Babylon Restaurant

My wife and I ate at Babylon last night. It was our first time and we opted for the buffet to make sure we had a large selection as we figured out what we liked and didn’t like.
Pros — The service was very pleasant. We actually had a rather major issue with one of the dishes and it was resolved quickly and professionally, and that is all anyone can ask. I thought that most of the food was tasty and there was one dessert that was awesome (I think it’s Dahin). The cost of the buffet was quite low — the total for the two of us was $ 28, including 20% tip.
Cons — Very few of the dishes at the buffet were labelled. It would be nice to know what I was eating for both curiosity and in case there were things you want to avoid (due to allergies or preferences). I respectfully request that the management consider doing that — at the very least, a sign that says what the dish is and I can look it up on the menu. I honestly have no idea what several of the dishes were or what ingredients they contained. Luckily neither of us have allergies.
We will definitely be back again, and maybe we’ll bring some friends!

I really like this restaurant. It is family owned and run, and we got to meet most of them.
From the get-​go the daughter who seated us was sweet and genuinely interested in how we were enjoying everything. We were there on a Friday so they had a buffet. We arrived just at their open time so they were not completely ready for us. No worries, the father came out with a fantastic lentil soup for each of us. The presentation was so thoughtful. Each bowl had its own cover. We were informed when a new item was made available on the buffet.
The food itself was very tasty. They had a few vegetarian selections, a strong beef, chicken, and lamb presence as well. (The family is Muslim so don’t expect any pork or seafood… I don’t remember if they offered alcohol, either.)
I loved the tebbeh. Their spice palette is akin to Indian with a fair amount of sweeter spices blended with their meats, i.e. cinnamon and clove. It was very tasty!
If you are feeling adventurous, try the white coffee. It is unlike any other coffee drink that I’ve ever had. Coffee with cream and spices, who could ask for anything more.
The restaurant itself is a modified apartment. I felt at home right away as it was «French Memere meets Middle East.» In French Memere fashion it smelled like bleach when we walked in… no better smell in a restaurant at the beginning of a shift.
Give this one a whirl. $ 12.00 buffet gets you a lot of tasty perspective on another corner of our world!

I’ve only had takeout, but the falafel, hummus, pita bread and various salads were delicious. Can’t wait to go again.

The falafel was inedible. Everything else was mediocre to not enjoyable. Atmosphere was meh.

I had such a wonderful time at lunch with my coworkers today. We all enjoyed the all-​you-​can-​eat buffet! There are so many wonderful choices and my vegetarian friend was delighted with the choices available for her!
I really love the atmosphere here. I felt transported away from Portland, Maine to a faraway place not unlike what we were able to watch in the fun music videos which were playing as we dined.
I will go back. The food is yummy and the price of the buffet was right and the staff was attentive and kind. Thank you!

I really like lamb, like a lot. And if it comes hot off a skewer, and is heavily spiced, and dripping with salty fat, and rolled up with some crunchy veggies in a pita bread, well just shoot me right there and that’s what I’m takin’ to heaven!!! The shish kabob here is NOT that good, unfortunately. But since this is the only place I know of in all of Maine where I can find this item, I will return to get my fix. I heard rumors about a joint up in Freeport? There HAS to be good shish kebab somewhere in Maine!!! Anyone ever heard of Doener Kebab? That would also be cool, but that is rather Turkish…

Excellent service and authentic food! I went here for the first time this weekend and will definitely be back!

A real good eat. Everything if good — even my twin 11 year olds liked it. Loved the chicken and lamb. If you’re looking for authentic Iraqi food, this is your ticket.

