Family overcomes tragedy, prepares to reopen Aladdin Restaurant in Victorville

It’s been nearly four years since Rafat and Nagla Mettias welcomed customers to their popular Ala' Al-Deen Restaurant in Victorville.

Since that time, the restaurant’s name has changed slightly to Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant, and the building, located at Seventh and East Sage streets, underwent a major remodel.

After the exterior of the restaurant was done, including signage that included a gold-colored Aladdin’s lamp, the building sat untouched for over a year, with many customers asking if the store would ever reopen.

The restaurant’s original name is the proper Arabic phonetic spelling of “Aladdin,” a character from The Thousand and One Nights folktales.

On Wednesday, a construction crew worked at the restaurant, where Nagla shared her family’s story.

“If everything goes according to plan, we should be ready to welcome customers sometime in March or April,” said Nagla, as she stood inside the decorated and unfurnished dining room.

Family struggles

Nagla explained that construction issues, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic, and her family’s health, stalled the reopening of the restaurant.

“The remodeling project was first hindered because of permit approval, then supplies on back order and finding people to work,” Nagla said. “As we started making progress, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.”

Nagla spent time caring for her ailing mother until she died in June 2021. During that time, the family also grieved the loss of another family member, she said.

Nagla daughter's was later diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and was placed on dialysis, something she described as “a nightmare.”

“I was evaluated by doctors and given the approval to donate my kidney to my daughter,” Nagla said. “By the grace of God, the successful transplant happened last September and she is doing well.”

Nagla said now that the dust has settled, she and her family can finally move forward with their plan to reopen the restaurant for their “loyal customers.”

A growing fan base

In 2016, the couple took over Ala' Al-Deen and kept preparing popular Mediterranean and Arabic dishes that cultivated a large fan base, which began with former owner Joe Altaiba in the 2000s.

One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is the falafel sandwich, with spiced ground chickpeas rolled into balls and deep fried — add tomato, lettuce, a pickle spear, and a tahini-based creamy sauce together inside warm pita bread.

Also, traditional hummus dip comes with a stack of warm pita bread.

“I’ve been a customer of Ala' Al-Deen for over 10 years and the food has remained delicious and authentic,” said Omar “Peter” Ajram of Victorville. “My favorite dishes are the lamb kebabs, the hummus and dolma.”

Dolma is grape leaves stuffed with rice, garlic, and onions with a touch of olive oil and lemon.

“Every Friday after work, I’d stop by and pick up dinner for the family,” said Hesperia resident Olivia Marino. “We usually got chicken shawarma wraps, baba ganoush dip, falafel, and extra pita bread.”

Marino said she and her family “felt lost” when the popular restaurant closed.

“We tried other Middle Eastern restaurants, but it just wasn’t the same,” Marino said. “Maybe it’s because coming to Ala' Al-Deen was like visiting family.”

Nagla told the Daily Press that all dishes are made daily with fresh ingredients and that nothing is ever frozen.

"We put so much effort into preparing the best food, and dishes that we would be proud to put in front of our own family," Nagla said. "Everything is made with love."

Located at 14303 Seventh Street in Victorville, the nearly 1,884 square foot Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant building was constructed in 1968 for "Kentucky Fried Chicken," according to the Daily Press.

For updates and more information, search Aladdin Restaurant on Facebook.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz  

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Family prepares to reopen Aladdin restaurant in Victorville