Sahara Cafe & Mediterranean Food
1121 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL, 34236
Sahara Cafe & Mediterranean Food Menu
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Address :
1121 S Tamiami Trl
Sarasota, FL, 34236 - Phone (941) 954-1423
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 8:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Cheryl Z.
I read a number of reviews here and on trip advisor and they were good, so I took the trip way across town as I really was in the mood for a falafael sandwich. I ordered the supreme falafal wrap and my friends a gyro wrap. Our food came to us within three minutes, way to fast for fresh made. I guess it's my fault for getting a wrap as I was expecting the traditional pita bread. Whatever this wrap was it was tasteless and dry. The falafal was not hot from the fryer and crispy but warm and mushy. My supreme had hummus on it and the tiny bit that was there was tasty. My friends gyro was dry as well. They must make the fillings and just warm and stuff as needed. Very disappointed in the falafal but would probably stop in if I were in the area to pick up some hummus.
(2)Erin K.
Yum and Yum. The hummus is amazing, baba ghanoush delicious and dolmas' delectable. I've never had anything bad here, and I've had everything. The feta cheese is quality, the falafel's ............you just can't go wrong at Sahara. Not bad lunch ambiance, but for dinner take those yummies to go and head over to Arlington park.
(5)Coty S.
Is this the best Mediterranean food in Sarasota? Really? That is sad... We finally figured out how their hours work and that sometimes they are just not open for random reasons. I have stopped by three times before and they were closed every time, so I guess that the fourth time is a charm. The décor here is bare bones minimum. If you are here around sundown, you will want to sit facing the back of the building, otherwise you will be blinded by the sun. You order at the counter and the owner will yell that it is ready and you come and pick it up. I ordered a daily sweet that they had at the counter, which was a small shortbread cookie filled with pistachio, price unknown. We tried to order some of the different pie's (meat patties) that they had, but they were sold out of every single one. So, we ordered the Spanakopita ($3.50), which was the best item out of my entire meal here. It is very large and could be a meal in itself. The Gyro Platter ($7.99) comes with one small pita, a pile of gyro meat, side of tzatziki sauce, and two sides. For my sides I chose Baba Ghanouj and Hummus. The meat was very dry and just one pita was not enough to even try to eat with your meal. I recommend ordering an entire bag of them just to eat with, because they are very small and thin. The hummus was standard, something that you would buy in a container at any grocery store for about the same price, there were no unique flavors that really stood out. However, the Baba Ghanouj was absolutely terrible! I normally love this dish, but Sahara's tasted like straight up chemical and Liquid Smoke. Disgusting! I only took one bite of it. Shawarma Pita was ordered as a combo with a side of fries. The fries were pretty decent, but the pita was tragic. The meat was tough and stringy with no flavor, not cut against the grain so there was more meat in your teeth than in your stomach. They also fail to mention that all of the wraps here are loaded with sliced dill pickles! The flavor may be good on a hamburger, but not mixed with hummus and tabouleh. It was so wrong... My husband could not even finish it, because the entire wrap tasted of pickle juice. $26.00 later for two people- my husband's only comment upon leaving was, "Well, that was gross."
(2)Carolyn M.
Sahara is a great joint for a quick lunch or dinner that is reasonably priced and moderately healthy. I normally opt for the Veggie Platter which runs about $6 - falafal, hummus, tabbouleh, and pita. The true kicker is their selection of Sami's Bakery gluten free products. The flax crackers are yummy and the best priced in town by over a $1. Would definitely recommend for a casual, quick, lunch or dinner. HAPPY VEGAN DINING!
(4)Joe M.
Good food at fair prices. Sahara has seating so it's not just take out. They also have a store with middle eastern specialties. These guys have been here a while and this place is a survivor (in this area that is a mark of distinction) -- once you go that first time you will be back. Also really good smoothies
(4)Selmy B.
Delicious consistently. Clean and full during lunch. Open until 7 pm daily. Easy parking in plaza. Popular to go lunch selections. Call ahead or walk in to place to go or eat in meals. Same staff who get friendly once they recognize you.
(5)Elena C.
The food here is bland to say the least. The hummus is flavorless. The veggie wrap with fava beans was like a huge burrito filled with bland vegetables, no flavor, it was described as having mint, no, no mint flavor. The only edible items were the falafel and the tabule. I've had excellent Lebanese food in the past and what is served at Sahara doesn't even approximate the incredible, exotic and wonderful flavors of refined Lebanese cuisine. Lackluster fare at Sahara, unfortunately.
