Menu
The space is lovely reminds me of Paris! I don't know if the restaurant week portions were skrunk or if that is normal but they were small-we stopped at the taco and pizza place a few blocks down for take-out. The 5 hour lamb was amazing but my Bolognese had unevenly cooked pasta. I did enjoy my raspberry fizz and the sparkling wine was very nice. The staff are super friendly but if you get so busy that you can't remember what people order, you need to write it down. The guy came back 3 times to ask about something we ordered and we heard him ask 2 surrounding tables what they ordered.
Wonderful surprise. Unique and delicious food. Sunday brunch is fairly reasonable.
Love the vibe at this downstairs restaurant! We enjoyed a lovely brunch with great service. The $.25 mimosas, bellinis, and enfused coffee we’re definitely a draw, and the overall price of $29 for a bottomless brunch can’t be beat. Our fave foods were the salmon crepes, the cheese/jelly pastries, the French toast, and the salmon Benedict. (Pescatarian, so can’t speak to the meat dishes). Oh, and the baklava & chocolate crepes for dessert. Yum.
Would definitely recommend!
Fourth time to visit Baba. Hard to believe, but each time just gets better. Our food was perfectly prepared and presented. As always the ambiance in the restaurant is cozy, yet lively. Happy Hour here is one af the best values in the DC area.
A business acquaintance from Japan was visiting, and I wanted to find someplace where a few of us could sit and catch up, as well as enjoy a nice cocktail and a small meal. Baba is perfect for such an occasion. The small plate filet was quite savory.
I'm sure I'll be back with friends and/or family. Really a delightful, intimate and fairly hip (by my old-guy standards) bistro. Bonus points for the downstairs location, which adds to the vibe!
Perfect evening - great location and atmosphere. Dinner & Drinks were well-prepared and well-presented. Attentive service. Live music was appropriate and enjoyable. Can't wait to go back again
Bartender was not attentive on my visit. Focused more on carrying the conversations with other waiting staff
I've been here about 6 times so far this year. One of the best brunch spots in the area with amazing food and incredibly light and tasty mixed drinks. Everyone I've brought here loves it too. I'll definitely continue coming here for the ambiance and original feel.
Place was great, loved the ambiance and the food was delicious. Very friendly staff. No reception though but I think that is good
Food was fantastic and the deal with the drinks being included for $0.25 each was awesome. Interesting selection of all kind of deliciousness with some items coming hot out of the kitchen. It was fab. Only reason that this is not 5 stars is because it was not made clear that brunch service ends at 3p. You have 2 hours from the time your reservation starts to eat and drink and so we only had one hour. Our waitress spilled our drinks all over my friend and, while accidents are understandable, it took too long to get it cleaned up and it was not ideal. I'd go back in a minute, though.
They have really improved over the past few years! Excellent brunch deal!
This is one of our favorites for brunch , and now we love it for a chic but casual dinner. Less noisy than Ambar upstairs, but same kitchen so food is just as good. Loved it!
A solid place for decent cocktails in a lounge that maximizes its space. It was great at first but then the DJ showed up and started blasting beats and the lets kept getting progressively darker - it felt like the VIP roped-off section of a club (but with no dancefloor). The vibe got sort of strange and incongruous. Drinks were overpriced and decent -- some were hit or miss but passable and it made for an enjoyable enough time for friends to gather.
Unlimited menu is great value. All food was yum
Baba is a gem. You really can't go wrong with any of the drinks or food, and the happy hour menu gives you a chance to get a little taste before being able to order more.
If you are drinking, I highly recommend the Sombrero. It's under the smoky drink menu, and it has a great balance of smoke, salt, and overall flavor.
The Croquettes are fantastic, and the chicken skewers have a ton of flavor.
Overall, you should stop here if you get the chance! My only regret is waiting this long to try this place.
We went for a holiday brunch. They had a buffet and/or order from the menu all the same price. The food was good and the wait staff very nice.
The bottomless Sunday brunch buffet was excellent with creative and delicious food choices. The buffet doesn't look enormous or overwhelming, yet there were plenty of excellent choices, including 3 types of soup, desserts, etc. Plus, in addition to the buffet, for the very reasonable price tag, you could also order entrees on menu at no extra cost, and 25 cent creative cocktails!
Hands down best Brunch I have been to in DC, food and atmosphere are amazing!
The service, drinks and ambiance were all on point! Will definitely be visiting soon.
We had a very enjoyable time. The band "The Rhythm Makers" was terrific. I will be back next time they play. My only complaint was the cost. Nearly $100 with tip for 3 drinks and a few appetizers seems excessive.
We enjoyed our brunch at baba. Food was delicious and wait staff was attentive
Love the atmosphere
This was our third visit to Baba, and like the previous visits, this one was equally great. My wife and I love the ambiance of this restaurant, and that paired with great food and service makes this a favorite destination for dining. We love the Happy Hour pricing and selections. The free parking is also a definite positive aspect of dining in Arlington. We continue to be ardent fans of Baba!
