Aladdin Restaurant

Enjoyed our meal of lamb shwarma & lamb stew… bit disappointed with the pitta bread — just wasn’t quite right & the sausage to start was very dry in texture but that didn’t ruin the overall experience. It’s byob & the prices are reasonable — we will be back.

Aladdin had been mentioned to me by a couple of friends on different occasions — how the food was supposed to be good and it’s BYO so you can drink your personal favourite without having to pay extra.
The interior is expansive, with lots of seating on both the ground and first floors — they look to have knocked through as the business took off, as the layout is too haphazard to be deliberate. It’s nothing to write home about, but clean and no-​nonsense.
It was fairly busy when we arrived, so book ahead to avoid having to wait. Service was fine but there were so many diners you can expect a bit of a wait to order and in between courses.
As for the food, the starters (or ‘mazza’) were definitely the highlight of the evening, so I’d recommend you order a few dishes to share if you’re eating as a group. The mains didn’t appear to blow any of us away with deliciousness — they were just underwhelming. If we went back we’d probably just order more starters.
I’ve yet to find a Middle Eastern restaurant where all the food is great. Aladdin, unfortunately, didn’t live up to expectations for me.

I’m afraid I am going to have to disagree with other Unilocalers when it comes to Aladdin. I was so looking forward to trying it for the first time yesterday and had high expectations but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. The place itself is nothing special and looks a bit on the shabby run down side to be honest. However I could have forgiven that if the food was good but sadly it wasn’t. My halloumi starter was so small I could have had 2 portions and my husband’s feta cheese triangles were soggy. My main of halibut was definitely not worth the £16 I paid for it as it was rather tasteless and only came with rice and a sloppy sauce. Most places let you have half rice/​half salad but I was given a flat no when I asked. Honestly what is so hard about that? My husband didn’t enjoy his chicken either. The only reason I have given this place 2 stars is because the service is friendly and they let you bring your own bottle. Think we needed Aladdin to rub his magic lamp and create something much better than we were served.

This restaurant is one of my favourites in manchester. It has a great amount of charm. The food is fantastic and never disappoints. There is a good selection of food from cold and hot mezzes to main courses often involving grilled meat, or pastries and traditional middle eastern dishes with rice. Therefore the menu provides a selection and one can order a selection as a ‘tapas’ style. The staff are very accommodating for example bringing food in the classic starter then main course style or bringing everything out together so whatever ‘type of meal’ you fancy having is easily arranged. All the staff have been friendly and nice. They are happy to provide wine glasses for the wine. As others have also mentioned you do need to bring your own alcohol.
The décor is not pristine and sometimes the organisation of staff is not
always flawless (e.g. getting flustered over where to sit people etc). This
all adds to the charm. Prices are also very reasonable too!
I would recommend a visit here!

Brilliant. No licence but byob and food is awesome. Great range. Love the hummus schwarma in particular. Only the falafel a dissappointment.

Best staff and food in South Manchester and you can take your own drinks no corkage charge excellent

A hidden gem of Withington!
The food is scrumptious, the service is authentic and, the best thing, it doesn’t burn a hole in a student pocket!
From the exterior, the Aladdin looks like somewhat of a run down takeaway, however, take a moment to step inside and you are greeted with delicious smells and flavours of the the middle east. The food is freshly prepared, healthy and enough to make the mouth water. The Hummus Hab, Baba ghanouj and salads are not to be missed! Add that to it’s BYOB policy (£1 corkage) and your set for a great night.
Evidently, the Aladdin’s has built up a good reputation in the local area and thus provides a bustling atmosphere, with a diverse cliental (Coronation Street stars have been spotted in here!), particularly during the weekend. For this reason, I recommend booking in advance.
The only blip ever reported to me is it’s portion sizes. However, this was a comment from two 21 year old males with ENORMOUS appetites!
My advice– get yourself down there!

I went here on the recommendation of a friend who I trust quite a lot because if I was just passing then I probably would have steered clear. It looks pretty darn shabby.
Inside it gets a lot better, the interior is decorated with the style of food being served in mind (persian/​lebanese/​arabic? i’m not a expert!). All patterned carpets and little ornaments that you might find in an Arabian souk…
Anyway to the food, really wide range of middle eastern cuisine. I had a very generous potion of lamb Shawarma (this is one of their specialties) with an Arabic salad which was fantastic. The salad especially impressed, well seasoned as it was and drenched in lemon juice, parsley and a spice mix. Apparently you can get a spicy version too, which I’ll be having the next time.
One more thing, the place lets you bring your own drink in for a small fee (about £1 for a bottle of wine) so it’s well worth popping to the offy across the road before you eat.

Forget what it looks like from the outside. This place is a gem. The standard and presentation of food is amazing. I would also say the standards in my experience are always consistently good. The service is also very good. The staff are knowledgeable and always willing to help
I usually visit the restaurant off-​peak, so always get a seat and never have to wait. But could imagine it gets very busy and hectic during peak times, as it is a small place.

Favorite cheap BYO restaurant in South Manchester. I always find when you go and eat middle eastern food like this you always wonder after wards why you eat anything else. Amazing variety of tasty dishes, meat and vegetarian. Simple décor. Good off license over the road.

Great little place. Lebanese food — although anyone who has eaten mediterranean or greek will find familiar dishes on teh menu. Tasty salads, kebabs, chickpea and aubergine dishes — that type of thing. They don’t have a booze licence, so you can take your own with you, or pop into Iffy’s shop across the road and get a bottle of wine. Service can be a little surly, but it’s all part of it’s charm. A great place for veggies. Very reasonably priced too.

This is a strange restaurant: from the outside it looks more like a kebab shop, and it is a take-​away, but once you go out it opens out into a small dining area on the ground floor, and a bigger one upstairs.
The restaurant is simply furnished with a few pictures of Syria on the walls: the food is heavily influenced by the Middle East. The service was friendly and helpful. The restaurant isn’t licenced, but serves a good selection of soft drinks and
There is a good selection of hot and cold meze: hummous (chick peas), tabouleh (crushed wheat), tahini (sesame seed dip), vine leaves, falafel (crunchy chick pea balls), halloumi cheese, schwarma (grilled lamb and pitta bread) and sujok (lamb sausages). Mains included chicken and lamb kebabs, seekh kebab, more shwarma and various stews. There is a good selection of salads, vegetarian, rice and fish dishes. About half a dozen Mediterranean influenced sweets finish off the menu.
If you fancy a tasty, nothing fancy, Mediterranean meal give it a try. The food is generally very good and the pricing is good value: £2.50 to £4.50 for starters, with main meals costing typically £5.50 to £8.
Parking is on-​street, but usually not a problem in the evening.