Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant
544 Saint Peter St, Saint Paul, MN, 55102
Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
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Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
544 Saint Peter St
Saint Paul, MN, 55102 - Phone (651) 602-9964
- Website https://www.babanis.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Javier G.
The food here was awesome. Had the chicken tawa and excellent. Kurdish lemonade great. Will definitely be coming back.
(5)Azad R.
We had special Fridays meal (Kebab) and it was so delicious and fresh! Try Nareen bread. Friendly staff and nice environment!
(5)Palak A.
Amazing food, very friendly staff and beautiful ambiance. Tava chicken and the dowjiv chicken soup were full of flavor. Nareen - bread baked with feta - and biryani were worth coming back for!
(5)Jamie P.
I've given my fair share of 5 star reviews in the past, but maybe only one or two other places are as deserving as Babani's. This is by far, hands down, lightyears ahead of the pack, my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities metro. Babani's is a beautifully decorated, open, and welcoming atmosphere, packed with working class and white collar individuals alike with no pretentiousness or need to shout over your meal for good conversation. Our waiter was absolutely fantastic, doing as good wait staff should: making you feel like you're at the dinner table at home. The hospitality, willingness to answer questions, and general friendliness of this place is unmatched. I rarely give too much thought to service but this place REALLY stood out. Food-wise, also amazing. My girlfriend and I started off with Nareen, accompanied by a delicious hot sauce. The bread was warm, fresh, soft, and absolutely baked to perfection. We got Chicken Tawa and Sheik Babani for our main course, accompanied by Dowjic and Mahagic. The Chicken Tawa looked bland, but upon both of us sampling it, we were transported to what one spikey haired creep from the Food Network calls "flavortown". I picked up a piece of chicken and the bone literally fell off of the meat, no assistance required. Nowhere that I've ever been has perfected chicken and the rice had a wonderful citrus and spice taste that wasn't overpowering in any direction. The Sheik Babani was abso-effing-lutely outstanding. A rich red sauce surrounding stuffed eggplant and spiced beef, accompanying a generous portion of basmati was perfect for the cold evening. Seriously, one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. I can't think of any adjective that is good enough for it. The soups, dowjic and mahagic, we split 50/50. Both were rich, the mahagic being more creamy and hearty, the dowjic being spicy, tangy, and great once it settles in a Grandma's-chicken-soup-kind-of-way. Finally, we got tea, coffee, and baklava. We regularly drink cardamom tea but this blend apparently includes something else called atra, which no one (even the Googles) knew what it was. It's delicious though. Steeped to perfect strength, our waiter notified us it would take a few minutes because he'd rather have it fresh for us. The coffee was similar to many SW and W Asian styles, a mixture of sweet arabic coffee and the prevalent dill and other herbs contained in Kurdish cuisine, though a bit less overpowered by sugar than frequent examples. The baklava? Well, it was baklava and clearly homemade. Have tea with it and it's perfect. All of that said, I think we'll be regulars when we move up permanently at the end of the month.
(5)Barb G.
I love Babani's It's one of my favorite places to eat. I always get the Kuba Bring. They wait staff also the owners are always smiling and friendly. Feels good to support a small business owner. Oh yes and the kurdish lemonade is delightful.
(5)Christy F.
My first visit to Banani's. We had Naska Nan We Panir which was kurdish bread with a special blend of feta cheese, pure olive oil, oregano, garlic. served with cucumber, tomato, olives & lemon. Which was very good (I would get again). We also got, Nareen which is a kurdish bread topped with feta cheese and served with a homemade spicy red sauce. I liked eating it with the cucumber, yogurt and dill sauce. It was also really good. The red sauce really wasn't spicy. The Tabouli Salad (fresh mix of couscous, parsley, tomato fresh onion, and lemon juice) was indeed very fresh. I couldn't stop eating it even though I was full. For my entree I got the Chicken Tawa which is Chicken sauteed in lemon and other spices then baked in layers of potato, green pepper, onion, and dried limes. served with basmati rice. The chicken just fell off the bones. Full of flavor, but not overwhelming lemon. I would recommend. This little restaurant was cool because it's kind of hidden away. There where three or four tables of people when we got there and another couple came in while we were there. Closed early on a Friday night and there was no alcohol on the menu, but the lemonade was really different (good and sweet). I would go back for sure. Oh and the waitress was very sweet.
(5)Amy R.
