In a county that has what feels like an endless number of pizza places, sandwich shops, Mexican restaurants, and bars, Aladdin stands out.
Even in the dining-heavy downtown of West Reading, Aladdin is unique with its shawarma, falafel, and other Mediterranean dishes.
Aladdin changed hands since we reviewed it in 2020 (See the original post below). It was a great – and hearty one – with lamb kebabs, chicken saute, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, and tabbouleh. (Jakob also had chicken fingers and fries as any three-year-old would).
The dining area remains mostly unchanged – the same yellow-hued walls against burnt orange floor tiles. Wooden chairs at tables covered with off-white tablecloths and booths with light blue-green padding.
Much of the menu remains the same, as well. My tastes have evolved and expanded since our last visit, though. So rather than go with a shawarma or similar meat dish, the moujardara caught my eye.
Found on the vegetarian menu, moujardara is a dish of seasoned and simmered lentils and rice topped with caramelized onions. It came served with my choice of side, which will always be baba ghanoush for me.
It was a very impressive meal. I couldn’t tell you what spices were in it, but they came together for a savory dish that was delicious and complex in flavor. And the lentils were meaty in their function, proving to be extremely filling, especially with the portion size.
And the baba ghanoush is one of my favorite things anywhere. For the unfamiliar, it’s similar to hummus but instead of chickpeas, it’s made with roasted eggplant. I love the smoky flavor that comes through. Even though it’s served cold, it tastes warm and inviting.
While Julie’s horizons have also been stretched since we began the blog, she once again ordered the lamb kebabs. They were prepared very similar to how we remembered them with six or so large chunks of lamb skewered with layers of onions served atop a bed of rice. The meat was tender and flavorful and there was a delicious char on every savory piece. Overall, an excellent dish.
Julie opted for fattoush for her side. The tomato and potato salad was topped with crispy pita chips, which was a great little touch to add a crunchy element to the plate.
Neither of us were able to finish our entire meals. Neither was Jakob who got the kids chicken shawarma with rice. It was a full plate with a tzatziki sauce on the side for dipping or pouring over the meat. Aladdin does a very enjoyable shawarma and Jakob seemed to enjoy his.
And because we couldn’t resist, we also ordered a side of hummus for the table. We absolutely love their hummus. It’s so much fuller in flavor than the one-note store-bought kind. Maybe it’s the olive oil drizzle, maybe it’s something in the recipe. Either way, it’s a must-have if you go to Aladdin.
For our meals, the total was around $70. It’s not a cheap meal, but you’re also getting a lot of food for your money so it doesn’t feel outrageous at all.
The new owners are doing right by the Aladdin name, and we are certainly glad to have them here in Berks County.
BCE Rating
Food: Excellent
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: $$
Aladdin Restaurant
401 Penn Avenue
West Reading, PA 19611
More Restaurants in West Reading, PA
Original Post: February 24, 2020
When I was working in King of Prussia, there were options when I wanted Mediterranean food – schwarma, falafel, kebabs, etc. In Berks County, those are rarities on our restaurant menus.
But I did find all of those and more at Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant in West Reading.
Aladdin has been around since 2009 when the restaurant renovated a former gas station adjacent to the West Reading Diner (now Americana Diner). More than 10 years later, Aladdin is still going strong, as we found out on a recent Saturday night.
We arrived around 5:30, a little early for dinner, and found just a couple other tables taken in the dining room. Aladdin offers two dining areas. We were seated in a booth by the window in the standard dining room. It featured a large fireplace at one side with photos of beautiful coastal towns, musical instruments and other keepsakes from the old country adorning the walls.
The second room (on the right-hand side when entering the restaurant) has a completely different feel to it. Red curtains cover the windows behind a long row of cushioned bench seats with red and black throw pillows to support diners.
I didn’t remember until I did a little research that the building that currently houses the restaurant was formerly a Getty gas station. It certainly shows no signs of that today.
