Aladin Brick Lane

Tourist trap! Beware. The google ratings are not real. The celebrity photos outside, the long menu with a mix and match of meats for the same curries! the papadom which you might believe is a starter is actually at 6£ — should be a give away. For lunch we ordered the chicken tandoori and lamb reshami as starters. Tandoori was okay , but not warm, the lamb reshami had an omelette thrown over a lamb minced kebab (unlike any lamb reshami I have ever eaten). Then the three mains: Lamb rezala on a sizzler (with a slightly sweetish tomatoey sauce), Lamb Dhansak (definitely not anything like the parsi dhansak in Indian restaurants) and the chicken biryani(pieces of chicken tikka thrown together in rice) were all sub standard, certainly not Indian. The Nan was sweetish. And to top it all the bill which is handwritten had a 15% service charge!!! This was for 3 people at lunch when the tables were half empty. So watch out and go over your bill carefully. Check the menu prices against the bill. And dont fall for the reviews or celebrity photos posted outside! They are not believable.

Mediocre at best, and as others have said a lot of the reviews are not real. Lacking flavor and spice, and everything served warm. Lamb samosa were dry and lacked flavor. Shrimp "Blast" was not fresh, and had a strong smell and was mealy - this was supposed to be thier award winning dish. Lamb kurma was gritty and way too sweet. The naan was quite good, but the paratha was gummy. Veggie biryani was decent. Best part of the meal was the pappadums - although menu says thet are .75p/ea, but somehow got charged £6 for 5 (we made sure to count). I am sure that they were well reviewed in the past, but thier best days are long behind them. Service was really lacking, and they constantly seem put out just to get us water. Too bad we didn't have Jack serve us, who seems to be mentioned the exact same way in soooo many reviews. Finally, make sure to check your bill, they seem to just tack on charges. Our bill came to £88.65, but adding it I can't understand how. I do not recommend at all.

Went here yesterday as a birthday treat given to me by my wife. Food was excellent , service was very good and attentive decor a little dated but not an issue, would come here again. Atmosphere i marked down simply because we were the only ones in there as it was early.

My sister and I had a lovely time at Aladin tonight for dinner. Jack was our server and he was polite and very friendly. The food was incredible- I have come here a few times before and I am always happy. Will definitely be back!

Maybe there are hidden gems on brick lane but in 2025 it seems that, like this place, they have all become tourist traps. The food was average at best. Also be weary you can be seated in the windowless basement which is not appealing.

Vibrant, busy place. There are multiple rooms (ground and basement level), and ours had a beautiful mural on the wall. However, as an Indian family, we found the food very mediocre.

Excellent food, ambiance and service. Kawsar was super. Five stars all the way! If we lived in London we would eat here weekly. Special Father’s Day and holiday meal for our family. 🥰🩷🤩

Had a lovely meal out with my mum. Ordered the vegetable blast - delicious, unique and exquisite flavours. Fish korma - lovely classic dish. Staff were all lovely as well, especially Kawsar! Thank you to the staff at Aladdin for making it a great experience!

Among the dozens of Indian restaurants in Brick Lane, we reluctantly fell for the sales pitch at the door and decided to dine at Aladin. The menu was extensive, but seemed very similar to that of the other nearby curry houses. I decided to order the non-veg thali. There was a good variety of offerings, but I was disappointed with the taste of the food. It wasn't bad, but definitely nothing special -- no deep flavors or spiciness to add to the taste that I have gotten accustomed to enjoying from better establishments. The interaction with the waiter was confusing at best, during the order process, but mostly at the end when he presented the bill. It was a handwritten check that was finally corrected after the fourth attempt amid a bunch of scratched off numbers to indicate the discount that the salesman at the door promised, and to also remove items that were double-charged. The street-level dining room was small, but somehow accommodated a lot of diners which made it very noisy. I will unfortunately not return to Aladin. There are much better Indian restaurants around London.

I was told the best Indian food can be found in London's Brick Lane, not in this restaurant. We ordered a variety of food to sample a little bit of everything; chicken Tika, mango lamb, okra, saffron rice and naan. A mixed bag, from good Tika chicken, to poor saffron rice. Service was friendly, and the atmosphere welcoming.

