On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Market East, Penn Center, Avenue of the Arts South
Loading...
My Sahara Grill experience went from good to bad to great, i.e.:
GOOD: My order of lentil soup (yellow lentils, just okay) & a falafel wrap with hummus and feta (infra) to-go took maybe three minutes and was only $10.
BAD: Getting back to my desk and opening the bag to be assaulted by something resembling the rancid stench of b.o., so much so that I discreetly checked to see if perhaps I was the culprit. I then removed both items from the bag and smelled them individually but both were fine. At a loss, I then smelled inside the empty bag, just a regular brown paper bag, and BOOM! there is was again. I do not understand this at all.
GREAT: The falafel wrap was surprisingly delicious. (When I say "surprisingly," I am referring both to my initial expectations and the compounding of these expectations due to the malodorous scent inside the bag.) The falafel was very light and tasty, the hummus creamy, set off well against the tang of the feta & it was quite filling, too. I will very much so be coming back here for this again.
I can't believe I just tried this place after working across the street for over a year. After scoping yelp for a place to score some falafel, I called in an order for a falafel sammie with hummus and feta cheese. I walked right over and within 5 minutes, my order was ready, $6.50.
My sandwich was STUFFED with amazing, delicious falafel and hummus. Never have I been so satisfied. Upon walking in the restaurant, it smells great and the staff is friendly.
This is now my go-to spot for falafel. I'm so happy I found it!
Well..... Hubs and I had been saying for about 4 years that we should come here. I wish I could say it was worth the wait.
When we arrived, the place was empty. By the time we left (not long thereafter, see below), there were about six other parties seated, making it a bit livelier.
I menu stalked ahead of time, so I knew what I wanted. We started with the hummus with beef, which was a small portion, but tasty. I liked the addition of pine nuts. We also ordered the cucumber yogurt salad. It had a nice zing, but I prefer my cuke cubes a bit smaller. The yogurt was also a bit thin for my liking.
Hubs got the mixed grill platter, which included chicken, beef, and lamb, as well as pilaf and grilled veggies. He definitely won the entree game. This was pretty tasty and the portion size seemed appropriate for the price. The spice mixture on this was great - with (I believe) some cinnamon in there for a bit more of a Moroccan taste, which is different from other middle eastern restaurants in the city.
I, unluckily, chose the shawarma sandwich. The meat inside tasted like it had been reheated in the microwave, and overall the sandwich lacked any kind of zing. Worst of all, on my way to the restroom, I saw the bag of pitas in the prep area. Ugh! Major points off for taking the shortcut and not making those in-house.
Our server was nice, but I felt a bit rushed. That may have been in part because our entrees came out very quickly (not always a bad thing) and we hadn't even finished our appetizers at that point. Also, the staff came by a few times to take our plates but we weren't finished yet. While hubs was still eating my sandwich, they actually took all of our plates but, thankfully, left us the empty pita basket so he could put it down. After paying the bill, I had to sit and rest for a bit because the dinner had gone by so quickly. I think we received the check 27 minutes after arriving.
Hubs generally liked it (he would have given it three stars), though we agreed that you can get better middle eastern food at a certain establishment in Old City. As I mentioned, a ding for the meat in my sandwich, and a ding for using store-bought pita.
I was really excited to finally get the chance to go to Sahara Grill this past weekend, and was not at all disappointed. I went with a group and everybody liked their order. My sister and one of my friends got the beef kabob, which they claim was top-notch (I don't eat meat, so can't say myself), and the accompanying rice was made the traditional way with thin noodles and seasoning; very tasty, if a bit heavy on the salt.
I ordered the grape leaf platter, which was surprisingly good. It's generally hard to find restaurants that serve good grape leaves, but the ones at Sahara are pretty decent. As other have said, the hummus is AMAZING, as is the baba ghannouj. Two thumbs up for the tabbouleh, too. Most places either get lazy and don't chop the parsley finely enough, or just don't add enough oil, lemon and salt, but this tabbouleh was really fantastic and extremely flavorful. A friend ordered the mjaddarah (rice and lentils with sauteed onions), which was also quite well done and full of yummy spices.
And then the falafel. MY GOODNESS was the falafel scrumptious! And that brings me to the service. I'm surprised to read that others had sub-par service experiences, because the gentleman who served us (I'm guessing the owner) was incredibly nice. He made a Middle Eastern carbonated yogurt drink (dukh) for my two friends himself since what they wanted wasn't on the menu, and when our falafel orders got lost in the shuffle of trying to serve all the people trying to break fast (this was the last day of Ramadan), he gave us all a piece of (excellent) baklava for free to make up for the trouble. Definitely going back!
