Alladin Kabob

Super slow delivery… I was told half an hour and food is was not here 1.5 hours later…
My food arrived, it wasn’t great, homogenized food at best. Really disappointed.

Came here before for buffet. Thought to try it again. Buffet is Tues-​Sat and it’s Monday. Oops. Well, still hungry so I gave the menu a try. Now, I did recognize the aroma was different and the bartender AJ let me know it’s a NEW chef. The food is more flavorful and AJ specializes in alcohol iced teas. He made me a New Orleans Iced Tea. Love it. Will be back for ladies night on Wed. 50 cent wings may bring in single men. Yaas!

You ever been to a place and been so blown away by the customer service and ambiance that you overlook a mishap as minor as a hair in your food and decide to give that place a second chance? NANHHHHHH! Me Neither! But I was STRONGLY considering such a move after a visit to Alladin Kabab one work day. We ventured to this place on the strength of a
voucher and (after driving around for a good 5 minutes) finally found the entrance which can most easily be described as DIRECTLY across from the Meyerhoff.
The décor of the place was absolutely beautiful! While my friend checked out the menu in the bar section I found myself wandering around taking in the elegance. I happened to meet the assistant manager and he was more than happy to take me on a tour of the place, describe the food and happy hour specials and show me the VIP hookah room that was decked out in true Middle Eastern sass and class! Next he walked me back to the bar section and explained the dining options and made recommendations for the best lunch selections.
Our order consisted of the chicken gyro/​wrap, meat and veggie samosas, aloo tikki, and chicken biryani platter. The platter was delicious and well-​seasoned, while the samosas (though flavorful) were a bit too greasy for my tastes. The aloo tikki was greasy and under seasoned but nothing the sauce didn’t take care of. My chicken gyro? Well, that would have been rated absolutely delicious until after about 4 bites of this huge ensemble revealed a finger length black hair INSIDE my wrap! Talk about a Cracker Jack prize you weren’t expecting! Trust and believe I was mad too America. Not so much AT the hair, but at the fact that I couldn’t finish the delicious wrap DUE to the hair. It was just that damn good. Oh the agony!
Would I recommend this place to someone? Yes, because the customer service was so great, the biryani platter was tasty and the wrap had the makings of a beautiful courtship before DNA showed up and mouth-​blocked. Hell, I may even visit the place again in a few years but thoroughly inspect my food prior to leaving. These things do tend to happen and though I would normally deem them as unacceptable, business owners bear witness to the fact that good customer service and general presentation can be as important to the consumer as the product. Some places should take note!

Amazing food and awesome service. Doesn’t look like much, but it’s worth it!

The décor is fab and they have the cutest patio in the back! HOWEVER, the food was old and seemed as if it were reheated serveral times. My hub and I stopped in for lunch a few weeks ago. It was the worst indian food that we have ever had. When we first walked over to the buffet, I noticed little dead flies on the plates. I sucked it up, at the request of my starving husband. When began adding food to our plates… the selection was poor! No Chicken Tikka Marsla! I have never seen an Indian buffet without that dish! That is insane… As we finished eating… the owner came over, and asked us why we didn’t eat everything off of our plates! GASPS! Are you serious?! To spare him embarassment, we gave some lame excuse, paid the check and ran out of there, as fast as we could (LITERALLY)! This place is not sanitary! EAT at YOUR OWN RISK.

Awesome food.
Lots to choose from.
More veggie options than first glance revealed.
Large portions.
Must get Naan.
Great server who knew a lot and had good recommendations on what to get and how to best eat it… Made a good dirty martini.
Owner (my guess) was out and about and making sure all was good.
Go spicy!
Alcohol +
Better than expected ambiance below street level.

I wish that i could say the food was great… but it never came. I placed an order with Alladin Kabob at 7pm for deliver. At 8:55pm, i called the restaurant because my food had not yet arrived. They informed me that they were understaffed and had not started any orders for delivery for the night and my new time for delivery would be another 1.5hr. I asked the person on the phone if we could come pick it up, and he said that it would still be 1.5hrs, because it still needed to be made. At this point i cancelled my delivery. The man was rude, and not helpful. My advice to eat here, is to go during the day when nothing is going on, and you have no where else to go. Because if go with a time crunch you will leave, angry, hungry and disappointed.

(04/​12/​2013) Wow! What a difference! Had a really delicious, memorable meal there. The brief regrouping in December has really lead to some great changes in the kitchen. Started with the Meat Samosas: flaky, tender pastry crust, bursting with highly seasoned (black pepper, ground cumin), saucy ground beef, zipped up with a zesty cilantro-​mint chutney, tamed by a sweet tamarind sauce. Lamb Karhai (a karhai is like a wok) used in Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepalese cuisine), ordered spicy (heat was cumulative, building to lip-​numbing, just the way I like it). Tender lamb cubes were stewed in a tomato and chili-​based sauce with fresh chunks of red onion, green bell pepper, fresh cilantro, julienned ginger; obvious spicing with whole cloves, cumin seed, cardamom pods; an addictive mix of savory, spicy (heat and flavoring), herb-​y. Lamb Biryani (like the Pakistani/​Indian version of jambalaya) was milder in heat, mostly rice, pretty filling but without a lot of protein. The side of chickpeas were buttery, tender but not mealy, came in a tomato-​based sauce, savory with some spice, delicious! Was one of those meals where you want to keep eating for the flavor experience even though you are totally full. A Mango Lassi and Kulfi (like a frozen chai popsicle with cardamom and nutmeg) both were not too sweet and tamed down the heat and made for a nice light ending. Definitely a keeper, if they continue with the quality, we’ll continue to patronize.

