Aladdin’s Eatery

I absolutely LOVE Aladdin’s! They have the best lentil soup (and a variety of other soups to choose from) and HUMUNGOUS chocolate cake slices for a bargain (seriously, I would make a slice last an entire week). I walked by to grab some cake to go and noticed it was closed and now Pizza Persona :(. Aladdin’s, you will be missed!
**This business has closed and is now Pizza Persona:

This rating is purely based on the service I received during a late Saturday lunch. I stopped in with a friend just after the rush for a quick bite. We split the baba, which was delicious, and she ordered the beef kafta rolled. While the busser ensured that my diet coke never went empty, our server virtually ignored us for the entire meal. We had to stop another server more than once and ultimately asked her for the check.
I understand if our guy was in the back doing side work but we saw him whisk by our table multiple times without even glancing at as.
Perhaps take out is the way to go b/​c their food is too good to miss on account of bad service.

Where do girls go when their chefs/​significant others go on vacation? To get a sandwich! You can’t have these 2 girls starving, of course!
But not just any sandwich, this wrap is like a burrito, chalk full of Mediteranean goodness. I opted for a falafel wrap which was generously stuffed with the Persian version of the hushpuppy. Very tasty and sauce had a nice complimentary effect.
So many choices to choose from, it’s no wonder you can go back time and time again for quick meals… Carry out, in and out of there with order within 12 minutes flat. Great service! Prices are reasonable as well for their sandwiches.

I’m gonna start off by saying we loved this place, we loved all the food and didn’t leave anything on our plates.
We ordered 2 sandwiches each, 1 shishtawook, 1 beef shawarma. (both without turnips) and some extra garlic sauce
The beef shawarma tasted amazing. The tahini sauce was perfect and the amount of meat was decent.
The shishtawook… we’ve had better. It tasted wonderful, dont get me wrong, and if you’ve never had it, you’ll LOVE it (if you like garlic), we’ve just had it made by people in the past with much more knowledge as to what makes a good shish tawook sandwich.
They use the bigger, thin pita, which IMO is the best for sandwiches.
why’d we knock off a star? because of the pricing. In cleveland, the same sandwich costs $ 3.99, not $ 6, and for what you get, $ 6 is a little much.
We ordered a tropical smoothie, and it was amazing, all fresh fruit and made right when you order it. highly recommended.
Our total tab:
2 shish tawook
2 beef shararma
1 tropical smoothie
total: $ 30.16 plus 20% tip = $ 36.16
great food, but overpriced for what it is.

Very average food with below average prices. I like this place, as it has good falafel and mujajara. The service was decent, too. THe bad thing is that when I got home, I was really uncomfortably nauseous and I had not eaten all that much, either. The menu is enormous, too, so it is hard to decide on what to eat.

The spicy kafta rolled pita was really good though I’m stumped why they’d serve it in a foil wrapper while dining in. It was spicy but not overwhelmingly so. The meat was cooked perfectly and not dry nor greasy. The mint tea was a perfect companion and was always kept fresh and hot by the staff, who were all very, very service oriented.
The falafel was also really good. Seasoned well, fried just slightly and not until it has an impenetrable barrier of fried crust on it.
I also had a side salad that was really good — not because it was full of special ingredients, but rather because it isn’t like a typical salad from any other chain: slathered in sickly sweet dressing.

Being from Dearborn MI I have had my fill of some kick ass Middle Eastern food. Unfortunately I don’t really have anything in my current neighborhood that compares but Aladdin’s is decent. It’s not the best I’ve ever had but in a pinch I’ll pick up some takeout hummus and a kabob with rice for a healthy Middle Eastern fix.
I usually go for the kabob plate although I swap out the beef for chicken which they are nice and will let you do. The kabob is good. Not the most flavorful but it’s not dry and the garlic dipping sauce (toum) amps it up a bit. It’s not the strongest toum I’ve ever had (can never have too much garlic as far as I’m concerned) but it does the job. The rice is cooked well and I love the dusting of cinnamon on top and the almond slivers give it a nice crunch for some added texture. The hummus is ok. Not the world’s best but it’s definitely better than the tubs I usually pick up at the grocery but the pita bread that comes with it is a bit tough and dry. I’m a big fan of their veggie chili and their dessert selection is pretty great. A variety of cakes, cookies and bars are usually on hand and they have a small selection of Middle Eastern sweets like baklava (lady fingers and birds nest varieties).
The staff here is nice and takeout is relatively quick. Also if you dig around online you can find the nutritional info for the place which is nice if you’re calorie conscious (
). My main complaint is that this place is SO expensive for what you get. A kabob plate and hummus side will run me around $ 20 which is just insane. If you compare that to Taste of Lebanon in Andersonville (which is much better as far as I’m concerned) the prices are laughable. ToL is easily 2 – 3 dollars cheaper for each comparable item on Aladdin’s menu. It’s a shame it’s so far north of me but if you have a few extra bucks laying around and aren’t picky about your baba ganoush then give Aladdin’s a whirl.

