Aladdin's Eatery Brier Creek — Restaurant in Raleigh

I am speaking for a handful of other former employees.

We want it to be known, that Kariem(owner) and Valerie(GM), have informed their current staff that a new FEDERAL law has mandated that all restuarants pay their servers their tips on their check, rather than paying the tipped staff their daily wages. After much research amongst the staff, including reaching out to other restaurants in the area, we have concluded that what was told to us was a lie. This is no new FEDERAL law stating a new pay change, they simply lied for reasons unknown.

Besides our pay being altered, the working conditions at Aladians are extreme. If you've ever visited our establishment at Bier Creek you are well aware of the high temperatures INSIDE the restaurant. Dispite constant questions from not only guests but staff about the AC and if and when it may work because its extremely uncomfortable, the GM always insists that it does work and that building is poorly built. As well as jokingly tells her guests she has her staff take turns in the cooler.. While the owners are able to wear whatever clothing they desire (dresses, skirts, basketball shorts, and tank tops) the staff have to wear thick long sleeve button up shirts, black pants, black socks, and black shoes with no compromise even tho we have asked multiple times. If you think it's hot in the dining room, imagine the cooks in the kitchen who are standing in front the hot fryers. Many occasions I've had awkward accounters where our guest have A: left because it was too hot or B: have to rub their cold glasses across their face...

All employees deserve a work environment where there is trust, respect, and good working conditions. More than anything, the reason for this post is to inform the public and patrons of Aladians, that the owner and management knowingly and willingly used the federal government as a means to deceive their staff. And seeing as the owner is the PAYROLL for his company we are uncertain and question what will become...

I used to eat at Aladdin's (both this Brier Creek location and the old north Raleigh location) all the time up until a few years ago. I finally went back yesterday with my husband who had never been before.

Fortunately the food was just as I remembered it and it was all very good. I got my old stand-by, the fattoush salad with chicken and it was delicious as ever. The sfiha was even tastier than I remembered too.

However the service left a lot to be desired and I remembered always getting very good service at both locations. This time it was very slow though they didn't seem very busy, and also it felt like they were just disorganized.

We waited about ten minutes or so for a table, which was fine, but an old couple who came in after we did and got seated after we did somehow got their drinks before we even got our menus, and got their entrees before we got our drinks. Not sure what was going on there (were they given deference because they were elderly or something..??) or why we had to wait five minutes after being seated to be given menus. On top of that, our server actually asked us for our drink order before giving us menus (or even water, that should always come first without being requested). That was strange and annoying especially since I knew I wanted one of their fresh juice drinks but didn't know which one. It looked like there were two servers and both seemed to be moving pretty slowly and not being very attentive.

I hope it was a fluke and that maybe they were just understaffed for the day or something because the food is still great and I miss going there. However we're not likely to be repeat customers if they're going to be that slow and disorganized and serve people...

Incredible food and service, wish they had more locations. They kindly seated our walk in party of 9, which included several kids, promptly on a Saturday evening. Service was fantastic and they were very welcoming to the little kids, who shared a cookie, which says a lot about their commitment to make everyone feel welcomed.

Now to the food. I cannot find food like this anywhere else in the Triangle. Yes, I will make the obnoxious comment that "I lived in NYC", and this is the only place that is every bit as good as what I could only find in Brooklyn 😜 There are other very good middle eastern restaurants, but Aladdin's has the best flavor and menu, hands down. I also love how they point out the health benefits of their dishes throughout the menu (which is also very well explained) without exaggerating. So many other places claim to be healthy but it's just marketing. The food really delivers and still tastes far better than greasy burgers and breaded junk all over the Triangle. I'm sorry to sound mean but finding healthy food in this area is a problem, and I'm grateful Aladdin's is sharing their cuisine with us all.

My only suggestions are to open more locations, and bottle their homemade hot sauce and home made garlic sauce to purchase because I was eating both with a spoon.

Thank you to everyone at Aladdin's for a delicious and friendly experience! We look forward to sitting outside when the weather is mild. Despite not living as close as we'd like, we will return and...