To me, the name Ian Froeb is synonymous with quality eats in the Saint Louis area. I read his weekly reviews via email newsletter from the Post Dispatch. I used to read his reviews in the Riverfront Times religiously. So when he praises any eatery in the region, I quickly put in on my tbe (to-be-eaten) list. Such was the case with Aldar Yemeni Cuisine. My wife, daughter, and I found ourselves in Wildwood this weekend following a scheduled visit to a Chesterfield play place for the kiddo. We needed a visit to nature after being surrounded by countless, screaming toddlers. After an hour at Castlewood State Park, it was time for some late afternoon vittles. The recent review of Aldar flashed in my mind as we loaded into the daddy-van. The wife agreed some Yemeni cuisine sounded delightful and we were on our way. Jump ahead to our table at the new restaurant, which was doing some brisk business at a time in the afternoon (3:00:ish) when most restaurants are facing a lull, even on a Saturday. That was our first good sign. The menu contains a plethora of Yemeni and Mediterranean choices, ranging from pita and hummus to baklava and tres leches cake. As is typical with me, I asked the server what they recommended. The Mandy Chicken was suggested, and I could sense some true passion from the server about the dish, so that was my selection. My wife chose the Mixed Grill Combo, and our daughter, being the typical four-year-old, brightened as soon as she saw the chicken nuggets on the menu. No amount of begging could convince her to try something even slightly more authentic. We were delighted by the lamb broth that was presented gratis at the beginning of the meal, along with a bowl of spicy Sahawaq, which the server explained could act as a condiment through the entire meal. It was indeed a delicious condiment. The broth was equally delicious; very soothing and comforting, despite the hot temperature outdoors. Now on to that Chicken Mandy. Wow. It's half a chicken with crispy skin and tender meat served with turmeric basmati rice and some raw vegetables for texture contrast. All the components were made even better with the addition of the Sahawaq. This was the perfect introduction to Yemeni cuisine. The portion was generous enough that I had breakfast for Sunday morning. I was very tempted to try some other, sweeter, items on the menu as well. The baklava, coffees, and smoothies were calling out to me. But I decided, perhaps against my better judgement, to use my craving for something sweet as a reason to return soon, as if we needed another reason beyond that crispy, flavorful chicken. Only two criticisms for Aldar; the beef portion of the Mixed Grill Combo was bland and dry. I only had a small taste and my wife assured me she was enjoying it slathered with the Sahawaq, but I was not impressed. The other, very small, critique was that the table and benches we were seated at were too far apart. I had to sit forward through the whole meal and felt the journey from plate to mouth was too far to be comfortable. It was an even bigger struggle for our daughter, who had to really stretch those short arms to reach her plate. Other than those two minor issues, everything else was near perfect. Five stars to the food, service, ambience, value, portion sizes, cleanliness, and overall experience. We will certainly be back as soon as we can. Thank you, Mr. Froeb, for another great suggestion, via your great reviews. read more

Aldar Yemeni Cuisine - The Mixed Grill Combo - Mediterranean Near Me - Wildwood, Missouri

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This is a new Yemeni restaurant in Wildwood with a very fresh interior and a few TVs that had World Cup coverage. I enjoyed the Haneeth lamb. It came with a portion of leg and sacrum with attached meat. The meat was cooked to perfection and falling off the bone...no knife required. The spices were fresh, flavorful, and aromatic. A complementary bowl of lamb soup (a broth) was served first, also with a salsa. The salsa was tomato-based and was spicy, sweet, and aromatic all at the same time. It was very fresh. Next time I will have to arrive earlier in the day so as to enjoy one of their many flavored coffee drinks! read more

Aldar Yemeni Cuisine - Haneeth lamb - Mediterranean Near Me - Wildwood, Missouri

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Aldar Yemeni Cuisine @aldar_ye 16524 Manchester Rd, Wildwood, MO 63040 Exciting news! The first Yemeni restaurant in Missouri has opened, bringing authentic flavors to STL. Don't miss their star dish, the crispy, flavorful, and fresh fish! Plus, they collaborate with Missouri's first Yemeni coffee shop @mochapointcoffee, for the best teas and coffees. We enjoyed a delicious spread of mandi, fahsah, muva fish, and a crowd-pleasing lamb soup. Come taste the rich Yemeni tradition! . . . . . #yemenicusine #stlhalalfoodie #halalstl #stleats https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWfaxcuDBhT/?igsh=d2RvZmZ0ZTk2NWs0 read more

Spacious new yemeni restaurant in wildwood. Friendly service, delicious food, not too pricey, big portions, what else can you ask for in this economy. They give you complimentary lamb soup. We ordered the mixed grill for 2 with rice bread and fries and the samosas. Samosas are freshly fried and comes with a delicious salsa. All the meats were seasoned well and juicy and delicious. The mixed grill for 2 comes with beef lamb and chicken. Fries and bread were awesome too! Will be back for sure read more

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Appetizers we tried, Arabic Salad (tomato and cucumber) was very fresh and tasty, and Samosa with Sahawaq (crushed seasoned tomato's) Samosa with minced meat filling) was unique (for us) and a winner. My wife ordered the Agda Chicken. It is a huge platter with 1/2 chicken and huge soft Yemeni flat bread. The stew was tomato base, okra, potato's. It was excellent, 5-stars. Really need at least 2 people to eat this platter. We tool more than half home for later this week. Great value . I ordered the roasted lamb shank (maybe named Haneeth) with rice. It was also huge, lamb shank was especially very tasty but not quite as good as the Agda stew. Still close to 5-stars. The restaurant was comfortable, unfortunately it wasn't very busy for noon Sunday. We will order pickup next time and get some different items to try. read more

Went here with my Afghani friend after getting Qahwahtea. I liked how they had tables and floor seating. Nice ambiance and inside decor. No toilet paper in the Women's restroom though. Good service and food portion, would come back again. read more

Aldar Yemeni Cuisine - Grill meat for 2 - Mediterranean Near Me - Wildwood, Missouri

wonderful service, friendly service. Strongly recommend! if you want something not too sweet, this is it. . the coffee was not too strong a coffee and the Turkish coffee was medium roast and delicious! read more

Aldar Yemeni Cuisine - Turkish coffee and dessert - Mediterranean Near Me - Wildwood, Missouri

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Ordered carry out on Sunday at 4:30 pm- Agdah chicken, Megalgal chicken, bread, hummus, Sahawaq with Feta, and one dessert that looked like baclava but was better. Agdah chicken and hummus were the standouts- excellent flavors. Excited to go back and sample other dishes. Glad this place is in the area. read more

Aldar Yemeni Cuisine - Agdah chicken (center), Sahawaq with Feta Cheese, rice, chicken mogagal, hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Wildwood, Missouri

Huge portions and great flavors. First time for Yemeni cuisine for me and will be back read more

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We had lunch at Aldar today. I think they have been open about 2 months now so we were looking forward to trying this place out. Everybody working here was so friendly and nice. The food was delicious and the staff was great about explaining anything you had questions about. The place is very casual so come as you are. We will definitely be back to try something different next time. read more

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First our grilled platter was mostly rice. The meat was so dry and some of it was tough. But the worst thing was what I witnessed. A female server came out with two large platters and the serving fork to the platter fell and hit the floor and she put the fork back in the food!!!! This was being served to someone! Had I not already eaten I would have immediately gotten up and left. Will never return. read more

Highly!!! Recommend! The owner and head waiter took care of us. We enjoyed ourselves and the food. We plan to go again soon!!