Service was nice. Kind folks working there. It was pretty chill in this cheery spot. The food def not even close to excellence of other Indian had in London and other cities. Quite pricey for casual Indian. Way too sweet for me all around. Everything from the chutneys to the curries. On the positive side, very good lamb samosa, chicken tikka and lamb curry. A fun lunch regardless of the food which was just below standard for my taste.

We got a tasting plate and it was so good! Tikka was a little sweeter then I like but was so good. It's BYO which we didn't realize until we got there so bring your booze

Absolutely amazing. Yank traveling abroad. Absolutely recommend to anyone. Very good range from mild to hot. Something for everyone.

The vibe was good but the food was awful. Truly. I've never experienced Indian food that's so sweet. All of us were surprised. To be fair, we had Dishoom for lunch and came here for dinner so our hopes were unreasonably high but even with a low bar, this food didn't meet our basic expectations.

Totally bland, 4 dishes ordered, samosas, king prawn puri, lamb biryani with vegetable curry and chicken tiikka masala - no taste at all - came here as it was rated 4* on TripAdvisor and had good reviews in the past - the only good thing was that it was not expensive and did not serve alcohol otherwise we would have racked the bill up.........

The service was good but most of the food was not fresh or good. The Raita tasted off like it was expired. The chutneys served with the papadam had no flavor and appeared to be gelatin based. They were very sweet, brightly ant unnaturally colored with a bad flavor. The main dishes were decent and spiced well. If you only purchased the main dishes you'll be ok.

I had the phall (the spiciest dish) and it was so good! I asked if they could bring it to the next level and make it even spicier and the waiter, Nidal, brought over some Naga (3rd hottest pepper in the world). Soooooo gooooddd!! Amazing curry and great service!!

Everyone was talking about Brick Ln Indian food so we ended up here after seeing FANTASTIC google reviews... but I was extremely let down. The place was relatively empty, so the staff was pretty attentive. But, they seemed to think we knew nothing about what we were ordering, which wasn't the case considering this is my favorite type of food. That being said, they just seemed off. The samosas tasted frozen, and most likely were.. The chai was not made properly and a big let down. The naan wasn't bad, but wasn't great. Butter chicken was much too sweet. My friend got tandoori chicken which was the worst let down of the night. It just seemed like this place lacked proper spice. I wish I had more time to try another curry house on Brick Lane, but sadly I do not. Skip this place.

Open late, we sat outside. Very attentive, buttered chicken was great the veggie samosas as well. Very different base from American style Indian food. Very good flavor. Enjoyed how colorful it was, very different vibe. Food was great

Skip it. Tourist trap. The waiters are rude and make fun of Diners NO ALCOHOL. We asked for some wine and after arguing with us for 15 mins,, the waiter went to the liquor store to buy us some cheap ass wine and came back and said it was 15 GBP. Food was crappy.

The best tika I've ever had. The garlic naan was really good as well. We ordered a few other items but the tika was hands down. 10

Tried this extraordinary indian food at the east end. Everything here is so wonderful and the spicyness level was just absolutely amazing since it went into my liking. This is totally a recommended indian restaurant. I would come back again to try its other menus. They have a whole bunch of food to try.

This was the worst meal I had in London. Samosas we're half frozen and several dishes were bright red meaning food coloring. It made all of us feel sick. Tasted like old oil. Yuck.