Celebration
We met for dinner with our Kumovi. The service was fantastic and the food was excellent. We plan on going back often.
I had brunch here with a few friends, and it is a complete hidden gem, right under Ambar. The chairs were SO comfortable, the aesthetic fun, and the all you can eat brunch an absolute steal. Being able to sample across the buffet and try all the different cocktails was more than worth what we paid. And THE COCKTAILS. Some of the tastiest I've had in a while, a few becoming surprising new favorites. I'll be back again!
It breaks my heart to write this review. I used to rave about Baba, but it seems like the quality in personnel has taken a turn in the wrong direction. I ordered filet mignon and was beyond thrilled about my entree. Thankfully we had ordered calamari, which was a total blessing since my dining experience went down the drain afterwards. However, my ears were hurting due to the awful live act that was performing. Anyways, we both ordered our entrees, but it got to the point we started wandering about our food. My friends food was brought up and was gone in like 20 minutes. I inquired about my entree and the waiter assured me that the wait wouldn’t be too long. Then an hour and half basically passed and still didn’t have my food.
Once again BABA blew me away! The drinks on my first visit were to die for, so I had to bring my friends to experience them and I was looking forward to eating there this time. The staff was amazing. The food was outstanding and the drinks to die for. Our table favorite was the Seafood Linguini – it had shrimp, mussels, cat fish in a delicious white wine sauce! We had three orders, that’s how much we loved it! We also enjoyed the Shrimps Appetizer with a ginger-lime aioli, the Barley Risotto with garden vegetables – second table favorite, Filet mignon with a parmesan puree and chimichurri (not a big fan of the chimichurri, but the rest of the plate was fabulous), Steak Tartare with kajmak, pine nuts brioche croutons, crispy capers (my second favorite) ad some Calamari Fries. The Passion fruit pisco was the table favorite and then we tried the Raspberry Fizz, which I enjoyed very much. Great live music once again, all my friends loved the atmosphere, perfect for a girls night out or even a date. Looking forward to another visit soon.
I spent my birthday there and I would recommend to anyone! The food was delicious and the staff was great! I will definitely be back.
Food was ok
Love this place, food is yummy, ambiance is high energy. Music too loud for real conversation but fine by me.
Amazing place for brunch with an original and creative atmosphere - can't wait to go back! The food is fantastic and the drinks are almost a healthy alternative to the typical mimosa or bloody mary where you can't find anywhere else.
Baba Bar was a very pleasant place to have a date night dinner. It was certainly a surprise to see an underground establishment that featured a more intimate vibe for patrons to enjoy.
I would certainly recommend my friends and colleagues to Baba!
We had a wonderful time at Baba this past Friday night. They have a great HH menu. I had put in a special request to sit on the main floor and they kindly made room for us there! Service and food was great! We were surprised at how small the portions were but the HH is very reasonable it ended up being fine.
Was here with one other person on an empty Thursday. We were seated right in front of the loud (very good though) band that was playing. The atmosphere was fun and lively so we enjoyed it despite losing some hearing. This is a tapas style restaurant with good food but just know the portions are going to be smaller than usual. The cocktails is why I would really visit Baba IMO.
The reason I recommend Baba but don't give it outstanding reviews is because our service was average.
Baba ambiance and decor was phenomenal. The service was great; cordial, friendly and attentive staff. The drinks, for their price and what they’re trying to serve in terms of classic cocktails and new inventive drinks, left a little bit to be desired in terms of presentation and flavor. The food was good. We did not try the entrees, but sampled every single appetizer but there wasn’t anything that left us wanting to come back for more. With that said, I would still give Baba chance. Lots of potential that we may not have enjoyed during our visit!!
Great staff. Accommodating to special requests. Will come back!
Great food and atmosphere. Took a group of friends here for brunch and everyone loved it! Would be good for a date or drinks as well.
Really cute underground speakeasy type bar/ lounge. I couldn't find it at first - it's literally in between two stores, with just a single door that says BABA on it. Easy to miss!
The inside is really well decorated, with a patterned black and white flooring and vintage window panes lining the walls/ ceilings. Lots of art on the walls, good music playing in the background. We came for Happy Hour - very reasonable prices for a selection of their food and drinks.
I ordered the Brazilian Smash - it was so good. We also had the prosciutto croquettes. beef skewers, grilled vegetables and shrimp. Very small portions - literally a few bites per dish - but very tasty and well done.
Towards the end of our stay, a live band set up and played music. It became difficult to have a conversation over the music because we were sitting in front of it and it was so loud - but it was still very entertaining.
Would definitely come back again!
LOVE this place! Service is always amazing, food and cocktails phenomenal and always a good vibe!