LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: ALADIN MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN BRINGS THE FLAVORS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN TO SOUTHPOINT

Fredericksburg-area restaurant has served the community since 2006

By The Spotsylvania Gazette

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY — Step through the doors of Aladin Mediterranean Kitchen at Southpoint and the idea behind the restaurant becomes apparent quickly: food isn’t supposed to be merely something placed on a plate.

It is supposed to be shared.

That tradition of gathering family and friends around a table is at the heart of Mediterranean hospitality — and at the heart of a locally established restaurant that has been serving the Fredericksburg area since 2006.

Aladin Mediterranean Kitchen, located at 9901 Southpoint Parkway in Fredericksburg, offers a broad Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu built around familiar favorites including shawarma, gyros, kabobs, hummus, falafel, grape leaves and baklava.

The restaurant describes Mediterranean dining as a social experience, traditionally involving family-style meals shared among friends. Meats grilled and served alongside numerous small plates — or mezza — form part of a food culture built as much around hospitality as eating.

That gives diners plenty of opportunities to explore.

A table might begin with hummus, baba ghannouge, grape leaves or falafel before moving to chicken or beef shawarma, gyro platters, lamb and chicken kabobs.

Vegetarians aren’t relegated to a token salad, either. Falafel and a selection of traditional Mediterranean appetizers provide several meat-free choices.

And then there is the bread.

Fresh pita and Mediterranean dips and sauces are among the restaurant’s recurring attractions, providing one of the simplest pleasures of the meal: warm bread placed in the middle of a table where everyone can reach it.

A RESTAURANT WITH LOCAL ROOTS

Aladin has been part of the Fredericksburg-area restaurant landscape since 2006.

Its current Southpoint location places the restaurant squarely in one of the busiest commercial areas serving Spotsylvania County.

Spotsylvania County itself includes Aladin in its tourism listings for Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants — a reminder that the county’s dining scene has become considerably more diverse as the region has grown.

For customers unfamiliar with Mediterranean cuisine, dishes such as shawarma provide an accessible introduction.

Chicken shawarma consists of thinly sliced chicken prepared with seasonings and sauce, while beef shawarma uses marinated, slowly roasted beef traditionally accompanied by ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, parsley and tahini.

Gyros combine seasoned meat with tzatziki, onions and tomatoes.

Kabobs bring another cornerstone of Mediterranean cooking to the table: seasoned meat cooked over high heat and accompanied by rice, vegetables or other sides.

And hummus — chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and other ingredients — has become so familiar in American supermarkets that diners sometimes forget the much larger culinary tradition from which it comes.

SOMETHING SWEET

No visit to a Mediterranean restaurant would be complete without at least considering dessert.

At Aladin, that means baklava.

Layers of pastry, nuts and sweetness make it one of the Mediterranean region’s most recognizable desserts — and an appropriate ending to a meal centered on flavors that have traveled across cultures and generations.

WHY LOCAL RESTAURANTS MATTER

Aladin Mediterranean Kitchen is also an example of why The Spotsylvania Gazette is beginning its Local Business Spotlight.

National chains are easy to recognize.

Local establishments require someone to take the initial risk of opening a business, build a customer base and keep serving that community year after year.

Restaurants in particular become part of a community’s identity.

They are where families celebrate birthdays.

Where friends meet for dinner.

Where couples have first dates.

Where coworkers gather after work.

And increasingly, the restaurants of Spotsylvania and the Fredericksburg region tell another story — the story of a community whose food choices reflect cultures from around the world.

You don’t have to travel to the Mediterranean to begin exploring its food.

In Spotsylvania, you can start at Southpoint.

ALADIN MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN
9901 Southpoint Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
540-372-7755

Hours listed by the restaurant are 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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