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Aladdin Hillcrest

4.2 (586 reviews)
Updated over 3 months ago

Aladdin Hillcrest Photos

Business Info

ALADDIN HILLCREST ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Aladdin Hillcrest

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Reviews With Photos

Side of marinated chicken breast (1/2 left)-yum!
Sheltiemomm S.

Food: Fresh & zingy marinades, sauces to marry with everything. Loved the chicken breast, garlic sauce, Babaganoush (eggplant dip)& cheese/spinach pastries. Service: My server was gently helpful, efficient. Ambiance: Patio seating refreshing, energizing. Inside is authentic, cozy & comfort inducing. Yelpers, this spot is waiting to serve you & delight with unique flavors!

Aladdin Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Liz L.

Very dependable restaurant. I have been here many times. The staff is very nice and personable. The atmosphere is a little worn at the edges but it's fine. The chicken Mediterranean salad was very good. I loved the fresh romaine, mint, Persian cucumbers and radishes. I wish it didn't have the fried pita chips on top. I left feeling like I ate a very healthy lunch and I had improved energy.

Chicken Shawarma Wrap with Lentil Soup- lunch special
Julia G.

I always enjoy coming for lunch to Aladdin because of the great service and beautiful decor. Today I tried a new menu item and it was delicious. Friend and I both ordered the $14 lunch special of chicken shawarma wrap and drink with choice of lentil soup, salad, rice or fries. We both got the lentil soup and it was soo good. The yellow lentil soup was creamy and full of flavor and spices. The chicken shawarma was very flavorful with creamy tzatziki and sliced tomatoes in a warm pita wrap.

Luis R P.

Great service and awesome variety of Mediterranean dishes. Nice outdoor patio seating and nice decor inside. Definitely recommend. Plenary of parking on the shopping center in front. Very limited hours: most days they close by 8pm.

Randy T.

Aladdin Mediterranean has become a San Diego institution. Always satisfying and the staff is always wonderful to be with. Sadly, a restaurant by the same name in Clairemont had some health issues and the San Diego Hillcrest, which has nothing to do with that one is losing business. if you know and like Aladdin Hillcrest, please support them right now. They need it. Had yet another great dinner there last night.

a variety of food in plastic containers
Caroline Z.

Aladdin's Meza Platter Hummus, tabouleh, baba ghanouj, Chicken and meat Shawarma, dolma, falafels, baked kebeh, tzaziki, tahini, garlic sauce, pickles + olives Loved this!!! This was so fun to eat, trying a little bit of just about everything on the menu. I ordered this to go, and the staff packaged everything up super nicely and securely. The meat schwarma was pretty good, the chicken a little dry. The falafels were amazing--so, so light and fluffy and crispy on the outside, and I'm not usually a falafel fan!! The kebeh was delicious, loved all the different sauces on the side of this platter. The baba ghanouj was one of my favorite things. This came with a few pitas as well, which were great! Only downside was that this was a little pricey, even as much food as it was.

I used to eat here once a week when I lived in San Diego.
Michael S.

Aladdin is the restaurant with which I judge all Mediterranean food. And today all those memories came crashing back with every bite. I can honestly say NO OTHER restaurant has captured the texture, taste and truly exquisite culinary experience as a meal here and I don't think they ever will.

Aladdin's Meza Platter
John C.

Somehow this restaurant has the same name as the other Alladin located on Clairemont Mesa but are no longer related and I guess many years ago they were shared common owners. The Lebanese food was pretty good but didn't justify the high price. Service was attentive and on the ball, but not sure I would come back as the other Aladdin location really spoiled me with their different pita bread, and falafel's. Not sure I would return unless came with a large group to do their family offerings.

Jeongmin H.

One of the most delicious Mediterranean meals I've had. I'm not a fan of falafel but theirs is definitely something else - I would highly recommend you try it here. Everything we ordered was so rich in flavor and very filling. I did have a massive stomachache right after the meal though, which was a nightmare because I had a flight to catch. But despite all the pain and struggle I went through I would come back again because it was THAT good.

Meza which includes chicken and beef shawarma, falafel, hummus, babaganoush, grape leaves, tabbouleh, and pita.

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9 months ago

I extremely recommend salads the dressing are delicious,and chicken kabobs are very good plus service is excellent.

