Amazing food!! And great service. There was a big group of us visiting from California and it met every expectation. 10/10 recommend.

Baba's Schwarma Grill is a little gem in Cheviot. Go here hungry, leave happy. If you're craving a good gyro, go no further. Atmosphere: I'll be honest with you, you may be turned off by the look of the restaurant. This is an old Captain D's fast food restaurant. If you're in a rush, there is a drive-thru window that you can go to. The parking lot is cracked and needs some work. When you walk inside, you'll be guided to the order counter. A friendly smiling face will greet you and take your order. There's little music and it's mostly a quiet venue. You can sit down and have a conversation easily. The walls are bright yellow and basically, the owners did whatever they could with the remaining tables and chairs. This is a clean restaurant. Service: The cashier will meet you with a friendly greeting and will take your order. If you dine in, they will bring your drink to your table and it will turn into a dining experience w/ a waiter. Very simple, bring you your food and refill your drinks. Food: Great offering. I always get the classic gyro or now and then I will get the spicy gyro. The food is always hot, the fries crisp, the rice and side offerings fresh. The spicy gyro can get messy FYI. They serve pepsi products. Hot simple food that kills your cravings and thirst! Value: Great food a low cost. You will spend about $5-$12 a person depending on what you order. For just a gyro and cold water, you'll spend about $5-$6 dollars. You get filling delicious food for your money. Good value. Your dollar will go a long way! To sum it up: Yes, it doesn't look like much at first but stop and give it a shot. You're going to be pleasantly surprised, full, and happy. read more

Great unassuming Greek spot! Service was great and we enjoyed everything we ordered: Hummus, Gyro (Regular and Chicken) and the Greek fries. Would definitely recommend. read more

It would be very easy to miss Baba's, and the building itself is unassuming, but they have the BEST food and the most AMAZING staff! There is literally nothing there that hasn't been tremendously delicious - especially the Baba Ghanoush. The eggplant has been smoked, which adds an incredible depth to it. Everything is fresh and authentic. The gyros are to die for! You are welcomed as an old friend, even if it's your first time there, and it's an amazing place to go when you've had a bad day - you leave feeling well-fed and valued as a person. I can't recommend Baba's enough! read more

Really delicious, cheap, friendly. Kefteh kabob was super, best I've ever had. Tabouli, too was wonderful: tabouli should have way more parsley than bulgur and this did. Baba ganoush, falafel, hummus, grape leaves: all great. The dining room is not fancy, but the items we had would measure up favorably against anything at Phoenician Taverna for three times the price. I want to express my disappointment in another yelper's review. To imply that a restaurant is at fault for a four hour "lead ball" in your stomach is libelous and just wrong. If you vomit or have diarrhea, that's food poisoning. If you feel you have a lead ball in your stomach, you ate (or drank) too much of something that doesn't agree with you as an individual. To publicly make these kinds of totally unscientific conclusions is very wrong and a misuse of Yelp (I say unscientific because there's no mention of what else you are that day, whether you have food sensitivities, tied one on later, etc etc). Further, MSG (which you have no idea whether even they use at all) is known to cause headache, not "lead ball." Opinion is always good when it's based on facts. Pseudo science and conjecture can do a lot of harm to a business. We all have the responsibility to make damn sure our facts are accurate and there is a POSITIVE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP before making public accusations that could ruin a business. read more

Really enjoyed my food tonight!!! Didn't want to cook tonight so we decided to try something 'new' on our side of town. We took to Yelp and landed on Baba's Shawarma. We've eaten here before and I honestly don't remember it being so good. We were pleased to have a drive-thru option. We looked at the menu (surprised that no prices were listed) and ordered at the window. The guy that served us was very nice, but I didn't have a clue what my total would be until after I ordered. I read another review and he mentioned the tabouleh... He wasn't fond of it, but I've been wanting some and thought I'd try it for myself. I had the gyro platter with fries and tabouleh and it was amazing. The tabouleh was very fresh and delicious. The fries were hot, crisp, and seasoned to perfection. The gyro was good, similar in taste to other gyros, but good. Our total for two platters was $18.50. Happy to have another option on our side of town. read more