You can go ahead and skip this place. The whole experience just wasn't good and there are a billion Indian/Pakistani restaurants in London (even just on Brick Lane). It was a experience for sure, just not a great one. The long and short of it: 1. Getting In: There are 2 restaurants, and they'll do their best to get you into either one of them. Be wary of the guy who will rope you in off the street with promises of the best Indian food in London. They'll say anything to get you in, which includes estimating a 10 - 15 minute wait when the place is packed and you'll be sitting for 45 minutes (source: that was us). My recommendation would be to politely decline and eat elsewhere. 2. Food: Your standard Indian affair, masalas, paneers and whatnot. The Saag mushrooms were good, but everything else was really standard. Not bad, just nothing special for everything else that took away from the meal. A solid meh. Nothing comes with rice or naan so be prepared to tack that on to the bill. 3. Atmosphere: Loud. Like... really loud, especially if you're downstairs. My fiancee and I were in no way looking for a quiet dinner but neither of us could even hear the waiter when he was speaking, or each other for most of the meal. Not the biggest deal if you're there for a loud gathering (there were a few) but pretty annoying for anyone else. 4. Service: Bad. The place was packed yes but there was at least a 20 - 25 minute wait between every step of the meal. Sit down, great now you have 20 minutes to decide what you want to eat. Any drinks? OK, I'll get your waters in about 20 minutes. Need more rice for anything? That'll be about 20 minutes. It all added up to an extremely drawn out meal. A few tables around us seemed to be experiencing the same thing, plenty of checking time and trying to flag down staff. The staff also seem to see the customers as an inconvenience which is always fun. 5. Alcohol: Aladin is BYOB and has a liquor store next door. Apparently they'll run next door for you if you want something and weren't aware, but only if they like you because our waiter flat out refused to after we saw him bring beers to the table next to us. Just bring your own. 6. Price: The food isn't super overpriced, maybe a bit more than what I'd pay for the food quality (much more considering everything else). Despite our best efforts, the lack of alcohol also helped cut down on the overall price. Just skip Aladin, it's simply not worth the money and especially not worth the time you'll invest to have a meal there. Pick any other Indian place around the area and have a better all around experience. Won't be back. Overall Grade: D

Friendly staff and great tikka masala! It's in a nice location, near the Spitalfields outdoor market/mall. Combine with shopping and other snacks.

Food and service was good but we were told 20% off while walking by and realized after we paid the bill that it wasn't applied. Maybe, it's a scam to get you in the door and if you don't remind them of the 20% off then they don't apply it to the bill.

This has a pretty high google rating, not so good on yelp but I thought I'd give it a go as a tourist. I ordered one of the award winning dishes, "Lamb blast". Surprisingly, the curry came with neither naan nor rice for just under £16. I had the garlic naan (I ordered two as one was not enough-that cost £3.50 each!). Food was pretty good, however the service was bad. I was offered no water and food took about more than 30 minutes, which just meant I had more time to watch the man standing at the doorway watching traffic sending his staff to round up tourists to eat at this restaurant. Beyond being grumpy and stomping back and forth The length of the establishment, an exceptionally loud walkie talkie and cell phone were being used simultaneously and constantly which killed the already lacking atmosphere. Shame really coz the food was good.

Honestly the food wasn't bad. However, they'll rip you off if you're a tourist though. I wouldn't come here as a tourist if you want honest treatment.

Horrible place. Not sure how they even got 3 stars. Food is mediocre at best and the restaurant over charged me. When I called them out on it they gave some lame excuse about over charging was for part of the condiments. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

I love Indian food and had heard a lot of good things about Aladin, so they had a lot to live up to for me. They didn't disappoint. Brilliant service, amazing food and brilliant value for money. I got onion bhajis, lamb korma and a load of rice for £10. It was a struggle to finish. All of it was incredible, although the bhajis were a highlight. Also I was pretty impressed at how fast they got me through, had to be close to half an hour. I told them I was in a rush and they delivered.

This is the worst Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant that I have eaten at in this world. I am floored by the reviews. First it is not really Indian, second, the food has so much red food dye (cancer causing agent) in it and they are serving this in every meal to people. Please do not go this restaurant if you care about your bodies. There is no red chilli powder that makes food that color, it is all red food dye. The food tasted horrible, sweet (you could taste the sugar in it) even though I asked for Madras hot. I ordered the Tandoori king Prawns Curry and Saag Paneer. I am so sorry that this restaurant represents our food.

Great food and great service! Nidal was a fantastic server who took care of our huge group very well. Love that it is BYOB and we get all the appetisers! See you again soon!

This restaurant was bustling with customers when I walked in which seemed to be a good sign. Asked for a menu recommendation once I was seated and took the waiter up on the chicken tikka blast (had to order rice separately and regrettably decided to go with coconut rice). Long story short, I paid a total of 24 euros for one of the most sugary meals I've had (including some much needed counteracting water and plain naan). I couldn't even finish half of what was served. The table next to me paid their bill saying it was "really good" so either they ordered something else entirely or were just being undeservedly nice.

Friendly service and good food. I enjoyed the chicken tikka masala the most and the fresh chilies they add to it are such a nice touch because I love spicy food. Lamb curry and vegetable curry are also good.

