Aladdin Jr. Restaurant and Cafe

by christine f.

Okay...so I've been here a few times and never really liked it.  I decided to give it another chance tonight and kinda wish I hadn't.  The hookah was pretty bad and the service was HORRIBLE!  The only thing I like about it is the relaxed vibe.The staff is a bit too relaxed though.  I went to buy a bottle of water and was standing at the cash register for about five minutes and nobody came to help me.  The two guys that were working were each sitting down...one with a group of girls outside and the other sitting inside.  It was kinda ridiculous.  I probably won't go back there again.  The service is realllly poor.  Their fries are good though. :)

by Mari J.

The best middle eastern food around, at least that I've had.  Their hummus is great.  I like it better than Zankou's.  They also have a good falafel sandwich.  The shwarmas are good as well, but my fave is the falafel.

by Seth G.

I have been a denizen of Alladin Jr.'s since I moved here six years ago. It had been the only alternative to eating in the Claremont area after 9:00pm. (They are often open until 1 or 2am.) The teenie boppers tend to gravitate to the outside sitting where they puff on hookahs whereas the others eat in its unpretentious, yet pleasant interior. The booths are particularly comfy.The food is fairly consistent, although I preferred the older way they prepared the chicken kabobs. The Hommos and Baba Ganouj have always been good. Despite finding many of the servers very agreeable in character, the service may be an issue at times if someone wants to be in and out of there quickly.The prices, having risen recently, are still reasonable.

by Ron L.

I like the food and it was very delicious. I thought that the skewers of steak were OK...they seem to charge seperately for each item you order.    The service was just ok, and they didn't keep up on our refills.  The inside of the building was dreary looking...it needs some loving.   My favorite is...still Wahib's in alhambra...  Don't get me wrong...Aladdin Jr. is good...but not great...   Everything I ordered seperate at Aladdin Jr. I get it included  at Wahib'....hmmm... Go check out my review of Wahib's......yuuuuummmeee...

by Keiko T.

Finally tried their dinner ... not as many choices as Mirage, and definitely not as nice service.For their portion size I'd have to give them an A+.... cause you get A LOT of food.Hummus = ok, salad = great, rice = ok, falafel = good, tahini = better than most, chicken = NASTY, lamb sausage = not good.Got chicken schwarma and it was almost inedible... I don't know what they did to it, but it just tasted fatty, chewy, and old.It was ok, but I've had much better. Not as good as Mirage which is right next door... by far. Their food is much drier, not as good…

by Lowell R.Bonny G.christine f.Jer S.David D.

I'm half Lebanese, my mom and grandma make Lebanese food often, and now that I'm away at college and don't get my mom's hummus, Aladdin Jr. is my place to go! I go about once a week to get some hummus -- it tastes EXACTLY like my mom's -- and since the portions are so huge, it lasts me a few days.The falafel is delicious, although I will admit I'm not too experienced with falafel. All I can tell you is that the hummus is perfect every time I go, the tabouleh is perfect as well (again, tastes just like my mom's) and the staff are really friendly. I also find the prices to be good, especially for the amount of food you get!They also have great hours, open until 2 every night, but the kitchen closes at 1.I tried the lunch buffet once and it was also delicious. I'm satisfied with just the hummus, I don't need any more. =DI recommend Aladdin Jr. to anyone looking for delicious authentic Middle Eastern food.Mmm... I would definitely say the food is very good, but it's a little pricey for what it is IMO. I've gotten carry-out countless times, and sat down once. The one time we sat down, the service was a-ok but not spectacular. Anyway.Usually when I come I get falafel. Other things I've gotten are falafel wraps, chicken wraps, soups, some chicken dish. It was all delicious, but they don't give you very much falafel for what you pay; it's four balls for like $6-7. Still, definitely good food. If there were a better middle eastern place I'd probably go there, but since I haven't found out about one, this is it for me when I get cravings.Okay...so I've been here a few times and never really liked it.  I decided to give it another chance tonight and kinda wish I hadn't.  The hookah was pretty bad and the service was HORRIBLE!  The only thing I like about it is the relaxed vibe.The staff is a bit too relaxed though.  I went to buy a bottle of water and was standing at the cash register for about five minutes and nobody came to help me.  The two guys that were working were each sitting down...one with a group of girls outside and the other sitting inside.  It was kinda ridiculous.  I probably won't go back there again.  The service is realllly poor.  Their fries are good though. :)Oh man the GF picked this place today and I was really pleased with the food. I was totally on the lamb shanks I had 2 of them haha. The tandoori chicken was very good and well seasoned, it was a definite plus that they were boneless. The empanada looking things were really good filled with cheese and some had meat in them which was very good. The rice was good eh you can't go wrong with rice. The tambouli was very good had a very good fresh taste to it. The hummus was ok according to my girlfriend it had a sour kick to it. The falafel's were alright. Overall for $24 for me and my girlfriend it was definitely worth it.I was pleasantly surprised by the food. The kabobs were flavorful and the hummus outstanding. The only problem was that the waitresses seemed pre-occupied and not very attentive, even though I was only one of three customers in the restaurant. I will definitely return.

