Aladdin Restaurant

Imagine my surprise reading a DC foodie blog, and stumbling across a Bangladeshi restaurant! Don’t get me wrong, our food is DELICIOUS, but not many people have discovered it yet. And since I’m not regularly taking groups of people home to try my native cuisine, and I certainly do not know how to cook it, it’s hard for me to usually introduce the deliciousness of Bangladeshi cuisine to my friends. Well, no longer! Enter Aladdin! As soon as I read the article, I convinced one of my friends to check it out with me that same night, and it was every bit as amazing as I could’ve hoped.
We started with the fuchka (also known of pani puri, or gol goppi) which is essentially little crispy dough (I think?) balls, that come with a tangy/​spicy soup sauce combo. The way to eat it is to fill each ball with some of the sauce, top it with additional spices if preferred, and then pop it in your mouth to bite and enjoy all the flavors at once. It’s traditionally a street food, but here you can get all the yumminess of street food, without all the potential bacteria of the actual street foods of Bangladesh. We then continued with the haleem which can be best be described as minced meat soup/​stew like dish. It’s made of wheat, barley, lentils and meat (chicken in this case). This is another favorite appetizer of mine due to the richness and variety of all the spices and flavors.
For my main dish, I got a fish curry (I mean, we *are* known for fish & rice after all), and it did not disappoint. It tasted like my mom’s just without the side of lectures about why I’m not married with kids already. SO, essentially perfect in my book. :) My friend ordered the chicken korma which was also very authentic– though my only comment would be the fact that they use breast meat for their korma, and I generally prefer thigh and wings in my korma for more flavor.
All in all, Aladdin was a wonderful experience, and I’ll definitely be back with more friends so that I can finally introduce them to some of the foods I love and hold dear to my heart.

There was a bit of a wait for food but it was worth it. We also came in a fairly large group on Monday so the wait was understandable. Everything was prepared fresh. Tried the fuchka appetizer, kharai, and the shrimp malai curry. All were very delicious. The staff was friendly. Looking forward to eating here again.

I am Bangladeshi, so I have pretty good qualifications to evaluate the food here. We ordered roast chicken, beef tehari and tikka masala. So, I have to say that the food would probably generally get 3 stars from me — I found the roast chicken’s seasoning to be overpowering and the side of polao was really big. The beef tehari, however, was very satisfying and had perfect utilization of mustard oil (which can easily be overpowering). The wait staff is EXCELLENT. Incredibly friendly and courteous :).
The main reason I give them 4 stars (other than the staff’s courtesy) is that the catered a wedding I attended a while back, and the tandoori chicken, kababs, polao and biryani were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Aladdin catering is a must have if you are planning any big desi event.

If you are from Bangladesh or the eastern part of India, this restaurant is a must-​visit. And if you are not from either place, definitely give it a try and you will be pleasantly surprised. The place is clean, staff is courteous and food is delicious! There are some Unilocal reviews where people have complained about the customer service which we did experience a few times but mostly ignored because Hello People! Delicious food trumps everything else! The Haleem and Shrimp Malai Curry are among the best in the area but the real star is the biryani — mildly flavored (with plenty of whole green chilies for the heat lovers) and the meat just melts in your mouth. The food is always fresh and their Sunday buffet is a gem — excellent quality food which doesn’t have the been-​sitting-​there-​forever taste or after-​effects. The customer service concerns that we had a few times also seem to be resolved and the last few times, service has been exceptional. I am a regular patron of Aladdin and will continue to do so until they keep serving that kick-​ass biryani!

1^st time visit and each item ordered was absolutely fresh and delicious, from the samosas, to the curries, to the raitha, the mango lassi, and even the gulab jamun. I will definitely return and often.

Get ready to be treated with contempt if you are not a Muslim and from India! Their behavior is very rude and treats you like they are doing you a favor by giving you food! Gharer Khabar in the same complex is a much better place with tastier food and very friendly behavior! Specially the lady who comes from kitchen treats you with a racist tone! I would not recommend this place to anyone! Worst experience ever!

Pretty rude and racist place! as soon as they know you are not a Muslim or Bangladeshi… their behavior and tone of voice change! they (especially one lady who comes out from the kitchen few times) behave like they are doing a favor to you by selling the food to you.
The food is barely OK… like the sweet curd/​mishti doi… but like the food and behavior much better in the other Bangladeshi restaurant next door/​in the same complex.

I was there with my wife. I took the roast polau and my wife took chicken curry. The curry was ok (at least not bad) but mine was a total fiasco. They put too much artificial flavor in it and I decided not to finish my meal and throw it in trash. They claim that all of their dishes are Bangladeshi cuisine but being a Bangladeshi I knew that it was not true. However, the woman behind the register was unfriendly to us and we heard her loud voice inside from the kitchen while we were «eating». Decided not to eat there again.

One day ordered beef biryani for me and chicken biryani for my wife. It was almost closed but the front guy let us dine there. They waited for us till we finished. Food was better than some of the regular Indian Resturant. Of course they can do a little better in food by not putting too much oil. Well, I guess that’s Bangladeshi style. Came second time and ordered fuchka, goat biryani, roast with polaw and mango lassi. Didn’t like the mango lassi. It’s not thick as it should be. Felt like drinking flavored water. Rest of the foods were pretty good. I’m dying to eat the kacchi which they only do in Saturday. And also have to try the famous Sunday buffet.

