Alibaba, a new restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine opened in Long Beach on Redondo Ave. near 7th St. in September, despite the current pandemic.
The restaurant was originally set to open in February, but was delayed due to COVID-19, opening in September instead.
The owner of the new restaurant is Ghazi Jubran, who immigrated from Jerusalem to the U.S. with his wife in the 1970’s. His daughter, Ahlam and wife, Inam are also involved in the restaurant, with Inam responsible for creating the recipes and dishes seen on the menu.
The owner worked for two years after school, but has been an entrepreneur ever since, owning and starting small businesses.
“We came to the land of opportunity… It’s the American dream. It’s been good to us and we’ve enjoyed every bit of it,” said Ghazi Jubran.
Despite opening amid a pandemic, Alibaba’s opening aligned with lowered restaurant restrictions.
“Right around the time we opened here, they allowed 25% capacity [for indoor seating],” said Ahlam Jubran.
Opening during COVID-19 has still provided difficulties for a new restaurant business, but the Jubran family said they were pleased to see excitement for their new restaurant even before they opened.
“We didn’t advertise or even have DoorDash or Grubhub, and the first day we opened people started coming. I was wondering where they were coming from,” said Ghazi Jubran.
The restaurant owner said the business came from locals who were excited to see a new restaurant in their area, and that many of them were patiently waiting for Alibaba to open.
When it comes to food, the Jubran family knew it was important to provide fresh food to customers.
“We are so huge on food in my family… so we have high standards as far as food goes and that was something we wanted to incorporate into the restaurant,” said Ahlam Jubran.
Due to their food being fresh and made to order, they encourage customers to call the restaurant ahead of time to place orders if they are in a hurry.
“They wanted to bring true cultural food to people in the United States. It’s hard to find real cultural food, so that was something that was important for us,” said Ahlam Jubran.
The restaurant has been open for a few weeks and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. Its menu features food such as gyro, falafel, dolma, and other Middle Eastern dishes.
Alibaba is also offering a 10% off discount for first-time customers when they check-in through the Yelp app.