I came here with a large group for a birthday dinner (12 adults + 2 babies). They had a large table set and ready when we arrived.
The waitress immediately informed us that we could chose an entrée from the menu or get the buffet for $ 12.99. We took a look at the buffet and were astounded by the selection — every one of us went for the buffet, and I am SO glad we did!
The buffet included cold or hot drinks (juice/​lemonade/​coffee/​tea), desserts and all you can eat options with apps and entrees. As a vegetarian you sometimes get the short end of the stick with buffets… NOT the case with this buffet. I was able to get 85%+ of the options and they were all delicious.
I started with a plate full of hummus, tzatziki, sambuse, fowul (beans, onions, tomatoes) with pita bread. So much yum. I followed that with several samplings of their vegetarian entrees, falafel with rice and more hummus. And I’ll be honest, another sambuse, cause those are delicious!
I was totally stuffed, but wanted to try the desserts — they had 3 options: a fried dough with rose water (Zalebi), and two coconut things (Dahin and something else). The dahin was my fav, a coconut, caramel-​like sweetness.
For all that food, plus drinks and dessert it was only $ 12.99 each. Amazing.
The staff were very friendly, but since we all had the buffet they didn’t have to do much. Though they cleared the plates often and refreshed our waters. Our friends are regulars here and are friendly with the staff, so they chatted with us a bit. Very kind, hard-​working family.
The parking is a little odd — there is limited street parking and a small lot on Bishop Street, close enough to still be convenient.
The space was open, and there were several parties dining while we were there. We will definitely be back, especially since this is near our new house!
I repeat: All You Can Eat Buffet
Friday & Weekends, Lunch & Dinner
11:00am –9:00pm
Only $ 12.99

So this place is good. But maybe I’m not into the Iraqi take on middle eastern food. I’ve had lool kabaab and shwarma and they were good but not fantastic. Place is clean and service is friendly. Oh and the hummus is realllly good!

Phone is dying so I don’t have much time but I need to capture this feeling
Of absolute bliss
2% were losing energy fast
Waitress is the best waitress I love this place 1%
I can’t say enough, I love
and I don’t care who knows
So delici

3.5÷5
Came here for lunch. I dont think there’s an actual parking lot, so we just parked in the Mcdonalds lot.
Waitress was super nice and attentive to our needs. Service was quick, but possibly bc we were the only party (of 3).
I ordered the beef & lamb Shish Kabob entrée. Kabob was a little on the salty side, but the overall order with the fries, hummus, bread, and salad was enjoyable. My friends had the
1) Beef and Chicken Mix Schwarma sandwich
2) Beef Schwarma plate as a wrap
Both thoroughly enjoyed and inhaled their dishes.
Will be coming back! Good food and portions for a great price!

It’s very rare (extremely so in Portland) that you can find a place that offers food where you don’t have to choose quality or quantity. Babylon, while it missed A LOT of marks, had something I hadn’t experienced in a while: a mountain of delicious food for mind-​numbingly cheap prices.
The not so good:
— I made a reservation for 7pm then called multiple times to double, then triple, check they could handle a large group of us. When we arrived they told us our reservation was for 7:30 and were visibly annoyed that we were early.
— Did I mention we were the ONLY people in the restaurant for the 2+ hours we were there?
— Some people didn’t get the right food, multiple other people didn’t get any food at all (and the server was very frustrated with us for asking for these things to be corrected; on that note he interacted with the table as little as he possibly could).
— Many of us had wrong checks.
How could we bounce back from that, right?
The oh-​so-​good (and I see I’m in the minority here from my dining companion friends, so I encourage you to form your own opinion since we were all over the places ourselves):
+/​-​Sambuse, $ 1.49 (phyllo dough stuffed with peas and potatoes and spices): if you’re a fan of vegetarian samosas (specifically Taj’s in South Portland), it’s hard not to be a fan of these as well. I was the only one at the table to get them, and could have easily eaten four or five more. SO GOOD. A thick, flaky, golden outside and hearty veggie interior made these mouthwatering, however I wish they had come with some kind of dipping sauce. Like…
+ Hummus: I didn’t order any of my own, but got to try my neighbors and… I liked it. Was it the best hummus I’ve ever eaten? No, but it was still good. Especially spread inside the sambuse!
+ Falafel Sandwich with Vegetables, $ 7.99 (falafel, hummus, cauliflower, eggplant, french fries, and salad wrapped Iraqi Bread): No, but seriously this sandwich was like 12-​inches long. Each bite a different medley of flavors and textures (and it was full-​to-​bursting with ingredients, too). I could only eat half of it despite wishing myself to keep going. I have a future date with myself to try again.
+ The price: my total came to around $ 12. I can’t remember getting dinner for that cheap in Portland in… Oh, that’s right, I never have.
+ It’s a family run business, and I’m ALWAYS going to prefer supporting places like this.
So, while, the service was incredibly lackluster, I would eat FROM (not AT) here again. I think the key is to order take out!