Wow. Last time we will be dining here. This visit was rather insulting. I had greater expectations since my last visit was pretty good. We entered around 1:30. There were two tables finishing up. We were there well before their 2:30 closing/ ending time for lunch. There was nobody there to tell us where to sit, so we sat at a booth which was dirty and had yet to be cleaned off. The female owner looked and acted put off from the start. She wiped the table down and plopped down the menus and came back to take our order. J ordered the Chicken Tawa which I told him was good from my previous visit. He didn't care for it other than the potatoes. Just thought it was really bland. The salad was thrown together and not like the one that had come with mine on a previous visit and she didn't offer any other choice like she did last time. My meal was pretty good. I don't remember what it was called. It sounded like she was microwaving our food in the background. I kept hearing a microwave beep and door slam. Floors were dirty. Tables all around us were dirty. Cleaning supplies and dirty rags sitting around, just kind of unappealing to look at. J had floating things in his water- twice. When he went up to pay the bill, the owner asked, "how did you like the food"? Honestly, he said, " I didn't like mine", but my wife liked her meal." Then things turned ugly. She got very rude and confrontational raises her voice and says" why you come here then" and kept trying to engage him to be confrontational back . And continues to go on about not liking their food and so on..mumbles something we couldn't understand. It was just very awkward. Sheesh- she asked; he told her his honest opinion. He wasn't rude about it, he just said he didn't care for his meal and wanted to try something different that's why he came to the restaurant. Apparently she would have preferred he lie to her and raved on about how much he liked it. She seemed very put off from the minute we stepped in the door. Her confrontational attitude was just unnecessary and out of line. Will not be venturing back to this place.
(1)John H.
My son and I were visiting McCalester College, staying at the Holiday Inn Express. There is a restaurant/bar attached to the Holiday Inn, but we had visited a number of Mid-West colleges already that week, and were getting tired of burgers and fries. You can only imagine our delight in reading the reviews of this restaurant. We had no idea what the food would be like, only that it sounded different. We ordered the Kurdish bread that came with a nicely spicy red dipping sauce. My guess is that if we were currently on diets, our calorie count would have already been through the roof, as the bread has cheese in it and seems to be lightly fried. So, no dieting here, unless you get only the tabouli. The tabouli was made with an emphasis on the parsley, as opposed to the usual Middle Eastern emphasis on the bulgar wheat...a very nice, refreshing salad. My son had the lentil soup, which was very tasty. An older man, who seemed like a family member of the owner (the waiter said he was a cousin), came in at that point to have some of the same lentil soup with the Kurdish bread. We have some Lebanese roots, and this man looked a lot like a relative of ours. He sat at the counter where you might order takeout...very relaxed and happy while eating...it added to the already homey atmosphere...and was very endearing. For our meal, we both had meat-filled half moons...my son's was made with wheat, and mine was made with rice...similar to Lebanese kibbe. There were six to each entree...deep fried, stuffed with spiced ground beef. The taste was excellent, with both dishes having their own unique favors. For desert, we had baklava covered with warm honey, with a classic rose-water flavor. I asked for coffee, which was Turkish coffee with cardamom, boiled, and presented in a Demitasse cup. The chef is the mother of the waiter, who is a very pleasant, affable gentleman. I asked if I could take their picture together, but the mother was too shy. If we lived anywhere near here, I am sure this would become a regular haunt. As it is, we look forward to our next visit to the area.
(5)Sarah P.
I loved this place! Huge mix of interesting flavors and the staff was really helpful in helping us figure out what to try. I went there with my parents and all three of us agreed that the food was wonderful and unlike anything else we had ever tried.
(5)Suzanne P.
The first time I came here, I thought, "hmmm, Kurdish food?" Now I'm saying, 'KURDISH FOOD!!" It's so good, you guys... Who knew? My absolute favorite thing on the menu is the jaajic. It's so creamy and the dill + cucumber combination is fantastic. My other favorite appetizer is the dowjic. It's a tangy, lemony, slightly creamy soup. Totally Kurdish comfort food. My favorite entree is the chicken bakla, which is essentially Kurdish stir-fry. The chicken tawa is also really good, and has the same lemon-y flavor as the dowjic. The front of the menu gives you a history of the restauranteurs and the Kurdish tribe (the Babanis) that they come from. My favorite line is, "The Babani men were known throughout the land for their patriotic sentiments, their fierce fighting habits and their sexual prowess." It makes me giggle. The food here is really great and you don't even need to be that adventurous to try it. I've brought people here who I know are scared to eat outside of the culinary box and they have been very pleased with the food here. Service is so great and they are always patient while we consider the menu and the tasty choices offered here. The owners are truly gracious hosts, almost as if we were dining in their own home.
