07/10/09

For Authenticity, Keep Walking

by andiralaw

I don't know why this place had such great reviews. I had the lamb kabob platter, which is reasoably priced, and comes with a good deal of food. The salad was ordinary, with store-bought greek dressing, it was very fresh, but again ordinary. The pita was average at best, not home-made and probably of a brand you could buy at the grocery. The rice was rice-a-roni in texture and odd color, contained small noodles as well as rice, it was greasy and topped with a few sliced blanched almonds. It was terrible and added nothing to the kabob. The lamb was superb, properly flavored, 7 or so large pieces, slightly charred on the outside and a perfect slight pink in the middle. It was marinaded perfectly and tasted very Lebonese, with a hint of rosemary, which grows in such abundance on the dunes of the coast. The vegetables on the kabob (it was actually served kabob style without the kabob, a nice presentation) were overdone, bland and mushy. The side veggies, which were slices of grilled zuchinin and a grilled plum tomato were awful The spices did not blend at all with the spices on the meat or the lack of spices in the 'rice'. The baklava was average at best, and expensive considering its poor quality. the atmosphere is country kitchen with Lebonese artwork, kind of weird. The music is nice. My reccommendation is to keep walking and go to the Sansom Kabob House down the street, the food and atmosphere are 100x better and the prices are about the same.

• Pros: friendly, efficient staff, meat cooked perfectly
• Cons: terrible Middle Eastern Food-dulled for the American palate

04/10/09

A mango drink by the summer sea

by TR1954

I have never been to Lebanon, so I will have to settle for dining at Sahara Grill. I am a snobbish critic when it comes to pita bread and hummus. Both are fabulous at this place. As a vegetarian, I find that SG ranks among the best options in Philadelphia. The service is casual and the servers are authentic. It feels real. I like to eat there when I am in town.

• Pros: Fresh food, delicious cool drinks, strong coffee
• Cons: It's 15 miles from my house.

08/22/08

BEST MIDDLE EAST FOOD

by nilly

I love the middle east food from Sahara Grill. Friendly atmosphere, nice service and very affordable. The menu has a variety of healty entries full of flavor. I visit the restaurant very often and they always have the same great service....

01/27/08

Hot food, chilly service

by Phoodelphia

Foodwise, Sahara Grill is spot on. The tabouli is minty-fresh and the entrees are always authentic and full of flavor. The service, however, leaves much to be desired. It is efficient and proper, but definitely not "warm," as one person described it below. In fact, I feel like I get the cold shoulder every time I'm there and even when I call in on the phone! I brought my parents once and was embarrassed because of they felt uncomfortable because they got the silent treatment from the waiter. Ultimately I stopped going, but I would recommend giving it a shot because the food really is quite good.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Service

09/27/07

Most Authentic and Best Lebanese food in Philly

by jmreiff

I have been a fan of this place for a number of years and think that their food is the most authentic and best tasting Lebanese food in the city.

Staff is very warm and I have had nothing but excellent service.

I travel to the Middle East often and this is the "real McCoy." If you are looking for something healthy , delicious and a bit exotic this is your place.

I recommend the Mixed Grill, Shwarma and Grilled Chicken Greek Salad, Hummus,and Baba Ganouj

Ask for some of their homemade hot peper sauce!

04/12/07

Best Lebanese food in Philly!!!!!

by joujou14

Great food, great hummus, falafel and apetizers! fatouch? awesome!

sandwiches are great, shawarma, taouk, all of them are perfect! and very affordable prices. a true lebanese experience

don't like the kebbe...

• Pros: fast great food at affordable prices
• Cons: poor kebbe... some items are westernized

01/19/07

delicious food.

by smhere

my friend & i went here one night, not knowing what to expect.... we are both of middle eastern descend and thus have many points of reference. i was very pleasantly suprirse and let me just tell you: we just kept on eating and ordering more!!

the only thing i wish they had was a plain basmati white rice.... but everything else was delicious and well made.

• Pros: delicious variety of foods. well prepared and fast service.
• Cons: the waiters were not that friendly. there was no plain basmati rice.

11/10/06

horrid place

by simon_01234

i am from abu dhabi, so i know what middle eastern food is really like, and this place is nothing like it,

its utter rubbish and well honestly,its rather pricy. i dont know what the other reviewers found so great in this place !

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: bad food, bad service, very expensive !

08/18/06

best middle eastern food

by karma07

I get take out from sahara grill at least once a week and I am never disappointed. The food is consistently good and the staff are extremely friendly and accomodating. For great portions of healthy food I highly recommend giving sahara grill a try.

01/06/06

Hottest Waiter in the City

by katkatdenada

The food was amazing, but it could have been crappy and I'd still go back...Seriously, the hottest guy in the city hands down. Ladies should come in a group to check out the hotness. I was going to keep it a secret and keep it to myself, but karma...you know. I thought I'd share the eye candy. I went on a Thrusday night...so if you want to catch the hottest waiter in Philly, go Thursday.

Oh okay the food, the hummus is amazing. Our entrees were really good...Opt for the couscous instead of the rice. You won't be sorry.

• Pros: Hot Waiter, Inexpensive, Amazing Food
• Cons: Distracting hotwaiter