Aladin

Gross. Worst «Middle-​Eastern» food I have ever had. WAY better place… Kabob Corner in Stafford off of 610! Tip for owner: drop the gimmicks, create a true to heart menu, and stop trying to be a club.

This place has a nice décor, very quiet and sparsely. Our waiter was very kind, and patient. Music is middle eastern and Indian, sound beautiful and it’s very soothing. For an appetizer we ordered «Cheese Pies» they were absolutely delicious; but unfortunately very small. Gyro was very good. Cheesecake is a generous size. And the chocolate lava cake is fist size, very warm and yummy:) Will come again whenever back in Town!

Before I begin I have to say that the food here is quite good and while it may not be the most authentic Middle Eastern restaurant, it is one of the better options in the area.
Unfortunately the slightly above average food is where the positives end.
I have been here twice in the past 6 months and both times the service was so poor I finally felt compelled to get on Unilocal and write a review (you’ll notice this is my first… it was that bad!).
The restaurant is divided into two separate areas; a Hookah bar on the left side and a quiet dining area on the right. My family and I arrived yesterday and made our way over to the dining portion of Aladin’s around 7 and found ourselves to be the only patrons in the place. In fact, we were about to leave (we had been waiting at the host stand for about 5 – 10 minutes before seeing anyone) because we thought the place might be closed or closing. This happened the first time I ate here as well which leads me to believe they may not employ hosts. The waitress who finally sat us seemed confused as to why we were there and gave me a blank look when I said how many were in my party (5) and that I needed a highchair. Her glazed over eyes and inability to comprehend the simplest tasks (party size, drink order, etc.) lead me to believe she may have been under the influence of a recreational drug of some sort. (Read: she was clearly stoned). We ordered our food and it came without issue. I have to say again, the food here is really pretty good. Unfortunately, I had also ordered a drink which never showed up and I had to remind the waitress about it. She looked at me like it was the first she’d ever heard of it. I can understand if you forgot/didn’t hear my order but when you bring everyone else a drink, it should make you question what it was the only person at the table with out a drink had ordered. She left and we began to eat. It was about this time that another employee of the restaurant walked in the front door, came directly over to our table, and just stood there awkwardly. He finally broke the tension by explaining he had just come back from a delivery and then asked us how our food was and if we needed anything. He wasn’t our waiter but we did in fact all need refills (I still needed my original drink) as it had been about 10 minutes since our waitress left so we let him know. Unfortunately this individual never passed the message on and our refills never came. This delivery driver /​waiter also appeared to be high (visibly glazed over look, slurred speech. etc) which would explain why he felt the need to approach our table in the first place but I guess I can’t complain as his heart was in the right place. In the end we saw more of him than our actual waitress. A few minutes later an older man (I assume he was either the owner or manager) came out of the back and walked over to our table to ask how everything was. We said everything was delicious and as we had already let the driver /​waiter know we needed refills we didn’t mention it to this individual. Looking back on it though, the fact that not a single cup on our table had any liquid in it shouldn’t have gone unnoticed by this guy. especially if he was in charge in some capacity. He sauntered back into the kitchen area and we finished our meal. After about 20 minutes of sitting at our table with empty plates (about 30 minutes since the driver left to get refills) and cups we finally see the driver /​waiter again and he asks us how everything is. Now clearly we had been done for some time. I had pre-​bused the table myself by stacking plates/​cups/​silverware for them to take away as a sign that we had been done. I let him know we were ready for our check and he apologized about the wait and says it took so long because he just got back from a delivery. What… First, you said that already and Second, are you our waiter or was the first woman?.. and it’s quite obvious you didn’t just come back from a delivery because we just saw you come out from the bar side of the restaurant. Whatever… He bused the table and went back to get our check. When he returned I gave him my card and he went back into the kitchen. Now I kid you not. no less than 15 minutes later our first waitress comes out with my card. she apologizes and tries to explain that they were slammed on the other side because of karaōke. I signed the bill and we left. as we were leaving I made a point to walk over to take a look at the other side to see just how busy it was over there… Not only were there only 3 people in the entire place but there wasn’t even any karaōke going on…
Clearly the staff put zero effort into our dining experience. It’s frustrating because the food/​location are great but we clearly we wont return as it’s not worth subjecting ourselves to the oblivious waitstaff/​management.

Awesome restaurant. I’m part Syrian and I grew up with great Arab food. We had hummus, grape leaves, tabouli, filafel, and chicken swarma. Everything was awesome. So happy we found this place so close to home.
Also, it’s worth noting the restaurant was spotless — very very clean. One of Jiro’s signs of greatness.