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Aladdin Hillcrest Reviews in Other Languages

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Shawarma Guys - Chicken California Shawarma Wrap

Shawarma Guys

4.7(1.1k reviews)
8.1 mi
•$$
Kid friendly
Casual dining

I can for the viral Wagyu Shawarma Cheesesteak. It was very tasty with a mix of peppers, onion…read morecheese and sauce. Whatever sauce they used gave it a bit of spiciness. I went at 3:30 pm on a Saturday and was surprised that it was pretty busy at that weird time The sandwich was huge ( probably 12 inch sub) so depending on how hungry you are, you could easily split it. I loved the fries. Whatever seasoning they used gave is perfect

Man I really wanted to like this place due to all the rave reviews. Our first experience was mixed…read morewith some meats being great and others dry beef bits that weren't very tasty or appealing. Our second experience we got the chicken shawarma Brian's way. Everything was cooked well, but I guess although I like pickles, I'm not as big a fan of Mediterranean pickles. The first bite or two were actually good, but subsequent bites the pickle tanginess was overwhelming and just not so pleasant as I finished it. I thought maybe I'll get it without the pickles next time. However, after eating I got an unexpected headache that usually comes from ingestion of MSG. The fries were tasty... maybe there was MSG in those? Not sure. I've honestly had much better phenomenal shawarma in San Joes CA. I have yet to find a great Shawarma here in San Diego. Feel free to recommend.

Photos
Shawarma Guys - Ordering counter

Ordering counter

Shawarma Guys - Wagyu beef and chicken shawarma plate, hummus and pita bread. All tasted so good!

Wagyu beef and chicken shawarma plate, hummus and pita bread. All tasted so good!

Shawarma Guys - The combo wagyu beef & chicken shawarma !

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The combo wagyu beef & chicken shawarma !

Alforon

Alforon

4.6(1.9k reviews)
5.0 mi•Rolando
•$$

Soooo Delicious!!!…read more Service was excellent!!! Owners made all the food to order and served the dishes to everyone. They interacted with all the customers, explaining the menu, and giving recommendations. They were very friendly and welcoming. Food was DELICIOUS!!!! Everything was made fresh to order. I came for brunch and ended up overeating... it was soo good, I couldn't stop. I ordered some tea, a bowl of amazing garlicky Foul (pronounced fool, an open faced meat pie (lahm bajeen) in the flakiest lightest crust I've ever had, and super sweet and extra cheesy Kunafi with Kaack for desert. I was so impressed, I ordered dinner to-go (Stuffed kusa (known as mexican squash) and stuffed cabbage). Large beautiful dining area, great for small or big groups. Warning, parking is tight.

They do Kunafa well but their people skills need a bit of work. I went in last min to get a Kunafa…read morefor the family and understandably if they were too busy or whatever they could have simply said "no, sorry" and life would have moved on. But instead the whole ordeal (because that's what it ended up being) was very uncomfortable and unsavory. When i put my order in, the kitchen responded with a slew of insults in arabic, upset about the last min request. Me being mixed race, my appearance doesn't scream 'arabic speaker' and to be honest my arabic ain't perfect but i knew i was being insulted and that clearly the last min order was a problem. I had told them it's okay i understand it wasn't a good time and subtly hinted at being able to understand what was happening, which ended up making things even weirder. Instead of them taking the out i gave them, they insisted they could make the dessert and while i waited I was put to a test to see if i truly understood what had been said about me. The woman in front and the man in the back both took turns talking to me in both english and rapid speed arabic to test how much i could have possibly understood. I was in shock and smiled my way through the very strange interaction because i was still much too shocked to even formulate a proper emotional response to the rudeness. The moment I got the food i took it with a smile (still) because it was ramadan and it wasn't worth breaking my fast over and i haven't looked back. Now even tho it's blocks from my home I just go to El cajon if i want kunafa or anything else they offer. Other than that the place inside looked nice and again the kunafa was tasty but that was unfortunately my one and only experience there.

Photos
Alforon - Inside: ornate "window" with lights

Inside: ornate "window" with lights

Alforon - Ouzi Lamb Special

Ouzi Lamb Special

Alforon - Lamb fatteh

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Lamb fatteh

Aladdin Hillcrest - mediterranean - Updated October 2026

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