Aladdin's Eatery McKnight

Fabulous Food and good service

Been going here for a while now and I really like the place. They have healthy middle eastern dishes including swarma and various beef dishes.

Great meal yesterday with my wife Jackie O provided excellent service. To be honest most of the time I don’t know exactly what I’m ordering and haven’t been disappointed yet.

Their food is great, but the pickup experience needs improvement. I’ve been here about 20 times and it is the exact same transaction every time, like clockwork. Once, I was with a friend, and I predicted these steps in advance, and she laughed hysterically after because it was spot on.

When you walk in, they ask for your name. You state your first name, they look at the online orders, then loudly announce your full name for the restaurant to hear. Maybe just use last initial, if anything.

Then, you ask for plasticware, they look at you surprised, ask how many people it’s for, walk down a long hallway, and come back about 2 minutes later and hand you the plasticware. Maybe keep plasticware at the front counter? Certainly should not be perceived as a special request.

Literally feels awkward every time.

Great food and a nice relaxing place

I placed a takeout order at the Fox Chapel (Pittsburgh) location on 3/29, around 5pm. I live in SE Virginia and my son’s father lives in Aspinwall, we were meeting 1/2 way in Maryland for spring break so I asked him if he’d pick up and take out order for me at the FC restaurant, and bring it with him and our son. (Nothing in my area compares to Aladdin’s!!). When I called, an amazing woman answered the phone, I asked ONLY if they could put the sauce on the side for my Shawarma so it wasn’t soggy 8 hours later when I’d be home to eat! Without second thought, she offered to make both of the Shawarma’s “deconstructed” with everything separate so I could “build” the wraps myself!! I also ordered the Dawali! When my ex handed me the bag and went to the cooler to get my food, I noticed what the crew had done…. They put everything in separate takeout containers and even wrote instructions on the Dawali container for me to heat, when I got home!! Everything was separate and the amount of extra time that was spent on the order was above and beyond!! It may seem simple, but for them to take the time and effort to make sure my food was just as good as it would have been if I ate in the store was really refreshing!! So THANK YOU to the Fox Chapel location for packing my order with such attention and my ex will be bringing a cooler with Shawarma’s and Diwali’s each time we meet in Maryland!!!

Had dinner with friend at restaurant selected by someone else. very pleasant surprise.
Great food. Aladdin's now on my radar as a place to eat in or take out.

I've eaten at Alladin's locations in Ohio and was delighted to discover that they also have locations in Pittsburgh. The food and service at the McKnight Road location did not disappoint, but the "atmosphere" leaves much to be desired.

By all means try this Alladin's location for the ample to large portions of good and healthy food and the very friendly service. (Oh, and the desserts!!) If you're discouraged by my comments on the ambiance (below), get food to go!

I'm going to focus on the atmosphere in the hope that the owners will see this review because, as an architect, I know that a modest investment could make the space and the dining experience drastically better.

As it is now, there's no division of the entry from the pickup counter from the dining room or anything else... much less subdivision of the dining area to make it feel more like a restaurant and less like a cheap pizza or sandwich shop. It wouldn't take a high-priced designer to come up with some easy to implement improvements that would make a big difference.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cakes Baklava, Hummus and Pita, Salad, Falafel

Always good eating

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Len Chili Soup, Lentil Soup, Lentil Soup with Chicken, Falafel

I recently visited the Mayfield location. I highly recommend not only the great food, but the dedicated staff as well. The manager, Jay, was very welcoming to everyone who entered, and in my case I was pleasantly surprised that he was very well versed in the various food options and knew what was vegan. That is so hard to find in restaurants; knowledgeable staff that actually know the food they serve. While I did not dine in to experience the servers, I can only imagine they show the same passion for what they do, as I noted Jay back in the kitchen sharing positive communication with them. Also, a customer walked in and Jay clearly knew her as a regular and made her feel extra welcome. I really wish I was closer to this location, I would definitely go more often.

It was nice enough, but seemed pricey for what it was and portions weren't massive.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Ordering takeout from this Aladdin’s Eatery is a breeze. I easily called in. The shish tawook roll is always fresh and filling. The staff is is friendly, making the experience even better. I’m so glad there’s a location near me.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was amazing! Do yourself a favor and try their hot sauce. It goes well with everything!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Hummus and Pita

Vegetarian options: Lots of delicious vegan and vegetarian options!

Kid-friendliness: Servers were really nice to our kids! Great desserts and plenty of options for less-adventurous eaters.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Hummus and Pita, Baba Ganoush

Always fresh and flawless. ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5