I’m not sure what to say about this place. I’ve had some amazing Middle Eastern food in the past and I was pretty letdown by my experience here. I had a chicken shawarma plate that came with hummus, french fries, a small salad and a huge piece of Iraqi flatbread. I thought the hummus was pretty good and flavorful but the rest left me underwhelmed. We did get complimentary bowls of their lentil soup (which were warm!) and I thought it was really tasty. It was probably the best thing I had during the meal.
I wanted my food to be warm and it wasn’t. My chicken was room temperature and super dry. I liked that it was spicy but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting for shawarma. I also wish that my flatbread had been warmed up too. It was room temperature as well and made it difficult to rip off pieces and eat because it was so incredibly tough and chewy.
The service wasn’t awesome, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve ever experienced. It was just slow which seemed strange because we were the only ones in the entire restaurant. Granted, we were a big group so that probably contributed to it. We had to ask for more water refills and one of our party had to get up and ask for our checks. Once we got our food, no one ever came back to ask us how it was. It felt like they didn’t want us there, which is the wrong kind of impression you want to make as a business. I’m glad they were able to handle our separate checks correctly for the most part. I know someone sitting next to me got something extra on her bill that she didn’t order.
I’m on the fence if I want to go back. On the one hand, I got a lot of food for my money and I left feeling full even if I didn’t enjoy it all. But at the same time, my food wasn’t warm and the shawarma made me sad with its dry texture and strange spices. I would like to give them a second chance with a smaller group of people. Maybe the food would come out warmer if there were only 2 of us eating? I have no idea. Do I want to roll the dice with that? I just don’t know.

I came here with a group of 10 people (someone had made reservations way in advance) on a Wednesday night. I was there for about a hour and a half at peak dinner time and no one else was in the restaurant when we got there and no one had come in during the time I was there. I noticed that a lot of people in our group had trouble ordering because they were out of a lot of items. I know I had my heart set on beef shawarma before I got there, but they were all out of beef! Very odd since it seems half of the menu includes beef. I ended up choosing a chicken shawarma wrap instead that comes with hummus, fries (weird?), and a small salad. It tasted fine, maybe a little dry. The spices were great though it was very well seasoned (I asked for spicy). The hummus was plain and what you would expect to find from a hummus container at the grocery store. The fries were plain and I could have done without them. I also ordered the small falafel appetizer (6 pieces). I didn’t really care for the falafel, it was my first time eating it so maybe I just don’t like falafel, would not order it again. It came with a weird salad dressing type dipping sauce that I hated the taste of, and definitely didn’t go well with the falafel.
The service was slow, I understand we had a big group but we were the only patrons in the restaurant the entire time. We ran out of water and had to ask someone to refill our pitchers on the table. Also, after we finished eating we waited for a while for someone to bring the checks. Eventually someone in the group had to walk over to where they were chatting and playing with their phones to ask for checks.
PS They do not have any alcohol here. Not going to lie I was pretty bummed about that!

I was excited to try a new style of cusine, especially after read all the raving reviews. The décor is lovely with cozy couches, beautiful table clothes, interesting wall art and a casual vibe. Our server was polite but inattentive. We were the only people in the restaurant. We never got drink refills, except for the water pitchers already on the table. No one checked in to see how meals were. We waited and waited until someone had to go ask for checks. We did all however recive complimentary lentil rice soup, which was thick and flavorful. The portions were large and the prices were cheap.
I was with a group and the orders came out a few at a time. I asssume because t he kitchen was very small. I’m ok waiting for my food and talking about what everyone has ordered or tried, but please remember what I ordered. A few people had to ask for the courses they ordered as everyone else were eating their meals. I ordered the sambuse and it never came, but I did get cahrged for it. I ordered the shwarma plate, but had to remind him what i ordered. They offer beef or chicken for most entrees, but were out of beef. The had no pastry pies made. There were also out of pickles, which should have come with my falafel plate.
All the food was served at room temperature, weather is was salad or meat. The chicken was dry, like it had been reheated. The hummus was plain and smooth, but I could buy the same at hannaford. The bread was a nice texture but tough. The falafel from the falafel plate was good. It had good spice and wasn’t too dry. Most entrees are served with french fries, which was unexpected but average. Definately not an experience to repeat

Came here last night with a large group of people. I should have followed my golden rule for a restaurant, if no one else is eating there, turn around and find another place. But due to the large group I took my seat and looked over the menu. Some things sounded so good I wanted to try a few different things.
When we ordered our food, I was surprised how many times I hear «no we are out if that». Really? There isn’t anyone else in this place, how are you out of anything? Even when the drinks came out I noticed they may had been out of ice too.
My food wasn’t anything to write home about but I guess enough to write a Unilocal review about. The meat was dry and of it wasn’t for the spice would had been tasteless. Hummus was ok but nothing special.
Overall 2 out of 5, I could go without another visit.