Baba fueled my home renovation. We bought a house a few blocks from this restaurant and the house was in shambles. It had been foreclosed upon and had sat vacant for a year and that year hadn't been kind. But the house was still beautiful - it just needed work. So I spent the last three months working on the house every night and every weekend; Baba was with me through it all. When I stripped lamb wallpaper in long, ragged rips from the plaster walls in the front room, Baba's gyros sustained me. Cussing as I nailed red oak flooring into the front room to cover a massive hole that used to be a fireplace, Baba was behind me, egging me on with his famous ghanoush. And last week I stopped by, covered in a scintillating display of drying paint and the stink of the Summer heat, I ordered the vegetarian platter and the son of Baba asked me how the house was coming along - he hadn't heard anything since my wife had been in the week before. Here's the thing about Baba's Schwarma Grill: it's not meant to be fancy. As the other reviewers mention, it looks like a Captain D's. But the restaurant is clean, the service is good, and it's family-owned. The food's tasty and affordable. I always leave happy. These are the places that serve the community and they serve them well. Fancy, more expensive restaurants have their place, but by nature they are transitory and subject to changing tastes and popular perception. Places like Baba's stick around because they serve good food for a good price. I'll be eating here for years. Baba's my bud. read more

While eating at Baba's Shawarma Grill, I thought I'd give it 3 stars. Although it had its downsides (the food was only decent and the atmosphere was a hastily converted Captain D's), the restaurant is family-owned, and I'd really like to support locally-owned restaurants. Once I got to the register, though, my experience soured. I had brought a gift certificate from restaurant.com and told the server at the outset, who said it was fine. I've used the certificates at several other local restaurants and have never had any issues. 18% gratuity is automatically added to the pre-discounted amount. I'm completely happy with that and typically tip beyond that. When I got my bill at the end of my dinner, I noticed, however, that the server had added a $6 "service charge" and made a special notation that the tip was not included. When I asked about the charge, he informed me that the charge for accepting the gift certificate. When I asked if that was the gratuity, he pointed out it wasn't his tip, it was a charge for using the certificate. Needless to say, I was disappointed with what amounted to bill padding and probably won't revisit. read more

This is a nice local restaurant. They deliver to my home and they have good food. I love their Greek fries.

This is not my favorite Mediterranean fast food restaurant on the West Side, but it gets an honorable mention. All items on the menu are good, not great, but definitely will please the tummy. Prices are low- and even better they accept restaurant.com certificate. You will have to bring a family of 4 minimum to hit the $35 minimum on your certificate or else take home a lot of leftovers. This is a family run joint and you never know which family member will be working that day- all the way down to the teenage son. They are always friendly and willing to offer suggestions and chat. In the area and have a hankering for Mediterranean, definitely swing on by, read more

All I can say is wow. If you're looking for a quick place to grab some great food that won't break the bank this place is definitely it. I had the spicy gyro, which is normally a 5 on spicy but can go up to 10. The waitress informed me that the really brave people can request up to 20 if they like. I had it at 10 and that was plenty hot. I consider myself a lover of spicy yet flavorful food and I think a 10 was a good balance. I also had the Greek fries which were bathed in an oil and feta cheese blanket. They were delicious and the feta added something that I've never really tasted on a Greek fry before. My girlfriend had the open face gyro which was presented beautifully. The tzatziki was a nice and creamy texture and paired with the standard gyro very nicely. The prices for everything was amazing and I feel I could get lunch there quickly for under $8. Definitely try this place out. read more

Baba's Shawarma Grill - The top is my spicy gyro with fresh jalapeños. The middle are the Greek fries and the bottom is the open face gyro. - Mediterranean Near Me - Cheviot, Ohio

I'm SO glad to have Baba's Shawarma Grill nearby. The Westside lacks good ethnic food, but this restaurant has filled a niche in the neighborhood and in my heart. The portions are hearty, the price is reasonable, and the service is quick. I'm lucky to be a short mile and a half away. I can reasonably call, hop in my car and slide into their drive through to pick up my food. It's a converted Captain D's. Not fancy inside, but the food makes up for it. My husband LOVES the Gyros. I love the vegetarian platter--but usually go for the Falafel Sandwich. Once it was oversalted, but it was an isolated incident. Finding good Falafel in Cincinnati is not an easy task, but they've nailed it, and they're in my area. Lucky me!!! read more

Baba's Shawarma Grill is the best kept secret on the west side, they have a varied menu of mostly Middle Eastern style food but really they have something for everyone. I've ordered just about everything on Baba's menu (even though I don't actually know what most of it is) and I've never been disappointed. That being said, I'm constantly returning for an American classic, which Baba's actually does better than most: Their 1/2 lb. steak burger is the best burger on the west side if not Cincinnati! I also especially love their baba ghanoush, it's the best I ever had. Don't be put off by the old school signage like I was, and stop in and see Baba. read more

