Aladdin's Natural Eatery

Monroe Ave Location 2-2008 Aladdin's Schoen Place location in Pittsford

Locations

650 Monroe Ave, Rochester NY 14607

8 Schoen Place, Pittsford NY, 14534

Hours

Daily: 11:00AM to 9:00PM

Closed major holidays

Phone

585 442 5000 (Monroe Ave)

585 264 9000 (Schoen Place)

Accessibility

Small step on bottom floor(Monroe Ave)

Bottom floor only (Schoen Place)

Email

<eliem1 AT hotmail DOT com>

Website

http://www.aladdinsonline.com/

Aladdin's Natural Eatery is a local Mediterranean waterfront restaurant serving Lebanese food. The Pittsford location is a great cheap place to eat overlooking the canal. Aladdin's Natural Eatery offers a diverse menu of natural* cuisine. They use no sulfites or preservatives of any kind. Only fresh vegetables and meats. Menu examples:

It's a great environment for parents with kids, too - they bring crayons to the table, and have a kids menu that is a happy mix of yum and healthy.

They now also offer free Wi-Fi to their customers.

Reservations are recommended for parties of six or more. Take-out service is available. Beer and wine are served. New menu as of August 2008.

• Awarded the Democrat & Chronicle's Rochester's Choice Award for "Mediterranean" in 2007.¹
  

• Voted "Best Place to Eat Outside" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of' awards in 2002, "Best Meal for Under $10" in 2008 and 2009, and "Best Greek Restaurant", "Best Restaurant for Vegetarians" and "Best Outdoor Dining" in 2009.²³⁴
  

Comments:

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ADMIN NOTE: Due to archiving purposes, comments from 2007 and earlier have been moved to Aladdin's Natural Eatery/Comments

2008-02-01 10:52:14   I agree with the negatives. There are better alternatives around town and literally across the street which are at the same price or cheaper. And yes, last time I was there the downstairs in the Monroe location had a complex bouquet of berry air fresheners steeped in urine. Underlying glimpses of foot and hobo were also evident. —RochesterGuy

2008-04-09 21:13:37   I ate dinner at the Pittsford location and was very unimpressed. The portions are small and the food is bland. The only nice thing about the meal was sitting by the canal. —OwenThompson

2008-04-30 06:23:59   not too many favorable reviews as of recently! well, I haven't been there in a few months, but when I went last it was one of the better dining experiences I've had in rochester. I went out to lunch with a friend to the monroe avenue location. the food was delicious and unbelievably affordable - I had a chicken salad pita (I think) and not only was it massive and delicious it was only about $5. we also split a plate of hummus, which was clearly freshly made and served with crisp veggies. all in all, it was an excellent value. the restaurant itself seemed very nice to me, not sure what all this mention is of foot odor... —TonyFolenta

2008-05-01 10:37:59   I dont understand the appeal of this place. There are much better Mediterranean restaurants in Rochester.

The food is subpar, the hummus is a sad excuse, and they dont even offer tzatziki on their pitas, only tahini. —MrRochester

2008-05-22 00:55:25   If you do not understand the appeal, then simply take you and your negativity elsewhere. Aladdins does have tzatziki, if you simply took the time to read the menu. They offer it as a cold soup *seasonal as stated in the menu* which is a fantasic way to start a meal, especially with the summer around the corner. The monroe location has a fantastic deck for the warm weather and their food is both affordable and delicious! Ive never encountered a problem at either of these loctation. —SillyGirl49

2008-06-02 14:19:08   TIP: If you can honestly give good details as to why a restaurant is not worth visiting it makes sense to also recommend a few good choices that are, and why. Just a thought. —RickUrwin

2008-06-26 13:47:00   I have had lunch at Aladdin's on Monroe at least three times and I have always had a nice experience. The service was prompt and friendly and the food was appealing and delicious. —DragonfishUsa

2008-06-29 23:59:04   this is not greek food it mostly a mix of midle eastern foods-but people just dont know the difference the pita bread with give your teeth a work out the lentil soup is really tangy??? they chicken pita is made with all cheap dark meat whats going on cheap food cheap prices i guess. —michealvager

2008-08-07 13:36:15   The chicken pita is one of my favorite things on the menu. Yes it is dark meat and delicious — dark meat has a lot more flavor than chicken breast and doesn't turn dry as sawdust when grilled. —TracySchuhmacher