After gorging ourselves on non-​stop seafood for days straight, my husband and I decided to switch things up one night and get some good old Middle Eastern food. Babylon came up as the best reviewed option in the area, so we gave it a whirl.
The restaurant is quite large, and appears to be the kind of place where people would hold good-​sized receptions or events. There was only one other table of patrons while we were there, so we grabbed a table by the window and began to peruse all the tempting dishes on the menu (with some good-​and-​cheezy Persian music videos on in the background just to add to the ambiance). It was a cold and dreary day, so we ordered some hot tea to warm us up (I was very glad to see it served in the traditional delicate glasses). My husband and I went back and forth between several different options, and finally each decided to get a platter — I got the beef shawarma (wrapped in Iraqi bread) and he ordered the lamb kebab platter. Word to the wise — the portions are HUGE so either come really hungry or prepared to take some of the goodness home with you!
We were given a red lentil and rice soup to start, which was a nice surprise — we didn’t know it was complimentary with our entrees. Both of our platters came with a small salad, hummus, bread, and fries. The meat was tender and clearly had been well marinated. I did prefer my husband’s lamb to my beef, but both were tasty.
By the end, we were too stuffed to order dessert, but they have some delicious and very inexpensive options — I don’t know the last time in the USA I saw baklava for only $ 1!
Service wasn’t great — despite the restaurant being practically empty, no one came to check on us or even pour our water. That didn’t really bother me, but I know how important that is to some people. In all, a great and reasonable option for tasty Middle Eastern fare!

So happy that this place is about 8 feet from my house. I let the weird hand drawn (?) sign and the plastic-​coated furniture keep me away for far too long. Drop what you’re doing and try this place right now.
I coaxed a vegan into coming to this place with me, and after checking out the menu, she agreed. There were things she could actually eat without egregious substitutions or dining sacrifices. That’s the beauty of middle eastern food: you can either eat a giant plate of veggies or a giant plate of meat, and they’re both normal dining food options and perfectly normal meals.
The food here is superb, better middle Eastern than anything else I’ve experienced in Portland. Every meal begins with a delicious (vegan) house lentil soup. On this occasion we also ordered the hummus (SO GOOD) and kibbeh, which was hot out of the fryer. Also great.
I had the beef shawarma plate. Not the best I’ve ever had, but ‘the best’ usually involves a night of crazy drunkenness in London that ends in a doner kebab shop at 2:30 in the morning. Not fair. I think shawarma varies by region. I’ve had Turkish shawarma that had lettuce pickles, sauce etc in a pita, but this particular shawarma was straight up beef in a doughy wrap. Still very good, just different from what I’m accustomed. The French fries were really good! Over fried to perfection.
Our server was delighted that we decided to stop in on a Saturday night at 8pm. The place empty — where was everyone? Oh yeah, this is north Deering — everyone’s in the old port.
And the bill? $ 12.50 for hummus, kibbeh and my beef shawarma. Those are 1983 prices folks. Eat here soon, before the owners realize what decade we’re in.

Oh my goodness, go to here. I’ve worked down the street from this place for almost a year and due in part to always bringing my own lunch and the street being not very «walking» friendly I haven’t been, until today.
I ordered the «mix» shawarma sandwich at the recommendation of a co-​worker. It was fantastic! I miss the variety of food in Boston up here but Babylon is definitely a good answer for that missing hole in my diet. The flavors were really great, quite authentic sandwich, fresh and not too much sauce (just enough).
I couldn’t find the menu online but the menu is right here!
They do a buffet Friday — Sunday and I can’t wait to try it. The place is pretty big so I can only imagine how much buffet offerings they have. Go read Clint B’s review for a full run down on their dinner dishes. For those folks who work on outer Forest — definitely stop at Babylon for lunch sometime. I can’t recommend it more! $ 6.99 for a delicious chick /​beef shawarma is too good to pass up.