At first glance, the area might not raise your expectations--it's a bit on the shabby side--but…read moredon't let that fool you. This place turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Parking is convenient, with spots available on both sides of the restaurant and across the street, which is always a plus in New Jersey. Once inside, the atmosphere completely shifts. The interior is warm, inviting, and thoughtfully designed, giving off an authentic and comfortable vibe. The staff were equally impressive--attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. The food lived up to the experience. Everything we tried was flavorful and well-prepared, though I would say it leans toward the more expensive side. Paying 18% and then 2 % card fee seems a bit much on the top of that the courses were a bit pricey. That said, the quality is there. The fresh bread and olives served at the start were exactly what we needed--simple, delicious, and perfect after arriving hungry. Overall, a great find that rises well above its surroundings. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

This food was so good. The service was great too…read more Went there on an early Sunday afternoon and it was surprisingly busy. We ordered the Chicken Adana Wrap and the Avocado Salad with Chicken. They immediately brought a large Balloon Bread to the table with olive oil, served on a wood serving board. The bread was steaming warm and was freshly made. Our meals were then served and you can tell the food was fresh. The pita wrap was also freshly made. The hot sauce that. came with the chicken wrap was fantastic. I was told they make in -house. I wish I could but that on it's own. I would definitely go back!

I found this place by accident. I was heading down. Hylan, toward a diner that I like. I saw name…read moreon the sign, and it looked like a nice restaurant. Not knowing what type of a restaurant it is, I decided to stop in. What a pleasant surprise. It was a Turkish restaurant. There was a good amount of people in there, but it looked like I was the only "white boy." Everybody was very friendly, and the place was clean. I liked the atmosphere. I started with the baba ghanoush. I loved it. The flavor of the roasted eggplant was delicious. And the roasted flavor kept it from being too rich. It was creamy and delicious. I almost didn't have enough bread to put it on. And believe me, I was piling the bread high with that stuff. There was also a small bowl of marinated green olives on the side. I normally do not like green olives, but these were fantastic. The olive oil marinade kept them from being too bitter for me. For my main course, I had the Adana kebab. Ground lamb, red bell pepper, and paprika. I had a small, which was one kebab. It also came with a very nice marinated salad, and a decent size portion of rice, which was tender and had a good flavor to it. It also came with a red sauce and a tzatziki sauce.. the red sauce was too spicy for me, and the tzatziki I put some of it on the rice, and then the rest I dipped my kebab. The kebab wasn't spicy at all, and the red bell pepper, and the paprika gave it a great flavor, it was not gamey like lamb can be. It was also very tender. Everything was so good, I ended up finishing the entire dinner, and I was stuffed. I would've loved to try a Turkish coffee, but it was like 8 PM, and I didn't want to be up for the rest of the night... :). The price was reasonable. The only reason I'm taking off a star, is because they add an automatic 18% gratuity to the check, and then there's also a spot down at the bottom for a second gratuity. That's why you need to read your check very carefully. If you don't notice the automatic gratuity, you might end up paying a double tip. I thought the automatic 18% gratuity was more than fair. This was a great place. They also do breakfast. I would like to come in and try breakfast sometime. Thank you.

Good food. Bad service. Shady tip suggestions…read more The food was good but the waiter never came back to refill water, check on us, or refill bread. They will come back to ask you for dessert, at which point, you aren't in the mood anymore. There was a mixup with one order in my group. I don't know if it was the manager's fault (who also was the waiter) or if it was mine. I pointed this out as soon as the food arrived at the table. The manager made ZERO effort to help fix the situation. He did not care at all. To further emphasize that this restaurant cares about money over customers, the receipt has ridiculous errors in it. It first assigns an 18% tip in the total for a group. But then at the bottom of the receipt, also lists tip amounts ranging from 18% to 25% to ADD ON TOP of your grand total which ALREADY included the automatic tip. So if you hadn't noticed that the tip was already in the total, you would be tipping them AGAIN on the total of food, tax, and automatic tip. There are many, many other Middle Eastern restaurants opening up all over Staten Island. Will be giving the others a try instead.

The food is delicious and the service is excellent. Will be going back! Two thumbs up, 10/10,…read morehighly recommend!

Nice spot in Staten Island. The food was fresh and tasty…read more Nice cozy ambiance and good service. Nice place for an easy good dinner with friends

Always great. BYO-wine is another great thing. The food is priced right and delicious.read more

The Grand Sahara grill is my favorite Mediterranean Restaurant and it is right here in Staten…read moreIsland. The food is always fresh and delicious. It never disappoints. The servers are very attentive. The price is definitely reasonable as are the portions. You won't be disappointed.

