i dropped by aladdin a little after 7:00 pm on a friday. dinner plans had fallen through and my partner was running late, so i decided on something simple and easy to grab to go. it's a middle eastern restaurant located at 615 robson street, at seymour. inside, the shop is tiny, bright, and set up like a cafeteria. the dining area has just a handful of tables, clearly meant for quick meals rather than lingering. neutral tile floors, simple black tables, and a glass display counter give it a clean, efficient feel. framed foreign currencies line one wall alongside a flat screen tv, reinforcing the sense of a long running, no frills neighbourhood spot. everything looks well kept and geared toward steady takeout traffic. i ordered the lamb shawarma platter, which came with marinated slices of lamb cooked on a flat top griddle, yellow rice, a potato, and a salad of shredded carrots, red onions, cucumbers, beets, and pickles on shredded lettuce with dressing. it also included garlic sauce, hummus, and two slices of pita. watching the food being prepared offered an early clue to what went wrong. a small mound of shaved lamb sat alone on the flat top, lightly steaming but looking pale and already overworked, with no visible basting or buildup of juices. unfortunately, that carried through to the plate. the lamb was dry and lacked the richness you hope for, which took away from an otherwise solid lineup of sides and sauces. with better quality cuts of meat and a bit more care on the grill, this could have been a dependable go to, but as it stood, the main component missed the mark. read more

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Surprisingly it's delicious. Small shop and expected average food but it came out piping hot , flavorful and delicious. Clean and courteous. Definitely recommend. read more

The lamb shawarma wrap is amazing here. My husband also gets the chicken shawarma that he loved. My company requires us to work this Saturday Jan 10 and I suggested they order food from here. So please be prepared haha 20 orders or something coming your way. THANK YOU! read more

I ordered the Lam Shawarma with a couple sides of Falafels. I enjoyed them both. The lamb was tender and well seasoned and I love the buffet of fresh ingredients you can pick and watch them put on right in front of you. The Falafel was also very well prepared. It was fresh and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside...just the way it is supposed to be. The place was clean and bright and the staff are friendly. The only thing I would point out is that it is on the higher end pricing for the category of such type of food. $15 for a shawarma, but again dining out in Vancouver has really gone up everywhere. I would rather pay more for great food than pay less for shitty food! :/ read more

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For whatever reason, this shop has always intrigued me and I finally gave it a try. Got the Falafel Platter. I thought their falafel was pretty good - cool that is has sesame seeds encrusted - the salad was fresh and bright, and whatever they're doing to heat up the pita is working wonders in making it taste fresh. The hot sauce had a very distinct taste though that wasn't inherently bad but was out of place with the dish - I don't know what it actually was, but it tasted a lot like Frank's. Otherwise it's your average donair. I found it very filling and worth the price of $16. I like that they give you a place if you eat in instead of a box - even if the plate is still disposable, it's less waste and a nicer experience. Something unique about this cafe that most donair shops don't have is the selection of desserts. They have what looked like a few different baklava, kunafa, and some things I didn't recognize. The dessert I got was one those that I didn't know the name of but looked good to me, it had a pistachio filling and white "crust" that tasted like coconut. Really tasty. Also not too messy on my fingers like some of these syrupy desserts can be. The staff makes the order in front of you and will ask your preferences on sauces, and if you have ingredients you want taken out you can let them know. The people making the food were "businesslike" but I didn't find them to be rude at all. The person who seemed to be in charge was thanking customers as they were leaving which is nice. The place is very clean and modern, and there's also a few tables out front. The online listed hours say they close at 7, but I came in close to 8 on Saturday and was far from the last person to order, so they're definitely open later at least sometimes, but I can't find an updated listing of their hours anywhere. read more

Aladdin Cafe - Falafel & Veggie Platter + Dessert - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

If I could I would give a 3.5/5. Portions were small for the price, but it was tasty! Got the chicken shawarma plate which came with saffron rice, chicken shawarma, salad, a single potato, hummus and two triangles of pita bread. Everything was great except for the hot sauce they use - tasted like American hot sauce. read more

Super annoying how they advertise how they use doordash, however if you place an order, they will never accept it and you'll have to go through the whole process of getting a refund in 5-7 business days. They tell me they haven't used doordash in months. THEN TAKE IT OFF THE WEBSITE AND STOP ADVERTISING ON YOUR STORE WINDOW YOU USE DOORDASH. Food is good but they steal tips from their workers. read more

I had the lamb shawarma platter. Tasty but the portions were small for the price. I realize the cost of food has gone up, but a little more of the less expensive items like salad, hummus and fries would go a long way. read more

If there was one item I would enjoy for the rest of my life it would be the Lamb Shawarma wrap !!! Thank you read more