(2)Dawnyel G.
I've eaten at food stands, holes in the wall, and food trucks all over the world. This mistake will not be repeated. Seven pm on a Monday night, zero customers and 4 dirty tables. I should have walked right back out the door. I ordered a fatoush salad to go, how bad could the one employee screw it up. She started by charging me $20, proceeded to make my food bare handed, scraped the dressing off a spoon with her thumb, and then threw my gyro in a microwave. My stomach was turning thinking of where her hands had been. The sticking point was arriving home to open a box of lettuce, mushy tomatoes, rubbery mystery meat, and olives with pitts. I hope I can save just one person from this experience.
(1)James K.
I think many people confuse a "restaurant" and a "cafe" as being the same thing. They are not. Sahara isn't meant to wine and dine you with ambiance and glitz. It's a spin-off of their deli next door. They focus on two things, good Mediterranean food served quickly. And that is what they do best. So if you're trying to impress a first date with exotic cuisine, Sahara isn't the place. If you're pressed for time and want the best Mediterranean food at a reasonable price. You do the math. The only down side is the hours of operation. They are often closed for various reasons. It is a family business after all. It's a small price considering it's really good and right there.
(4)Brian B.
I had one quick lunch here only but the chicken wrap which was like a souvlaki type chicken wrapped in this really good type of sorta naan bread was super good. They also had a little grocery section of canned things and mixes to make your own at home. Cool little place, I'd go here again if I could.
(4)Carolyn M.
Sahara is a great joint for a quick lunch or dinner that is reasonably priced and moderately healthy. I normally opt for the Veggie Platter which runs about $6 - falafal, hummus, tabbouleh, and pita. The true kicker is their selection of Sami's Bakery gluten free products. The flax crackers are yummy and the best priced in town by over a $1. Would definitely recommend for a casual, quick, lunch or dinner. HAPPY VEGAN DINING!
(4)Coty S.
Is this the best Mediterranean food in Sarasota? Really? That is sad... We finally figured out how their hours work and that sometimes they are just not open for random reasons. I have stopped by three times before and they were closed every time, so I guess that the fourth time is a charm. The décor here is bare bones minimum. If you are here around sundown, you will want to sit facing the back of the building, otherwise you will be blinded by the sun. You order at the counter and the owner will yell that it is ready and you come and pick it up. I ordered a daily sweet that they had at the counter, which was a small shortbread cookie filled with pistachio, price unknown. We tried to order some of the different pie's (meat patties) that they had, but they were sold out of every single one. So, we ordered the Spanakopita ($3.50), which was the best item out of my entire meal here. It is very large and could be a meal in itself. The Gyro Platter ($7.99) comes with one small pita, a pile of gyro meat, side of tzatziki sauce, and two sides. For my sides I chose Baba Ghanouj and Hummus. The meat was very dry and just one pita was not enough to even try to eat with your meal. I recommend ordering an entire bag of them just to eat with, because they are very small and thin. The hummus was standard, something that you would buy in a container at any grocery store for about the same price, there were no unique flavors that really stood out. However, the Baba Ghanouj was absolutely terrible! I normally love this dish, but Sahara's tasted like straight up chemical and Liquid Smoke. Disgusting! I only took one bite of it. Shawarma Pita was ordered as a combo with a side of fries. The fries were pretty decent, but the pita was tragic. The meat was tough and stringy with no flavor, not cut against the grain so there was more meat in your teeth than in your stomach. They also fail to mention that all of the wraps here are loaded with sliced dill pickles! The flavor may be good on a hamburger, but not mixed with hummus and tabouleh. It was so wrong... My husband could not even finish it, because the entire wrap tasted of pickle juice. $26.00 later for two people- my husband's only comment upon leaving was, "Well, that was gross."
(2)Joe M.
Good food at fair prices. Sahara has seating so it's not just take out. They also have a store with middle eastern specialties. These guys have been here a while and this place is a survivor (in this area that is a mark of distinction) -- once you go that first time you will be back. Also really good smoothies
(4)Cheryl Z.