I've only been to Sahara Grill once but definitely plan on another visit! I went with my carnivore friend soon after I turned pescetarian. At times, eating out can be depressing when all my friends eat delicious beef, chicken, and pork. But not at Sahara Grill! The food is so tasty (and affordable) that I didn't feel like I was ordering sub-par vegetarian options.
We split the appetizer platter, which consisted of a medley of roasted vegetables and dips like baba and hummus. All were excellent and flavorful but not overkill. I then had a falafel, which was surprisingly quite good! The falafel was crisp on the outside but soft (not mushy) in the center, which lent the sandwich a nice texture.
On a side note, if you can get a table by the window, you'll have some interesting people-watching to talk about during dinner. :)
This place is so great. It has become my standby for those nights when everyone goes, "I don't know, where do you wanna go?"
As other Yelpers have mentioned, it's great for vegetarians and carnivores alike, although I always get meat. It's so, so tasty.
The location is ideal (for me and most people that aren't afraid of the city), the service is speedy, and they keep the water coming. The only thing that was weird about the service is that, while you ignore the fact that the bill is sitting on your table (yet unpaid), various servers and bussers will hover and lurk until you pay. Maybe they've had issues with dashers in the past.
Also, the bathrooms are odd because instead of your typical gender-specific signs, one door has a little wooden angel on it, and the other had a little wooden teddy bear on it. I usually opt for the angel room, but doubt there would be a problem if I went in the bear room. Next time...
Not a bad place, was there for dinner with friends this past Saturday. I ordered the Lamb kebab sandwich, and some of the morsels were really tough to chew. Otherwise, it was pretty good, along with the hummus appetizer.
Also, try out the pitcher of lemonade for $4.50. It was good, but also very sweet. Surprisingly, it also had no bite to it as other citrus beverages do.
Definitely worth a shot.
Good selection, easy location, decent prize. What's to complain about?
Seems like a great place for vegetarians, even unintentional ones! I ordered a beef kabob wrap and struggled to get through the whole salad that had also been crammed in with!
The food here is very good. The hummus is delicious, as others have noted. I've gotten the chicken shish touk in the sandwich as well as the platter and it is divine, tender, juicy, flavorful. When comparing sahara grill to leila cafe, I would have to say the food at sahara is better, the service is average though.
3.5 stars. I got take out. The service was fast and friendly. The humus was heavenly...buttery texture, tangy and bright. Nice presentation too. The chicken fatush salad was standard although the addition of grilled zucchini was a pleasant surprise. The salad was dressed lightly with olive oil and a mild dried spice blend. I would order it again but it's nothing special. I'll definitely go back for the humus...it is just wonderful!
I don't like to be the dissenter here but I have experienced much better than Sahara Grill.
Let's begin with the nomenclature. When A restaurant declares itself "Middle Eastern," they really mean, "Pan-Middle Eastern," as the former could be used to describe Israeli, Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian, Yemeni, etc. We need to be specific here.
Now for the food. Having worked in a "Middle Eastern" eatery before, I was delighted to see the selection was extensive enough (baba ghanoush, hummus, falafels platters, kebobs of different sorts, and tabouleh salad). The salad I was given as a pre-meal course was loaded with vinegar and possibly (how could I tell, so much vinegar) oriental spices. This usually occurs to divert the taste away from the aged and flavorless lettuce used. I had lamb kebobs which came with rice (also spiced up), which were tasty but not worth $11.00. I believe that they were undercooked by a minute. The pita which they serve with oil was so dry and not warmed up did not fascinate me.
And now for the decor. This establishment has so much potential in the decor area that I really felt like dropping the name of an interior designer to the manager on shift in hopes that they would re-vamp the dining area. Tacky designs on the booths' cloth did not add to the "Middle-Eastern" experience I was hoping for. The lamps were a great addition and so were the traditional "Middle Eastern" musical instruments on the walls, to which the paintings of women dancing *could* have been hung with greater proximity to give the idea of a "chill" atmosphere. Also, the paintings themselves were too small to distinguish.
All in all, I will go again to try the hummus/baba ganoush falafel platter. My recommendation is to go to Sahara Grill for a lunch on a work day but do not bring a date there for dinner.
Even though there's a lot of meat on the menu (and I'm told it's good), I like the vegetarian options here. The hummus is great, as are the french fries (served with fried onions), the spinach-and-feta pie, and the stuffed grape leaves.
It's a great little lunch place -- it's usually busy, but you never have to wait to get a table. Plus, the weekday-lunch decibel levels are always manageable, even for those of us with quieter voices.
If for whatever reason you wondered where the Middle Eastern John Stamos worked, well this is the place. He just might be your waiter. He makes makes my mom coo and I didn't know if that was possible any more. But hold on, this place isn't just about some hot faux Stamos gawkin, the food is cooing induced as well.
Start out with a glass of iced mint Moroccan tea, then get belly up with the mixed grill. You have falafel, hummus, pita, lamb, chicken, beef, and some baklava to complete the meal. The mixed grill plates for two, come hungry and enjoy.
