Lakewood Mediterranean Staple Ali Baba is Calling it Quits

Mediterranean food fans in Lakewood are getting coal in their stockings this year: The Abrams Road location of Ali Baba is closing on Christmas Eve, CultureMap's Teresa Gubbins reports this morning. A rep for the restaurant cites lack of daytime business and a less-than-desirable parking situation as reasons for the closure; as Gubbins also points out, "although right on the main drag in the center of Lakewood," the restaurant isn't "particularly visible." The owners say they're planning for a new location in 2015, possibly in Uptown. Meanwhile, their other restaurants — including fast-casual wrap specialists GRIP in Preston Center, another Ali Baba in Richardson, and Terra in Irving — are still open to sate hummus and falafel cravings.