by Lauryn Lover D.

more like 3 and a half. but i thought i'd be generous so early in the morning. i don't go here for the food. when i was living in the san gabriel valley i had good friends that lived in claremont. aladdin's was our regular hookah place. we went often enough that the guys workin there got to know us and would give us free soft drinks. the hookah is good, though i've had cheaper places. just be sure to sit outside. cause if you sit inside, i think they charge you more. lame if you ask me. but i do love me some hookah. and by the way. if it's your first time and you're worried about coughing, it burning, etc, just be sure to mix whatever you get with cherry. it's the SMOOTHEST hookah molasses around. and that goes for any hookah place you try.happy hookah!

by Hannah Y.

Okay, so you'll run into everyone you went to high school with here, but besides that, the food is great!  The waitstaff dudes are really nice and they always remember your face.  I usually take advantage of their lunch buffets and I pretty much consume all the cauliflowers and baklavas, and they probably hate me for that, but they always tell me I'm too skinny and I need to fatten up anyway, hahaha.

by Jon B.

This is the best Arabic food I've ever had!!! The best hummus, the best tabuli, and the best falafel. I came on a Sunday and I did the buffet for 10 bucks!!! They had all kinds of stuff like lamb, chicken, beef, and vegetables. The server was extremely nice, he was explaining to us in his heavy arabic tone how he had a major hangover. After we ate he made us a tea and told us we had three wishes...... just kidding about the wishes part!!!

by Lowell R.Bonny G.christine f.

I'm half Lebanese, my mom and grandma make Lebanese food often, and now that I'm away at college and don't get my mom's hummus, Aladdin Jr. is my place to go! I go about once a week to get some hummus -- it tastes EXACTLY like my mom's -- and since the portions are so huge, it lasts me a few days.The falafel is delicious, although I will admit I'm not too experienced with falafel. All I can tell you is that the hummus is perfect every time I go, the tabouleh is perfect as well (again, tastes just like my mom's) and the staff are really friendly. I also find the prices to be good, especially for the amount of food you get!They also have great hours, open until 2 every night, but the kitchen closes at 1.I tried the lunch buffet once and it was also delicious. I'm satisfied with just the hummus, I don't need any more. =DI recommend Aladdin Jr. to anyone looking for delicious authentic Middle Eastern food.Mmm... I would definitely say the food is very good, but it's a little pricey for what it is IMO. I've gotten carry-out countless times, and sat down once. The one time we sat down, the service was a-ok but not spectacular. Anyway.Usually when I come I get falafel. Other things I've gotten are falafel wraps, chicken wraps, soups, some chicken dish. It was all delicious, but they don't give you very much falafel for what you pay; it's four balls for like $6-7. Still, definitely good food. If there were a better middle eastern place I'd probably go there, but since I haven't found out about one, this is it for me when I get cravings.Okay...so I've been here a few times and never really liked it.  I decided to give it another chance tonight and kinda wish I hadn't.  The hookah was pretty bad and the service was HORRIBLE!  The only thing I like about it is the relaxed vibe.The staff is a bit too relaxed though.  I went to buy a bottle of water and was standing at the cash register for about five minutes and nobody came to help me.  The two guys that were working were each sitting down...one with a group of girls outside and the other sitting inside.  It was kinda ridiculous.  I probably won't go back there again.  The service is realllly poor.  Their fries are good though. :)