The photogenic BrickLane of East London seems to be the only place where walls are encouraged to be artistically manipulated. Denim & Leather jacketeers pounce down on street steps, puffing away on their fags, the assortment of Indian restaurants from left to right gets any appetite brewing, the slew of vintage clothing shops and the variety of world culture's makes Brick Lane a sort of pleasure dome for curious eyes. With so many restaurants to choose from, and me being the only yelper to yelp about them,luck factor is all I had in determining the right one (I'm obvi against referring to any other form of reviews) so I took my chances with Aladin. After reading about the approval from the prince or some blah blah thing on the window, I sat down. First things first: "Do you have Cobra?" (my favorite British/Indian beer) "No." a despondent response came my way. "Do you have beer?" I mean, if they don't have Cobra... "No, we are royal." Right, well then...the waiter basically hated me from then on and although my Balti Lamb was a 7.5/10 the service was about a 5. Even though a 7.5/10 dish equates to a 10/10 to American Indian Food, I guarantee you I won't be returning to Aladin ever again.

Like, yeah. I mean... it was good. Fun atmosphere. Pretty decent service. Allowed us all to be loud and disheveled and obnoxious. And the food... was 'yeah'. Not like ooohhh yeah, just yeah. The lamb with mango was slightly tough, the cheese naan not that cheesy.... In a town like London, where your mission in life is to line the team's stomachs with that perfect blend of carbs and protein before a solid sesh... THIS specific Indian is not really where I would return.

One of the key tips I learned before coming to Brick Lane was to avoid the curry houses where they solicit (read: pressure) people to come in. Aladin is definitely not one of those places. Actually, it's so popular, that they have a guy out front to keep people out! We took a risk and went down after 7PM on a Saturday night with no reservations. Even though the place was packed, we only waited about 15 minutes. The guy out front was really good about managing the waiting patrons and preventing people from sneaking in. We were seated next door in Nazrul, which is owned by Aladin and has the Aladin menu (the two restaurants are physically connected inside as well). I had heard that their King Prawn Biryani was really good, so I ordered that, while my husband ordered the Chicken Kurma, a coconut curry dish. We also got some Peshwari Nan. Everything was great. I really liked the biryani - a very flavorful, mild dish with plenty of prawn. And it came with an outrageously delicious vegetable curry. My husband was pleased with his curry, which was rich in flavor, not too much heat. Service was good, more so once the order was in. The overall experience was fine, until a huge 30+ group of twenty-somethings came in, filling over half the restaurant. Not only were they insanely loud, but they had brought champagne, which upon opening exploded in an arc over their table and spraying the family next to us. No acknowledgment or apology for the family - they just went on being rambunctious and oblivious. Fortunately we were well into our meal, but we kind of rushed to finish so we could get out of there. Not really the fault of the restaurant, but still put a damper on the end. All in all, I can definitely say Aladin has earned its great reputation.

So I was coming from Berlin where the city's Indian food offerings suck. I came here based on the recommendation of a friend, but I was really let down. The food was good, but simply not what you expect from what should be an authentic Indian curry house, but it was rather similar to what I just left in Berlin (well, to be honest it was similar to the better Indian restaurants in Berlin, but still this is London).

Food is crap- don't waste your money. They lure you in with their tricks and say when asked that it is Indian food, but man it's a lie! Don't go! Nothing here is good, you'll get bootleg South East Asian Food.

I dragged my friends to brick lane on a Friday night because I was keen for some British curry. I scoped around online and the general consensus was Aladin is the best curry house in the area. We walked in and were offered a 20% discount and quickly seated to a booth. I was extremely unimpressed by the restaurant. The ambience is dingy, with crappy paintings and dirty booths. They quickly served us oily pappadums with a plate of sauces. The strangest was the mint sauce which was a bright yellow (yuck). I ordered a cauliflower curry and yellow daal. The cauliflower was oily and doused in a flavourless tomato sauce. The daal was loaded with garlic and just not good. The naan we ordered didn't seem to have been cooked in a tandoor and was really not up to standards. When our bill came it didn't include the discount we were offered and we had to remind them to reduce the price. I'm really confused by the high rating as the food is really terrible and the ambience just didn't cut it.

