Haven’t found a decent middle eastern cuisine for quite a while. Easily one of the best new restaurants in town. Ordered quite a few dishes, all of them are very remarkable and have a distinct flavour making it special! Big call out to the uni with aged rice wrapping in a sesame leaf, they go well together and acts as a compliment to each other. Both quail and prawn skewers are super juicy, can easily have a few pita bread to go with it. The pita bread on its own is already super yummy, adding the sauce and juice from the skewers brings a different experience. Ordered the mains with the burnt cabbage on the side. You would regret if you don’t order the burnt cabbage! The favourite dish of the night is definitely the dry aged duck. Probably one of the best duck dishes I ever had. The flavour is rich yet you can’t stop feeding yourself quite a few pieces. The meat is very moist and soft, which takes quite a technique to make this magic happen. Can’t wait to go back to try other dishes !

We had an incredible dining experience here last week for our anniversary. Brand new restaurant - the design and use of wood is phenomenal. Service was 10/10 - our waiter Richard was great, always checking in on us. Food and mocktails were amazing as expected. You NEED to get the halloumi!! Would definitely return!

Outstanding service. We came here for a birthday dinner and from the moment we’ve arrived they’ve made sure we were well looked after. The service is impeccable and the staff incredibly attentive. We’ve ordered a few dishes to share and the flavours were on point, although the portion sizes on the smaller side - as you’d expect from a fine dining restaurant. It’s a very nice atmosphere; classy yet relaxed and we just had such a good time. Would definitely come back.

Food was amazing, they were all standouts and we were speechless at each one. David was an attentive and thoughtful host and gave great suggestions on the menu, as well as explaining each dish which really enhanced the experience. Came here for a friend’s birthday and they had such nice touches from greetings to the candle service at the end. Ambience and interior is beautiful at such a lovely location. Would come again❤️

Cannot recommend the food highly enough, must visit. Came to celebrate my partners birthday and it was great but it could have been perfect. A nice touch was that we were warmly welcomed by staff and they wished her a happy birthday upon arrival. The atmosphere and venue is very nice with many different seating options both in and outside. The food was divine with the Prawn skewers, carrots and lamb all a stand out. the service after being seated was only Okay, not incredible. The water was not topped up once throughout the whole sitting and I had to ask them to filter my wine after a lot of sediment was poured into my glass (bottle was still half full) and more was still visible in the bottle. Another thing that I was surprised about was usually a little cake or further acknowledgement of a patrons birthday during the evening, it's not expected but I have not been to a restaurant in Sydney that has not done something more for that celebration. Other than those things that would have made the experience faultless, the food here and even though I have not had too much Middle Eastern food, for me it's easily the best I've tried. Aalia is a must try in Sydney

Nice looking decor and food was delicious. My partner and I went here for our anniversary and was delighted to see a small gesture of congratulations that was personalised and printed on a card. It was very busy throughout the night and despite looking short staffed, the one particular waitress that looked after our table owned the floor. We were very impressed with her and complemented her too. Presentation and recommendations by this waitress were explained and were on point. Great experience here! And did I mention the food was delicious!

This restaurant is definitely a gastronomic experience. It’s nice to see a high end middle eastern restaurant that lives up to what they are set out to achieve. The ingredients and the food was just incredible and very tasty. We went with a couple friends of ours and savored quite a bit of the menu and we’re not disappointed by any of the choices. The staff are just lovely. They were always coming around and checking in and having a chat and a joke throughout the night. The Executive Chef is truly amazing and was seen out and about talking to the customers and to his staff. We could not rave more highly of this amazing new restaurant and highly recommend this if you want to impress. Thanks for making our night great Team Aalia 😊

I enjoyed every single dish we ordered! I loved the Arabic / Mediterranean influence and AALIA's unique twist to each dish. I highly recommend this place for anyone that is looking for 6+ stars ⭐ dining experience at a reasonable price point. I cannot wait to come back!

My favorite dish was their dessert, it was surprisingly good and not too sweet for someone like me not liking sweets that much. Also love their bread, a must order dish. Duck was good too, been there a few times. Loved every dish we ordered.

One of Sydney's most spectacular restaurants, by far. We dined mid-week with friends (first time for them, second for us) and were not disappointed. Food, wine and service - all exceptional. We chose from the ala carte menu - kingfish, haloumi, quail skewer (not pictured), crumbed dory, lamb neck shawarma with Lebanese zucchini and watercress salata as sides. Finished with dates and the Valrhona chocolate. Highly recommended to all! Will be back (again). Thanks Paul and team.

I usually never leave a review unless it’s a positive one, but my partner and I didn’t have a good experience unfortunately and it has to be addressed. The staff was super lovely but it seemed to me that they were talking off a script rather than actually knowing the products. The recommendations and the descriptions of food/wines didn’t reflect the actual product, leaving us a little disappointed. We waited a very long time for each dish and once they even gave us the order of another table. The portions were small and overpriced: I’m happy to spend extra money for good food, but in this case the food wasn’t that extraordinary for it to be worth what we’ve paid. At the end of it, we were walking off hungry. My feedback comes from a good place and I really hope it will encourage this new business to work on those little things.

