Aladdin Mediterranean cuisine — Restaurant in Houston

Aladdin would have been a great experience if I came prepared for how it was setup and didn't bring my grandparents. I expected a regular full-service restaurant, but it ended up being almost cafeteria style.

First, it's located in Montrose so things are busy, streets are narrow, and parking is hard to find (although there is alternate parking lot down the street that helped during lunch). The restaurant itself is nothing to write home about , it didn't help that water was pooling around the entrance due to poor drainage.

Inside the restaurant is fairly small, maybe enough for 30 patrons at once? The spread was impressive though, you see 3 separate stations. The first is bread/hummus, second is other cold salads and vegetarian dishes, third is meats and warm side dishes.

The prices are reasonable for what you get, you can do either a 3 side and 1 meat dish or a 4 side dish (as well as stuff like lamb shank with 2 sides). The issue I had is that since it's a cafeteria, it's not conducive to determining what you want to eat, especially since my grandparents were with us and didn't know what any of the foods were. We spend any more in time looking at the dishes, we would hold up the people behind us and I felt the staff were trying to rush us through.

The food itself was good, really enjoyed the babaghanoush, the lamb stew, and the saffron rice. The lamb stew was super tender, slightly sweet, and very flavorful. I couldn't stop dipping my bread into it. The lamb shank was also good, but I'll do the lamb stew over it any day. The chicken kabob was decent, the sauce that came with it was the best part of it. The hot eggplant dish (forgot what it was called) was also delicious. Also their fruit juices, though expensive, were delicious and feel like...

A great option for vegetarian and vegan meals, along with plenty of meat options, this Mediterranean restaurant is definitely a hit. They have both cold and warm selections for your side plates, which honestly I wish they made into a buffet because there were so many things I wanted to try. I chose the spinach salad, mushroom salad, baba ganoush, and almond rice. The almond rice was my favorite, with delicate flavoring with little bursts of sweetness with the use of craisins. The baba ganoush was a little more lemony than I normally like, but was well blended and had a great consistency. The spinach salad had quite a bit of feta in it, almost a little too much as it gave a bit of a dry consistency with the use of so much crumble. The pita bread was light and airy, it actually reminded me of Portuguese sweet bread for those who may have grown up in the north.

My dining companion had the spicy chicken kebab and reported that it was tender juicy and tasty. There is also lamb and beef kebabs available as well. Although I was not overwhelmed by the dishes I ordered, the large selection and overall quality of the dishes makes me want to come back again and try some other things, especially the eggplant pomegranate dish that is very interesting and intriguing. The portion size is were very generous, and the pricing was a little expensive but not too bad. They also offered a variety of baklava for dessert, the one I tasted was both sweet and buttery, as to be expected...

I came here with my mom and Ali graciously welcomed us (was not busy at this time) and explained the foods. My mom was overwhelmed by the variety of goodies so she couldn’t decide. I got my plate and had her try the lamb, the onion hummus, the almond/cranberry/vermicelli rice and the roasted cauliflower and she got the same thing but just with the mashed potato. We had the rose water tea to drink… it was delicious. I’ve been a consistent customer for years now, and am never disappointed- whether I come here for a meal or snack. The food here is always high quality and fresh consistently. Casual dining atmosphere- like a prettier, Mediterranean Luby’s. Get your tray, choose your food. Parking can be tricky sometimes- but the walk is always well worth the reward when you get to experience this culinary joy. You also get to eat immediately, which is great when you’re super hungry. Have come here a number of times with friends just to meet. Ali makes food taste like it tastes in the Mediterranean. I’d know, I’m Greek-American and have been to Greece. I’m so grateful for the gem of a restaurant in the heart...