This was the second restaurant that I've tried on Brick Lane, and I would say the quality of the food was on par with the first. I ordered a mix of Chicken and Lamb Mardas with Garlic Rice. It was exactly what I was looking for in a south Asian dish. It was fairly hot as it stated on the menu. The madras curry sauce was excellent with the rice. The service was attentive, but the waiter was a bit pushy and quite unhelpful when I was ordering.

Best indian dining experience of my life. Great staff, helpful in educating you on the variety of dishes. So pleased with my choice of Lamb Naga. Best Indian in East London

Dingy atmosphere. Mediocre service. Average curry. This was the only British curry I tried on my trip, and I didn't enjoy it. You had to order rice separately. The garlic naan was barely flavored. I had to continually ask for water. Will not return.

My sister and I were directed to Aladin after a slightly more upscale/trendy Indian restaurant not too far by was fully booked for the evening. I had my reservations upon entering the restaurant -- mostly the loud/BYOB crowd practically spilling out of the restaurant -- but the "bouncer" at the previous restaurant swore by the spot as the most celebrated in London for Indian food. So so happy we stayed to experience the food AND service. Both surprisingly top-notch. Friendliest waiters -- even gave us extra mango/coconut naan (get it!!) on the house AND a discount on the entire meal. We probably were waited on by 3 different servers but each of them were so attentive to our food + experience. Apparently, they just underwent a big management change and are trying to build up a positive reputation for not only food but also service. We had the chef's special -- grilled lamb + grilled chicken marinated and tossed with special sauce, respectively -- and omg I am salivating as i speak about it. Have yet to have a more authentic, flavorful, satisfying Indian meal. Do yourself a favor and go, go go! Such a great and verry filling (wear loose clothing) way to end our trip.

Brick Lane is the most popular place in East London for curries. Every step taken down the Street is littered with PR types begging you to come in and taste their wares; offering 'discount' off the menu (the menu already shows the price with the discount, so not particularly exclusive!) but this isn't to say that their food is any good. (although some is) Aladins. What a diamond in the rough. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was crap, mainly because it looks crap. But once you step inside and are greeted by the warm, friendly staff and the fragrances reach your nose all will become clear. The decor and lighting have a lot to be desired, but the food is divine. Tender meat, beautiful spices and perfectly sized portions. Fresh Naan and lovely rice are great accompaniments as well as the extra tasty lime pickle (to be taken with poppadoms, of course!). Oh yeah, and it's bring your own booze. Get in!

Ok. Let's. Be honest. Awful. I came here starving. By the time my food came I was no longer hungry I was so tired. They took easily an hour. And when the food came it was poor. Really poor. The atmosphere is dull. I saw them moving couples out of the way to get coats from cupboards behind their seats (not their coats) . There's nothing redeeming about this place. There are good places to go on Brick Lane! Seriously amazing places. This is not one of them.

I visited Aladin as part of a food walking tour. We tried three different types of curry along with some naan bread. The service was decent at best and the curry was pretty good. The atmosphere was just alright. Honestly, I feel you can probably get better curry in other places in London, especially with such a large curry choices. Brick lane is a fun place to go. It is a complete mix of shops, curry houses, churches, jewish quarter, art industry, etc. You can find so much on or around this road that it makes it a fun place to spend the afternoon. I would recommend getting curry or Indian food on this strip, but not necessarily here.

Came in solo. Heard about this place and Bricklane. It's true, there might be a wait, but it's not too bad. If you're touring the city for like I am, you can be patient and savor for the food, which was good. I highly recommend the Aloo Chat Puri's and the Tandoori chicken. My trip today we're all small plates that also included the Fried Fish and Naan

After visiting this curry house on recommendation from a fellow Yelper I was hugely disappointed and given the mixed reviews I'm guessing this place is very much hit and miss. As a solo diner...I was sat opposite a huge party that was somewhat noisy so I would have preferred somewhere quieter. I had also forgotten it was BYOB and I asked if there was any way I could get a glass of wine to which I was told no. Not long after a couple were sat beside me and the waiter offered to buy them drinks at the shop nearby-way to make someone feel unwanted!! The service was pretty terrible and I hadn't even finished my starter before the main arrived. At this point I just felt like I was being rushed so wolfed down my very average curry and unsatisfactory Nan then made a quick exit! I will never return here again and wouldn't recommend it given the other options on Brick Lane and the surrounding area!