I have been here twice since I moved here in early August… the first time I’d give it 5 stars, the second time 3 stars, so I’m taking the average.
The first time I went here with a friend on a Thursday afternoon and we sat outside on the patio. The server was very prompt and helpful in navigating their 20 page menu. I wasn’t very hungry, so I just went with the side salad which was a lot bigger than I expected and DELICIOUS. My friend had no idea what to order, so he asked our waitress what was the most popular dish. After her suggestion, he order the flavor platter (or whatever they call it — $ 8 for a little bit of everything) and he said it was great.
After my first great experience, I came back on Wednesday night around 7pm with my three roommates. I wanted to order one of their Lebanese house white wines, but they were out, so I went for the red. It was okay. One of my roommates wanted the Lebanese beer, but they were out, so she went with a Heineken. Since it is a Lebanese restaurant, it’s a little strange that they were out of all their Lebanese liquor.
We all ordered rolled pitas — one ordered the lamb w/​o tomatos or turnips, two ordered chicken schwarma (one without pickles), and I ordered the falafel pita. She brought out four pitas, and they have what type of pita it is printed inside the foil wrapping… she brought out 3 labeled chicken schwarma and one labeled lamb… no falafel. She took one of the schwarmas back to go get my falafel. Neither chicken schwarma pitas that were left had pickles, so my one roommate had to ask them to bring her some on the side. The one that was labeled lamb had both turnips and tomatoes, so after picking out the toppings she didn’t like and took a bite, she realized it was actually my falafel pita. Oy. So that order was correct, it was just mislabeled. They brought me a new falafel pita, and they brought my other roommate the correct lamb one. whew. Our waitress was very apologetic though, and said that the kitchen was a bit overwhelmed. I know it’s probably not her fault, but the kitchen should be able to deal with a full restaurant load of people… and it wasn’t even full when we were there.
The food tasted great — my falafel pita wasn’t quite as good as the one I had at Pita Queen, but I enjoyed it. It was quite large and I had enough to take home for lunch the next day. The price is right too — just under $ 6 for the chicken and falafel pitas, and under $ 7 for the lamb.
I’m sure I’ll be back, because the location is great, but maybe I’ll come when it’s less busy (even though it didn’t appear to be that crowded — there were maybe 3 other tables inside, but the outside was almost full). They’re menu is super long, so there are some other things I’d like to try. I will give them another chance.

Coming from Detroit, with the world’s largest Arabic population outside of the Middle East, I am particular about my Middle Eastern cuisine. I will say that I was not disappointed by the cuisine but was not knocked out by it either. I was with a group of four and we all had different tastes. So, I’ll go plate by plate.
One of us had the Majadera which was pretty good. It seemed weird that the grilled onions were more like onion straws than something incorporated into the meal, but it was tasty. It was cooked well without it becoming mushy or over cooked and dry. The seasoning was actually quite good. Two had the Flavor Savour combo which was shwarma, kaftka and fallafal. Both seeemed quite pleased. Portions were ample and the almond rice that accompanied the dish was very good.
I ordered the kibbee and was disappointed as they were out of it. Having made the dish myself, I understand it is time consuming and needs to be prepped, but i was disappointed to say the least. The recovery was good. I asked the waitress to surprise me and received a Kaftka plate (something I had inquired about earlier, so she wasn’t very sneaky about it!), which wound up being quite good. The spice mix was nice, but it was all beef and no lamb… this was a disappointment as Kaftka is normally a nice mix of the two red meats. All in all, a good meal, just not outstanding.
They had a nice but modest selection of beers that included Sierra Navada Pale Ale, which was good enough to me. Here is where the place made me happy. I was there with a mentor who is wheel chair bound and it had ample space for him. The staff was also attentive to his and our needs, and they did a great job making us feel comfortable. There was no rush and that was appreciated.
This was a fine dining experience. It was very good middle eastern, but being from Detroit and eating ME at least twice a week, this was not out of the park. I will go back again if in the Lincoln Park area. It was a nice little place and the food was enjoyable.

My previous review still stands, but I will say I have developed a greater appreciation for them as I’ve tried many more items thanks to a bunch of Groupons for this place.
Everything is delicious and fresh. The baba, hummus, falaffel, chicken sambusek, lebanese salata, beef shish kabob, chicken tawook and kafta have all been great. The chicken maybe a smidge dry, but it’s not enough so to concern me. While I really liked Aladdin’s Favorite Combo, the price was a tad unfavorable to me. Now the Flavor Savor Plate special, that’s much better and has a bit more variety (2 kafta, shredded chicken over rice/​vermicelli mixture, falaffel, salad, and hummus).
I’m still on the fence about the prices overall. Many things – especially the rolled pitas – leave me hungry for more but I hesitate because of the prices. The smoothies I still have no problem with as they use all real fruit, as well as milk and honey, and are only about $ 0.50 more than the single fruit ones you find at nearby Asian restaurants.

