DTLA: Aladdin’s Coffee Shop
Aladdin's Coffee Shop
In my quest to find a good affordable lunch around my office in South Park, Downtown Los Angeles, I stumbled upon Aladdin’s Coffee Shop. Owned by Salvadorans for 30+ years, Aladdin’s Coffee Shop serves up a daily buffet of Salvadoran, Mexican and American classics. Some days you may even find food like chow mein. You may also order off the “menu” and the kitchen will try to make it if they have the ingredients.
Aladdin’s is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. They also do catering. It seems to be a local spot for breakfast burritos.
pork pozole
On my first visit, I got the pork pozole and a “little plate of everything.”
from the buffet
I probably went a little crazy. My coworkers average around $5 for a plate. With my soup, my meal came out to $7.50.
I particularly liked the lengua.
burger and fries
For $5.50, they’ll whip you up a fresh burger with bacon. My friend said it was the best bacon she ever had.
fish burrito
Also for the seemingly random price of $5.50, another friend ordered the fish burrito. He really wanted shrimp but they didn’t have it that day. He enjoyed it.
from the buffet- meat and more meat
If you’re afraid of meat, the buffet may not be the place to chow down but I found a lot of cool stuff here. I particularly liked the fish this day. And the ribs were very meaty.
I found a new favorite lunch place! Although the fries at my so-called Rainbow Shack (its real name is El Comedor), Aladdin’s beats them on variety.
1150 S Hope St., Los Angeles, CA 90015 – (213) 747-4032