Great food, big portions, low prices. Top spot for delivery because they're fast and and the food…read moreis guaranteed to be great every time. Moist chicken, fresh bread, there's just nothing to complain about.

Very good service, always polite, delicious food. Coming often, never disappointed. Usually came…read morewith friends and family members.

First off - beautiful Ambiance Plenty of parking (in a…read morestrip center) Great service Starter - cold mixed appetizer of baba ghanoush, labneh, hummus, muhamara (red bell peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses. All yummy. The only disappointment was the pita bread. Just not great and should have been warm Laila salad - Fattet Makdous - stuffed eggplant with ground meat with yogurt garlic sauce with small crunchy pieces of pita bread. This was a bit too rich for me. My friend ordered it. Very tasty and different. Sujok - Syrian beef sausage delicious and different from Italian or polish sausage Spicy potatoes were incredible. They were crunchy so apparently fried but not greasy. Desert was baklava mushed up with a scoop of ice cream. Amazing I'd go back in a heartbeat. There's a lot of different dishes to try out!!

Super cute date spot. Romantic ambiance. Food was absolutely amazing and hookah was really good.read more

Absolutely fantastic restaurant, very nice decor clean nice staff , great prices, clean, authentic…read moreAlbanian food, very very good and a must try- new renovation- not Turkish restaurant- Albanian

Our first time in Staten Island, and we had to stop by for some Albanian food, of course…read more Everything was tasty and the staff were very friendly! I recommend the qebapa, qofte sharri, alba salad, and trilece. The ambiance is pretty casual and welcoming!

We are big fans of Mediterranean food and often go to places like Zara's on Staten Island but were…read moreintroduced to Opera about a year ago. They're known amongst my family for bringing out this ENORMOUS bread that seems larger than anyone can eat but you're surprised not only by the fact that it's hollow inside but also how quickly it disappears when you're enjoying the fabulous meze platter (a variety of dips that you can enjoy). My grandma got the lamb shish kabob (which was huge) and my boyfriend got the lamb adana. I got the mixed grill. Everything tasted delicious and we were very full with still more food to take home after we ate our fill. The portions are large and the staff is friendly and attentive. Our waitress came by a couple times to check on us and staff was quick to take away plates we were finished with and wipe down the table in between so we didn't have crumbs everywhere after the bread course. The interior of this place is also really lovely. They decorated for Valentine's Day and also put on the Olympics on TV, though none of the seasonal decor nor entertainment felt like it overpowered the cozy atmosphere of this place. My favorite part of it is that the seating feels incredibly cozy because you can sit in a nook with beautifully designed cushions arranged around the bench for comfort and style. Our meal was great as always and I'm excited to come back again!

Ambience is just gorgeous. Service is spectacular. Menu is extensive…read more Small shepherd salad with feta cheese is incredibly tasty and is more than enough for two people. Combined with their hot bubble bread is a treat. Shrimp casserole (my favorite dish there) comes out bubbling hot. You have to be careful not to burn your mouth and let it cool off a bit. Very tasty and the cheese melted on top gives it an extra touch. The crêpe for dessert was perfect. The fruit served with it was deliciously sweet. I'm lucky to have this place in my neighborhood.

Was looking for a spot to grab breakfast and found Mavi Cafe and am so glad I did! The cafe itself,…read morewhile small, is adorable, and the staff were so kind and attentive. I ordered the special honey and pistachio cappuccino, which was so delicious, and the Turkish toast, which was quite tasty! Next time I would add some eggs and veggies to the toast, but overall, this is a solid spot that I would love to frequent.

Was looking for a spot to eat off of the Staten Island ferry and yelp didn't let me down. Excellent…read moreservice capped off a delicious chicken gyro and americano. Go support this spot! Cute little space too.

I've gone to the 86st/20thave location many moons ago so I was curious, if this location would be…read morethe same...the Bensonhurst location is bigger but the flavors still are the same. I got what was supposed to be the combination platter of chicken gyro (half portion) - but I should've known because it seems to be A LOT to just be a 1/2 (there is a differencein pricing b/w the two that I chalked it up to misunderstanding). But nonetheless, it was really good AND I had left overs for dinner & lunch the next day. So that's always a in my book. Before the meal, you are given pitta bread, olives in oil as well as a white and red sauce (red is spicy). The service was pretty good - you weren't rushed AND the busser came to fill the glass of water w/o you having to ask. I sat outside so I didn't really get a vibe of the place but I'll definitely visit again and sit inside to get a better feel of the place

All of the pide was delicious as well as the dips. The shish (lamb & chicken) was tasty and the…read moredesserts/coffee was a nice exclamation point to the entire meal. The staff was overly friendly and professional. Great experience overall.