I read a number of reviews here and on trip advisor and they were good, so I took the trip way across town as I really was in the mood for a falafael sandwich. I ordered the supreme falafal wrap and my friends a gyro wrap. Our food came to us within three minutes, way to fast for fresh made. I guess it's my fault for getting a wrap as I was expecting the traditional pita bread. Whatever this wrap was it was tasteless and dry. The falafal was not hot from the fryer and crispy but warm and mushy. My supreme had hummus on it and the tiny bit that was there was tasty. My friends gyro was dry as well. They must make the fillings and just warm and stuff as needed. Very disappointed in the falafal but would probably stop in if I were in the area to pick up some hummus.
(2)Erin K.
Yum and Yum. The hummus is amazing, baba ghanoush delicious and dolmas' delectable. I've never had anything bad here, and I've had everything. The feta cheese is quality, the falafel's ............you just can't go wrong at Sahara. Not bad lunch ambiance, but for dinner take those yummies to go and head over to Arlington park.
(5)conor b.
A staple for Mediterranean food for as long as I can remember. I've enjoyed their stuffed grape leaves from time to time for many years now and they have an always packed dining area filled with folks munching on their awesome Pitas and more. I've always been a huge fan of their falafel pita and when I'm in the mood for this type of cuisine there really isn't any better in town.
(4)Maggie L.
Sorry but nothing on their menu is good. This place has gone way down. It seems impossible to find good Mediterranean food in this town. Last time I came in for lunch, I walked right back out due to some terrible sewer smell and rude staff. Bleh.
(2)Shannon G.
This place is great for a quick and healthy meal. I love the veggie pita with hummus. The flavors are wonderful and I have never been disappointed.
(5)Elena C.
The food here is bland to say the least. The hummus is flavorless. The veggie wrap with fava beans was like a huge burrito filled with bland vegetables, no flavor, it was described as having mint, no, no mint flavor. The only edible items were the falafel and the tabule. I've had excellent Lebanese food in the past and what is served at Sahara doesn't even approximate the incredible, exotic and wonderful flavors of refined Lebanese cuisine. Lackluster fare at Sahara, unfortunately.
(2)Dawnyel G.
I've eaten at food stands, holes in the wall, and food trucks all over the world. This mistake will not be repeated. Seven pm on a Monday night, zero customers and 4 dirty tables. I should have walked right back out the door. I ordered a fatoush salad to go, how bad could the one employee screw it up. She started by charging me $20, proceeded to make my food bare handed, scraped the dressing off a spoon with her thumb, and then threw my gyro in a microwave. My stomach was turning thinking of where her hands had been. The sticking point was arriving home to open a box of lettuce, mushy tomatoes, rubbery mystery meat, and olives with pitts. I hope I can save just one person from this experience.
(1)James K.
I think many people confuse a "restaurant" and a "cafe" as being the same thing. They are not. Sahara isn't meant to wine and dine you with ambiance and glitz. It's a spin-off of their deli next door. They focus on two things, good Mediterranean food served quickly. And that is what they do best. So if you're trying to impress a first date with exotic cuisine, Sahara isn't the place. If you're pressed for time and want the best Mediterranean food at a reasonable price. You do the math. The only down side is the hours of operation. They are often closed for various reasons. It is a family business after all. It's a small price considering it's really good and right there.
(4)Brian B.
I had one quick lunch here only but the chicken wrap which was like a souvlaki type chicken wrapped in this really good type of sorta naan bread was super good. They also had a little grocery section of canned things and mixes to make your own at home. Cool little place, I'd go here again if I could.
(4)conor b.
A staple for Mediterranean food for as long as I can remember. I've enjoyed their stuffed grape leaves from time to time for many years now and they have an always packed dining area filled with folks munching on their awesome Pitas and more. I've always been a huge fan of their falafel pita and when I'm in the mood for this type of cuisine there really isn't any better in town.
(4)Maggie L.
Sorry but nothing on their menu is good. This place has gone way down. It seems impossible to find good Mediterranean food in this town. Last time I came in for lunch, I walked right back out due to some terrible sewer smell and rude staff. Bleh.
(2)Shannon G.
This place is great for a quick and healthy meal. I love the veggie pita with hummus. The flavors are wonderful and I have never been disappointed.
(5)Selmy B.
Delicious consistently. Clean and full during lunch. Open until 7 pm daily. Easy parking in plaza. Popular to go lunch selections. Call ahead or walk in to place to go or eat in meals. Same staff who get friendly once they recognize you.
(5)