(4)Linda H.
Yum! I am so sad we have lived within a few blocks of this little gem for almost a year and just recently learned of it! I had never been to a Kurdish restaurant before so its always exciting for me to try new things! We ordered some Nareen, amazing Kurdish bread served with a spicy red sauce. Thank you Babini's for not skimping on the sauce! Our soup and salad choices were the Tabouli Salad, Traditional Silopi Salad, and Dowjic. My Silopi salad was so fresh as was the Tabouli, so I hear. I am not a Tabouli fan, but Ci gobbled it right up. I had a taste of the Dowjic and it was tasty. Our entrees were Kubey Sawar and Vegetarian Bakla. I shared the Bakla but I honestly wished I had ordered my own, it was so good. Even though I rarely eat meat, the Kubey Sawar was amazing and it is going to be my choice next time. The portion sizes are perfect and this is a great spot to catch dinner before heading to the History Theater. We ordered Baklava for dessert and FYI, one order has two pieces so we ended up taking some home. I am not a baklava fan but after reading the yelp reviews, we had to try it and it truly is the best Baklava I've ever had. Service was good. Don't expect the warm and fuzzy type of service here but its excellent, quick, and attentive. Come check this place out, it is Amazing!
(5)Tian Q.
Food: -Dowjic soup, supposedly chicken/yogurt/rice basil/lemon juice; the soup itself was okay, just didn't suit my taste, also no idea where the chicken was -Nareen appetizer, kurdish bread topped with feta cheese; tastiest thing out of the bunch; how exactly is it kurdish and different from regular cheese bread? I have no fucking clue, but I don't care because it was delicious -Kubay brinj, traditional Kurdish fried rice dumpling filled with ground beef and spices; tasted much better than I'd expected, fried but not greasy, good texture and balance of salty/savory with each bite -Vegetarian dolma, just rice wrapped in veggie leaves, okay, didn't stand out as anything special -Baklava, had to try it because I love baklava and also because there were the magic words "homemade"; amazing and distinct texture and flavor, loved! -Lunch entrees come with salad or you can add $1.5 for soup, decent deal Service: -Under-staffed but service was friendly and not painfully slow -Kudos for not being hard-ass about sticking to the menu and letting me customize my entree plate
(4)Carolyn A.
Talk about unexpected: Kurdish food in St. Paul?! The location is random, but we easily found parking on the street. We ordered the kurdish bread to start. The bread was similar to other middle eastern breads I have had and it came with feta and some veggies: yum! I ordered the chicken tawa and of everyone in my group's orders, mine was considered the big winner. The chicken was lemony and delicious. It also came with choice of salad or soup - I got the most basic silopi salad and it was fresh and crisp. I tasted my husband's lentil soup and it was awesome. Overall, the meal was unique, but it had a lot of familiar elements and tastes. I look forward to a return visit!
(4)T A.
My first visit, definitely will not be my last. In fact, we have plans to go as a group so we can get one of everything on the menu. A friend and I went for dinner around 6:30pm and did the 'Family Style' option, which came with bread, salads, soup, and one entree for everyone + 1 more, so we had a total of three entrees. For two of us, plus our beverages and a dessert apiece, the bill came to about $25/each, so it was a very good value for the price. The restaurant was empty, so it was very quiet. The waiter was terrific and provided excellent service. The food was spectacular, super tasty. The one thing I found a bit off was that the descriptions kept saying 'spicy red sauce' but either I have the palate of a dragon or they're giving a warning for the Minnesotans who buy 'mild' catsup, but I didn't find it spicy at all, it was very mild. If you eat here and don't have the Dowjic soup, you are committing a crime against your taste buds - it was fabulous, perfectly spiced, and I could have had that and the bread and made a meal out of it, but I'm glad I didn't, because all the other food was also terrific. We had nareen bread, a sampler platter of salads - and when I say salads, I mean tabouli, cucumber salad, and a yoghurt/dill/cucumber salad - the Dowjic and the Niskena soups, then Kubey Sawar, Chicken Tawa, and Sheik Babani as our entrees. The Chicken Tawa was so tender it was literally falling off the bone, and I was hard put to not be an unmannered lout and lick the bowl. I had tea as a beverage, my friend had what was apparently a dill flavoured lassi. For dessert, we had baklava - and if you're going with friends, be aware that you get three squares of baklava to a plate. We didn't know that, so we wound up with six at the table. Woe is me, I had to take baklava home with me ;)
(5)Mahesh K.
