al baraki

Getting tired of these reviews yet? Tough. I’m having a blast.


Although my list is still pretty long, when I saw mention of Al Baraki on All Over Albany, I took that as a sign that I should seek it out next.

Al Baraki is not a restaurant. It is a man behind a counter in a space half the size of my bedroom. The kitchen portion makes up the most of the room, and there’s a little space to wait for your order to be prepared.

I ordered the chicken shawarma with my standard tomato and lettuce. I asked for the garlic sauce on the side, a request blatantly frowned upon by the cook. He also wanted me to put pickles in the wrap, but since I’m trying to keep things consistent, I resisted.

The already-seasoned chicken was plopped onto a panini press (yes, like at Anton’s, I could watch what was being done)(I was also happy to see the cook put on gloves)(but alas, there was no hairnet) and sizzled. Although I got the small wrap ($4.75 + tax), a whole piece of pita was used. Used and filled. Three of the pieces of chicken were added to the bed of lettuce and tomato and the entire wrap was then placed back in the press and heated through. This was an awesome touch.


I really, really liked this wrap. The seasoning of the chicken was completely different from that of Anton’s (bliss), but just as delicious. I detected some familiar spices, including cinnamon, so you know I was smitten. My only regret was that the hunks of chicken were in finger-form rather than more easy-to-eat pieces. I guess I’ll be seeing that a lot and will just have to come to terms with it.

The pita, although thin, held together until the very end and kept the innards from spilling everywhere. The sauce, I must say, was not a sauce at all, but a thick and highly potent paste similar to that of Beirut Restaurant. The folks at All Over Albany weren’t kidding--the vampires will keep their distance from anyone who so much as holds a container of this stuff!


Yes, that's a vicious kitten wound on my finger.
They're fur-ocious. Get it? Ha.

All in all, this was a wrap that was well-worth the cost. The appearance of the place is a bit off-putting, but I’m ready, willing, able and eager to return.

Al Baraki
185 Lark St.
Albany, NY 12210