We had a very unfortunate experience here the other Friday evening. We were looking for somewhere for an inexpensive bite to eat with a friend, and outside Sahara was an 'A' board advertising as its headline 'Set Lunch £6.95, Dinner £8.95'. In the adjacent window the set menu selection looked very good, with plenty of lamb, chicken and vegetarian options. This hit the spot so we went in. We were given menus, but found no sign of the set menu at £8.95. We asked about it, and were treated to a rather loud and slightly embarrassing exchange between the waitress and kitchen of 'are we doing a set menu tonight?' which went on for a few minutes. The waitress then said they weren't - the offer was only on weekdays, which did not include Fridays. We pointed out they were advertising it outside (with no caveats about which nights it applied to). Then another member of staff appeared, and suggested the weekend set menu - which, at £38 for two, was more than double the price. I pointed out that they were advertising something different outside - after all, it's not a great effort to take in an 'A' board. He just repeated that the offer was on Mondays to Thursdays only. We felt ripped off - we'd been lured in on a false premise. We left with a bad taste in our mouths - so can't actually comment on the food... read more

I've recently started getting in to African and ethnic foods, so I came to Sahara to develop my burgeoning love. I noticed India mentioning that Sahara can be a little bit pricey, but this can be avoided if you come between Monday and Thursday. During these days/nights, you can get 2 courses from as little as £6.95 (£8.95 in the evening). If like me, you are big on trying to take advantage of these promotions, Sahara is definitely a restaurant that should be added to your list of potential choices. I had a mixed meat dish served with couscous and salad, I can say with all certainty that I was not disappointed. Sahara is good alternative to the more Western restaurants, I could certainly see myself heading back. read more

Sahara - Middle Eastern Near Me - Brighton, BNH

Good flavor! Must try the chili sauce. So good! Ordered Cous Cous with vegetables. Would give it a 5-star but the center of my dish is a bit cold. Otherwise, great experience. read more

Sahara - Spice bar? - Middle Eastern Near Me - Brighton, BNH

I attended Mon. August 24th for Joanna's birthday at 5.p.m. The food and service were truly excellent. The attention to detail and making me feel at home were wonderful. The decor was exquisite and beautiful. I would like to thank all the staff very much indeed . I sent a letter to the manager last week and said I would write a review. Once again thank you very much for a memerable evening. Best Wishes, Eric S. read more

Oh my Oh my, such good food. We were there for an office xmas do and we thought the starters were immense. Then they bought the mains out. There were only 10 of us but there was enough food to fed at least 13. Beautiful tasty meats, lovely vege food. And great that you can bring your own wine. Am stuffed! read more

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I have eaten here several times! I love middle eastern food and i have tried every middle eastern/north african restaurant in Brighton! Now Sahara is ok its nothing spectacular! The reason being is that the portions are relatively small compared to other restaurants offering the same food and its also more expensive. I also found the mix grill very bland! Unfortunately Brighton really does not offer very good middle eastern food, I am half arab and grew up in the middle east and the closest i have come to enjoying a real middle eastern meal is al rouche for lebanese, nayeb for Iranian and mascara for Moroccan those really are the best ones in Brighton! However if you want to really experience middle eastern food you need to head to london either edgware road or knightsbridge as they have some of the best restaurants there! What i will say about this restaurant from what i have heard the belly-dancing evenings are pretty cool i personally haven't experienced it so maybe give that a go? read more

I wish I was cool enough to sit outside Sahara, I really do, but I'm not. I just can't pull off that hookah look. Maybe it's to do with not wearing trackie bottoms and a huge baseball cap, I don't know, but Sahara has never really appealed to me. Under duress, I did enjoy my meal, although I paid an arm and a leg, and waited for ages for a bill that was incorrect twice (very similar to what India, below experienced). If you think you're cool enough to go, be my guest, the food is worth it, although everything else leaves quite a bit to be desired. What started off as a glib beginning to this review needs explaining: the clientele here are just awful. This seems to be a favoured starting point into town for some of the seedier elements of the Brighton nightlife, and I'm not really in the mood to be hob-nobbing with this crowd at the best of times. Add on top of it that the service in Sahara, which is something seems to have experienced, is pretty awful: slow, rude and often incorrect. And then, to add insult to injury, the prices are astronomical... Why is it worth coming here again? Ah yes, the food: once you get past the people, the service and the prices, the food isn't half-bad. It's not exceptional, and certainly not worth all the hassle to get there: in the end, don't bother unless any of the above really, really appeals to you. Or you love hookahs! read more