Words don’t do justice to how delicious the food is at this restaurant. As an Indian, the food tastes like an auntie made it at home — it’s great! Bengali food is very similar to Indian food FYI. I love that the food isn’t doused in cream like at so many Indian joints and instead has lots of flavor and the right amount of heat. I love that the menu changes daily too — I have come here several times and every time I get a different dish and love it. The chicken karahi, chicken korma, beef with cabbage, and samosas are excellent. I also love their Sunday buffet!!! Next time you want Indian food, skip Zaika or Delhi Club and come get homestyle Bengali cooking instead.

Sunday brunch buffet is a great value ($ 10pp). They had 6 dishes in addition to fried bread and yellow rice. There was also one dish at the end that may have been a dessert that I did not try and did not find out what it was. They had 3 vegetarian dishes (yellow lentils, potatoes, & cabbage) out of the 5. My favorite items were the tandoori chicken (10/​10, I was really impressed since it was buffet!) and the lentils.
Aladdin was not busy while we were there, about 30% of the tables were filled. Service was great, they were friendly but basically just let people be since they had the buffet.
Can’t wait to go back! Great place to get full for not a lot of $$.

Kacci briani and goat biriani is good here …

My friend had suggested me to try their biryani. I felt it was just OK. Actuallt i tried their lamb biryani and what I did not like was thay they had put some sugar in the biryani .I guess biryani has to be spicy,
But having said that I might give it a second try :)

This could’ve been a 4 star review.
This is the 3^rd time we are here. Like the first two times, we were happy until we took the second helping of a dish and noticed it was spoilt. That wasn’t the worst part though. The worst part was the women at the register refusing to believe us. She first wanted to check herself and took a scoop out of the buffet to smell. Then just blatantly refused that it was spoilt (note that she didn’t eat it) and finally said, «you can throw it if you don’t like it». Of course we could throw it. Needless to say, we won’t be going back.

A solid 4 stars.
I liked the service and the front staff. The menu is small and simple, variations on 2 basic themes. Ordered vegetable samosas, naan, chicken curry and had some of the yogurt/​pudding sweet stuff. The samosas were spot on, just hot enough, and tasty. I normally eat meat samosas, but these were awesome. The chicken curry had a great mellow flavor, not terribly spicy. The yogurt/​pudding was very sweet, but after the savory of dinner it was a great touch.
The reasons for the 1 star downtick: the naan, bones, and rice. The naan had the look and mouth feel of a tortilla. Gharer has them beat there. The chicken while extremely good, was just a bunch of bone laden pieces. That seems to be par for the course in Bengali cuisine, so this is the least of my concern. The menu said that a bowl of rice was included, but alas, it was not included in my meal.
But I will try this place again.

About a 3.5: The Aladdin Restaurant has been around for about 1.5 years and is located in a small plaza off of Lee Highway. My husband and I came here to try out their famous ‘Sunday Brunch,’ which was set in a buffet style. They only offer the buffet option on Sunday, and an other days, you just order off their menu. They have items such as: appetizers (samosas, chat patee, halim, fuchka, and moghlai-​porota), vegetable dishes (shobjee bhajee, aloo bhajee, vindi bhajee, dal makhani, etc.), biryani (chicken, beef, goat, shrimp, vegetable, etc.), kabobs, meat dishes (chicken curry, chicken karahi, lamb vindaloo, etc.), seafood entrees (shrimp dopiaza, shrimp malai curry, etc.), and desserts. The selections at the buffet was not extensive, but I did find some specific dishes that I really enjoyed: the chewy roti bread, the juicy & flavorful tandoori chicken, and the beef & cabbage. I can definitely see myself getting the entrée version or a carry-​out of the beef & cabbage, as the beef itself was tender and tasted like braised beef with slightly crunchy cabbage slices, great with a mound of rice. There was also lentils, rice, cauliflower, and chicken samosas (that I wasn’t a fan of). There was hot tea (that you can make yourself with the hot water) and cold water, as well as soft beverages you can purchase as an addition. The place was jam-​packed with locals as well as families to take advantage of the food. The manager was walking around, making sure that everything is good, and she was also brooming up the place to keep the place clean and tidy. The buffet itself was $ 10 per person, inclusive of tax, so I thought that was a great bargain. The food itself was pretty solid, and it was a great way to sample what they can offer on the menu. I would like to come back and try out their curry dishes as well as their chicken karahi.
+Sunday Brunch Buffet — $ 10 per person
+beef & cabbage
+chewy roti bread (a great alternative to regular naan bread)

The food here is absolutely amazing! It’s home cooking like none other. It’s as if someone’s mother was in the back making each and every order herself, which is probably the case.
I’m not really a curry person, so I think the food is especially good here because they don’t drench everything in sauces. It’s flavorful, but not too overwhelming.
And they have the best samosas in the area! Hands down!
I HIGHLY recommend this place if you want amazing Bengali food!

This place is wildly good. Making the trip from DC to Ballston is well worth it
I would eat here over Rasika any day of the week

What we have here is a bit of a gem. Informal, clean, friendly, and serving some of the finest bengladeshi food I’ve ever had. The Sunday lunch buffet is an extraordinary deal at 8 bucks, and you get to enjoy what appears to be a large segment of the bengladeshi community coming out in their finery. The boti chicken is incredible. Great stuff.

So I came back here for seconds because it was just so good and the second time did not disappoint. I had the Voona Mungsha, and the Aloo Bahjee, and it was just as good as the first time, if not better!
Deep, rich flavors, actual spiciness — what’s not to love.
Seriously, this place is incredible and so incredibly reasonably priced.
I can guarantee that I will keep coming back and back and back to Aladdin.