For you California folks, this reminds me of La Med in SF/Berkeley and Rosine's in Anaheim Hills.
We were one of two parties when we entered, but this was at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon (football games, anyone?). This was in no way indicative of the food quality, which was sooo good. I ordered the kafta kabob entree, while my fiance ordered the Shawarma sandwich, both after some baba gannouj (my favorite). I didn't try his sandwich, but I made him try my kabob, to which he said mine was better. SCORE!
I could rave about how amazing the food is, but I suggest you go and try it yourself! :)
Great service, great food, great prices. Totally unfussy, quick, and delish. Love it!
PS. The waiter here is a hottie!!
Came in for a lunch-time sandwich. SO GOOD. I ordered the chicken shish sandwich. So big. So good. So yummy. So tender chicken!
I really like that you can sit down and eat with your own wine and what not or you could just chill and have a quick sandwich. The place is not pretentious and it has some damn good food. Also, to serve ~15 people is no joke all at once.
Good service. Great tasting food. BYOB. Definitely coming back again.
How did I not know this place was so close? I have lived in Philadelphia for a little over a year and, in that time, I have been searching for a good Middle Eastern Restaurant. Being a good half-Lebanese girl, when I do actually cook it's often "old-country" food. However, the meat dishes tend to be kind of time consuming, so it doesn't happen all that often.
Anyway, the other day we had some friends in town(the wife's Lebanese, husband is American.) So, we decided to try a new restaurant. Both the Lebanese ladies (me being one) gave this place a thumbs up! We got the mezze platter-not sure what they called it. The hummus and baba ganoush were quite good. I was surprised! Usually I find that hummus in restaurants is too "tahiney and chickpea-ey" and not lemony enough. Not so. I usually find restaurant tabouli to be a bit flavorless, but the tabouli was also good!.
So, I will return next time I'm craving food from the old country. Shuk'ran
Showed up on a Sunday afternoon and this place was EMPTY, but I could see how it'd be crowded on a weekday lunch. Service was prompt and the food was fantastic! Reminds me of the other great Mediterranean restaurants I've eaten at. The kafta (ground sirloin) was juicy and flavorful while their shawarma "sandwich" was more like a good sized burrito (ended up bringing half of it home for dinner).
All in all, great restaurant, great surroundings, and prompt service. I'd definitely come here again, and its location is perfect for me.
I have been wanting to have some Middle Eastern food for a while and decided to finally wander into the Sahara Grill after work last night. I ordered Baba Ghanooj and Chicken taouk with mint tea. The Bab Ghanooj had pretty good flavor and texture and the pita bread that came with it was fresh and moist. I would have liked to have some more pita bread, since I ended up with almost 1/2 a bowl of Baba Ghanooj. The chicken taouk sandwich came in a pita bread wrap. Unfortunately it had a lot of iceberg lettuce stuffed in with the meat and stuffing. The chicken meat did not have a lot of flavor to it as well. I was disappointed to say the least.
As for the service, it did take the waiter a while to take my order, which left my stomach rumbling. The waiter and the cook had an argument at one point in an Arabic based language which did give some degree of authenticity. Still I would have rather had tasty food.
In summary, bland food that isn't worth the price.
I don't know how I lived in Philadelphia for over two years never having been to this place, but I recently tried Sahara for dinner for the first time and have a new favorite for middle easten food in Philadelphia! Wonderful service, very reasonable prices (2 plates + diet coke + tip was $30), and very satisfying portions.
My companion and I couldn't decide--the bottom line was that she wanted hummus--so we decided to share two plates. One was a chicken kabob dish that came with grilled veggies, salad, and herbed rice, the other was a falafel platter that came with hummus, tahini, raita-like yogurt, salad, and lots of pita.
We were blown away. The salad was delicious--it was mixed with what had to be a mix of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil and some herbs, but it was definitely fresh and not heavy at all. Both platers were delicious, and their falafel is some of the best I've tried in Philly. There was more than enough food, to the point that we didn't even touch the rice.
And even though we left stuffed, we didn't feel gross or heavy afterwards since the food wasn't greasy (not even the falafel). This place definitely left an impression because my sister and I couldn't shut up about how yummy dinner was at the movie we went to that night, or even at brunch the next day.
Will definitely go back. It's apparently BYOB, so I guess I'll be packing wine then as well :)
I love Sahara Grill. I go there at least once per week for lunch. It's just a small Lebanese restaurant on Walnut St, right off of Broad. The food is all economically priced, and is extremely fresh. My favorite is the Middle Eastern Sampler. Hummus, Baba ghanoush, pita, olives, tabouli, and more!
This is a wonderful place to have a health meal, and can be a fresh breath from the standard salad.
oh HELL yes!