I ordered a bunch of food thanks to my groupon. It was all really quality, but the clear winner was the beef thing that looked like a turd. It was grilled. It tasted like cinnamon… it was SO good.
Get the beef turd grilled thing.

Two menu items you can never go wrong with:
*Spicy Kafta roll
*Lentil Soup
A friend of mine introduced me to this place and I can’t get enough. The lunch special is an awesome deal, and they even — if you have room — have splendid cakes! The triple mousse cake? Trust me. You can’t go wrong. I’ve heard great things about the pistachio cheese cake from EVERYONE who works there, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.
The managers are great, and even when I went in with a coupon from Social Living, the service was excellent. (I’ve worked as a server. I know how much we fear the coupon crowd). Always friendly, familiar faces, and great food. Takeout, or Eat in, I’ve never been displeased.

YUM! perfect spot for a quick «healthy» lunch or dinner. I love their salad pockets… they are HUGE~!
Make sure to bring your reading glasses because their menu is HUGE! I have never actually had the entrees, but the sandwiches, wraps and salads are deee-​lish! Also, reasonably priced.

Mmm, Mmm! Can’t wait to come back here for another leisurely lunch. After running errands in the nabe, I was looking for some sustenance that wouldn’t leave me feeling bogged down. Mission accomplished Aladdin’s! I ordered the beef kibbie (sp) with salad and the house dressing, delish! Bright flavors in the dressing, and perfectly crisp kibbie make for a great meal. Service was great, my ice tea was kept refilled, and my waitress was always in view.
I’m looking forward to my next visit, and making it soon.

I like you Aladdins, and its hard to please me.
Got some take out from here from one of our vendors. He told me that one of his buddies owned this joint. I never knew that Middle Eastern food can look at appetizing as it tastes. The food was beautiful and was cooked perfectly. We had:
The Chicken Salad– It tasted so fresh and the chicken wasn’t dry, Thank God!
Chicken breast with some kind of cheese on a bed of mixed greens– FANTASTIC! It came with this spicy sauce and it made for a great dressing on everything.
Lamb-​Lemony, tender, and grilled to perfection
Rice with some veggies was delicious (maybe i can figure out the recipe)
Hummos and falafels– Never disappointing and it tasted super fresh. I also appriciated that they added some veggies in there.
The pitas were wrapped and still warm. Thank you Aladdins and I can’t wait to come to see your spot in person! (that is what I am saving the last star for)

The service is great and the food is great. I didn’t even know I liked this kind of cuisine. My dining companions were kind enough to each pick something different so I could try a little of everything. I had falafel, pita bread, hummus and some kind of wrap. It was all so tasty, great prices and I have a ton of leftovers.
I’m tempted to go back later this week I enjoyed it so much! Score one for me!

Ventured upon this place last weekend during a long walk to nowhere. I was really impressed by their vegetarian friendliness and attempt to be healthy food. Loved their hummus, pita was thinner than expected yet good, and the falafel sandwich/​wrap was also good.
The pitza was a little interesting, and what surprised me most is the excessive amount of cheese on it! I mean, if you’re going to be a healthy food place, hold the cheese!
But I enjoyed the patio dining and the service was generally good. Definitely recommend this place and especially to vegetarians!

First, never knew this was a chain, until now…
I used to come here quite often when i lived in chicago. the chicken kabob sandwich was always a guarantee for tasty snack, me and my girls lived off their hummus and pita, scooping that all up while talking for hours on randomness. The desserts and cookies look amazing displayed, but definitely fell a little short.
But! all in all. pretty good. If and when there is a beautiful day in Chicago, eat outside. The food is light and all decently price.

The food is pricey for what you get, but it’s a better, healthier and more fresh option than neighboring Chipotle and Panera. The patio was perfect for Diversey/​Clark people-​watching while resting my tootsies post-​shopping.
I’ve always been a bit put off by Aladdin’s menu (so long), but my knowledgeable server helped me sort it all out. I ended up ordering the beef kefta rolled pita, which I’d liken to a Middle Eastern burrito. The cool crunchiness of my side salad complemented the warmly seasoned beef kefta nicely. Oh, and get the yogurt tahini dressing. I would’ve dipped my Diet Coke in it if I could’ve.
Friendly staff serving up fast, healthy meals… I’ll be back.

Decent food at a decent price. Nothing mind blowing but the food is good if you are hungry and in the mood for some OK Mediterranean food. We ordered the chicken with hummus plate, a lamb pitza (that’s right people, it is a pita+pizza), and a pita sandwich like thingy
All items were good… specially the hot sauce. It is not the kind that comes out of a bottle that says «Louisiana hot sauce». The pita is thin, my favorite variety. Portion sizes are adequate.
We also ordered a chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Eh, not really satisfying… it was more sweet than chocolatey… the coffee was good though
I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to Aladdins but, I wouldn’t mind eating here if I am in the area.
Ask for the hot sauce, it makes every dish taste better.