Poor service and average food. My friend and I came in after a Whitecaps game about a week ago. There were a few other customers seated and a couple others in front of us ordering. I found the staff to be unfriendly and the ordering process needlessly confusing. It was not clear whether we were supposed to place our order and choose the veggies and then pay or vice versa. Upon asking we were barked instructions at rather than told how it works. As for the food itself it was nothing special and if anything quite flavorless. Not particularly cheap nor too expensive but I've definitely had better shwarma for $5 at my favorite spot in Hastings sunrise. The restaurant has seating for about 15 to 20 people and varying options :falafel, shawarma, various plates; lamb,chicken and beef all available. They have a pretty good selection of vegetables, as well as hummus, hot sauce and all the things you would expect. That said do not expect the staff to speak or understand English as in our limited interaction they simply could not communicate with us properly. Would not recommend. read more

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This used to be great. Now it is the worst I have tasted in a long time. I went in last Friday but was shocked to see how much the prices had gone up. I was also disappointed in seeing the staff count out every ingredient in the wraps the people before me ordered. They were tiny. When it comes to my turn to be served, the staff member didn't ask me what I wanted and started putting everything on my salad. I told her that I didn't want tomato and the goon manager told me not to be rude. I didn't raise my voice, use bad language or even raise an eyebrow. My food was awful! The food was cold, the hummus I make at home is better, the meat was fatty and the rice was hard. If you want to waste nearly $20 on shit food and be treated poorly by the staff, you should come here. If not, laugh when they go out of business because it won't be long! read more

My husband and I both had the chicken shawarma wrap. Absolutely delicious! Generous portion of seasoned chicken with your choice of veggies and sauces. The wrap was then placed on a panini grill to heat and seal it up. The wrap was perfect and didn't fall apart while eating. Service was very friendly. read more

If I could give a minus review I would. My partner ate here after the Alanis Morisette concert. Has been violently I'll since then. Ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. Has been there for 3 days. DO NOT EAT HERE. read more

I've got to disagree with most of the negative reviews, I think the shawarma wraps here are pretty delicious.. Firstly to address some of the common negatives on here: Unfriendly service: agreed, but I don't really care either when buying wrapped meat to go. It certainly isn't going to ruin my day. Falafel: No idea if it's good or bad. Onto the delicious Shawermas. You get a really generous amount of meat and decent additions/toppings. Someone mentioned odd tasting dill pickles. That'd be because that isn't dill pickles. There's a different type of pickle as well as traditional pickled turnip (the pink one). Both zesty and delicious (neither of which are dill pickles). Yes they're a bit moody, but my happy stomach outweighs my hurt feelings. read more

Aladdin Cafe - See.., that's a decent amount of meat right there. - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Food isn't bad, but you'll feel cheated by their portions despite being charged a premium for this type of "fast food." Too many great restaurants on this block for me to repeat my lacklustre experience. I frequently walk past this joint on Robson and tried their beef plates and shawarma over a year ago and couldn't remember why I never went back. I love Persian/Middle Eastern food and had a craving for kebobs, so I thought I'd give this Iraqi version a shot. After placing my order I quickly remembered why I hadn't gone back - unfriendly staff, poor value & unmemorable food. Get the shawarma if you find your friends eating there or if you just want something other than pizza after a night of drinking downtown. Their shawarma are poor value but their dinner-plates are highway robbery compared to similar cuisines down the street and nothing to write home about. I ordered the Double Shish Kabob ground beef Platter at the counter. It comes up to $14.69 after taxes and there's an option to tip before you receive or eat your meal. It looks like a fast food joint but I'm told it'll be 20 mins for my plate. Long waits are customary in Vancouver anyway so why not? I take a seat and "people watch" out their window facing Robson St. One of the employees did a quick wipe of the windows, counters and table tops while I was ordering & the dining area reeks of Windex. The place is loud! There's some kind of grinding or drilling going on in the back. I'm not sure if they're renovating or carving frozen meat but no one seems conscientious towards the customers. The noise drowns out the foreign music playing on their Internet-connected, international TV-box. The 2 guys that are plating the meals behind the counter are wearing latex gloves are stoic and give zero free smiles. The taller one signals for me to come over and pick up my plate. Before I picked it up I had to ask him for hot sauce and a bit of tabouli. He scooped it like I was taking his portion. The plate was underwhelming. It didn't taste terrible but I can't find a reason to ever go back with so many better options down the street. There's no wow factor taste-wise and their portions are embarrassingly tiny. One scoop of basmati rice, 2 mouthfuls of salad, 2 skewers of ground meat and a quarter of a pita, served on a paper plate eaten with tiny plastic utensils. I appreciate rents are probably high on Robson, but this stinginess will lose repeat customers. Their prerogative if they want to be the shawarma nazi but they're going to need a superior product or maybe give a generous scoop of rice or salad, or more than just a quarter of a pita even, which is a drop in the bucket cost-wise compared to the measly serving theyre dishing out on a thin paper plate. I was still hungry after that 4-minute meal but couldn't justify spending any more money in there after waiting 20+ minutes for fast food. You can get a huge and delicious lamb shank dinner with a generous helping of dill rice, salad and a "whole" pita for $13 tax included on Granville Street that's roughly a 5-minute walk. I didn't read the reviews on Aladdin until after I posted this and have now seen others have had similar experiences. Oh well... on to the next one. read more