The butter chicken and prawn curry were watery and tasteless. The all male service had an attitude but to be fair it could have been a language issue. We had a much better experience at Dishoon. I will never return here because for £ 70 we did not get the food we had expected.

Came here as a single diner and the touts couldn't even be bothered. Lol. Fair enough, I was wearing a hoodie and dirty sneakers. Lots and lots of signs and advertising outside the restaurant to have you believe that the food is "award winning/top 10 in London", but falls incredibly short of these statement. I had the following; "Award winning" lamb tikka blast - flavoured ok, not enough meat, and too sweet. Cheese naan (not very cheesy) Poppadums decent but accompanied with gross chutney Mango lassi (can't go too wrong with mango lassi) Total bill came to £24. Could have had much better quality elsewhere. Overall a disappointing experience and won't be going back.

I had the chicken tikka blast which apparently won them an award. If you have any idea or appreciate at all real Indian food, you will not share enjoyment with the taste of Brick lane. I suppose they've tailored the taste for the English there and I scoff at reviews that use the adjective authentic, unless there's a part of India I'm severely misrepresenting whose favored spice is sugar. It was dumped with sugar. Almost inedible. I could barely make out any other redeeming qualities from the disgusting blast of sugar. No spice heat to speak of, I suppose the chicken itself was cooked well and the naan was decent. But mostly I just remember the overpowering sauce which seemed like some amateur combo of canned tomato soup sprinkled with some other spice so they could call it curry. Very disappointed.

Best Chicken Tikka Masala I've ever had. The Naan bread was huge and soft. I had to stop myself from licking the plate. When I come back to London I'll be eating here every day.

Poped into that nicely quiet place on our way back from Brick Lane. To be fair, neither of us expected the food to be that great for such a reasonable price. A Chicken curry, one big Chef's specialty : chicken marinated in a creamy minty spinach sauce, plain nan bread, some mushroom pilau rice & two juices for less than £30. As much as the food deserves 5 stars, the service do not even deserves one. The only available waiter was absolutely not helpful : my coat was still unbutton that I've been asked on & on for a starter or a thing to share. Then we had to signal him a few time to pass the order or even to pay the bill. The waiter was just to busy talking with a mate on the opposite side of the room. But, let's be grown ups here. The food is really great and I will definitely go back there again, and guys, give them a chance ;)

I really don't understand the good reviews here. Main dishes literally were gritty with sugar, slow service, they're constantly trying to upsell, 'bati' versions are same as standard versions of dishes but cost 20% more.. I could continue, but you get the point. We went to Sainsbury's right after to try their chicken tikka masala to make sure Brits don't just like their Indian food sugary, and thankfully that hypothesis was proven wrong. Sainsbury's chicken tikka masala isn't good by any means, but it's leagues better (and cheaper) than the sugary slop at Aladdin.

Prince Charles supposedly loves this place (or did in 1989), which was good enough for me, my boyfriend, my aunt, and uncle when wandering down Brick Lane trying to figure out how on earth to pick a place to have lunch. It's an incredibly fun street, with delicious smells coming from everywhere and tons of awesome little shops. Had zero idea where to go so we figured if Aladin was good enough for Prince Charles, it was good enough for us. And it certainly was "good enough," but I suspect not nearly as good as other places we could've gone to on Brick Lane. They have a big, almost overwhelming menu, which we perused sitting at a windowside table. It was a mild, sunny day, so the windows were open which was really nice. I tasted my aunt's chicken biryani which looked lovely and colorful but tasted a bit flat. My dish didn't even come close to wowing me - Balti Chicken Dansak, it was - and I thought the spices were pretty...I don't know, poorly blended? Harsh? Just didn't have the synchronicity of a really wonderful Indian curry where everything tastes harmonious. Try somewhere else on the Lane!

Decent Curry. Thought the service was a tad sub-par. I don't like being rushed while I order/eat and the wait staff was definitely not as cordial as they should be - considering how aggressive their barker was. Barker: I'll give him credit that he had a different "sales pitch" - He takes you down the street and says he's giving a voucher for drinks to bring into the restaurant. It's of course a sham as I've realized that all Indian spots on Brick Lane pretty much come out to the same ol tired "20% discount". It's a sham for tourists but sometimes it's fun haggling with them. Honestly, not the best on Brick Lane.