Finding a restaurant like Aladdin's is like finding the Holy Grail of dining. A place with inventive, unusual, delicious cuisine, that's actually about as cheap as eating dinner at a bar or fast-food joint. Sure, we all live on hoagies and pizza from time to time. It's Pittsburgh — that's a given. But eating something that's actually healthy, cheap and tasty — what could be better? This small Ohio-based chain — 13 stores so far — does it all right, from its strangely modern angular sign and front window, to the narrow, but bright, comfy interior where dating couples and big families congregate in equal measure. The staff is incredibly friendly and unusually accommodating to families with small children. Children with less-finicky tastes seem to love this place. First thing's first — the falafel wrap is the chicken sandwich of Middle Eastern food. It's the standard, that everybody makes, that lets you know exactly how this place stacks up to every other Middle Eastern restaurant in town. And Aladdin's Falafel Rolled ($4.45) gives the Meditteranean Grill down the street a serious run for its money. Aladdin's secret is just a little bit of spiciness, and the just right amount of crunch. There are nine soup options, the best of which is the V-Nine ($2.65), made with the freshest nine vegetables available, and the thick, hearty Roasted Garlic Soup ($2.65) — if you're not on a date, and can get away with garlic-breath. A favorite light menu option are the "Pitza Pitas," which are like small flatbread pizzas on pita bread. Instead of pizza sauce as a base, Farrouks Falaffel Pitza ($5.65) uses tahini sauce, with giant boulders of falafel, pepper rings and diced tomatoes. A more exotic option is Jaffars Pitza ($5.35), which uses spicy vegetarian chili, covered with scallions, cheddar cheese and tahini yogurt. Or, there's the Arayiss Pitza ($5.35), which uses the store's excellent hummus as a base, topped with sfiha meat, diced tomatoes and pine nuts. Another cheap, filling meal can be found in any of the 20 Rolled Pitas . You can go for the tried-and-true, such as the Aladdin's Kabob Rolled ($5.25) or the Shistawook Rolled ($4.55), which sounds formidable but really is just charbroiled chicken tenderloins with garlic sauce. Or you can venture farther afield, and try the Spicy Kafta Rolled ($4.75), a mix of spicy, chargrilled ground sirloin, with hot sauce, tomatoes, onions and tahini sauce, then rolled and toasted. Aladdin's Eatery is located at 5878 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Details: (412) 421-5100. — Michael Machosky

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