Aladdin Cafe - Their partial menu. - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Possibly the best looking mediterranean joint with its super high loft-style, floor to ceiling glass, really makes a big difference: not just for the eye candy but makes ppl poke to their head in and checking it out, I noticed that quite a bit. It's rare to see a nice one when thinking of the grudgy ones along Granville lol One neat place is they have a separate section displaying their desserts as soon as you walk in, almost to tempt you. They do have a few bar-like tables to eat. And it's really bright! Good portions, & display the turning meat stations right at the front, where the smell should be. Friendly fast service, with the lineups moving pretty fast, good on these brothers who look alike. read more

If you're looking for great food and service ~ this place is worth the stop. Had the Chicken & beef platter read more

Aladdin Cafe - a plate of food and a fork - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The best Falafel in town. It reminded me of the falafel I used to eat back in Palestine. The Lamb Arabi is Delicious. I highly recommend it

read some of the previous reviews - i stopped in here walking back to my hotel from Canada Place and really had no clue what i wanted. While the two guys weren't overjoyed to see me, and i can assure i was more than a challenge for them with all my questions and asking for things they didn't have - they were quite accommodating. I wanted tabouli and baba ganoush and they didn't have the latter. I wanted chicken i wanted salad, (i really didn't know what i wanted). They packed up something that resembled what i was asking for, it was quite reasonably priced, a good portion and the flavors were quite good. For a fast food - low budget eatery, i would give it a shot. read more

The food here was just okay. I found it a little overpriced, given the complete lack of ambiance and presentation. The Chicken Shawarma Arabi was better than the Lamb Shawarma Platter, and cheaper by a couple dollars, so I'd probably go with that if I came back. Bizarrely, the man who served us would not provide us with tap water, and he charged us for bottled water even though my father didn't say we'd buy any, which I found quite rude. I'm not sure I've ever been refused a cup of tap water before. Even the ultra-cheap places like Fresh Slice will give you a little styrofoam cup of it. I don't think we will be giving this place a second chance. read more

i love its my fav place to go. Everyone should try it It's the best service and has fast service stop by and get a wrap

The place has a pretty bangin' falafel platter and every time I've been in the staff have been friendly. There are far worse options downtown than Aladdin. read more

Another delicious meal! Chicken Shawarma wrap Arabi Style Should seriously move closer...or just move in...lol read more

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Best shawarma ever, absolutely delicious and great value. You would be hard pressed to find a better shawarma and their Arabi is simply the best! I don't know why my review is not recommended read more

Aladdin Cafe - Arabi shawarma - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Food is ok... however, this is the 3rd time i go there and ask for water and they just said i have to buy it. Also...0 recycling.. I hope they get lower ratings until they change those things read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I've ordered "single shish taouk platter" and "single lamb tikka platter" before. It was absolutely delightful. The middle-eastern foods that I tasted here are almost similar to the ones that I had in middle east, so they do keep the authenticity. I've been here for a couple of times and I think I just found my favourite restaurant in Vancouver! However, I would prefer to have more proper plates, spoon, fork, and knife as the plastic ones are really useless when comes to cutting the meats; in addition, if the menus are slightly cheaper than I would probably come by everyday. Service is awesome too! The stuffs there are really friendly and interactive. Great smiles every time I visited. People should come here and try out their foods! read more

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I would not go to Aladdin café ever again nor recommend to anybody. I passed by and thought this would be an good place as there's always a lot of people in there, but it just led to disappointment. If only I read the reviews earlier. I like falafels, but as other people have mentioned, find it appalling that they microwave the bland falafels. I paid a whopping $10 for the "Falafel veggie platter"! I expected something really great. But no. This leaves it nutrition deprived and not tasty at all. The vegetables were not fresh at all, and the rice was cold. The microwaved falafels, explanation not needed. I did not feel nourished at all. To add insult to the injury, their customer service is non existent. I gave them THREE chances, and on all occasions the 2 guys there never smile and looks like they're not happy to be there. I told the guy that I wanted falafel platter very clearly and he didn't understand. I thought he was coming off drugs or something. Horrible. read more