They do not honor their coupons. Took the family there for a late luch. I love their Salmon Kebabs which I’ve tried from when we have had lunches at work. But they’re a little pricey but took the family there since we have the Attractions book coupon which lists this location first for the participating location. Only stipulation was that it was for Dine-​In. Still love the food. Not pleased with their lack of integrity

The first time I went, I didn’t like the flavoring of the falafel, but that could have been just me. I went back and tried to order a plate with 2 spinach pies and 1 cheese pie. The price was the same for the menu’s offering of 3 spinach or 3 cheese pies. What I was served by the chirpy waitress who kept saying «It’s my pleasure» every time I said «thank you,» was NINE pies on 3 plates. Six spinach and three cheese. I explained that that wasn’t what I ordered and that I wanted to mix them. She said «we can’t do that,» (which I rather doubt) and offered to take some back. I kept one tray of spinach pies. The dough was thick and there was no discernible flavoring. After I got home, I had to drink glass after glass of water because the food had been so salty. My companion ordered the souvlaki dinner. The chicken was fine, but not particularly flavorful. It came with some white sauce which was not tzatziki and that tasted a lot like mayonnaise.
If you want a dining out experience, choose a different cuisine. If you want good food, eat at Nile Market or Baba Ghanoush. See my reviews.

Good food selection. You can find Middle East (Mediterranean) dishes, Italian and american food (really good fries and pizza)
The hummus and the calamari are really good for an appetizer

It’s refreshing to have an option in Fredericksburg that serves Middle-​Eastern /​Lebanese food considering a majority of ‘Kabob’ places all have the same menu with limited options.
Not Aladin though.
Want a Shawarma sandwich? Want falafel? Want Baba ghanoush? You get these items at Aladin which is awesome considering the only options are either in Gainesville or further up North. I found the menu to be quite big in terms of options which is refreshing considering you can find tons of places to get a kabob platter in NoVA but places that do Lebanese food are limited. This place does a pretty decent job. I gave it four stars because the food was good and not amazing and they delivery pretty quickly. I had the chicken shawarma and I found that not all of the chicken was cooked in the yellow spices or cut off of a skewer which was disappointing but not an absolute deal breaker since the chicken was flavorful. They should look into adding more garlic to the white garlic sauce though because that could be a tad better but all in all I would eat here again and found the weaknesses I mentioned to be small things that can easily be improved.

Good middle-​eastern food mixed with some American favorites… definitely not for the purists, but the dishes are well worth it. ½ priced Wendesdays are an incredible value. They have good shwarma, and souvlakis, and their hummus is tasty. Delicious pita and the meats are quality. They definitely seems to be known for being a huka bar and 90% of the people at tables had a huka and were puffing from it. This is not my favorite personally and i would have rather enjoyed the meal without such fumes around me. Other than that i cant fault the food or friendly service.

Grape leaves sandwich and seared cheese is great! Lovely ambiance. Good vegetarian selection!

I must say I used to love this place, but after the manager promised me my food from an incomplete order within 45 – 50 mins, at 2 hours later I am still waiting for my meal.
I called back (2^nd time in 3 hours) and I let him know that I was displeased with the service and that I wanted a refund. He responded by yelling at me to never call back and hung up on me.
This is really upsetting because I treat myself with Aladin’s very rarely and now I refuse to use my hard earned money to a rude and disrespectful business that has no regard for it’s customers. I am gonna miss it. :(

I wish there was a possibility to give something 0 stars. I ordered from Aladins because I heard the food was great and I wanted to enjoy something other than hospital food. Unfortunately, after spending $ 40+, my husband got the lamb/​beef combo caked in hair and dirt. It honestly looked like the driver dropped the food, and didn’t want to waste his gas getting a new one so he just put it back into the container. It was more disappointing that once I called the manager, he questioned if it was ONE hair (as if it made a difference!) I lost my appetite, and even though they sent a new one, I couldn’t believe the terrible service.

Went there on a Wednesday for dinner. Even though the food was ok, I’d have to give them a one star because they charge for a glass of water! Pretty ridiculous!

I’m sort of a regular here, the beers are cold and the food is good, hookah is always a lovely addition.

its a shame bc the food is really good but im so sick of giving them my money and them not giving me what i paid for…
Ordered hummus and an extra order of pita last saturday, i received 4 pieces of pita and hummus. Ordered the exact same thing tonight and i got hummus with a bottle of oil dumped on top and 1 piece of pita. Called them and told them what happened, the manager said thats how the hummus always is (ive ordered this over 20 times from them and its never been this way or i wouldn’t order it) and that the hummus comes with just one piece of pita and that they would send 1 more piece to me lol So they sent the one piece of pita and im done ordering from them, terrible customer service, the foods not consistent and they get my order wrong just about every time.

