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Real char-grill
Open flame, not a flat-top. The edges get the crisp, the middle stays juicy — the way shish is meant to cook.
Shish · Boston
Shish Kebab in Bostonstraight off the grill
Cubed and minced meat threaded onto skewers, char-grilled over open flame the traditional Turkish way. Chicken shish, lamb shish, kofte, Adana — all halal, all made to order at Ali Baba Charlestown.
How ours is made
What makes a shish kebab a real one.
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Marinated the traditional way
Olive oil, garlic, Turkish spices. Long marinade times so the seasoning is in the meat.
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Halal chicken, lamb, beef
Every skewer is halal-certified. One grill, one standard.
The tradition
Fire, skewer, and time
Shish kebab is one of the oldest cooking techniques in the world: a stick, a piece of meat, and an open flame. The Turkish word şişmeans skewer, and it's the through-line that ties the whole family of dishes together — from Chicken Shish to Lamb Shish to Kofte to Adana. Every one of them is seasoned meat on a skewer, char-grilled hot and fast.
What separates a good shish from a bad one is patience — specifically, the marinade. Ours goes in the night before, so the olive oil, garlic, and Turkish spices soak into the meat instead of just coating it. Then the skewers hit an open flame, char on the outside, and stay tender in the middle. Nothing rushed, nothing pre-cooked.
We serve it the traditional Turkish way — over bulgur, with a house salad, grilled tomato and pepper, warm bread, and a yogurt-garlic sauce on the side. That's the plate you would sit down to in Istanbul or Adana; that's the plate we put in front of you in Charlestown.
Every shish we grill
The whole lineup on a skewer
Halal
Lamb Shish Kebab
Cubed halal lamb, marinated and char-grilled on a skewer. The classic. Served with bulgur, salad, and warm bread.
Halal
Chicken Shish Kebab
Marinated chicken breast on a skewer, grilled to order. Leaner than the lamb, still full of Turkish flavor.
Halal
Kofte Kebab
Hand-rolled minced meat kebab (lamb or lamb-beef blend), seasoned with parsley, onion, and Turkish spice, on a skewer.
Halal
Adana Kebab
Minced meat seasoned with red pepper, hand-molded onto a wide flat skewer, char-grilled. Named for its home city in southern Türkiye.
Halal
Lamb Adana Kebab
The lamb version of the Adana. Bolder, richer, with the same wide-skewer preparation and open-flame char.
Halal
Mixed Grill
Chicken shish, kofte, and lamb filet on one plate. The best way to order shish for the first time.
More from the grill: Doner wrap · Chicken kebab · Our halal statement
Common questions
Shish kebab at Ali Baba asked & answered
What is shish kebab?
Shish kebab is the Turkish tradition of grilling cubed or minced meat on a skewer over open flame. "Şiş" is the Turkish word for skewer. Everything from chicken shish to lamb shish to Adana kebab is technically a form of shish — the skewer is the through-line. At Ali Baba, every shish is char-grilled to order.
What kinds of shish kebab does Ali Baba serve?
Chicken Shish (cubed marinated chicken breast), Lamb Shish (cubed marinated lamb), Kofte (hand-rolled minced-meat skewers), Adana (minced meat on a wide flat skewer, red-pepper-forward), and the Mixed Grill which combines several. All halal, all char-grilled.
Is your shish kebab halal?
Yes. Every meat item at Ali Baba Charlestown is 100% halal from a certified supplier — chicken, lamb, and beef. There is no separate non-halal kitchen.
What's the difference between shish kebab and doner?
Both are Turkish grill traditions, but the technique differs. Shish is meat threaded onto a skewer and grilled horizontally over flame. Doner is meat stacked on a vertical spit and rotated slowly, with thin slices shaved off as the outside crisps. Shish is what you order plated; doner is usually wrapped or over rice.
What comes on a shish kebab plate?
The skewers themselves, plus bulgur (Turkish cracked-wheat pilaf), a house salad, grilled tomato and pepper, warm Turkish bread, and yogurt-garlic sauce. Add mezze — hummus, babaganoush, tabuleh — from the online-ordering options if you want to round out the meal.
Do you serve a mixed grill?
Yes — the Mixed Grill combines chicken shish, kofte, and lamb filet on one plate. It's the classic order for a first visit or for anyone who wants to try the range in one meal.
Can I order shish kebab online for pickup in Boston?
Yes. Order online at alibaba-charlestown.com/order — most orders are ready in about 20 minutes. Pickup at 99A Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.
Come by
Shish kebab in Charlestown, Boston
99A Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA 02129. Near Community College Station on the Orange Line and a short walk from the Bunker Hill Monument. Open every day — Sun–Thu 11am–2am, Fri–Sat until 3am.