Aladdin Restaurant — Restaurant in West Reading

Disappointing Experience Despite High Hopes

We visited Aladdin Restaurant with great anticipation. The promise of a flavorful meal was met with a good, albeit not extraordinary, dining experience. However, the good taste was overshadowed by the value for money. The prices seem steep considering the portion sizes, prompting one to expect a bit more from such an establishment.

Patience is a virtue they say, and patience I did have, but the long wait for our meals tested it considerably. Yet, this was something I could overlook, as a busy kitchen often means freshly prepared fare.

That being said, my ultimate concern and the decisive factor in my review lie within the realm of customer service. At the close of our meal, we were blindsided by a rather inconvenient policy - the inability to accommodate separate checks for a party larger than six. The lack of prior notice regarding this payment policy was surprising and certainly not indicative of the customer-first approach we expect from dining venues today. A simple heads-up at the time of ordering would have been greatly appreciated and would have afforded us the opportunity to split the check while in the ordering phase.

In the competitive landscape of the restaurant industry, it is the subtle intricacies of customer service that elevate a dining experience from mediocre to memorable. Unfortunately, on this occasion, Aladdin Restaurant fell short in this crucial aspect. It is with a heavy heart that I convey my disillusionment, as I genuinely wanted to like this place. However, under the present circumstances, it seems unlikely that I will return.

In the spirit of constructive feedback, I sincerely hope this review is taken as an opportunity for Aladdin Restaurant to refine its service. An adjustment in policy or, at the very least, a transparent communication of it could pave the way for a much more commendable customer...

When I arrived at the restaurant, it looked empty around lunch on a Saturday but it was a dreary, rainy day. I was the only person at the place but I was greeted by the 2 people I saw working there. They were both very pleasant. I ordered the Hummus with Meat and a Small Fattoush salad. The Fattoush salad had crisp vegetables and had allot of seasoning. I was surprised how much flavor it had given some of the other reviews I read stating it was bland. That was not the case at all. Once of the things I like the most about the Fattoush is the toasted pita slices which IT DID NOT HAVE..... so I had some disappoint there. The Hummus was also really good. It was the style similar to what I was used to. What I mean by this is I grew up in a home where Lebanese food was a once a week thing. I got used to a particular type of Hummus, made with a particular consistency with allot of Garlic but not allot of Tahini . As I traveled the US it was different everywhere I tried. When I started traveling the world, wow, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and Israel all had drastically different styles. This made me OPEN MY MIND and palate to different regional preparations. So when I read reviews saying they were from the middle east and it was terrible, I took it as a preference. The Quality was great and the flavor was good for me, too.

I will go again and get some of the other plates and update if anything changes.

Oh yeah, they gave me plenty of PIta bread with my order, not like 3 small triangles but 12...

Enjoyed this spot in the past, but hadn't sat down to eat inside in a few years. Stopped in on an early Saturday evening. Was told to choose a table by one of the guys in the kitchen. It was pretty hot inside, but not unbearable.

Sat for a while until the waitress came over—enough time to pick out our drinks and food. Ordered and was told that they "don't do sandwiches for dining in on the weekends" but we could order them to go... What? No explanation was given, and nothing on the small brochure menus indicated this. It's hard to wrap my head around this policy. Can't be good for business, and certainly not for the waitstaff.

We ordered two sandwiches and a drink to go just because we were very hungry by that point. Bill came and there's an additional $1.08 charge listed as "customer service fee." Not terribly convenient to be told you can't eat inside the restaurant, and then be charged extra for the privilege of having to drive home with your food. Yikes. Sandwiches were good, but nothing special.

Businesses can set whatever policies they want to, but it might help if these are stated in advance by the staff or listed on the menus themselves. Can't imagine we'll ever order from...