafels beautifully.

Finally, the desserts were wonderful, both desserts were surprisingly light and tasted amazing. I recommend making sure you leave room for these!!

The AF Alternatives

I was pleased to see BABA did have a mocktail section, albeit there were only 2 mocktails, and they also have a AF beer.

I had the Pomegranate Tree which was pomegranate juice, Indian tonic, rose syrup, lemon juice. This was lovely and refreshing and a nice accompaniment to the meal.

It would be nice to see a few more options to choose from but it was a good start.

Final Thoughts

I really like BABA – there was lots of choices for vegetarians and it’s a great place to head if there is a group of you. They have a lot of large tables so plenty of room to get friends together across a table full of dips and pittas.

The staff were attentive and help you navigate the menu if you are unsure what to order or have questions about the dishes – they were very friendly and approachable.

Price wise I think it’s pretty reasonable – our meal for 2 people including tip and a few drinks came to around £75. Mezze and snack dishes range from around £5-£10 each with dishes from the grill at around £10-£15 each.

Overall, I would definitely recommend BABA and I can’t wait to head back.

For more details around the menu, reservations, opening times etc check out their website: BABA Restaurant and Bar in Edinburgh | Baba Restaurant