Sinbad’s

Sinbad’s was a place I found somewhat by accident. After trying to find a parking space and going to Strang Hall to pick one of the 57 or so varieties of food served inside, the best option seemed to be to start driving around and see what was open. Sinbad’s looked good because I always like Middle Eastern food. The employees inside were eager to serve a few more customers before they closed. They explained that they were a neighborhood restaurant that relied mainly on their regular customers who supplied them with their repeat business. The restaurant had about seven or eight tables, most people who came were getting orders to go, prices were very reasonable, and the owners knew most of the people who came in. It seemed that these were all good signs.

Although there were some menus at the window and ones you could look at, I just decided I would ask if they had falafel and go from there. It turned out to be an experience somewhat like Gates BBQ–you will get the best deal if you ask them what they have and what their specials are. Of course the best decision is the one to come inside and look. It is a small and unassuming restaurant, but they have just about any Middle Eastern item you would want (along with salads and other Mediterranean style foods).

The Food

Falafel platter

In order to get the falafel I requested, they suggested a large plate that really fed two people (no problem because my friend and dining companion was with me). The photo above just shows a portion of what we ended up getting.

The Falafel was a little dry and ended up being the least impressive part of the meal. The Salad was excellent and on top of the good flavor was an even more impressive freshness. The Rice was topped with fresh tomatoes and onions. I finished off my share of the rice just because it was so good even though I had plenty else to eat.

Not shown in the photo were a very good Hummus and an even better Baba Ganouj. When I was living in Oklahoma I tried about a couple of dozen restaurants serving baba ganouj and never found one I really liked. Little did I know how different it was in the state immediately to the north.

Other Notes
Prices are very reasonable and the best deals are probably the large plates. The large plates are very shareable though.

I was going to give it a rating of 24 because the falafel was dry (and I need to explain that I do not think it was overcooked–this is just a style of falafel I see in many restaurants). The salad, rice with tomato, baba ganouj, and hummus, though, are something special.

RATING: 25

Cuisine: Mediterranean
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily except Sun evening
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: No

Most Recent Visit: Jun. 10, 2026
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Hummus, Baba Ganouj, Salad

Special Ratings

	Hummus
	Baba Ganouj
	Salad
	Rice
	Pita
	Falafel