One of my coworkers said she orders party platters from this restaurant so I decided to try it for lunch one day. The establishment is more of a market with a hot food counter on the side. I ended up ordering the beef shawarma gyro plate with falafel, mujadar, and fried eggplant. My order was ready in less than 15 minutes. I felt I did a good job picking the items in my combo. The flavors of each item were really good. I especially enjoyed how the beef was seasoned though it was a bit on the dry side, but the included white sauce definitely helped moisten it up. Each of the sides had great flavors as well. Overall, the portion size and flavors were great for lunch. I probably could've saved half for another meal but ended up eating it all since it was so good. I definitely will come back to try more items on the menu! read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Beef shawarma gyro plate with falafel, mujadar, and fried eggplant - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

Health inspectors should be shutting this place down based on how rotten and expired their food is. Got dough that's 6 months old, the meat smelled, everything is dusty. The place used to be good but now is disgusting and an embarrassment for the city. read more

Just updating - still my go to middle eastern store, still good natured man at the register, still need to get fresh food - I remember my halloumi but I don't go at lunch - must soon - meanwhile, I enjoy this place and their fresh Kunafe AND the frozen one they have yum! read more

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The meat quality has dropped drastically after the new butcher joined. His method of meat handling is questionable as there has been several occasions where meat bought had gone bad. Please bring the initial butcher who has been transferred to catering. This issue was never there with the initial butcher man who new how to prepare and cut the meat. The new butcher doesn't even know how to cut and clean the meat. Very disappointing I just hope no one gets sick. read more

This is my go-to place for fresh feta, pita, kabob, vegetables, and the best sweets and dried nuts! Today we drove just to get the grape leaves to make our own dolmas! He helped us learn. Best quality, best service. Worth any drive ! read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

This morning, I bought some cheese. About 15 minutes later, I realized I got the wrong kind and went back to exchange it. I think it was the accountant -- bald, not the one with glasses. He said the cheese had been opened. I told him I hadn't opened it and that I had just bought it 10 minutes ago. He took it back with an irritated attitude, and I exchanged it for a different cheese. When I got home, the new cheese was spoiled -- it tasted bitter and had a disgusting smell. I returned it again. I will never go back there, not even for water. I don't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

Oh my gosh what a hidden treasure! A fantastic Middle Eastern market with packaged goods, a deli with fresh prepared food, a meat and poultry counter, an actual kebab (fresh) as part of their deli, an olive bar where you help yourself according to type of olive and weight ... we got their spinach/feta pie, which never can I resist. In their refrigerated sections, they have more than Middle Eastern foods--Undian naans :-) A ton of produce and more varieties of dried dates I could count on! The service fast and efficient, the costs super reasonable, free parking out front. What is not to love? What a find! Love! read more

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Used them for catering a party. The food was delicious and we got lots of questions from the guests asking who made the food. Thanks!

A horrible store, super fictious pricing with a frown. Giving middle eastern food a bad name. Their groceries are ~ double the Price when compared with the Indian store right next door. Following are some pertaining examples : Yellow Onions are $0.89 / lb pound, as compared with $0.39 /lb the Indian store. Persian Cucumbers are $3.89 /lb, vs $1.99 /lb. Their "Tabouleh" looks like someone mowed the lawn with dull blades, and forgot to empty the bag. The canned Fava beans are rusty and old.. & to top it off, the staff is not friendly. No greetings no welcome no thank you , etc.. Don't bother. No wonder they were rated low, and I honestly think it should be even lower .. read more

Can't top this kunafe sweet and a great service. We had at a weeding hot and fresh! Owner and chef delivered the right taste with great attitude read more

most of his product are expired and change the expiry date with a new label nothing is fresh

Very hardworking workers trying their best to make good food. Good Mediterranean food. Love the falafels, love the wraps and salads.