I love almost all the ethnic restaurants in the Twin Cities area. They cater to their demographic and blend in Western cuisine to some extent. Being an Indian (East for dummies), I had the luxury of growing up eating different cuisines like Mughalai, Afghani, Middle Eastern etc. My wife and I ordered the fried eggplant appetizer which is served with bread. The eggplant is covered with yogurt, cucumbers and tomatoes. It is the Indian equivalent of Raita. It was really good and easy on the stomach. We also ordered the Biryani, which is one of the things my hometown, Hyderabad is popular for. Babani has their own way of making biryani just like everyone else around the world. That's not to say, its bad. I liked it and the portion was big enough to share with my wife. For dessert, I ordered the baklava, which was by far the best baklava I had in MN. I thought Shish's was good until I tasted it here. It just melts in your mouth. Decor and pictures on the wall are truly ethnic and go well with the place. Nice place to dine once in a while to feel close to home.
(4)Breena E.
I just moved to Lowertown a few weeks ago and have been searching for great food since. Babani's is one of those great food places. The space feels as though it has been standing the test of time. One small front entry, deep blue, brown, and gold paint colors, and pictures on every wall keep the place feeling warm with old-fashioned charm. The food is absolutely the highlight. I had the silopi salad (simple but fresh), chicken tawa (amazing, with lots home-cooked flavor as others have noted), and a lemonade (different than I've ever had - I really liked it). My husband had the dowjic soup (this tasted incredible, slightly sour and salty but with a nice buttery chicken flavor, it was filling), sheik babani (he liked this, again very tasty, warm, and filling), and the salty dill yogurt drink (which was cooling and he thought it went well with his dinner). The waitress was nice and the food came out suprisingly quickly. The only thing that I would have liked was having the waitress check for dessert or after-dinner coffee (because we had to ask for it when she brought the check, so she had to redo it). But it wasn't a big deal. I will definitely go back and am thankful this place is within walking distance for me!
(5)Ngoc N.
I'm so embarrassed by myself. I've been working in St. Paul for over 4 years now and I did not go to Babani's until recently. I'm even more ashamed because there are very limited lunch options by my work and I completely ignore this wonderful place! It's so cute, I couldn't help but giggle when I got there. I'm not sure what it is, but part of it is the homey atmosphere and the super friendly people who work there. It feels like I'm going home. The menu was completely foreign to me, so I just ordered whatever was recommended. I don't think I could go wrong with whatever I order though. Food was light and balanced. Good portion for lunch and I just felt happy leaving there. I definitely must try to make sure to go back there more often.
(4)JuliAnne O.
Food was yum. Service was meh, but we expected that when we went. I loved the soups and the salads the best.
(4)Chris M.
Babani's is a hole in the wall in the sense that it has a minimal storefront on a corner of downtown St. Paul that is easy to miss, but once inside it's very cozy and they serve up consistently good Kurdish food. Though there are still a number of menu items I have my eye on, everything that I have had here has been great (and very reasonably priced during lunch). The Chicken Tawa has always been perfectly cooked, the Kubay Sawar and Brinj are both good in their own rights, and even as an omnivore the vegetarian dolmas are also quite satisfying. Service at its worst is efficient and polite and the ambiance is generally comfy (though it might be a bit hot during summer, or a bit cool during the other 50 weeks it's not summer). I don't pretend to know anything about Kurdish food (though I'd draw a lot of comparisons to Lebanese cuisine), I just know Babani's is quite good.
(4)Brooke B.
This is like comfort food. Homestyle, it seems. Get the Bakla! Very nice folks & a comfy atmosphere.
(5)Meghann F.
This place is definitely a hole in the wall. And its definitely good. They don't serve alcohol, but you can bring your own beer or wine. The lemonade has a different taste because they use dried limes is what I think he said - but you just can't get enough! The fried eggplant appetizer is served with bread. The eggplant is covered with an ample amount of creamy cucumber sauce, cucumbers and tomoatoes. It was amazing - I think i could have just eaten that. I had to try the Sheik Babani's trousers - they were very tasty :). The Chicken Tawa was also an award winner - well spiced and the chicken falling off the bone. I think that was my favorite dish. Other people in the group got #2 and #3 - i forget what went into them, but it was the spiced meat stuffed into bread and the other rice and then fried. Then they put a little bit of red sauce on top. I really liked the one that was made with rice - #3. #2 was decent - but not really too my taste . It was empty when we walked in at 6pm, but a few other tables came in shortly after. I would definitely recommend it!