At our table, I was struggling to make a decision as I looked over the menu. Aladdin promotes itself as offering the “best quality Lebanese and Mediterranean dishes,” and there are a lot to choose from. The one easy decision was choosing an appetizer – Julie and I agreed on stuffed grape leaves.
I first discovered stuffed grape leaves at the annual Greek Food Festival. I really enjoyed them there. And I enjoyed them even more at Aladdin.
The stuffed leaves were shaped – and sized – like cigars and filled with rice and seasoned ground beef (a vegetarian option is available). The filling was very good; the beef had hints of many different seasonings and spices that I couldn’t immediately identify. The tangy leaves were done well, and it was a great beginning to the meal. Even Jakob, our often fussy two-year-old, ate his (the filling, at least).
Deciding on the main course was more difficult. Entrees at Aladdin include kebabs; schwarma; rack of lamb and lamb chops; various sautes and a range of vegetarian options. I settled on the chicken saute.
Though it sounds boring, it was anything but. The chicken breast was sauteed with green peppers, onion and tomato in a garlic sauce. I really enjoyed the olive oil-based sauce. It had enough garlic to really pop without overpowering the flavors on the plate. The tomatoes really stood out for me, too. They were diced and cooked so tender that they practically melted away. The tomatoes were like little bites of marinara sauce throughout the dish.
Many of the entrees, including both mine and Julie’s, are served with rice pilaf. The pilaf was lightly seasoned, but good. I did enjoy using it to soak up some more of the garlic sauce at the end.
Because that wasn’t enough food, the meal also came with a side: your choice of hummus, baba ghannouj, tabbouleh or fattoush.
I love baba ghannouj and was excited to try Aladdin’s version. I didn’t have to wait long as it was actually served as an appetizer along with a basket of pitas. Baba ghannouj, if you’re not familiar, it is basically hummus but it’s made with pureed eggplant as the base instead of chickpeas. It’s more moist than hummus, a texture I like better. I also prefer the flavor as it’s less nutty.
Aladdin’s version was everything I wanted it to be.
While this was my first visit to Aladdin, Julie has actually been there twice for business lunches. And she has had the same thing on each visit: lamb kebabs.
The skewers feature large chunks of lamb mixed with onions, served over rice pilaf and choice of two sides. Lamb meat is so rich; I always enjoy it. But while it was grilled, it picked up this nice char that trapped in even more flavor. It was very good, and I understand why Julie loves it so much.
For her two sides, Julie ordered tabbouleh and hummus. The hummus came on the plate with the kebabs. It’s a very good hummus, but I still prefer the baba ghannouj (that’s just me, though).
The tabbouleh actually arrived early as an appetizer. Tabbouleh is a Mediterranean salad that uses parsley as the base green. Aladdin makes theirs with cracked wheat, tomato, oil and lemon juice (with some lettuce thrown in).
It’s really flavorful. I think the lemon juice shines nicely giving the whole salad a bright citrus flavor. I would order the salad as an entree on a return visit.
Not knowing how Jakob would take to the cuisine, we played it safe and ordered him chicken fingers and fries off the kids menu. We hadn’t anticipated that he would fill up on grape leaves and tabbouleh before it even arrived. Though he did eat some, we brought most of it home for him to have later in the week.
We were all stuffed by the end of the meal and didn’t have room for the baklava sundae that we really wanted. We did splurge a little when we ordered rose tea for our drinks. The iced tea was given a little rose flavoring (I believe it was from a syrup). It was almost like sweet tea but with a little extra herbal flavor that we found refreshing.
I have to admit that the meal was more expensive than we had anticipated at $78. Part of that was our rose tea ($4 each) and also the fact that we ordered an appetizer ($12). The entrees were $22 and $25, respectively. When you look at the portion sizes, though, I didn’t feel cheated at all.
Aladdin’s food is serving a niche here in Berks County, and I’m glad for it. The next time I have a craving for baba ghannouj, I know where to turn.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: A Little Pricey
Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant
401 Penn Ave
West Reading, PA 19611