I was amazed by the inventory that this well-organized store holds. It offers all the goodies we eat in our Middle Eastern cuisine. I was so excited to be there. Everything is fresh and looks so good I was so happy to find SHATTA without any preservatives etc. in it. The food I got was delicious and my mom was so happy to eat MANEESH with ZAATAR. Nasir and Noella were so helpful & kind. Thank you! read more

A great place with so many options of food, halal meat, groceries and desserts. The store is clean and was very impressed with the service. They have Kunafa which they make fresh at the store. read more

I used to really enjoy coming here, especially for their halal meat--particularly the kofta. However, during my recent visit, I was disappointed. The raw chicken I purchased a couple of days ago didn't seem fresh, and it made me question whether the meat is being stored at the right temperature. read more

Really kind, attentive owner. They've been around for 37 years. Wow! He gave a free sample of their falafel...bought a box after trying :). Their kunefe is fresh too. Can't wait to come back. read more

Love this place. They got the best falafel and shawarma wraps and plates. I'm telling you I'm super picky with that. It's super authentic and just yummy!!! They have yummy desserts. And amazing kenafeh. My coworkers are obsessed with the wraps as well. The staff is nice. The owner is so friendly and kind. Love coming here to find all the things I grew up with back home. read more

This middle eastern store is one of the oldest in the area. I had no clue it existed until I saw kanafa ( a desert flaky cheesy sweet yummmm). I saw the advert on Facebook and I was added to my bucket list of must go to when in San Mateo. I love little gem like this that offer so much in one place. From grocery, Togo food and a mini dine In area. Unique decoration and dishes catering to middle eastern. Their spice mixes and pickle galore. And I really like their varieties of Baklava and Halwa but let's not forget the freshly made kanafa. Customer service was amazing, as it being my first time and not so familiar to the menu names he guided me and directed me to best option. As I told him I wanted something a little more spicy as middle eastern food is full of flavor but not spicy. He made the adjustment perfectly. While I waited for my food to be prepared I walked around and of course picked up a few unique Middle Eastern items. There was a hidden corner that had household items which are reasonably priced. I was happy to find a variety of marshmallows which my kids love and being we can only have a special Halal type. In the back they had a refrigerator of drinks that are carbonated with unique flavor such as pomegranate peach strawberry. Of course I grabbed one to have with my meal. It was not a busy night as it was a weekday but I'm pretty sure on a weekend it must get busy. I did look over the fresh meat that they had to offer prices were just as average but the quality of the meat look good. A great place to grab a meal and a few groceries while you wait. read more

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Stopped by to grab lunch last week. Nice selection of shawerma and kebabs, served either in a pita or as a plate. Heads up that kebabs might take some time to prepare (we were quoted 20 minutes) so maybe call your order in if you want a kebab and you're ordering to go. Overall I thought it was a tasty plate that came with hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh, a warm pita, and rice or salad. I'll definitely be back. read more

Aladdin Market is the place I go to get Middle Eastern groceries in San Mateo! They have everything from fresh produce to Halal meat to pantry staples like tahini, dried beans, spices, cheese, and Middle Eastern sweets. But this is more than a grocery store--Aladdin has a full grill, deli counter, and bakery that turns out incredible food at a great value! First, I ordered the beef kebab plate, and the person behind the counter immediately pulled out two HUGE metal kebab swords to grill up the perfectly seasoned chunks of meat! The plate also came with crunchy Greek salad (chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, bell peppers), refreshing tabbouleh (parsley, chopped tomato, spring onion, bulgur), and amazingly creamy hummus and smoky baba ghanoush! But there was a whole refrigerator case of other prepared and chilled mezzes, and I couldn't help but get a plateful to try: the musaka was made of tender eggplant in a spiced tomato sauce, and the okra was prepared similarly with onion and tomato sauce as well; the refreshing yogurt-cucumber salad was like a chunky tzatziki, and the fried cauliflower was nicely seasoned and slightly crispy. The plates were served with thin pita bread, which was great for dipping into the mezze! I also got their muhammara, a crumbly, flavorful dip of ground walnuts, red pepper, and pomegranate molasses; and an order of kubeh, a football-shaped fritter with a shell made of ground beef and bulgur, and with more ground beef and pine nuts stuffed inside. The kubeh had been pre-prepared and were sitting in the refrigerated case, but despite being served cold, they were still super flavorful! I was so impressed by the food at Aladdin that I came back a few weeks after my first visit to try the Mediterranean Veg Combo, which came with falafels and dolmas, in addition to some of the mezzes I had tried before. The falafels here were unlike any I've had elsewhere--they were super light and airy on the inside, which left the outside especially crispy (though rather greasy). read more

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How dare you disrespect our best Arabic sweet with the worst dough. Your dough for the baklavas are the worst they taste like ABSOLUTE cardboard. Shame on you I want a refund read more

I've been going to this place for almost years, but today I witnessed the owner being very rude and condescending to one of their employees. Unprofessional and I felt so bad for the employee. Plus, the quality of the produce has declined tremendously, and the prices have gone up quite extensively. I'll be taking my business to Mosiac which is around the corner. Disappointed to see this type of treatment and will take my business elsewhere. read more