(5)Trevor B.
I loved the decor of the modest restaurant. What seemed like a family owned establishment was very laid back. I shared an order of Kurdish bread and Chicken Tawa. I loved the flavor combination with the Kurdish bread. They have some great feta cheese! I put a good helping of that feta cheese on the bread with tomatoes and cucumbers, yum! Putting some of our Niskena soup on the bread really worked as well. The Chicken Tawa was wonderful. A nice little spice with the dish, the potatoes were soft, and it was served with a dish of rice that I plated the chicken on-top-of. Some great cuisine that I have never tried before, but now would recommend to anyone.
(4)Chandler P.
I would have never expected to find this place in St. Paul. What a great long history of service. The place was PACKED with people and only one server. While we had to wait a very long time and keep feeding out parking meter, I will barely hold that against a popular establishment. Places like this give St. Paul it's unique charm. I enjoyed the food and hope to return.
(4)David J.
I really wantedto give Babani's a higher rating however the service prevents me from doing it. I decided to go here for lunch today and scout it out as a possible place for a going away lunch for a coworker. I got in the restaurant at just before 11:50 this morning and had my order taken. Over 20 minutes passed and I finally got my food and water. This wouldn't have been so bad if I did not see others that came in after me getting served. For the food, I would give it four stars. For the value, I give it three as you don't get much for the price. The service I got today? 2 stars. This experience did convince me that we will not be having the farewell lunch here, something I am bummed about.
(3)Chris W.
Great food. I have been here many times. My wife and I always get the dinner for two. I cant remember the name of the soup but it has a strong lemon flavor and is off the hook good. They have an egg plant dish that is out standing and a chicken dish with picked lemon and potatoes that again is scary good. I really really want to give this restaurant 5 stars because the food warrants it but the service has been spotty. Usually good but with a couple of notable exceptions.
(4)Angela S.
Kurdish food is very interesting. Go for the family combination plate because you can try three entrees, two soups and three appetizers and a salad. Babani's been redecorated over the years, so I'm not sure I would say it's a hole-in-the-wall per se. It's quaint with lovely decor, new booths, and cultural flair. I recommend this restaurant for the mildly adventuresome who want to explore foreign cuisine.
(4)Kedar D.
Babani's is a quaint, friendly place with simple, light Middle Eastern food. I came for lunch twice and was impressed with the prices (the lunch specials come with a salad and all cost $7-9) and have reasonable portion sizes. The first time I had a mushroom-zucchini saute (called "bakla"; $8) over white rice which was tasty, though not that unusual or distinctly "Kurdish"---my dish could have been from anywhere between Greece and Iran. I wish they had an option for brown rice, too. However, my friend had a garbanzo stew ($7) with a side of tabouli and both were excellent and far more flavorful than my dish. The second time I went to Babani's I tried their "niskena" soup ($5 for a bowl) and a side of Kurdish bread ($1.75) which other reviewers had mentioned. The niskena is basically a lentil soup that was fairly tasty, but needed black pepper, as well as some red chili flakes, to really give it some flavor. Otherwise, it's basically a watery, spice-less Indian dal. The Kurdish bread is fluffy, just slightly oily, and goes well with the soup, though be warned it's filling. On both occasions, the service was prompt, attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about what dishes were vegan (most of the vegetarian dishes are vegan by default, or can be made vegan if you omit the cheese, but none of the appetizers are vegan). Babani's is definitely a winner.
(3)Sheng T.
This hidden gem is literally hidden in the corner of downtown St. Paul, on the first floor of an old hotel. I worked across the street for several years and finally, thank GOD I finally tried it. My favorite is their Kurdish bread with Dowjic, a traditional tangy chicken/rice soup. This place is small and family owned. I think the mom or sister cooks in the back while the son, in his tight muscle shirt, waits the restaurant. Service can be slow but worth the wait.
(4)Patti I.
I have to come here every few months for my fix of Sheik Babani's Trousers--yes, it's on the menu! It's an eggplant, partially peeled so that it resembles a pair of striped balloon trousers and stuffed with the yummiest flavorful-but-not-knock-your-socks-off-spicy meat filling. I agree that many of the other menu items are kind of middling Middle Eastern fare, but Babani's Trousers with tabbouli and a piece of baklava for dessert is heaven. Atmosphere is plain, service is friendly, and prices are reasonable. If every dish on the menu were as good as the Trousers, I'd give Babani's five stars.