This place was pretty fun. Not only was the food tasty, but the waiter was a nice guy, and after all... its a BYOB. My friend and I grabbed a bottle of wine two doors down so we were all set. Even after more friends came, and that bottle was done, I just slipped down the street for another. How convenient. In the courtyard out back you can smoke a hookah as well, if thats your thing. We ordered a veggie platter for two, which was yummy. read more

Loved it! Good food, big portions and great price! It was my first time here and my cousins came a couple times. They have good meat entrees along with a sheesha place outside. I'd recommend read more

The best thing about this restaurant was the bring your own alcohol policy - with no corking fee - unfortunately the flattery stops there. We waited for 45min for an ok kebab, salad, bread, dip and beans, that would have cost £5 across the road at an ok takeaway and only taken 10min but here cost £25. The kebab came with a mountain of rice (this was way too much for four people) and a poor salad of bad lettuce and tomato. The beans tasted like they had just been poured out of a tin with the brine still with them and whilst the kebab meat was nice it was nothing special. If I were desperate and there was nowhere else open I might eat here again - but I would have to be very desperate. This restaurant was a real disappointment because a reasonably priced, cosy north African restaurant serving good food would have been a new favorite for me. Sadly this wasn't it. 2/10. read more

Great place. Was looking for an intimate place for a romantic evening with the Boyf. Spotted this on tripadvisor and thought we'd give it a go. Excellent, friendly staff. Booked online and they made us feel so welcome. The food was spicy and plentiful. Love a BYO place as it means you can concentrate on the food. Spent the evening staring into my boyfs beautiful eyes. Definitely a "boss" place. Love it! read more

reviews of sahara on other sites are a bit of a quandary. I read them and had a feeling we shouldn't go (a mix of some excellent ones with suspicious names as if maybe the restuarant had added them interspersed with some bad ones about crap service and food) but it was eve of my birthday i had people down we hadnt booked anywhere we had beer & wine and not much money so we did go... and it was good! I think personally its worth going for tagine over anything else. I had two mezzes falafel and a salad (which wasnt salad but a coleslaw humous hyrbid) my boyfriend had a kebab which at £10 was pricey and we've had better elsewhere for this type of thing (kebab shop down the road at fraction of price), but couldnt fault the tagines which some friends had (veg or meat). Being BYO means it worked out £10 each and we drank merrily. Another point raised in other reviews (on diff sites) were rude service and waitresses i couldn't disagree more they seated us (table of 9) without prior notice on a saturday night (admittedly early at about 6pm and not because it was desserted). They served us very well opening all our bottles of wine. Worth trying if only once. read more

Tastecard is a great scheme which offers 50% off or 2 for 1 deals at certain restaurants. A Taste of Sahara advertises that a 2 for 1 offer is available any day and time except for Fridays and Saturdays. I visited the restaurant yesterday (Thursday) to enquire whether they had tables available, which they did. Upon mentioning the Tastecard however I was informed by the owner that they did not accept it after 6pm on any day. This would rule out any evening bookings which does not appear to be in the spirit of the offer. The owner said that this restriction was not made clear on the tastecard website but was made clear on the restaurant's own website. I can find no reference to Tastecard on their website. I would suggest finding another restaurant if you want to use a Tastecard unless you do out for dinner before 6pm! read more

This place is quite a treat; the interior looks like something out of 'Thousand and One Nights'. The food is great , you can choose between Persian or Lebanese food and I think they also serve tagine. The staff are so lovely and make you feel right at home. read more