Horrifying "food." The kebeh must've been weeks old. The falafels were also ancient. The Spinach pie had a weird taste. The lahmajeen meet smelled odd. I threw away all of the food. Never again. No way. read more

Excellent Arabic food for any party! The chicken is marinated and grilled to perfection. You can't go wrong by catering your next party with their delicious food. read more

I'll start by saying customer service isn't optimal here. I'll find myself standing in line to order at the deli while nothing is happening or I'm told to wait and 10 minutes later I'm finally able to order. It's painfully slow and needs to be far more efficient. There are also times they see you and just pretend you don't exist. I don't want to say "excuse me" and be a prick. You see someone, you at least get around to them in a timely manner instead of 10 minutes+ to see what they'd like and have the courtesy to tell them they'll be with you shortly. There are a couple of caring and hardworking employees here I've come across, but I think it might come down to a managerial and communication issue with higher ups. I'd purchased some food here, deli sides and onions that were bad. Onion had mold, yogurt cucumber was a far cry from the one I'd ordered the time previously, clearly bad and a waste of $13. The rice I'd ordered was in the same situation, something tasted off. I'd have let the deli cheese stock that expired a month ago off, but this accumulated with my other purchases left a bad taste. I literally have the same cheese from another store that expires in October I purchased earlier this month, while Aladdin Market still had stock (6+) expired a month ago that had no place there. Please do quality control, this is not safe. I understand it's tedious to double check all your stock, but it's not right to sell these to unknowing people, especially during the month of Ramadan where you look forward to that one meal in the evening with unrivaled anticipation. There are positives however, as the fresh deli food is delicious. I'd ordered halal chicken salad, halal stromboli, and a halal beef schwarma plate. All were absolutely fantastic. Chicken pie was amazing, beef not so much. They have a plethora of good packaged options, ranging from halal turkey meat, to unique chocolates, to all the yummy jarred and frozen food. They also have plenty of PPE (hand sanitizer and face masks) in stock which was nice to see. I really didn't want to be harsh with this rating and wanted to give 5*, but the food that went bad along with customer service is just odd for a place that does so much right. read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Halal Stromboli - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I used to love coming here- so it was a major disappointment what I experienced. I traveled across the bay to get some falafels and I wish I didn't! Avoid this place at all costs. Stay away from the food court especially the expired old falafels. I bought some today and of course they weren't fresh I took the last batch not knowing they were sitting out for who knows how long. If your trying to get a stomach ache come here. I took one bite and stomach pains started. Also stay away from their shawerma looked so old. They are not sanitary and wash their hands or wear masks. Save your money and medical bills. Disgusting I will never come here again. Place is a Covid infestation read more

Customer service is okay but after finding this creepy mealworm in my Turkish desert for sure not anymore, Me and friend got sick. read more

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The owner of this place is so nice, the worker who is selling is very polite, I also love that they have Russian food

Great selection of mideterranian food at the deli, fresh halal meat, variety of fresh produce, the stuff that you don't usually find at your typical grocery store. And when it comes to grocery any thing you're used to buy in the middle east you will find at aladdin shelves for a reasonable price. read more

Great friendly Place, has variety of items, middle-eastern, Indian, Russian, Turkish,,, Has great delicious homemade deli department, variety off dishes such as mojadara, kobbi, , , I love their pastries, baked in their special built baking oven, you see the fire. Variety of deserts such as kinafa, it's to die for, the cheese melts. I highly recommend the place. read more

Not bad a a store, nice owner and everything is ok except the people who works in the kitchen. There is nothing I hate more burned crushed meat in my sandwich, those particles looks like coarse peppers, you can't taste them, but could cause you a cancer everywhere in you colon and more. I tried one shawarma long ago, and it was full of this black particles. I thought it was a mistake, happened once, so I was bitter but did not say anything about it. Yesterday Fri Oct. 13 2023 I was in the area, and felt eating again a Chicken Shawarma again, the same man "cook" still there the same man. But there is two more people working, an older lady, "nice" and a Latin girl. I ordered my sandwich, the Latin girl prepared it to me. To be honest, the taste was great, a lot of meat but loaded with this burned particles, a lot of them the chicken pieces edges are burnt to add to the poison in the Sandwich. I was hungry, I ate it, and I went home and searched google again about the danger, to find out that I should not eat it, very dangerous, cancer causing materials. I wonder, are they going to change? Or you can't teach an old dog a new tricks. I am not eating there anymore, I do not feel it worse the risk. Fire the chef, he is no good, older tall middle eastern man. He should know better. read more

