The proximity to vegetarian eateries Oklahoma and Earth Café may explain in part the official-looking 'Vegan Food Served Here' poster displayed in Little Aladdin's window. Little Aladdin is a fast food outlet which doubles as an inexpensive curry café. It's a small place, with just fifteen covers, half of which are stools at the window ledges.
As usual, I went for the 'Rice & 3 veg' curries plus a chapati, which came to £4.50. While similar to other Northern Quarter curry cafés, Little Aladdin is fairly vegetarian-friendly in terms of more choice and using fresh vegetables, including fresh spinach. I had channa, spinach, and mixed vegetable curries on rice, all tasty, made with care, using big chunks of courgette, potato and so on. Plus the chapati was well-cooked and tender, cooked to order with just a two minute wait. (As there is no evidence of menu rotation, I would presume they serve the same curries every day).
Their vegetable samosas are prepared fresh each morning (I asked), although these may be the filo pastry type rather the 'from flour' type offered by This & That. Falafel are also made fresh each morning, and served with salad in fresh naan or chapati. The serving staff are really easy-going, so I think you would be able to mix-and-match anything you wanted. As with many of Manchester's curry cafés, complimentary jugs of tap water are on the table.
So it's five stars for Little Aladdin, and I look forward to eating here again. But do check my 'Curry Cafés of Manchester' list for other good alternatives. read more