Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe - San Diego

This is one of my favorite dining spots in San Diego, especially when I'm craving Mediterranean cuisine. I really enjoy the chicken shawarma wrap paired with a side salad; it strikes the perfect balance for my dietary needs. My friend who joined me for dinner this evening ordered the lamb chops, and she absolutely loved them. I appreciate that they offer patio seating and are pet-friendly, as she brought her furry companion along. It was an evening filled with delicious food, engaging conversation, and plenty of affection from her dog. I will definitely be returning!

I couldn't be happier when we dine here. The entire menu is outstanding, but today we especially enjoyed the labneh, garlic sauce, hummus with chicken shawarma, and mixed pickles. The staff is friendly and attentive, and the combination of excellent service and incredible food keeps us coming back whenever we're in San Diego.

My favorite spot for lunch! I absolutely love this place! It is a bit on the pricey side, but the authentic flavors make it worth it. My top choices are the Chicken Kebab Wrap, which comes with a great salad, and the Chicken Kebab plate—it's the one shown in the picture along with the salad plate. Both are very shareable and offer a generous portion. If you're looking to feel fuller, you can opt for fries, which are also a delicious choice. On a hot day, definitely try the mint iced tea; it’s incredibly refreshing!

One of the Staples of Mediterranean food in the San Diego area. Aside from the regular kabobs and shawarma they offer some home cooking dishes. The four star is for something I'm mentioning at the end of the review. Three stars for taste. For two people we ordered $90 worth of food which brings me to the price it's about 30% more than average on all diahws. We ordered makloba which was cooked perfectly but the taste was bland. Portions huge not small like the picture. We also ordered the Mezza collection of appetizers which had meats in it and not only salads. Backlava with ice cream is decedent andbfresh. The reason for the four stars is our waitress Stephanie added 18% gratuity for two people at the end and when I asked why she said when you order over a certain amount we charge that even for 2 people which was ridiculous I asked her to remove it and she did.whether the owners know or don't know about this I don't like restaurants that don't have control over their servers. Service was good. You have to come try those home cooking flavors for yourself and my advice to the owners is to have a family style section for those huge portions and the regular section on the menu for one person portions. Just my 2cents.

I visited Aladdin based on recommendations. First impression of the place that it's really neat, nice decorations and atmosphere. They have a big enough place for big parties. I visited with my mom and friend. We ended up sitting in the next room not the one close to the kitchen. Place is great and quiet, and parking wasn't bad. They have two hour parking outside. I had seen pictures and had an idea of what I wanted to order. I wanted to try the cauliflower tahini appetizer, tabouleh and Baba ghanouj. I wasn't too sure about the meal yet. To rate the food some dishes were better than others and I think it was very highly priced!! Compared to other middle eastern restaurants I have visited. Cauliflower appetizer 5/5 very small plate and its worth the try but not worth $12! Baba Ghaouj 5/5 also small plate that was 8.50 Tabouleh 2/5 It lacked flavor, didnt have Bulgur which is the main ingredient of tabouleh. Definitely not worth $13 Lunch Special which included the shawarma sandwich and soup/or salad. it was $10 Lamp Chops $31, there were 5 of them, some rice and hummus. I would give them 3/5. It definitely lacked flavor! Dessert we had the cheese knafeh, i think it was good. Tea each was $3.25, not worth it for sure because it didnt taste good, and too pricy for a cup of tea Something that I noticed was the high prices for a really small dish! not worth it. I am giving them 4 stars for the great service, and rating some of the things I really enjoyed. I would give them another chance, but I still think their prices are ridiculously high!