Baab

I was hesitant to try Baab after reading mixed reviews. Here's my take on it- this is a top notch restaurant recovering from the Covid downturn with still the occasional blip. My experience was excellent, with great customer service and delicious food quickly served at great prices. The other thing I noted was a frequent number of people complaining online about slow service, here and at other restaurants. I think many foreign tourists to Europe expect American style dining, whereas restaurants like Baab provide a European experience that is slower and more luxurious. It can be a bit tedious, but when in Rome, lean into it and enjoy it. I will also add that Baab is a Mediterranean restaurant in the Scottish highlands- not an expected occurrence. After three weeks of heavy pub food or fine European style multi course dining, we enjoyed the change of pace at Baab, both in the change of ingredients, flavors, and pace of the meal. But we went into it with expectations of a slower pace, and were pleased when it was not slow, and when the flavors were well done. We recommend Baab- especially if you are ready for a change from typical Scottish fare.

This is a nice, surprising find in Oban. It's Lebanese style food with a twist, using local produce where possible. We enjoyed all the food we had and it felt healthy and light. The service was patchy but friendly. We had three small plates shared between four of us and one large plate each which worked out about right. We then shared a pudding each been two. The puddings were really special with a good range and all very unusual. We really enjoyed the two we tried.

Tl;dr food so good I almost cried My tour company recommended coast for dinner but it was booked for the night which I’m so glad because I ended up at Baab and it was better than anything else I could have found in Oban. No offense to Scottish taste, but I was not in the mood for another burger or meat pie. I got the salmon, was perfectly moist and encrusted with panko and the zaatar seasoning. It was NOT spicy unlike the description. It came with a lovely but light salad bed of radish and radicchio so I recommend ordering a starter. Might I recommend the baba ganoush (eggplant dip with flatbread)? It was smoky and garlicy and complex. For dessert I had the rice pudding, which was light and tasted like pistachios and rose water (in a good way). Not to toot my own horn but I’m a worldly eater and this meal was some of the best I’ve tasted - I almost cried. The design was pretty with lots of teal accents - super aesthetic. I recommend making reservations but they were able to seat 1 at 6pm on a Wednesday.