(4)Dan S.
The wait staff here is friendly and knowledgeable about the food. I suspect that they are all owners or related to the owners. The food has a persian and mediterranean taste. It is good and definately worth the trip, but not the main reason that I come back. I like the character and vibe of the space, there is a homey and urban feel to the restaurant. It is an overlooked alternative for St. Paul theater-goers and sports fans. Its within walking distance to the Park Square Theater and Fitzgerald Theater and the Ordway. The meals are all a good value, in the $10-14 range. I recommend the teas and baklava.
(4)Daniel P.
Slap this place on Grand, and it'd be a whole lot busier... Instead, my family and I walked in at 7:30pm on a Thursday night to an empty restaurant. Usually a bad sign, but after noticing a positive write-up in City Pages and some glowing Yelp reviews, we decided to give it a chance. I'll blame its emptiness on its odd, downtown-fringe location. Props for offering a cuisine that's hard to find elsewhere -- point being, when googling "san francisco kurdish restaurants," Babani's shows up first. Most dishes on the menu I'd never heard of before -- so certainly some unique flavor combinations and new dishes I'd never even thought up before. The place doesn't offer much in the way of atmosphere -- a faint smell of stale ciagarette smoke upon entering, no music, uninspiring furniture, etc. But that's fine. We went to try Kurdish food. Service was attentive but rushed. Our server must've stopped by 10+ times throughout the meal (granted she was also the runner), and felt a need to verbally check-in upon every swoop-by. Perhaps just being Minnesota nice... We did the "family special" (at $17.95 PP, a deal) and enjoyed a lot of variety -- tried various soups, three salads and split six entrees among the five of us. Needless to say, we all went home with leftovers. Everything we had we enjoyed; but no dish was a particular standout. Also, be forewarned they don't serve beer/wine -- but offer an interesting Kurdish yogurt/dill drink (which I'm glad I tried but didn't particularly enjoy) and a sweet lemonade. Overall, I recommend the place for anyone interested i trying Kurdish cuisine. 3.5 stars. If I lived here, I'd slip it into the rotation. Odd location and lack of atmosphere (and, in our case, other patrons) are drawbacks; but the food is what's worth the trip.
(3)Rebecca Y.
Tucked away from the crowds hides this little gem. Walking off the street, it wasn't much to look at but after walking through the door it was if I was transported across the globe. I loved the character the owners have brought to the restaurant with the art and the hanging rugs. It made me feel like I wasn't in St. Paul....which is hard to do downtown. I had these wheat dumplings filled with ground beef and onion, sauteed in olive oil. It was served with basamti rice and a salad. I was more than pleasantly suprised. My lunch partner ordered a lightly deep fried dumplings. His came with taboli. I was lucky enough to try his dumplings and they were quite tasty as well. Can't wait to go back and try somethin else!
(4)Charlie T.
Hello all, I am actually very disappointed to do this review. I was in saint Paul for a week and wanted to go here, I finally decided that I would go tonight. After seeing online that they closed at 9 and after reading that they closed at 8:30 on the door, I figured going in at 8 o'clock as a single person, I might be able to squeek in. Unfortunately at 8:09 I was told that the establishment was closed when I entered the restaurant saying I was one person eatting alone, even though I saw other people seated in the restaurant Careful of the hours of operations and hopefully you get food because I am going home hungry....
(3)Virginia D.
So glad to find this hole in the wall! Never had Kurdish food before. Tons of vegan options. I had the tomato & cuke salad, with the chickpeas & rice. Plus their housemade bread- YUM. WARM baklava was amazing (not vegan... I do eat honey) This place is very easy to miss-- their is very little signage & it's in a random building next to a liquor store. The decor is pretty dated, but whatevs. Kind and attentive staff.
(4)Alphabet S.
Sweet little love story. First Kurdish restaurant in the US. Flavorful. I liked the high ceilings..
(4)Joe L.
I would say it is the best Kurdish place I've been to but it may be the only one. The eggplant dish, chicken dishes, appetizers and salads we've had were all delicious. Great spot and street parking nearby.
(5)Robert W.
We picked this place on a whim, got there late, and were the only diners. The food was simply excellent, flavorful and spicy. We had a dumpling with ground meat filling, deep fried. Wow, delicious. We tried all three soups, all excellent as well, but the lentil soup stood out. The place has lots of vegetarian options, good for our group which included two vegetarians. We were just passing through St. Paul so were lucky to make such a great choice.