The best service you could find in sydney ! Great ambience Drinks are to die for till the last drop. The eggplant was fab! The best and the unbeatable. See you guys soon

We visited last night with our beautiful friends and it was a celebration of us getting together. We absolutely chose the right restaurant the banquet menu was absolutely amazing each dish kept on delivering, the service was fantastic and the ambiance was so inviting and full of hospitality and just an amazing experience. Thank you for an outstanding meal and brilliant hospitality.

I’m in a mission to get used to Mediterranean cuisine. So, I visited Aalia while I was in Sydney. Been stalking their Instagram account for a while before I actually come to Sydney. Located in the CBD area, a beautiful space, love the logo. Greets by the FOH team, who is super attentive, and friendly but not too much. Ordered the anchovy and fatoush cracker as starters, and the cuttlefish & couscous were cooked beautifully, the Khorasan pita is such a star — the taste and texture, ought what is this 🥹 so good. Bone marrow & flatbread is super rich but it’s a good dance in my mouth. The carrot and labneh also perfectly balance. End it with a bang — the nougat pistachio and Madjol dates are the perfect ending. Never had this kinda dessert before but it was so damn good, I’m crying 😭😭 Definitely my favorite restaurant in Sydney!

Wow wow wow and just wow! Every dish is perfection. We went there for a dinner. My expectations were exceeded. The food is perfection and the staff are just so warm and lovely. I can’t wait to have another dinner there anytime soon. I can’t recommend this place enough. Thank you to all the staff for a lovely evening!!!

randomly found this restaurant and i’m so glad we did! we had a lovely lunch on a saturday afternoon, the vibes were amazing, atmosphere was great and the food was fantastic. we had travelled from melbourne so we were super excited to try this restaurant. mezze: smoked buffalo labneh, beetroot molasses & king prawn skewer - loved the labneh was delicious with the smoky flavour and the king prawn skewer tasted super fresh meat: lamb neck shawarma - tarator, pickles, Saida saj - so soft, tender, perfectly cooked. works perfectly with the bread vegetables: heirloom carrots - was oily for me but overall was nice definitely coming back for more!!

One of the BEST restaurants in Sydney, hands down. Every single dish was absolutely flavour packed, I can’t pick one thing I disliked about my time here. Will visit again and again.

Amazing food and service. There were 5 of us and we opted to order off the menu. Everything is designed to be shared. We had the Smoked buffalo labneh, Eggplant, Lamb hawawshi, cuttlefish, dry aged duck, lamb neck shawarma, zucchini and artichokes. And for dessert the Valrhona chocolate. We also received complimentary nougat which was delicious. Will definitely be going back there.

My two friends and I recently visited with high hopes. However, our dining experience left us underwhelmed and disappointed. The food showcased fresh ingredients and high quality cooking techniques, yet the flavor balance was consistently off. Nearly every dish we ordered featured an unexpected touch of sweetness or spice, often overpowering the intended flavors. Unfortunately, the prominent Arabic/Mediterranean fusion influence, leaning towards sweetness, did not align with our palates. It's a bummer when the food's on point but the taste doesn't hit the mark.

Wow. Just Wow! Incredible food. Amazing flavours. Beautiful restaurant with a buzzing but relaxed atmosphere. Sensational wine list - including by the glass. And excellent top notch service. Special shout out to our host Francesco who looked my wife Marilyn and I like we were family. Maybe better! We’ll be back.

Went to Aalia for a birthday lunch and everybody was extremely warm and friendly and made us welcome. Food was delicious, bold flavours that were always well balanced, great textures, and a wonderful variety on the menu. Share plates all a perfect size and the staff were always willing to offer helpful suggestions.

Overrated. Middleton Eastern restaurant.. Absolutely Not! One of the worst places we have eaten at and yes we did eat most of the meals we came starving and we left starving. I asked the waitress Please make sure my fries are 'lightly cooked' maybe the Chef didn't know how to read 'lightly cooked'. Don't let the pics fool you I'm a good photographer :) Highly NOT recommended.

unique food, not for everyone but interesting. First time trying Middle Eastern / North African cuisine. The spices are a bit too salty for my liking but maybe it something that i haven't tried but all the produce were fresh and high-quality. Services were good but recommended way too much food and couldn't eat all the fish at the end. The atmosphere was great and if you like to try something different this place is worth a try.

Gorgeous venue, delicious and beautiful food and the service is attentive and professional. Loved it.

I celebrated my birthday here recently and had the “express lunch” and it was 10/10. The food was phenomenal, service was great and overall fantastic atmosphere. The express lunch menu was perfect for a mid week birthday celebration. I will definitely be back and recommend this venue to all the foodies out there!

