Aalia
25 Martin Pl, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Restaurant
•Why you'll love Aalia
- Offers guests with a completely private and memorable dining experience with versatile indoor-outdoor venue.
- Serves diners an Arabian nomadic time-travelling odyssey of dishes and offers flexible event packages.
- Convenient location with nearby attractions and easy access to public transports.
AALIA introduces a new perspective on Middle Eastern cuisine, unlike any other restaurant in the world. Our interior organically emerges from Harry Seidler’s original iconic MLC architecture. Our ambition is realised in a space and experience that fluidly blends the past with the now, the interior with the exterior. Sculptural architectural features, tactile materials and furnishings are used in perfect synergy to create intimate and relaxing spaces. The culinary team led by Executive Chef Paul Farag have spent years exploring dishes and techniques from lesser-known regions and coastlines of the Middle East and North Africa. They discovered forgotten ingredients from millennia ago and uncovered recipes from within the pages of 10th-century Arabic cookbooks. AALIA beautifully combines ingredients from across territories and times, contrasting tradition with modern techniques to offer diners an Arabian nomadic time-travelling odyssey of dishes.
Aalia Function Rooms
Semi- Private Dining Room
Perfect for celebrations, AALIA’s elegant and intimate semi private dining room seats up to 20 guests. The space boasts glass doors overlooking Martin Place that can be fully opened to make it feel as though you are dining al fresco. Floor ...
Bar Hire
AALIA’s bar area overlooks Martin Place through it’s floor to ceiling glass windows which can be fully opened for an indoor/outdoor flow, making it the perfect place for a canapé or cocktail event. The bar area can be hired for exclusive us...
Venue Exclusive
The exclusive hire of AALIA gives our guests a completely private and memorable dining experience. Our stunning, indoor-outdoor venue is a versatile space that can be adapted for any occasion and hired for lunch and dinner. Our friendly and...
Reviews for Aalia
IS L
The set menu dinner experience was quite enjoyable. The staff was quite attentive, the service was quite reasonably paced given it was a busy night. Interesting flavours with great presentation. The only downside is that toilet is outside of the building
Angie
We had an amazing dinner, service was great. Food was really nice with all plates having a different taste, which made the dishes all so interesting and enjoyable. Staff knew right away which dishes contained particular spices which assisted us with allergy concerns. Food: Presented beautifully and staff were very professional. It’s nice to be able to go out to dinner and not forced to pay a surcharge for a Saturday then expect a tip. Staff were hospitable and worked hard all night (besides the main chef in the kitchen on his phone scrolling - maybe don’t do that in front of diners). If staff work well and are professional of course diners may want to tip. I would return here for the food, service and the fact not having to pay a surcharge and tip on top of a bill when you have already spent $300 on dinner. Thank you for helping us celebrate our special night and for being professional and knowledgeable. We look forward to returning in the near future and recommend this restaurant for couples, friend catch ups and small groups wishing to celebrate an occasion as booth tables are available too.
Centralcityguide
I recently dined at Aalia Restaurant in Martin Place, and the experience was profoundly disappointing. Coming from a Lebanese background, where my mum makes these dishes for not even a quarter of the price, I was particularly let down by the banquet for two. The value for money was appalling. For the high price, the portion sizes were small, and the flavors were surprisingly bland. Each dish lacked the seasoning and depth of flavor that are essential to authentic MENA cuisine. The presentation was also underwhelming, and the overall dining experience felt far from special. To make matters worse, the restaurant's lack of basic amenities was shocking—there is no toilet on the premises, which is an unacceptable oversight for any dining establishment. This lack of facilities further contributed to the overall poor experience. Additionally, the service was indifferent, with staff seeming disinterested and inattentive throughout our meal. Overall, Aalia Restaurant did not meet any of our expectations. The food was unremarkable, the prices were unjustifiable, and the absence of a restroom made the experience even less comfortable. Given that our homemade MENA dishes are superior in both taste and value, I would not recommend this restaurant. Also when we asked for a spare plate to split the dish between my partner and I, the server said to use the existing plate after we have eaten what was on it… not very MENA. Unbelievable haven’t had an experience like this in a long time! In refining MENA cuisine, you lost its soul.
Michael Taylor
I've been here a few times with different groups and it's always been excellent. The middle-eastern influenced food makes a refreshing and delicious change from the usual contemporary Italian/French/Australian menus. The eggplant mes a aha is great, the cuttlefish is amazing and the murray cod is superb. Service is very good, and staff are happy to make recommendations on which dishes to pair. Good list of wines available by the glass, with a sommelier's choice selection is you want to lash out.
Jamal Al Suwaidi
This is one of the “best middle eastern restaurants is the city”. The food is fantastic the staff are amazing and the food is outstanding. The location is superb too. A must go to if you fancy something different. The quail skewers were amazing, lehmeh neyyeh was very tasty. Fatoosh craker is very simple yet never had fatoosh like this before. The lamb neck is very tender and taste amazing. Its good for sharing.
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