This was our first visit to Baba's, but definitely not our last. Too bad it isn't a little closer to home. This is one of those don't-judge-a-book-by-it's-cover situations. We walked in and it looked like a Captain D's or Long John Silver's (I always get them confused). It was ugly and not exactly what I would call a warm and inviting dining area. Don't get me wrong, it was clean, but unimpressive. Based on the recommendation of our super friendly server, we started with the vegetarian plate (hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, stuffed grape leaves with pita) as an appetizer. SO GOOD. The baba ghanoush was a first for me. It kind of tasted like...smoke. Camp fire? I can't really describe it. However, paired with the falafel or the stuffed grape leaves, it was perfect. For our entrees, I ordered the shawarma while my husband ordered the spicy gyro and we shared a side of greek fries. Fantastic. Honestly, I could skip the vegetarian dish and the fries and just order the shawarma. It was filling and quite satisfying. The entire time we were dining, we noticed that, even though the dining room wasn't busy, the pick-up counter was extremely busy with a constant stream of carry-out orders. That makes sense. It's quick, inexpensive, and delicious. If we lived closer, carry-out is the option I would choose every time. So, if you find yourself in the area, which is an area of Cincinnati that we rarely visit, you should definitely stop by and give the shawarma a try. The menu is filled with mouth-watering items, if the shawarma doesn't interest you. I'm sure you will find something to put a smile on your face. read more

Recently visited with my oldest daughter and a cousin of mine for lunch during the week. It's a simple restaurant that is in an old long john silvers building. It's clean and the prices are really affordable! The wait staff is friendly and attentive. The restaurant wasn't busy at all and offered booth and table seating. I had a gyro with lettuce and onions, sauce on side and an order of fries. With a water and lemon. My daughter had the same and my cousin had a spicy falafel. She enjoyed the spice level and felt it was a good portion size. The meat was a bit dry and the pita bread could have used a toasting. The veggies were fresh and tasty which was great! The sauce was plentiful and thicker than my fav joint but, yummy! If looking for an affordable gyro, $4, you found a place for you! One cool thing I noticed when paying bill upon exit was a drive thru window, hope its used bc that would be awesome! read more

Love this place. Visit often...dine in and carryout. The lady that waits on you is soon friendly. Always get the gyro. Hate to say it but I like it better than Sabastians. read more

The food is good if slightly over-priced for what it is The building is a complete dump with ripped seating, wobbly tables, peeling wallpaper etc... The food is good for a dive of a mediterranean place. The gyros taste as they should, the taboulli is acceptable, the bread is slightly on the dull side. Baklava is unimpressive, tried a fish sandwich once and it was okay. The spicy Fol dip is a must have it's awesome. The Falaffel is quite good as well. The Greek fries are a must have as well. Greek dressing and feta cheese on crispy spiced french fries. read more

Unbelievably good. I am addicted to their perfectly seasoned, delicious vegetarian plate.

Baba is known for the gyros (which are great), but the chicken shawarma with hummus was amazing. The hummus is homemade and is so much better than store bought. The falafel was crisp on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. Great restaurant to visit for a quick lunch or dinner. read more

We had a delicious meal and really enjoyed the seasoning and the sauces. We also chose the Greek fries and loved these. For a quick and easy, kid friendly place, we will definitely be back. So yum! read more