Had dinner here. Overall some solid options. Our family of five ordered:
1. Shrimp Kabob: very good. Four stars. Generous portion. Grilled veggies were tasty, too.
2. Meat Kabob: Son ordered this and loved the mix of meat (chicken and lamb).
3. Chicken Quesadillas: these were good but far, far too spicy for my wife’s taste. Also the plate was empty other than the quesadillas. — no lettuce, no tomatoes, etc on the side.
4. Medium pizza: other son had medium pizza. Solid choice for picky kid. Enough for 1.5 servings or so.
5. Grilled cheese: youngest son had this and had no complaints. Served with French fries.
6. Salads: house salads came with kabobs. Tasty mix of fresh greens, tomatoes, onions and choice of dressing. Good but served on warm plates. I love salads on chilled plates or at least room temp plates.
7. Service: friendly and responsive. Our water glasses were always filled. Dinner served promptly, etc.
8. Value: reasonable prices and children’s menu are great for families,
Overall a good solid choice for dinner.

Best middle eastern food in NOVA, hands down. Interesting clientele, shall we say. Try to come on a Fri or Sat night to see the locals come out in all their skanky glory to smoke, drink, and occasionally shoot a pistol in the air in the parking lot. There is a regular restaurant (no smoking inside) next door that is also Aladin’s, for all you prudes who don’t know how to have a good time, but they will serve you smaller portions there. Instead, do take out from the regular restaurant. The owner is a cool guy, BTW, and the hookas have a real selection of different flavored tobacco. Their appletinis are good, but get the mixed kebab as a regular meal (and grape leaves). They do chicken right, and the lamb, beef, etc is all very, very good.

Offers independent smoking and non-​smoking rooms. That shows they are really reaching out to all clientele, both families and those looking for a little nightlife. I took one star off simply because of the atmosphere later at night. It’s not quite my scene, but maybe that’s more my tastes and not a problem with the location. Personally, I think the music is a bit too loud, but when they hire a DJ (most weekends) that is probably to be expected. See my tips for details.
The wait staff is amazing. Ask them what they suggest and you’re bound to get something new that you might not normally get but are glad you did. They have many hookah flavors (mixes) not listed on the menu, often that are created by the staff themselves.
I haven’t had anything there not cooked well or that didn’t taste amazing. The lamb kabobs and mussels are my personal favorite. My wife lives the Lebanese salad that comes with most, if not all, entrees.
If you want to stay a little later, but not necessarily to party, I suggest getting here before 7 as in weekends there is usually a cover charge on the smoking side for their entertainment. If you like dancing, generally in the evenings they move the tables so there is a dance floor. Expect a ‘club’ like atmosphere.

Aladin’s is a great restaurant and one of my go-​to places in Fredericksburg. I’ve been there many times and it is pretty much always a fantastic experience.
I go there for the food, not the hookah, so I sit in the very nice non-​smoking section. I don’t mind being around hookahs, but I’ve found that the service is better in the non-​smoking section. Maybe more importantly, the atmosphere is much better in the non-​smoking section as well. The smoking side will oftentimes have deafening music or beer pong tournaments or karaōke, which is fine for people who like that sort of stuff, but that’s not me. The non-​smoking section has nice lighting and décor, and there’s Arabic music playing in the background. Also, the non-​smoking section is usually much less crowded (in a good way).
The service there is good and it seems to be steadily improving.
As far as the food goes, it’s fantastic. When you go to Aladin’s, make sure you get hummus (warm hummus) for your appetizer. They have the best hummus I’ve ever tasted, and the pita bread they serve with it is equally delicious! As far as entrées are concerned, I recommend the chicken souvlaki platter. The chicken is always deliciously cooked, and the garlic sauce that comes with it is very tasty. My favorite way to eat it is to get a piece of pita and wrap it around some chicken, feta cheese, tomato, and mushroom, and then dip all of that into the garlic sauce! (At this point, you will be in heaven!) They have several desert options, but I rarely have room left. If you do, it’s hard to go wrong with baklava!
Definitely check out Aladin’s and take my advice! You will not be disappointed!

Food is delicious. Service on non smoking side very good. Im happy they opened a non smoking dining room. Its very nice and comfy. Now lets talk about thd smoking side… same food and you can get a hookah. However this place used to pride itselfon middle eastern tradition, lately it has slowely becoming more like a hip hop dance club. On the weekends all We hear is hip hop while I watch the urban dancing and fights break out from the alcohol. They now have to have very tightsecurity to keep it safe… but one of their «security» employees asked my friend if she had any leftover Percocets from her surgery!
Aladins does deliver which I really appreciate. 3 stars for awesome foodand attentive staff, minus 2 for the shady security and shift away from middle eastern atmosphere go hip-​hop. At least DJ somemiddle eastern music!