I have been waiting to arrive at Al-Amin with some excitement, as I hadn’t dined at a halal restaurant before (until our recent trip to Purnima, of course). And finally Adam, Ashley, Stephen and myself got to go. We went on a Saturday evening at dusk. The place was empty when we arrived, though a group of four or so arrived shortly afterward, and later on another small group came as well.
The inside of Al-Amin is cheerful and clean. It is connected to the grocery store of the same name that is closer to the street. There’s an order counter and a case with some ready-made items.
After a bit of deliberation and some helpful input from the friendly lady behind the counter, we ordered and then selected our drinks from the cold case.
Adam got Vimto, and I grabbed a yogurt drink thinking that it would be perfect for pairing with spicy food, but neglecting to notice that it was mint flavored. It was fine enough, but mint is not one of my preferred flavors.
We all started off with some standard, tasty samosas – both vegetable and chicken.
Samosas with dipping sauce.
Adam and I both ordered biryani – Adam got lamb biryani and I got goat biryani. I thought I was ordering goat curry, but oh well. I’m sure it was my mistake, and the biryani was delicious besides.
Goat biryani ($7.99).
Lamb biryani ($9.99).
Ashley got the paneer tikka masala with roti. Here are her thoughts:
“I got the paneer tikka masala. It was delicious, no doubt. I enjoyed what I tasted of Adam’s dish, but Emily’s and Stephen’s were too hot for me, as I am a wimp.
Paneer tikka masala ($6.99).
“The prices were ok. I was surprised to find out that the meal did not come with rice or nan, but those were additional charges, which made it even less appealing in the price arena. The service was nice, though not exactly the friendliest for those who don’t already know what they’re ordering. I still don’t know if the salad given to me and Stephen was mine or his. I used it anyway. Overall, I’d give Al Amin a 3.”
Roti ($1).
Stephen got the fish curry. Dang, it was spicy! Here are Stephen’s thoughts on his experience at Al-Amin:
“It was very tasty, but the curry is very spicy. Be sure you want that before you order it. The prices are good, but not amazing. The atmosphere is fairly sparse. Overall, I’d give it a 3.5, a little bit above average.”
Fish curry and rice ($5.99).
Toppings.
Overall, I thought Al-Amin was nice. The only things I am sad about are A) I did not ask what country/countries the cuisine is intended to be representative of and B) I am not confident enough in my knowledge yet to try to make a definitive call. Certainly the curries, paneer, and samosas make one think of India but know there are other south asian countries that also serve these dishes, and other items such as biryani, roti, puri, chotpoti, etc. (If anyone has input on this, please feel free to jump in.
The menu wasn’t huge, but it was certainly not americanized either. Nor did they temper the spiciness upon seeing white folks ordering, which I also appreciated. The prices were good, and the service was friendly. While we were definitely the only white people in the restaurant, but I think that is a good thing and the atmosphere certainly was not uncomfortable. Additionally, the grocery store was certainly interesting, and there are a few things Adam and I would like to go back and buy to try at home.
Al-Amin is a great place to drop in and get some culture and good, affordable food. 3.5 stars.
Al-Amin Halal Restaurant and Grocery Store
5466 Buford Highway NE
Doraville, GA 30340
emily
Nerd. Foodie. Gamer. Homecook. Perpetual planner. Gardener. Aspiring homesteader. Direct response graphic designer. I use too many damn commas.
Emily, I look forward to all of your posts. I have commented before how I grew up off of Dresden
and still live in and frequent your suggestions.With that said, would you please mind giving
a little better idea of the restaurants you visit? As in, a landmark reference. On this particular
post, I had to go into maps to get a general idea of the location. I’m being lazy I know, but, if
you had said ‘near Jimmy Carter Blvd on BUHI, it would certainly make a more rapid reference
than simply having the address at the end of the review. Thanks, keep up the great work!
(In Purnima for instance, I just happened to know where Pho 24 was as I have eaten there.
After all I spent many days of my youth across the street at the old Playland Skating Center)
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your feedback! I think I take for granted that I know exactly where we are and that we’re going almost 100% in order from South to North, but it makes complete sense that both repeat and new visitors could use better clarification. So I will definitely make an effort in that regard!
Speaking of clarification, I want to make sure that we both know that Al-Amin is just south of I-285, and not near Jimmy Carter Blvd (I’m not sure if that was an example or not). The closest intersection is BuHi’s intersection with Jesse Norman Way, but it’s probably easier to look for the QT that is just to the right of the grocery store named Al-Amin that the restaurant of the same name is attached to (and kind of behind).
I’m guessing that’s exactly the kind of language you were suggesting I include! If not, please let me know how I can help more, and if so, please feel free to keep the suggestions coming! You’d be surprised at how little feedback I get 🙂
PS: I had no idea there used to be a skating center right there! I know Ashley and I would be there all the time if it was still open.
Not 100% sure but I think one of my friends said this was Bangladesh food. So a lot in common with Indian food. Looks good though. When you say hot – how hot? Like the Batavia Sambal Goreng hot?
It reminds me of indian and bangladeshi cuisine, but the name and atmosphere seem to be more middle eastern than that. The fish curry was pretty ding-dang-darn hot but probably not still at Batavia level. The biryanis were not nearly that hot, but probably a bit much bot the tender-tongued. The paneer dish was completely mild 🙂
Hi Emily, thanks for getting back. I was still kind of confused about the location until your reply
that it was just south of 285. I was just at BUHI Farmers Market today darn it. Yes, Playland Skating
Center was on Buford Highway across from Pho 24 for many, many years in the 60’s and 70’s.
The building is still there, behind whatever is there now. It sits up on the hill. I grew up off Dresden
in the 60’s and 70’s and every Friday and Saturday night Playland was rockin’. Many kids getting their
first kiss and smoking their first cigarette..god, I’m getting old…
We shop at BHFM too! Can’t wait to eat there for the blog.
Playland sounds like it was a fun, fun place. Sad to have missed out on that one!