Alihan's Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

Here's the long and short of this place. We had a very nice waitress. I really think there should have been more staff. The waitress wasn't that good at all we had to ask her for silverware while we were sitting there looking at our food. So the several times she came to our table probably three to four to check on us see if we were ready to order then when she came back to take order and when she came to bring us our drinks and then when she came to bring us our appetizers and bread she had four chances to bring a silverware but we still had to ask her. My friend ordered the lamb kebab dinner I'd have to recommend that that was pretty good. The rice pilaf that went with her dinner was good. But the salads they served us were just absolutely terrible. I ordered the seafood ravioli topped with grilled shrimp in a cream sauce. I wasn't really happy with my dish at all. They served it in a boat that you take directly out from the oven to keep it hot I guess. The presentation was terrible! I only got five small raviolis I do have to say that the 4 shrimp tasted really good that sat on top of the ravioli. But I believe I should have gotten larger shrimp and at least five or six of them. The dish look like something you give a kid. They really need to work on the presentation when it comes to that dish. And the cream sauce needed way more flavor and salt so they should work on their cream sauce as well. They should Place their raviolis on a nice plate with at least seven of them because they were so small I do suggest 8 because they were so small and at least five to six larger size shrimp. Because what I saw online on the menu look like I was getting nice sized shrimp. I don't usually complain about places but I know what I like I'm a chef myself and when I go out I expect to be satisfied as a...

For my birthday celebration weekend my wife arranged a downtown cultural district getaway including a reservation at Alihan's Mediterranean Cuisine before a play. I enjoy Mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine and have eated at most of the regional Arabic, Lebanese, Greek, Turkish, and other middle eastern and Mediterranean restaurants in Pittsburgh. I've found that similar named dishes in all of these restaurants taste different due to regional preparations, spices, and cultural differences and preferences. I'm not a foodie or a food gourmet but I can say that the service and meal we had was generally outstanding. The hummus and charred eggplant (Turkish babaganosh) was some of the best I eaten. The bread was fresh and very good. The chicken shish kabob and lamb diner kabob was nicely spiced and tasty as waste bulgar rice. My wife enjoyed the Turkish coffee and we both enjoyed the baklava (with a birthday candle) which was different from that eaten in other places - not too sweet and dripping with honey. The portions were large and atmosphere was very pleasant and comfortable. Our service was outstanding despite an almost full restaurant. Piril was a delight. She was the most pleasant and engaging server I've had in some time. She and the manager/owner came up with the BD candle dessert suprise and sang happy birthday at the table. Piril surprised me with a Turkish culrural acknowledgement of respect as we were about to leave which was most touching and that I will never forget. Good food, very nice people, nice atmosphere and great experience. Thank you all for your service and great birthday meal. This was our first visit at Aihan's and I look forward to returning. May peace be...

I went to Alihans for my birthday, and let me just say it was delicious. We started our meal with some Turkish tea. There were complimentary sugar cubes to accompany the tea, so you could dictate how sweet you wanted the beverage to be.

For my entree, I ordered the sautéed vegetables with a side of bulgur. I was planning to get the falafel but they were out of it. The side options were either rice or bulgur and I was intrigued by the latter. I believe the rice has butter, making it not vegan, but the bulgur was completely free of animal products. I make the grain at home occasionally and was interested to see if Alihan's perfected its preparation, since even other Turkish restaurants do not offer it. They definitely did! It was fluffy and flavorful without being overpowering. There were lots of vegetables in my sauté, although a pinch too oily. Still, very good!

Someone else had gotten the seafood ravioli and they said they enjoyed it. I asked to try a bit of their dish and to me, it was too creamy. However, you should only order the dish if you want Italian-American food (in that case, why come to a Turkish restaurant but I guess there is something for everyone).

The raw vegan truffles were delightful, not very sweet and had a great flavor balance. It came with 3 different types of truffles. Another individual ordered ice cream and it was a good portion but unremarkable.

Overall, plenty of vegan and vegetarian options at this (predominantly) Turkish/Middle Eastern restaurant, although you can even find some Italian dishes. I would recommend sticking to the Turkish food for entrees...