Stopped in this place before catching a show at the Lyric. Decent food a little pricey but def good on the spices. So if you want something spicy and you are in the area check them out, your taste buds will thankyou!

We dined on a Friday, before a show at the Meyerhoff. By the way, for a pre-​show meal, you can’t get any more convenient than Alladin. Its below street level ambiance is also a plus, with a nice bar if all you’re looking for is a drink and a place to kill a half hour.
The food is quite good, and I must assume that the few poor reviews here, which seem to be isolated in time, may have been staff related. We had the chickpeas, aloo naan, and two curry dishes (lamb and chicken) and all were very good. The «level 3» spice is just right!
So the chickpeas used to be free? Big deal, they’re now $ 2.50. And an extremely generous pour of Cabernet sauvignon for $ 4.00. This could quite possibly be the best value in a meal we’ve enjoyed in Baltimore.
Our only complaint, was the harsh lighting and the several TVs placed around the room (with sound on!). Lose those, and you’ve got a really great spot in the heart of the midtown entertainment district.

Small portions, not good for value and food tastes terrible.
Need to find a new cook and adjust their portions/​prices accordingly.

I decided to try this place because it’s in my neighborhood and is open late. I tried the lamb kabob and chicken biryani; the flavors were underwhelming. The meat tasted old. The prices seem okay, but the portions were small, especially the lamb kabob which only had 4 small pieces of lamb. Overall, the experience was unsatisfying.

UPDATED: Happy to report that Alladin has greatly improved its quality of food. The prices are still higher than when they had opened (about $ 9 – 12 per entrée) but they have a bit more variety AND were able to offer some off-​menu items (yay for goat curry and a nice okra dish!). More to write after I’ve had a chance to check it out again!

The food at this restaurant is delicious — the best persian I’ve ever had — always fresh and perfectly spiced. The atmosphere is upscale, clean, and also fun — it has a funny disco room at the back and a well-​stocked bar at the front. The owner is a very kind man who always makes an effort to welcome his customers and make them feel special — he often brings us special tidbits of dishes to try while we wait for our order. I highly recommend this restaurant and I want them to stay in business.

Admittedly, we walked into an empty place and we’re taken a little off guard. But the owner came up to greet us and offered us his recommendations. He is a humble and gentle man, and his wait staff were also very kind. The food is no frills but came in large portions and was very delicious. We left dinner spending around $ 25, including tip, stuffed and happy (no alcohol). He walked us to door after telling us it was an honor and pleasure to serve us. We were honored to be there, and we will be back soon!

Cant believe i have never been to this place! It right in Mt. Vernon by the University of Baltimore garage.
Food was amazing, I highly recommend the chick peas as an app. Everything was also fairly priced. Samosas, chikpeas, naan and all of the typical Indian appetizers were under $ 3.
Portions were huge. I ate some for dinner, some for lunch the next day and Im literally finishing the rest of my curry for breakfast (kinda strange but its that good)

Due to the personal message the owner sent I am adding another star for his excellent customer service. He stated that changes have been made and I plan to try Alladin Kabob again the next time I am in the area.

I can’t even comment on the food, because I never had the opportunity to order any. Went there for lunch with a friend yesterday around 1 p.m., place was empty except for one young guy sitting at a table filling out papers. After about 10 minutes waiting, we asked him if he worked there. «No. But they are open,» he said. Well, we wandered around, waited another 10 or so … never a sign of life.
From the other reviews and my own experience, I can’t tell if this place even wants your business. They certainly didn’t want mine. I won’t be back, and I’m someone who eats lunch in this neighborhood several times a week.

So disappointing! Just got back from Alladin and it was just as disappointing as last time plus some additional horribleness. I would not recommend Alladin even in a pinch anymore (keep in mind this used to be a 4 star rating).
The Chickpeas are no longer free. We still ordered them because they used to be really good but now they’re a watered down mess with horrible texture and almost no flavor. To top it off the chef decided to gift us with a hair in the chickpeas too.
The Naan is horrible and dense. Gone are the days of the warm, fluffy and perfectly charred Naan. It looks like it comes pre-​made/​frozen and they just microwave it.
The Chicken Saag was watery and oily with a frozen spinach texture and bitterness.
The lamb curry was a runny and watery mess. A little bit of flavor but I like the frozen stuff from Trader Joe’s better.
The rice was oily and tasted like minute rice that had been overcooked. Also they now charge for it (without telling you).
Avoid this strip of restaurants and go somewhere on Charles street.

I am amazed that of the limited number of reviews most are positive. This place has by far the worst food that I’ve eaten ever. We wanted a quick bite to eat before heading to a concert and ordered take out. What we got was despicable. My fiancé ordered butter chicken. There was a 1 inch layer of oil sitting on top of the gravy and meat below it. There were about 3 small chunks of chicken for a full size order and the entire thing was inedible because the oil had a terrible taste and would not mix into the gravy. I ordered vegetable biryani which was flavorless and seriously lacking vegetables. All in all this was a terrible experience and we will not go again. Sad to see a place that could have become a regular spot left nothing to be desired.