April 9, 2024
Written By: J.Couch
We went to enter the address of the taco place where we were planning to go for lunch and found out that they had closed at 2 and would not reopen until 4 pm. It was just past 2 at this point so that was out. There was another place on our list to try. It was not an all plant-based or vegan place but they had a lot of vegan options. It’s a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant called Albaghdady.
Usually, Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food has a lot of vegan and vegetarian options. We made the short drive from the airport to Richardson, a suburb of Dallas just off 75 which runs north and south out of Dallas. When we got there it was very quiet and only one other couple was there eating. Not always a good sign when you walk in and no one is there. In fact, a lot of the time we would turn around and go somewhere else. But we heard it was good, and it was still early on a Tuesday afternoon. I am not sure how long this place has been there, I think it is fairly new. There is also an Albaghdady Bakery right next door that comes up on the map but the restaurant doesn’t. So maybe not a lot of people know about the restaurant yet. We took our seats and our waiter Tash helped us with any questions that he had with the menu. And we did have some questions.
We ended up ordering the Mix Falafel plate. It comes with 6 pieces of falafel, fries, fried eggplant and a samoon (Iraqi Flatbread), sauce and salad. It seemed odd that it came with fries and I think if I were to order again, I would order without the fries. We also ordered a side of the hummus and baba ganoush. Normally this comes as two separate plates but they were able to split it and give us a plate of half of each.
The meal also comes with a complimentary bowl of lentil soup which was surprisingly delicious. I probably could have just ordered a big bowl of that and some bread and been good. There is also free Turkish tea that you fill yourself at the tea station. The tea had a good flavor but kind of tasted like an Earl Gray or English breakfast tea. But it was good and free is a good price. The food came out quickly and looked very good.
The bread came out in a basket and it was huge, warm and fluffy. Sometimes this is made with yogurt and brushed with milk. Make sure you ask about this before ordering this if you have dietary restrictions. We didn’t ask about this one so it may have had a little but not sure. The hummus was creamy and baba ganoush had a good smoky flavor. They were both very good and I would order these again. The soup came out too which we were kind of surprised to get and it was very good too. The meal was very good and we finished up every bite. To the point that I think I had eaten way past my 80% full mark.
After the meal we checked out their dessert options that they have at the counter. There is a lot, but after talking to them there is milk or eggs is just about everything they had there. There was one dessert that was made milk and egg free so we got some of that to go. It’s kind of a sweet caramel flavored goodness with coconut and a crumble top. We are not 100% what all is in it other than there is no milk or eggs. After late lunch here I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for vegan or vegetarian options and Mediterranean food.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
