Aladdin Grill — Restaurant in Coon Rapids

After the "owner's" response to my review I will drop my rating to one star, and I will most definitely NOT be back to this restaurant!!! There are witnesses to this happening... but I guess I must not have been there, according to them "looking at their cameras". I'm appalled how this business owner replied, most business owners would take the negative reviews and want to do better... to do better versus arguing with a customer. There are many other restaurants who would be happy to take my money, my family's money and my friend's money. Extremely disappointed. (And to the owner, I'd love for you to show me this "camera footage" and me standing there waiting for over ten minutes to get his attention!)

Went for the first time today for lunch and the food was phenomenal... the service, not so much, unfortunately. I don't know if it was a language barrier or caring more about watching something very loudly on the phone than paying customers. The order was incorrect when it arrived and it was difficult trying to relay this.

It was very quiet, besides the humming of the refrigeration unit... and the videos the employee was playing as loud as the phone would go.

The seating is plentiful and a mix of bench seats and single seats. A nice amount of natural lighting as well. The tables had greasy finger smudges on them and some of the chairs were covered in food bits. Condiments and napkin holders on the tables were filthy. The bathroom was dirty as well, and there's a bidet, if that's your thing. (I've never seen one in a public place before, so that was interesting!)

The hummus is the most authentic one stateside we've tried, which was cool. The sauce on the gyro is not the usual sour cream/yogurt base, but was tasty and light. The gyro was really good, minus the tomatoes that had seen better days. The pitas were soft and just the right texture, not too "bready". I would have loved some authentic baklava, however that is not offered here. I did get a stomachache shortly after eating here, unfortunately.

Would I go...

After reading a slew of rave reviews, I decided to venture into this highly recommended restaurant, hoping for a culinary delight. Alas, what awaited me was more of a tragic farce than a gastronomic triumph. To say the food was disappointing would be a masterclass in understatement. In reality, my meal was so dreadful that most of it found a swift and unceremonious end in the trash.

I ordered the lamb chops, expecting succulent, flavorful meat. Instead, I was presented with four thin, tiny pieces, each offering about two meager bites. The taste and texture were reminiscent of a fatty, overcooked steak, entirely devoid of flavor. It was as if the chef had sent these poor lamb chops on a mission to become the driest, most tasteless morsels imaginable. Adding insult to injury, a stomach ache set in before I even made it home, a lingering reminder of the meal's unfortunate consequences.

To add a layer of irony to this culinary catastrophe, the owner proudly boasts that these are the cheapest lamb chops in town. Well, the taste certainly reflects that dubious honor. If your goal is to save money at the expense of your taste buds, then perhaps this is the place for you.

The ambiance did little to redeem the experience. The tables were in dire need of a good scrub, and every condiment container – from the ketchup to the salt and pepper – was coated in a sticky grime that could have starred in its own horror film. The pièce de résistance was watching the person behind the counter preparing food without gloves, all while casually fiddling with his phone. The hygiene standards here seemed to be on a vacation of their own.

In summary, I would strongly advise against visiting this establishment. It’s a veritable trifecta of disappointment: filthy surroundings, tasteless and overpriced food, and questionable food handling practices. Save yourself the trouble – and a stomach ache – and look elsewhere for your...

I visited Aladdin Grill on a Monday after my Dental appointment. I reviewed the menu and elected to have the Falafel Meal to go. The first issue was the price difference from the menu, I mentioned the dollar extra the system charged me. Then I showed him on the receipt, but I still didn't get my money back. So, everyone ordering the Falafel meal will be getting ripped off an extra dollar. Who knows what other items people are being over charged. Second, luckily, I checked the content of my order. The menu stated I received a pita bread, which was missing. Plus, there are no napkins, fork, or other utensils on my to go order. Third, thanks to the mother, she grabbed the container and added the sauce over the Falafel and rice. A nice gesture, they offered chick pea soup to customers for free that day! Yes, someone mentioned Homemade Hummus? I didn't get a flavor, sort of tasteless. Normally, I would have taken a photo of my food, I was already disappointed with overpayment, no pita, forgetting the sauce and little portions of the salad and hummus that I haven't mentioned. Now the last point about the Dental. WHO PUTS A OLIVE WITH A " PIT " ON TOP OF HUMMUS? A two hour and fifteen minutes drive to the dentist to get my teeth checked out, cleaned, and I decided to get food at your restaurant to chomp down on a block olive with a pit! I thought it was from the salad.

No, this was not my first time at a Greek or Mediterranean Restaurant. I've also been...