Magnificent Mediterranean

We were looking for something different one weekend evening. What was going to be a pizza or pasta supper turned into a Mediterranean Feast! For some reason, we were all hankering for a hummus delight while thinking about where to go for dinner.

Knowing that we wanted something along the lines of quality Mediterranean food, I went on my Poynt application, typed in my current location and Aladdin’s Mediterranean Grill and Deli came up on my Smartphone. From its description, Aladdin’s sounded awesome. Would the restaurant live up to its online hype?

Aladdin’s Roswell Road location didn’t seem familiar to me even though I have been through that area many times over my 23 years in the metro area. I typed in Aladdin’s address, hopped in the car and off we went. As we meandered up Roswell Road in the North Atlanta/Sandy Springs area, I carefully looked at every strip mall to make sure that we wouldn’t pass the establishment. Passing up my destination is something that I experienced too many times over the years.

I was correct to be careful on this journey. Aladdin’s Mediterranean Grill and Deli is buried in a strip mall on the outside-the-Perimeter portion of Roswell Road behind an Arby’s fast food outlet. Like any hole-in-the-wall, I was surprised. Aladdin’s is a dream mélange of kabobs, tabouleh, hummus, falafels and so much more. The sights and smells are inspiring the minute one walks into this eatery.

From its Lentil Soup, sandwiches, salads to its hearty entrees, one cannot leave hungry from Aladdin’s. Everything is scrumptious and original. Aladdin’s Chicken Shawarma is a blend of marinated chicken, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and pickles smothered in a garlic sauce and stuffed into pita bread. I had the Falafel plate which is six fried garbanzo bean-filled patties served up with a special sesame seed paste known as “tahini.”

The Vegetable Delight is filling. This dish is an array of “politically correct” Mediterranean offerings including Jerusalem salad and rice, tabouleh, baba ghanouj, falafels and stuffed grape leaves.

For lighter fare, try Aladdin’s Fatoush Salad, a mixture of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper and toasted pita chips all enveloped in a house olive oil dressing.

If you’re into Hookah lounges, Aladdin’s can “Hookah You Up.” OK, sorry, just had to write that one down. Aladdin’s Hookah Corner is located on its outdoor patio. Patrons may sit down with a Hookah pipe to enjoy a myriad of tasteful smokes ranging from coconut to grape flavors. As it is explained on Aladdin’s menu, the hookah was served up at coffee houses in Turkey and the Middle East. For ages, hookahs have been used for a, “rich tobacco-smoking feel” in Asia and the Middle East. Aladdin’s menu goes on to point out that hookah smoking is very common in cafes and restaurants throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. According to Aladdin’s literature, the popularity of Hookah has been rising since the 1990s in America and Canada.

If you’re in the mood for hearty Mediterranean food, take the trip out to Aladdin’s on Roswell Road north of the Northridge Road exit.

Aladdin’s Mediterranean Grill and Deli

8725 Roswell Road

Atlanta, GA 30350

Phone 770-518-9288

Fax 770-581-9286