I can't believe I've not been to this place before yesterday. I was hanging out watching soccerball with a drunk Man United supporting scum friend of mine and we did our "been drinking let's get a curry" thing (only I was working and sober but still tradition is tradition). We passed the Sahara Grill on the way to get us a curry and decided to stop in.
Oh Man Oh Man Oh Man. We both got stuffed vine leaves and a Shawarma sandwich. The vine leaves were warm, which I thought made them taste a bit more like you're eating leaves but they were delish. The Shawarma kebab though. OMG OMG--sersiously haven't had something like that on this side of the ocean--reminded me of my mispent youth and late night Kebab runs in the garden of Mancunia. It only would have been better if it was on Naan instead of Pita but I'm not complaining.
All told we spent 16 bucks apiece for a fully satisfying meal. How the hell did I not go in here before?
I would give this more stars but for me service is a part of the deal too! Its really tasty and I always go back, but no free refills on the ice tea, and they drop the food and go watch TV. The falafel, feta, hummus sandwich was so grubs, I dream about it. The lentil soup is really good too. I could go on and on about how good the food is. Maybe if the service was a little more friendly I would bump it up a notch. IT's a definite must go for MIddle east and super clean inside...
3.5 atars for food - I gave it 3 - because it's just not THAT wonderful. I had eggplant salad and a falafel platter. Good - but not as good as Mama's. Will elaborate more later. (Pressed for time.)
I absolutely love this place! My dad always said that one way to judge whether an ethnic restaurant makes good food or not is to see whether or not people of that ethnicity eat there. Every time I come in here, there are plenty of Middle Eastern families, groups of friends and couples eating, and the food is amazing. It's completely unpretentious, and inexpensive considering the quality of food. Everything is flavorful and the waiter is so cute! I was surprised to find such a great little family restaurant in the middle of center city, but I'm so glad it's there.
A really good restaurant overall. It's offers a really good dining atmosphere with inexpensive Lebanese/Middle Eastern food. I really love the seafood dishes but they also make great lamb and vegetarian cuisine. the service is great and they get you your food fairly quickly. It's a great BYOB to go to when your looking to eat out on the fly because it's rarely overcrowded and pretty easy to get a table.
food: rockin.
anytime meat is grilled on a stick, i kinda like the place.
anytime it's byob...well, that's even better.
the pita here is the thick and not warmed up kind (like effies...mmm...)
and the service? well...my plate was half full, and i'm busy talking to my friend...and they took my plate away without asking me.
um, what?
and they gave us the check without asking us if we wanted anything else. i mean, what if i wanted the mint tea and baklava? apparently, it was not for me that night.
My boyfriend and I absolutely fell in love with this quaint, undiscovered restaurant. We went on a Saturday evening and the restaurant was not even close to busy. The menu was fairly inexpensive, as lebonese food should be, but they have a great dinner deal for 2. Two complete dinners for $50. The service was impeccable and the food was delivered to the table in record time. Our favorite dishes were the hummus, baba ganoush, and the falafel. I am not a falafel fan, but their's is fantastic. It's a BYOB, but they will provide you with cute little wine glasses. This is now our favorite restaurant! ;)
This is one of the many BYOB here in the city, and it's one I'll pass right by the next time. I really found the food...disappointing. We ordered a bunch of things here...and the one thing that sticks out to me...were the grape leaves. Maybe I was expecting them to be more flavorful and more like traditional Greek grape leaves...but they were just bland. Nothing stood out here at all.
I've only had lunch here, but each time the food has been really good. The manager is also a really nice guy, we talk every time I stop by. The restaurant is a decent size with booths lined up along the walls and some tables in the middle. I've eaten in the dining room a couple of times, but I usually just get a falafel to-go.
My hubby and I used to frequent this place almost every other week before the baby. Their food was always sooooo good. Meats were tender and the salads are delish. So it was hard to think that it had been three years since my last meal at there. Searching for a BYOB on Yelp, I came across this place and was extra anxious to return, especially since it has been consistently receiving good reviews over the past few years. Just went on Friday, and BOY it did not disappoint. The lamb kabobs were so tasty. The hummus and baba ganoush were among the greats. And the pita?? It definitely served it's purpose. The service though was ho hum. It wasn't extra attentive and cheesy, but they weren't rude, full o' 'tude, nor did they try to rush you. My gf and I could've sat all night and finished our bottle of wine if we didn't get a hankering for cappuccino. Ok, all-in-all, just go. Bring a bottle of wine, try the salad combo as an app, pick an entree (they're all pretty good), and enjoy.
Healthy, fresh, reliable. In a nice, unpretentious atmosphere.
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Restaurants
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: South Street District
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Spring Garden
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Restaurants
Some of the better spots to go for veggies in…
I used to live in Chinatown. Now I do not. Places…