(5)Harish S.
Unique Cuisine, Good service, Great Food. Also profile-picture worthy interiors. Would love to come back again.
(4)Sabrina K.
Don't let the weird introduction on the menu fool you, this restaurant is definitely worth a visit. Everything from the appetizers to the dessert was great. I'd especially recommend the baklava and the kurdish tea. The baklava was probably the best I've ever had!
(4)Jackie L.
Downtown St. Paul occupies a fairly small area as far as mid-sized cities are concerned, but Babani's overlooks the decidedly un-scenic Spaghetti Junction area, and parking spaces there aren't easy to come by either day or night. However, its odd locale is really my only gripe about this place. Now, for the good aspects of Babani's: pretty much everything outside of the location. The dowjic soup (YUM) the dolmas (double YUM), the heavenly Kurdish bread (sigh) and Kurdish tea (slurp) are utterly addicting. Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go again soon...
(4)Ellen C.
Great place. Very reasonably priced, interesting, flavorful home cooked food. One of my favorites for lunch downtown, but unfortunately too exotic for most of my coworkers :-) I've had a few things from the lunch menu: great chicken, cabbage rolls, Kubay Sawar and Kubay Brinj (fritters/dumplings. one fried, one not). I also really like their bread (there's something about it that makes it really savory. I suspect it's the touch of oil). The lemon soup isn't my cup of tea, but I can understand why others like it. They have fun drinks too. The lemonade is made with preserved lemons and I'm always a sucker for those salty yogurt drinks. Yum!
(5)Brendan T.
Sometimes something simple is perfection and in this case the Kurdish salad fits the bill. RUN!
(5)David P.
Babani's has the distinction of being the first Kurdish restaurant in the US and is on my short list of places to go in St. Paul. Definitely a hole-in-the-wall type of experience, the staff is friendly and the decor is eclectic and not without its charms. While the main courses are good, a firm favorite is Naska Nan We Panir. An absolute must order when you go. A bowl of Dowjic soup is also a must order (and usually what I order as a main dish especially if you get the large bowl).
(4)Amy M.
love, Love, LOVE this little place! Think middle-eastern comfort food! Everything's so delicious and the service is great! We were in a rush and they got us fed & out with time to spare! Next time, we'll make more time so we can linger longer.
(5)Michael N.
This place rocks! I'll definitely be back to try more. My waitress was great and very informative on different dishes to try. I had the number 3 I think, some sort of rice dumpling stuffed with beef and fried. it also came with a choice of soup or salad. I opted for the #2 soup and ordered a side of Kurdish bread. All were very good. It is in kind of a weird location if you're not familiar with the area. I live nearby and walked there so no problem for me. If you're looking for something different, give it a try, I think you'll like it.
(4)Andy N.
Excellent food - my (former) girlfriend took me here... loved it!
(4)Albert M.
Excellent place for tangy exotic fare. The server guided me to Biryani which is flavorful! The Dowjic soup has a kick and different taste even though it is chicken based. Definitely worth a try. I went to this place in July, but Yelp doesn't allow you to post from it's mobile app (get with the program Yelp.) So this review sat here for a few months.
(5)Bert B.
When I walked in for lunch I wasn't expecting much. But don't let the run down building or the lackadaisical service deter you from coming here. Once we got our order in our food was brought out surprisingly quickly and i was impressed with how good it was. I had the Chicken Tawa dish (#6). The flavor was really good and the price is reasonable.
(4)Andrew L.
We've been here a number of times since it opened many years ago in Saint Paul. My wife actually knew the Kurdish family since she worked at a refugee resettlement agency and had met other family members here in the Cities, and we were very excited that they were able to open a restaurant here. We were not disappointed; the food has been very enjoyable and the atmosphere is appropriate. Getting there can be tricky; make sure you get directions to the place since the one way streets around it make it tricky. A friend had his wedding catered by Babani's and it was very good as well. The baklava was *fantastic*.
(4)Suzy D.
This place is so great. I was visiting my friend and we went here for dinner. I had never had Kurdish food before so I was eager to try it. We started with an appetizer of bread with feta and olives. We also had the deep fried eggplant with yogurt. Everything was delicious. For our entrees we had the lamb kebab special. You get to choose if you want soup or salad and I chose the lemon yogurt soup (dowjic I think it's called). I love tart things so I absolutely loved this soup. The meat skewers were also delicious. Everything was perfect. We also got an order of the dumplings to share. While they were tasty, they were very heavy and after eating half of a dumpling, I felt extremely full. I think I probably just over ate in general that night though because everything was so good! My friend and I had plans to go out for the evening, but after eating a delicious meal at Babani, we ended up going home and hanging out in sweats. We then proceeded to eat our boxes of Babani leftovers around 1am. A perfect evening! I wish we had a Kurdish restaurant like this in Chicago!