If I judged this place by its 'cover', I'd have walked away immediately. Luckily (?) I was there with family and a coupon, so we stayed. This used to be a Captain D's restaurant and from what I understand, not much has changed since then. I don't think that's a good thing, but I'll get there, promise. Upon entry, there was a poorly written sign with specials, but the menu board on the wall wasn't too bad and sounded tasty, so my hesitation was postponed. For a bit.... When we walked into the dining room I was shocked by the state of the booths- falling apart, dirty, grimy- not great! Some were banquettes and others wooden (as I remember McDonald's in the 80's). I would have preferred the wood, as less grime can hide there, I thought, but someone in our party requested the booth. So we sat in the booth...visions of things you don't want to even consider while eating entered my head (and if this is what I'm seeing, what else might be hidden, right?). Rough moment, but the coupon...could not desert. The dine-in service is waitressed, but the server was also running the front of the store, doing the cash register, and tending the drive through. She was nice, if a bit unprofessional looking (no uniform or evidence she was part of the restaurant). I saw some others run to and from the bathroom, I assume they worked there as well since they weren't eating with us, but I'm not sure since they were in plain clothes as well. Interesting how that helps with confidence, right? The bathrooms, while I'm on topic, were by far the most horrifying part of the experience. The toilets were dirty, looked stained, and also as if they could have simply been cleaned, but were not. Think shady rest stop bathrooms here. The sink was some strange color of blue and also not reassuring in terms of cleanliness. I don't know that, objectively, things were so dirty as they were really just old, run down, and not matching...in a restaurant this matter. In terms of the food, I tried the tabouleh and falafel wrap and given my experiences to that point (a bit of a wait, as well) I was skeptical. Oh hell, I'm being nice- I was afraid. But...divey places have their moments, and I must say, this was one of them. The tabouleh was mostly parsley (light on bulgar) but fresh, lemony, and really tasty. The falafel wrap was fine, a bit too much wrap, but the falafel I took out tasted good. Under sauced, I wished for more pure foods, as they seemed to do those right, but was left with a bit to pick through to get at the flavor. Others in our party got the shrimp plate and steak hoagy, which, while I'm sure serving a place in the (west side?) palate, seemed out of place for a shawarma restaurant. Possibly spreading too thin here on selection? I think that a take out order, of purely shawarma like food, might have been far more enjoyable than dining in. Actually, I'm certain of it. In the end the establishment was too grimy for my tastes, but the food has a shot at being decent. Don't dine in, you'll be happier with your (very reasonably priced) meal. read more

The best thing about this was the drive-thru. If one is doomed to get food just this side of "can be kept down", one at least shouldn't be unduly inconvenienced! We got shawarma, falafel, a greek salad and a gyro. Typically shawarma is beef or lamb or a combination of the two or some other meat. In that order. Baba named his restaruant after his so we got some. Baba sees the meat component as chicken. Marinated in something that didn't really enhance the flavor, cooked til chewy and inadequately trimmed of all the little silver-skin and other chewy components. I would NEVER order it again. I've never had bad falafel until now . Again either inadequately or unseasoned hard balls of chick pea deep fried until sporting a rock hard exterior. A true to form middle eastern restaurant will serve them with tzatziki or tahini. I prefer the former, but either is quite good. Not sure of Baba's heritage but both sauces in their natural form are quite thick one being made from greek yogurt and the other from crushed sesame seeds. Baba's all-purpose sauce won't be joining Stubb's barbecue on your store shelf any time soon. Thin, runny and flavorless, it was the perfect accompaniement for the rest of the meal. The greek salad had a bit of feta crumbles lettuce tomatoes perhaps onion. There were no greek olives, there might have been slices of ripe olive, I don't recall. No gyro meat. A light oil and vinegar dressing again under or unseasoned. The food actually explains the condition of the website in which the available food is all listed, but no description whatever is suppled. One is left to fill in the blanks, e.g. the kind of meat used in their shawarma, whtether or not their greek salad has gyro meat in it, etc. There's a significant greek population in Cincinnati, I doubt many come here to dine with the dozens of superior options within a mile radius. Check out the parking lot if you doubt me. (Note the tumbleweeds) read more

Mhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm this food was amazing could be the best middle eastern restaurant I've ever had

I never leave a negative review but I'm so disappointed I ordered off of UBER eats and the photos are NOTHING similar to what we received the falafel is unrecognizable as a falafel (looks like more of a burned pancake on the outside uncooked on the inside) and is stone cold like from a refrigerator. My friends beef kebab looked like a hockey puck and tasted kinda like one too. Garlic sauce was good though and the poutine was ok but also cold. For reference the first photo is what the falafel was supposed to look like and the second is what we received. read more

Baba's Shawarma Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Cheviot, Ohio

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Grape leaves appetizer was great. Quick and friendly service at a reasonable price. Also enjoyed the spicy gyro and falafel. Would definitely go back. Best restaurant in a part of cheviot that's mostly fast food and greasy diners. read more

Best gyro in Cincinnati! The staff has always been over the top nice with fast service! You will not be disappointed!

