Aladdin Pita Inc

by E P.

Good middle eastern food. Nothing fancy. Casual. Cheap prices.

by Rebecca F.

My fiance and I spent Thanksgiving in Valpo with his parents and had planned our Aladdin Pita buffet night for weeks. When Sunday finally came, we piled in the car all ready for some Mediterranean buffet goodness. Pro: The selection and quality of food was incredible. I was truly impressed with the spread of sauces and appetizers: tahini, tabouleh, gourmet olives, and an amazing bread dish that was melt in your mouth yummy. Pro: The variety of meats was impressive as well: several chicken selections, lamb, beef and sausages. Pro: To top it all off, there were three dessert offerings: a creamy cheesecake, fresh fruit and a honeyed cake with slivered almonds. All of it delicious. Con: First off, my fiance and I live in San Francisco. I've been to my fair share of hookah bars in California, but I will never be able to fully enjoy a meal in a smoke-filled room, especially when five feet away, a hookah is being smoked by a woman holding a newborn baby....and a cigarette. Cigarette smoke indoors truly disgusts me, and it really compromises the atmosphere of the restaurant. Aladdin Pita, if you go cigarette-free, I'll come to your buffet night twice during my next visit. Thanks for an incredible meal anyhow! It totally lived up to the hype.Update: Score! Aladdin Pita has posted some coupons on their page at Local Biz Blogs. Check it out: http://localbizblogs.c...

by Lara S.

This place is a hidden gem!  I would have driven past it a million times had it not been recommended by an acquaintance.From the outside it looks like a take-out restaurant, but they actually have a very lovely dining room.  We lucked out on our visit; on Thursday and Sunday evenings they serve a buffet so we were able to sample several dishes.The service was outstanding.  Upon arriving, our waiter asked if we had been there before, then offered to give us a quick tour of the buffet.  My parents - new to Middle Eastern cuisine - definitely were able to enjoy their meal more because of this.  Our drinks were kept filled, and he stopped by several times to make sure we were enjoying ourselves.  They clearly take a lot of pride in their recipes.The food was also excellent.  I especially enjoyed the lemon-rice soup, the roasted lamb, and the rice pilaf.  Their falafel was very good as well (although truth be told, I have yet to find a falafel I didn't like).Price for three of us for the buffet (with beverages) was about $50, including tip.  I felt that we got a real value for the quality, selection and service.  A glance at the take-out menu indicates that their regular menu prices are also quite reasonable: a falafel sandwich is $4.29, most full entrees are $11-15, most sides are less than $1, and appetizers around $4-6 each.They also have a shop where you can find all kinds of Middle-Eastern groceries as well as a nice selection of hookahs.  Hooooooo-kah!

by Marc R.

This is the best middle-eastern food in Chicago-land. I have been eating food like this for decades and this place wins out on quality, service, and the fact that there is a middle-eastern grocery and Hookah shop right next door. They bring out complementary appetisers and pita with each meal - even a $4.00 sandwich -- which includes all the standards plus 1-2 random items. This is a super treat! The iced tea and Turkish coffee are perfectly prepared. I usually order the felafel and eggplant sandwich and perhaps a sweet with my coffee after the meal. I think they have an all you can eat buffet on Sunday night. Now, I know it is a haul from Chicago, but if you are visiting friends or coming and going to Michigan it is worth the detour.There is a smoking and nonsmoking section (Indiana law is different) and the middle-eastern men tend to sit in the smoking section and chat over tea most of the afternoon if you come before 5. They also have Hookah if you are in the mood.  Unlike others, I have never felt the smoking was a problem and it never bothered me. Most times I have been here there has been one booth in the back where people smoked. Never more. I have spent time in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, Italy, (and, Chicago) before and after the smoking ban and people smoke in the villages and non-tourist areas even today. A very good restaurant on the north side of Chicago was run by a Lebanese guy named Nimrod (some of you might know the place) and there is a great black and white photograph of him downstairs with smoke rings wafting up through the air. As he put it after one meal, a good meal followed by a good smoke is a "Lebanese tradition." I am not Lebanese but I took his word for it. I truly appreciate a smoke-free place, but I think that tobacco and middle-eastern culture often go hand in hand.

by Al T.

This is honestly one of the better places to eat in the Region, as well as being the only middle eastern eatery around.   Service is always friendly, as they tend to hire either my dopplegangers or my friends' younger siblings.  =PServing portions are usually generous and it's hard to find anything on the menu that isn't tasty.  Their Stuffed Grape Leaves are heavy on the mustard, but other than that I have no complaints.  Especially since many of the dishes are vegetarian friendly!When I go to Aladdin Pita, I usually get the Hummus, Falafel Sandwich, Lentil Soup or  the Lamb Stew.  Heck, even the Stuffed Grape Leaves are still tempting on occasion.And did I mention this is the only place in Northwest Indiana that has a buffet you can trust NOT to give you food poisoning? That's worth 3 stars right there.As a final note, don't forget to check out the grocery section.  There are some awesome sweets sold there (including Halva!) and you can pick up that last-minute birthday hookah for your friend.

by Chris Z.

This place would be excellent if they knew whether or not their pitas are vegan (they are NOT) and if they didn't think it was ok for there to be a "little bit" of chicken in vegetarian lentil soup.NO THANKS!

by Jeri R.

I love this place! I love when I can go out and stuff myself silly and not feel gross afterward because the food isn't disgustingly greasy. Everything is very light and tasty. I've always had good service and the little market attached to the restaurant has some nice finds. I have yet to try the buffet but I reaaalllly want to.

by Jill W.

First time here -- out of this world.  Second time here -- just ok.  Hopefully it was just an off night.  You get plenty of great food and if I'm not mistaken, it's the only (or one of few) middle eastern restaurants in the area.  When the majority of places to eat are crappy fast food places or horrible chain restaurants, we need to support these places.  There's also a middle eastern grocery attached, so check that out as well.  Funny side note -- I saw a hippie girl walk out with a hookah,  and she stopped and looked at it like she was holding the holy grail.  That was worth the price of admission.

by Howard L.

This is a decent place in NW INdiana for Mediterranean food.  It was pretty quiet (us and another couple) when we came in for lunch on a weekday at 2pm, and I have a feeling we didn't catch this place at it's best.  I had lamb shank which was tender and delicious, but the wife and son both had beef/chicken shawarma and it came out too dry.  The beef also looked to be shredded as opposed to sliced.  The shawarma dropped our rating down from maybe 4 stars to 3.  The pita bread and hummus was fresh and good.Restaurant has a homey casual feel to it, but I hear it can get smoky at times.  We detected it faintly.  I also noticed the booth size was a bit odd - it' s sized for people at about 3/4 normal size!?

by Donna G.

I just came back from the buffet, and it's time to change into my comfy pants so this will be quick...Service was friendly, helpful, and quick. The variety is a sight for sore eyes and everything I tried on the buffet tasted like middle eastern homemade comfort food (perfect on this rainy cold night). On top of it all, they had the sweetest fruit for dessert. The only reason it's not 5 star is for the crazy atmosphere of the buffet crowd - it was very hard to have a dinner conversation with my husband and that kinda sucked on a Sunday night. So, I'll be back again on a normal night!