A friend suggested Aalia as he had dined here a few times, I live in Melbourne and wouldn't have thought to go to Martin Place for dinner. I was not disappointed. I'm still thinking about the incredibly delicate Sea Urchin that we started with. The bone marrow dish was a flavor packed Middle Eastern pizza, with it's crunchy base playing well with the soft marrow. The Murray cod was one of the best pieces of fish I have ever eaten. The desserts were delicious and not too sweet. The cocktails were on point and the service was fast and friendly. We ate more than I photographed. This was a well crafted menu of fantastic flavors and I will be returning.

Do not hesitate to book this wonderful restaurant, just off Martin Place. Bivit and Adrien were fabulous and did everything to make it a great experience; they’re an asset to this restaurant. The food was extraordinary, and the ambience was perfect. It’s exactly what we wanted for lunch before a show nearby. (We’ve already told friends about it and they’re keen to try it.) We’ll be back next time we see a show at the Theatre Royal Sydney.

Let’s just say I haven’t been this impressed for a long time. Not only the food was delicious, they were different from the usual modern Australian cuisine that you see with most of the Sydney hatters these days. Portion is also generous which is a delightful surprise. Maybe it’s just me but I feel like I’ve had enough one bite dishes from all those fine dinning places. They may not as fancy as some of the others but there is no lacking of presentation and warm service. We came because we heard some good word from friends and I’ve already recommended this place to two more friends after our lunch yesterday. I won’t be surprised if they get the extra hat next year if they keep this up. Already planning my next trip to try the rest of the menu.

The food is absolutely fantastic and really encapsulates some of the details of Lebanon’s finer dishes with Australian fusion. We ordered a vast range of items and each dish had impeccable flavours and twists. Not to mention being able to pair with a beautiful Lebanese wine from gorgeous region the Bekka Valley of Lebanon. I will definitely be back!

We arrived without a booking however we were lucky enough to get a seat. Service was amazing the minute we walked in. Our waitress was knowledgeable and provided us with all the info we needed to confidently order. My cocktail was immediately corrected once they realised the error. I ordered an ultrasonic spicy margarita instead of the classic. Our caviar service was the best I’ve ever experienced. They served crispy, flaky Pastries instead of the usual Blinis. Our waitress and waiters were constantly checking in on us to ensure our drinks were topped up and cleared our plates within the appropriate timeframe. My experience was extremely pleasant, it’s the kind of service you would expect from dining out, I felt like they didn’t disappoint at all!

Decent middle eastern food, the lamb neck and scallops were great! Avoid the chickpea dish, it’s just hummus and the menu is misleading, the waitstaff also didn’t mention it was a hummus dish when we asked for an explanation. The staff also pushed drinks way too hard. We were asked every 2 mins if we wanted another drink to the point we had to tell them to stop asking. We ordered cocktails and wine, nothing amazing.

The food were all on point. This has easily became one of my favourite restaurants. The Eggplant starter was delicious, I loved the spiced tomato and Eggplant flavour together. The steak and sauce were full of flavour. The duck was a highlight for me as it was textbook perfect of how a duck should be, crispy skin, pink and soft meat and fat was well rendered. The lamb neck was falling off the bone as per the photo. Super soft and tender with a thin piece of bread to mop it all up. To finish off we had the chocolate kataifi with sesame ice cream. Could not have ended the meal any better, it was crispy, rich with a hint of nutty and raspberry. Simply delicious.

Wow! The food was exceptional. It exceeded our expectations. The waitress was very helpful with order suggestions and the service was excellent. The stand out dishes for me was the bone marrow with truffle, prawn skewers, quail skewers and the lamb shoulder. If you have a party of 4 or more, I recommend the banquet - all the dishes on the banquet is excellent.

Had such a great evening at Aalia, amazing food, and amazing recommendations from David! The service was next level, there was a great buzz, despite the rain! You could tell a lot of work had gone into getting everything just right for the opening! It’s also part of a new complex right in Martin Place so a great location!

Service and food was just amazing! The eggplant entree and John Dory main a must try. Thank you David for being such a great host tonight. Will be coming back for sure!

Had such a lovely time! The food was just amazing from the oysters to the desserts. The staff were so knowledgeable and very attentive to all little details. Can't wait to have dinner there again!

Soft Opening at Aalia was definitely amazing. The food were cooked to perfection and delivered the culture of middle eastern food. The environment was delightful and pleasantly relaxing. Service was too great (shout out to Jamilla). Her knowledge of the menu was excellent, definitely deserves recognition. I will definitely be recommending this beautiful restaurant to my friends and family! 😌

Although the restaurant is only a pup, you can see that the team are passionate experts. The food was well thought out and I loved the play on Mediterranean classic, brought to life in such a fun and unexpected explosion of flavours. The staff were amazing. Everyone was so friendly, proud of the product and knowledgeable. You could see the excitement in them when they talked about what I needed to try and why! Such a stunning fit out and location. Will definitely be back.