(5)Melody S.
Of all the places in all the world I might find Kurdish food, I never would have guessed it would be in St. Paul, Minnesota. I found myself in St. Paul for my brutal Russian Kettlebell certification course. I arrived on Thursday, and since the course started on Friday, I figured Thursday night's dinner might very well be my last meal on Earth, so I wanted to make it good. Thank goodness I found Babani's. Because if Thursday had, indeed, been my last meal on Earth, I would have left this planet a happy-stomached girl. I walked there in the rain and wind from my hotel, and by the time I'd arrived, I was wet, cold, and hungry. My friendly waitress brought me a menu, and I chose several happily vegan items-- a Kurdish lentil soup, Kurdish bread, Kurdish tea, and Kurdish dolmas. The lentil soup was thick, perfectly spiced, and hearty, and went perfectly with the rain and the two big, soft triangles of Kurdish bread (which was sort of a puffy version of flatbread. If flatbread wasn't flat, it would be Kurdish). The Kurdish tea was spiced with cardamom and some other sweetish spices I couldn't quite put my finger on-- possibly cinnamon. Probably not cloves. In any case, as far as I'm concerned, a good cup of tea and a long, hot shower are the keys to world peace, and this tea was an excellent start down that road. Tell the president. The dolmas were the best I've ever had. Some were wrapped in grape leaves, and others in cabbage, and they all contained gently spiced rice and tomatoes and vegetables. It was all steamed with lemon juice and was light enough that I could eat the whole plateful (and there were a lot on the plate) and not feel like I had to roll myself home. The walls are decorated with pictures taken by one of the owners, glowing restaurant reviews of the place, and various and sundry Kurdish items. It wasn't elegant (who needs elegance, anyway? Not me, dammit.) but it was extremely cozy. As it turns out, I survived--nay, thrived-- the certification (a little bloody, a little humble, but definitely alive). And I'm really glad I did, because that means I'll get to try Babani's again someday. And that thought makes my tummy happy.
(5)Afshin D.
Outstanding. The good was just great. The service was good and very friendly. Loved it!
(3)Sam F.
Terrific! I cannot wait to come back. Flavorful use of cardamon spice in their awesome coffee. Service is terrific.
(4)Erik D.
I think this is one of the best-kept secrets in Saint Paul. Who ever thinks "Hey, let's go out for Kurdish?" But the food here is REALLY good. The soups are great-- I can't recall what they're named, but I remember them being delicious.
(5)Jennifer W.
The food here was so good and awesome for vegetarians. My friend and I split soup and a vegetable dish with bread- definately get the bread. I also highly recommend the baklava, it melts in your mouth! The location of the place is weird and I got a little lost trying to get to it. The inside is quiet and has an authentic feel to it.
(5)Peter R.
I've been here maybe 5 times over the past 15 years - it hasn't changed at all. I'm a big fan of #2 on the menu. The salad was tastey with a nice, subtle kick. Be sure to read the story on the menu - it's cute and gives you a little context. The place has a lot of character. Great for a date, dinner before an event downtown or an interesting jaunt during lunch if you work in St. Paul. Bring quarters for parking - it was easy to find on the street parking. Unless you're a native to downtown or lucky, the one-ways will probably have you going in circles for a bit.
(4)Ira L.
The place is rather small but conveniently located near the St. Paul capitol. It feels rather cheap (so, don't take your mom there!), but the food is quite decent, though nothing special. I wasn't sure what to expect from "Kurdish cuisine" but it turns out it is basically a mixture of Iranian and Afghani. I forgot what we had, so I guess it was rather unmemorable: neither really bad nor really good. I do remember that the portions were small and I left somewhat hungry. I do however recommend you judge for yourself - I think it's important to support unusual ventures when they show promise. Perhaps in a few years they will improve.
(3)Andrew K.
This is like the only kurdish restaurant in America or something. The owners are awesome and walk you through the whole experience. I remember the zucchini being particularly tasty. Everything was spiced perfectly, and the only thing I didn't like was a salty yogurt drink, but that's not their fault. Highly recommended. Wish it were busier.
(4)