Chicken skewer is the best ! Chicken so tender and taste so good. It's my first time to try Mediterranean food

More like 3.5 stars. Decent food with good prices. I got the kabob plate with chicken and kubedeh, rice, hummus, and cucumber salad. Both of the kabobs were a bit dry, and not as well seasoned as other places like Cobani in San Mateo or the former Rose Marker in Mountain View (the latter being hands down the best kabobs I've had). The prices here are a little cheaper than the other places so it's still a good value with the amount of sides to choose from and the taste is OK, it just didn't compare to the other places. But still worth coming to when I don't want to deal with the Cobani crowds or want more à la carte options. Since they're a full market, you can get tons of other great stuff. But the rating is just about the food. Parking can be tricky during rush hours since cars barreling down Hillsdale to get onto 101 will never stop coming. You might be better off parking down a few blocks and walking since it will make getting out easier. read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Menu on 4/5/2017. - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

Pros - Great selection of Arabic products. Cons - CHECK YOUR RECEIPT. I've been there twice in the last 4 months and both times the clerk scanned multiple items twice thinking I wouldn't notice. The first time I excused it as a mistake as he immediately apologized and fixed his mistake. After it happened the second time, it was evident that these people are trying to cheat customers. This is my experience and many others that I know have been there as well. Proceed with caution at the register. read more

Aladdin Gourmet - Return receipt after catching his "mistake" - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Not gourmet for a fact...New greedy owner increased prices it's like going to Whole Foods. Buying from the Deli is more expensive than buying the same dish from a restaurant. Sandwiches ingredients were cut in half literally, and their falafel wraps have become falafel sticks. The pies have no ingredients to taste besides bread, you have to look so hard to even see it. What a joke, I go to Marina Supermarket just down the road for groceries and fruits and vegetables at 1/2 the price and much better quality instead of the old rotted produce at this loser joint. read more

I remember going to Aladdin before, some time ago when I first moved to San Mateo but completely forgot that this was actually the place I visited *duh*. I then found it on Yelp again some time ago and keep telling myself that I WILL try some of the Mediterranean food they serve. As it turns out, this last week I didn't come for the hot food but just to check out their baked goods while I was waiting for Americano next door to make my Sammie I had just ordered. I was actually very impressed at the amount of cooked and baked foods they serve here - Wraps, grilled meat plates and even Rotisserie Chicken along with a small selection of Pastries. I ordered a Baklava and a Coconut Cake of which the name now eludes me before I then went on to browse the rest of the store quickly. They have a good amount of jarred, canned, fresh and frozen middle eastern goods as well as some British chocolate bars (Time Out, Bounty, Crunchy, Smarties, Aero, Flake and Kinder including both Bueno & Surprise). I picked up 2 KitKat Chunky's (one white chocolate and one caramel) for $1.29 each seeing as I haven't ever seen them since I moved from England. KitKat senses were also a bargain at 99c. Staff are nice and friendly here too. I see they must have their regular customers as they were very chatty with the couple in front of me. As far as the baked goods go, they were ok. I've had better Baklava but it was still a nice treat. 3 stars for now, hopefully that will increase when I (finally) try out their hot foods. read more

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The food is decent, not anything spectacular. Its often hard to get someone to notice you at the fresh food section. Cashier and other staff are abysmal to deal with. Absolutely no regard for the fact that I'm spending money in your store. Just plain rude and nasty attitude every single time. read more

Their fresh zaatar cheese pizza is amazing! Love this spot for hard to find and delicious middle eastern goodies.

Good selection of Arabic products, great prices, decent parking, friendly employees. Many frozen products you cannot find anywhere else. What I love about this store is they have a grocery, for me it saves me time going to the grocery store. The only reason why I did not give them a 5 stars is because they still don't have fresh meat all the time, you have to be careful specially when you want to buy chicken. read more

Must be my old friend (Amar Tumah's) family market. Either or it is, the place has awesome dinner plates, pizza, etc. Come in hungry, please. Prepping your will be slow... but there's a reason why. It is prepared meticulous & will come out delish ! Lamb & Chicken lunch or dinner plates to go are soo satisfying. So ono. Nuff said. read more