My first and last time, the staff was unenthusiastic, the cook gave us dirty looks from the window, it looked like he was in a horrible mood. It was a bit unnerving. The gyro was not very good on top of that. read more

Just enjoyed a delicious take-out dinner. Gyro salads were great. Chicken shawarma wraps were excellent. Trying to support small businesses in these trying times. read more

One of my favorite spots in Cincinnati. It's a hole in the wall, and we get take out sometimes twice a week. The meat is really well seasoned. Kafta and beef are so fragrant. Spicy gyro is super good and you really can't get it anywhere else- the sauce is so good. People are super genuine and nice. So glad we have this place on the west side. read more

This place is surprisingly awesome! Don't let the look of the outside throw you off. While aesthetically it looks like a Captain D's with a bad paint job and there are a strange amount of cars in the side parking lot that never move and have been there for months. But hey maybe it's Baba's Shawarma Grill and Used Cars, what do I know? I know that the Gyro's are large and have a liberal amount of meat with awesome sauce and onions and tomatoes, the Greek fries make me drool just thinking about them, and the cheeseburgers are amazing. The food here is very reasonably priced, and in my opinion this is the best place on the West side to get a gyro. read more

Loved everything I've ever gotten here - yes, ambience is lacking but who cares when the food is SO.GOOD?! I have enjoyed their tabouleh, falafel wraps, gyros, shawarmas and their vegetarian platter is a HUGE value for what they charge (homemade hummus, homemade baba ghanoush, falafel patties and stuffed grape leaves for under 8$? MMMM) I usually do carry out, but that's mostly because I just live around the corner and love not having to wait for my food to come out. Their drive thru window has been a godsend this past winter when it was so cool.... Definitely check it out if you get a chance! read more

My wife and I have come here a few times now and really like the food. We've had the hummus, felafel, chicken shawarma, kofta kebab, and gyros, and enjoyed everything we've gotten. I especially liked the kofta kebab - minced steak spiced with parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, and (most memorably) cloves. Family owned and run with friendly local patrons, we will keep coming back. Call or fax in your order if you are taking it out. read more

Yum takeout is the BEST!! Hummus there is to die for...I would eat it every day if I could. Shawarma and gyros also great. Nice variety on the menu. Even the baklava is alright! Skip the Greek fries but everything else is on point!!! Great family vibe...everyone is always nice there. read more

I stopped here for a quick lunch and got quite the treat. After reading a few Yelp reviews I decided to order the Spicy Gyro combo rather than my usual choice from similar establishments (Kafta/kufta). I was not disappointed. The cashier was polite and helpful. When I asked her opinion on lemonade versus fruit punch she explained that she doesn't drink sweetened beverages like pops or lemonades, but graciously offered me a sample of each so that I could decide. My order was ready quickly and nearly packed in a brown paper bag with ketchup and napkins(I didn't have to ask the cashier for this). It was almost like she understood without my saying that people need napkins and ketchup goes well with fries! The spicy gyro sandwich was amazing. The spicy level was perfect for me. The gyro was well seasoned and flavorful. It was packed with meat, my husband would love it, but I took a little off my wrap. I loved that the lettuce, tomato, and pita looked and tasted so fresh. The sautéed peppers and onions on the spicy gyro are a nice touch. Next time I will order a salad with spicy gyro on top! #cantwait It was a great experience. The only thing I would change were the gnats buzzing around the garbage can. read more

We ordered party food (dips and bread) from them once and everything was delicious. I stopped in for a gyro and was surprised to see a spicy gyro on the menu. I got that and fries. Awesome flavor. I'll come back for it again. Service was a little odd - the cashier was ok, but calls everyone Sweetie, Baby or Honey after every interaction. read more

Once again, a restaurant I forgot to review until I saw someone else's. Hubby and I ate here once shortly after it opened. Some of the worst food ever. Cheap quality, overcooked, dry and tasteless. Service at the time was very amateurish. Relatively unpleasant ambience. I have zero good to say about this place. On the west side, just go to Sebastians or Skally's and get a gyro. Not sure where the good schwarma is, but Baba's is where it isn't. read more

Small, family owned. Always a pleasure to go to. Very friendly staff. Food is always top notch! I love this place and come here very often!

Love this place!!! Veggie gyro is excellent!! Cucumber sauce is to die for!!! Recently switched it up & got the shrimp kabob dinner and I loved it! read more

Nice little place in Cheviot. Friendly staff and excellent food. I suggest the Spicy Gyro... Homemade spicy sauce, and grilled onion and peppers, make this gyro have a little kick! As always, ya gotta get an order of Greek fries! read more

Still awesome. Just make sure you specify that you want the shawarma "tahini style." Otherwise you might get something called a beef wrap, which is not what you want. Apparently some customers do not prefer the authentic tahini style, and opt for something more resembling a big mac. Not cool. So just to be sure, make sure you ask. Greek fries are still incredible. read more