2008-08-09 17:40:04   Love the location by the canal. A decent place to eat, though I prefer Sinbad's for the food, you can't beat eating on the patio here in the summer. —DesignDreamz

2008-08-14 00:09:15   As a past employee of Aladdin's it is kind of humorous to see all this banter going back and forth about the good and the bad. Thanks to all of you that had kind things to say. For those of you that had something bad to say well that's the way it goes; everyone feels the way they feel. Although my experience was great. Know that the people that are behind the scenes work vary vary hard at both locations, mainly because such an inexpensive menu means managing more tables in order to take home close to the amount as someone at Outback or Fridays. One clarification - Rochester named Aladdin's a greek restaurant - Not Aladdin's. The true venue is "Natural Eatery" with some Mediterranean specialties - Mostly meaning no additives, preservatives or MSG. This confusion used to always drive me nuts. What still amazes me about Aladdin's is their ability to cater to a gluten free diet. The kitchens are open to variations where some restaurant cooks would say, "no way." —georgeortin

2008-09-01 22:22:54   Great food, the ingredients are always fresh, and the views at the Schoen location are unbeatable. The prices are amazing for the amount of food, and the freshness of all the ingredients. The service is usually slow, which is fine for a leisurely lunch or dinner. If you need your food fast get takeout. —carolturo

2008-09-13 21:13:28   We dined at Aladdin's tonight and I have to tell you that contrary to some posters experiences ours was phenomenal. We have enjoyed Aladdin's (Monroe Ave) in the past but hadn't been back in quite some time and were pleasantly surprised at how alive the place felt. The food was excellent as was the service. The hummus, falafel, and baba ganoush in particular seemed much improved, they somehow seemed more flavorful than I remember. The quality of the vegetables in particular the tomatoes and cucumbers was excellent. The restaurant as well was immaculate and the carpeting appeared to be on the new side. The rest rooms were also spotless! Overall one of the better dining experiences I have had in quite some time. I would recommend trying this restaurant again if it has fallen out of favor with you in the past. —Cindy

2008-09-28 12:38:10   I like Aladdins in Pittsford, I've been going there for years. My favorites are the Hummus, the beef kabob pita and the greek salad. The last few times I've been in there the service has not been good. Once we went in and waited about 5 minutes to be acknowledged, which wouldnt be bad except the place was empty and staff member after staff member walked by us without so much as a glance. Ultimately we ended up taking our business to the Simply Crepes, across the street. They were very busy but acknowledged us as we entered. Other times we have had inattentive service, where we weren't asked if things were ok or if we needed anything. The food is still pretty good but I think the staff may need a refresher course in Customer Service. —DeniseDafoe

2008-10-16 09:45:37   I love the place. I've never had a bad experience there, and I'm a frequent customer to the Monroe Ave. location. I like that I can get a lunch that fills me to just the right point (not stuffed, not hungry) for six bucks. I also never noticed any odd odors, and the place has never made me ill. As to the service, I usually go there for lunch so I can't speak to the evening staff, but the service has always been pretty good to me. —HandsomePete

2008-12-19 18:02:20   For everyone who complains about the greasy, bad-for-you foods at most restaurants, this place is what you seek. The food is cheap, healthy, and delicious. —BatGuano

2009-03-12 14:08:48   Best bang for the buck and the food is the best of all the Greek/Mediterranean restaurants around. Their hot pitas are the best. chicken pita is a favorite of mine and consistently cooked perfectly. Not a big fan of the soups or the cold pitas which are difficult to eat since they're oversized and filled entirely with lettuce. The pittsford Aladdins is a cute place for a date. Desserts are hit or miss. —JaimeTe

2009-03-19 22:42:45   In my opinion this is one of the best restaurants in the Rochester area. The food is all fresh and tasty...not to mention good for you! It is also VERY Vegan and Vegetarian friendly. I prefer the Pittsford location on the Erie Canal. The view from the patio in the Spring-Fall is wonderful. —PrincessB

2009-03-29 04:11:20   I recently visited Rochester and my friend and I dined at the monroe location one evening. Some of the best tasting food I have had in a very long time!The fact that I live in FL might have something to do with that, but the food was excellent nonetheless! —AntDi