Not sure why the reviews are low, the food is actually fairly consistent... I live nearby so I frequent this spot often, but I always order one of 2 things here. The Donair - it's not necessarily the best in town, but it's fresh and wrapped like a Mediterranean burrito which makes it different than a lot of other places. Fresh ingredients and the meat is tender, definitely one of my goto's for a Donair. Shish Taouk - this is the main reason I come here. 2 chicken skewers on a bed of rice, with salad and hummus. Ask for tabbouleh salad if you want the real deal. Takes about 15 minutes to prep but that's the least of your worries when you see how tender and well marinated this chicken is! Great bar seating as well for prime Robson people watching! read more

A sharma shop on Robson beside the 7-Eleven, and near Winners. Quick bite, cheat eats and rude staff. It's been a loonnnnngggg while since I've given a one-star. I ordered a chicken Shawarma, asked for the works and extra hot sauce. You know those big long racks of beef and chicken twirlin' on a metal stick that the server usually trims the meat off of and looks super sexy to carnivores!? Well, didn't get that. I was given luke warm, super dry chicken sitting in a plastic box, no hot sauce and a ridiculous amount of onions. When I got to the till, the server rang me up - didn't say a word. So, I said, "$7.67?" as I glaced at the till. He pointed at the total like I was a fool. I paid him and left. Sometimes people can have bad days, but it's still not acceptable when it completely affects quality of service. Not a spot I'd ever visit again, unless some kinda miracle happens. read more

It was OK.... Its a small restaurant that provides quick Med food. What else do you want? The service was fine. Decor a little "unique" but usable. Clearly, these folks are from the Med but would have like to have known which country. I'll be back. read more

Stopped in here for some (chicken shawarma) wraps. Very clean and lots of drink options with outside seating too. 5 star flavor. (And super convenient if you're staying at the hotels nearby). read more

I come from middle east and I eat shawarma at least once a week. I can assure you that this place serves the worst shawarma you can get and they show no desire to please you. I ordered a shawarma platter and a falafel wrap for my GF. First, the cashier who is a light skinned man with gelled hair, was rude. He didn't answer my question properly when I asked what their chicken platter includes other than chicken. Second, I saw they used their microwave to heat up the falafels which tasted worse than the ones you get form grocery stores. Also the portions are very small. Third, the chicken was just normal. It tasted fine but their salad didn't seem to be fresh. Fourth, the plastic forks and spoons which are placed in glass bowl had stains on them. I had to wipe mine with napkins!!! Overall, if you are looking for a place to waste your money on low quality food while experiencing terrible customer service, Aladdins Cafe is always there for you. read more

This is my go-to place for shwarma at the moment. There are many such places around town, but in my opinion this one has the tastiest food and the best selection of stuff to go with it, including the world's best garlic mayo - guaranteed not to lose you any friends, as long as you don't breathe near them too soon after eating! It's run by friendly guys who let you customize pretty much anything to do with your order, and like any good shwarma house, tahini, tabouleh and hot sauce abound. It's kind of hard to go wrong with this place. The perfect spot to hit up after a long day or a night time class, when you feel like flavour but just don't have the energy to cook. Highly recommended! read more

Not gonna lie, i hate leaving bad reviews and normally tend to just stop going to a place if i don't like it, but i'm disappointed enough to write this. My husband and i came over today to get some falafels, the restaurant its on our way home so we stopped by without checking reviews. We ordered an order of falafels with hummus and pickles. Each order came with 3 small falafels and a spoonful of humus and like three slivers of pickles, this cost us almost 5 bucks for each order. I mean 3 falafels for $5!? I thought this will be amazing falafels, but they actually microwaved them in for us, they were soggy and not very good. I have never had a microwaved falafel so expensive before, and it wasn't even crunchy! Don't waste your money. read more

Just not very tasty. I had the chicken platter and was not impressed. But the service was fast and efficient

I got my first authentic shawarma from here! I saw authentic because I've had shawarma before but they were variations. Very affordable, very filling, very good! I'll be going back for sure! read more

Over priced and bad customer service. The people who are working there very rude. Me and my friends went their for lunch. We've been waiting for our food 50 minutes!! The falafel was not fresh and they just microwaved it. The kabab plate was ok but it came in small portion and was over priced. I came from Middle East and I know how the food should be. I will never go back. read more

The service was off-putting. I paid over $10 for a beef shawarma plate that was tasteless. I couldn't taste any spice in the rice. The beef had its juices cooked right out: dry, cold and chewy. The salad was drenched in vinegar to hide its lack of freshness. The pita was cold and dry. Just sad. I should've looked at Yelp first. read more

Worst shawarma and worst customer service, the keep the meat in heater after cooking and serve that meat instead of fresh cooked one , when I asked for fresh one after the got the money they said go somewhere else and eat!!! read more

Aladdin Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ordered two chicken shawarma and fries. Really good and tasty. Especially with extra garlic on the side. Realized that should have clicked picture of food before. read more