By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor Published Jan 13, 2016 at 8:03 AM Photography: Bobby Tanzilo

As of Tuesday, Jan. 12, Aladdin’s City Cafe has become the newest Downtown eatery, opening in the lower level of the Zeidler Municipal Building at 841 N. Broadway.

The cafe, which is open for breakfast and lunch, will serve up a variety of breakfast items including breakfast sandwiches ($2.69-3.89), croissants, bagels and oatmeal. The cafe will also serve Colectivo coffee.

Lunch will include burgers, hot dogs, burritos and nachos, as well as a variety of panini priced from $3.49 to $6.49. Aladdin specialties will include sandwiches, including gyros, shawirma, falafel and hummus wrap, and spinach and feta pie ($4.99 to $6.99).

The restaurant is owned by Azmi Alaedin, a native of Jordan who is best known as chef and owner of Aladdin – Tastes of the East in the Milwaukee Public Market. However, Alaedin, who has been cooking specialty foods in Milwaukee for nearly 20 years also manages food service for the Milwaukee Intermodal Station Downtown, as well as providing school lunches for over 600 students through the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.

According to Alaedin, the cafe’s manager is Sherri Musa, formerly of the Cedarburg Coffee Roastery in the Milwaukee Public Market. Musa, he says, has an eye for customer service says Alaedin, and is the "sunshine in our basement space."

The Zeidler Municipal Buiding, which connects to the 803 N. Broadway Building and City Hall via a tunnel, is open to the public during business hours.

Aladdin’s City Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor

As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.