Tracker Pixel for Entry

​A whole new world

All About Food | August 5th, 2015

Cafe Aladdin offers Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine at its finest

When I moved here over 37 years ago, the ethnic food in the area was limited. In 1980, a gentleman by the name of Ahmad Younis and his family moved to the Fargo area because he could not find the work he was looking for. In 1990, he opened a street trailer (the first one in the Fargo-Moorhead area to my knowledge). He and his brother Younis Younis, opened their first restaurant, Aladdin's Market and Deli, in 1994 on Sixth Avenue North in downtown Fargo.

Ahmad describes Cafe Aladdin’s fare as a mixture of Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Whenever I think of Middle Eastern food, gyro and hummus come to mind. Ahmad said another popular item on the menu is the shish kabob. The restaurant also offers a halal gyro by request.

The brothers have done very well for themselves. Cafe Aladdin now has three different locations in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Its most popular stop is located downtown. The other two are housed on 32nd Ave. and 13th Ave.

Cafe Aladdin offers food for everyone. The staff can prepare vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free meals for customers. There are even children-size plates.

It also has a little deli where they sell items such as feta cheese, kalamata olives and baklava, a traditional dessert.

In the times of many different restaurants opening throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area, it's great that these two brothers have not only been able to stay open but also to expand. So with that said, I hope you visit and enjoy their food.

When I asked Ahmad what he would like people to know about his restaurant, he put a big smile on his face and said, “I want people to know that it's family-run and family-served by the owners.”

Here is Cafe Aladdin on my good/bad criteria list for restaurants:

1. Location: Easy to find

2. Parking availability: Lots of availability at each location

3. Variety of menu: Outstanding

4. Wait staff: Great

5. Dining area: Clean

6. Food and presentation: Like perfect artwork

7. Cost: Range from $5.99 to $13.29

8. Bathroom: Clean

9. Would I go back and would I recommend it: Absolutely!

IF YOU GO:

Cafe Aladdin

Three locations:

530 6th Ave N, Fargo

3017 13th Ave S, Fargo

1609 32nd Ave S #2, Fargo

http://cafealaddinfargo.com/

Recently in:

Press release Celebrate Dinosaur Day on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum (612 E Boulevard Ave. in Bismarck). This free, family-friendly program is open to all ages. A…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu The Northwest Blade, from Eureka, South Dakota, published a wonderful story in August 2020. It’s called “Granddaughter keeps Grandmother’s precious chamomile seeds,” by Cindy…

Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m.Buffalo River State Park, 565 155th St. S., Glyndon, MNHosted by the Red River Valley Chapter of Herbalists Without Borders at Buffalo River State Park for a fun fall day full of flora. (Say that three…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.com Yes, we know, everywhere you look, the world situation is mental. It’s almost inescapable just how tenuous life’s circumstances are. And how they are mostly — pretty much entirely — out of our…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill we be banging or whimpering at the end of the American empire?T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” accurately portrays the end of most empires in his first lines: “We are the hollow men/…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The multiple meanings of the title location in Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s “Bone Lake” cover the sex and death spectrum that will flummox Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson) as…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

Press Release As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, Essentia Health is highlighting an innovative — and recently expanded — program that brings early breast cancer detection services to rural communities. Essentia’s mobile…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…