2009-05-17 10:17:39   Aladdins is a great place if you want high quality, healthy food at a very reasonable price. Their chicken is so tender and marinated to perfection at the Monroe Ave. location. The chicken is a bit drier and ytou get smaller portions at the Pittsford one. Just beware of the clientele. They tend to be rather uppity and holier-than-thou at both locations. I can't say anything bad about the food and the wait-staff is always very friendly. —PickleCelli

2009-07-12 11:22:22   I am amazed at the amount of raves on this page. I had high hopes for this place because the Aladdin's in Ithaca was so wonderful. My husband and I have been there twice and have been disappointed both times. The service is always with an attitude. We went Friday night and one of the servers slammed the water onto our table, and then literally threw the straws at us. I ordered the pignolia pasta (pine nuts, goat cheese cream sauce, etc), and not only was there absolutely no goat cheese in it (the whole reason I ordered that dish was the goat cheese), but the stench of burnt garlic was overwhelming. What I had was a bland cream sauce with no flavor, and burnt garlic to boot. We are giving up on this place and will just go to the Ithaca one when we are in the area. —Joslin

2009-07-15 22:56:08   Which location did you go to, the one in Schoen Place or Monroe Ave? —RichardSarkis

2009-07-16 12:05:20   I went to the Schoen Place one in Pittsford —Joslin

2009-07-23 17:54:04   Unfortunately (by my perspective) the Schoen place location does not have the same owner as the one on Monroe (but they're part of the local franchise). The Monroe location is whole-heartedly recommended by me. Go there and you will have a great experience. —RichardSarkis

2009-11-24 13:20:16   I LOVE the Pittsford canal location especially on a warm sunny day! I've been to both locations many many times and I'm convinced that the food is better on the canal. The two are actually run by different owners...maybe that has something to do with it. Just about everything on the menu is great. The dishes are also very reasonably priced. Since I live close by, Aladin's is a perfect place for me to grab something quick to eat when I don't feel like cooking. —Liren

2009-11-30 14:24:14   Gotta say I like the place on Monroe more. Just feel the service is better. As for the food, probably one of favorite places for soup and salad. I like the fact that when you order soup you get a real bowl and don't feel as if you wre just fleeced for $7.00. One of few places where soup and salad is actually a meal. —almorinelli

2010-01-10 09:15:59   Went there on a Saturday night and it was busy so maybe that is why the service was super super slow. The food portions are huge and most of the food we ordered was tasty—the hummus, spanakopita, pasta tourlou, falafel pitas. The souvalaki said it was tenderloin but if that was tenderloin it was the toughest tenderloin I ever had—seemed more like sirloin. Falafels were OK but I think they are better at Sinbad's. All in all a good, inexpensive restaurant and I would return- but at a less busy time.... —RocDiner

2010-02-06 08:25:16   I have enjoyed the flavor and the good value of the food at the Pittsford location for many years, however, I have a serious problem with the customer service of the 'manager'. My husband and I were seated near a couple who discovered a live slug/snail in their salad greens. They complained about it to the 'manager', who scowled at them and argued with the woman that it really was a piece of mushroom. We saw it moving and confirmed it was a LIVE foreign object. The owner was aware of this issue and deliberately avoided their table (Way to go!). The 'manager' actually brought them the bill with the entire charge of both meals. The woman firmly stated that she was not paying for her meal, and the gentleman stated he wasn't paying for his as well, because he was revolted and unable to finish his meal. As soon as they left, the 'manager' leaned over and told us 'they've done this before!" indicating this couple was unscrupulous and was trying to scam her. I do not agree with this, because it is possible to twice find objects in your food there, I have. I once found a small bug in my greens, which I did not address, but I once also found a huge twig/stick in my salad as big as my pinkie and I addressed it. I thoroughly wash and sort my greens at home and I expect them to do so as well. We told the waitress about it and she removed the charge from our bill. She offered us free dessert, which we declined, but expressed our appreciation with how she handled it. She said the 'manager' will be offering us the free dessert when we pay at the register, and this woman not only neglected to offer us dessert, she scowled at us and refused to greet/speak to us while we checked out, rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. She was clearly irritated about our complaint and begrudgingly allowed the removal of the charge. This 'manager' should take some customer service training and put it into practice. She is very ungracious toward and suspicious of customers. We have not been back since, and I tell everyone I know about my bad experience. I had the opportunity to plan a work event lunch/canal tour for 17 people, we ate at a nearby restaurant rather than Aladdins. —LisaRuns