The atmosphere was very nice in sahara and the arabic selection of dishes is probably the best in Brighton. The lebanese mixed mezze is a must try with all the different starters all on one plater. Service was good and polite, could have been a very slight bit faster though but still very good. A final plus is the new 'she sha' garden they have opened in the back, which is quite nice after a meal :-) Recommend it! read more

went to to the new taste of sahara with afew friends who had never eaten middle eastern food.We were recommended the mezze which was truly mouth watering,followed by the sultan mixed grill which was the most tander chicken and lamb that we had tasted for years. well done sahara. All round it was perfect. Great service and top notch food read more

Sahara - Tunisien Couscous - Middle Eastern Near Me - Brighton, BNH

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Fantastic restaurant. The food is fabulous - and plenty of it. The owner is friendly and attentive. This restaurant has recently been taken over and is trying to shake off its previous reputation. Lovely decor and surroundings 5 stars read more

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My brother introduced me to Sahara. I normally know what to expect from my brother concerning restaurants as he is 16 stone of pure muscle: that is to say he likes his meat and big portions. Sure enough Sahara, whilst not offering a delivery service, delivers on these 2 counts. Barring a half-breed fatty arbuckle mailman Sahara delivers meat and BIG portions better than anywhere else in Brighton. Whether you choose a meat or vegetarian option your large plate will be filled with food that is nothing short of excellent. As always there is a price to pay and the price in question I would suggest is not as exhorbitant as others have said in their reviews. It appears to be alot of money but considering the sheer girth of the portions it seems good value. I have eaten here many times and I have to say that the service is inconsistent. One week there will be a beautiful Persian waitress (incidental) who is quite frankly bang on it. She knows all the specials, all the menu off by heart and her waitressing skills are second to none. It wouldn't surprise me if she came cartwheeling out of the kitchen whilst juggling your food and everything ended up on your table just how it was supposed to save a solitary grain of rice balancing precariously on the edge of your plate. But yes the inconsistency, other times the service will be average: just enough to get the job done without patrons complaining but probably not enough to pass a waitressing GNVQ at some beat-down diploma mill. And then there are the times where you would rather help yourself from the kitchen. I've never seen anything spilt or dropped on the floor here but certainly some of the waitressing staff are clueless: not knowing when specials start and finish and as said before getting the bill wrong. Although thats no skin off my nose as they'll get it right eventually and lose their tips in the process. Sahara is one of my favourite restaurants. It is plush and looks the part comfortably seating a group of 8 on comfy sofas and cushions and there is definitely a thick middle eastern atmosphere with the smells from the kitchen wofting seductively into the restaurant and authentic Middle Eastern music creating a real atmosphere. Lets not forget the flavoured hubbly bubbly as well, which goes great with the Rose water ice cream at the end. read more

Deeply disappointing ! I have been very disappointed with this restaurant. I had the chance to go on Christmas day. For £34.50 you could have access to a buffet that tasted a lot LESS promising that it was actually advertised. The plates were very small for a start and the food was very basic. The range of options was really limited. Some of the savoury was not actually made but the restaurant. You could easily tell that they were bought from outside. The overall atmosphere was not really good mainly because of the music as the restaurant owner did not really bother putting something that actually resembled Christmas! I do not mean having carols necessarily but instead of the hard core Arabic chanting-like music something that could remind you of Christmas would be so much better. I was not happy with my visit and do not recommend it at all. read more

This is one of two restaurants almost next door to each other that do Middle-Eastern/north African cuisine. Perhaps slightly misleadingly, Sahara's menu actually focuses on food from Lebanon and Persia, but the style of cooking is similar. The mains are dishes like tagines, kebabs, kofta and side dishes include grilled halumi, foul medammes (basically broad beans) and other tasty bits and pieces. The food here is really good. Other reviewers have remarked that it is expensive, I have to say given the quality of the food, I didn't notice it being particularly more pricey that other restaurants which provide a similar level. I have only ever been in when it has been extremely quiet (that is, we were practically the only table) so the service wasn't hard pushed to keep up with us. The décor is very in keeping, lots of plush red velour and tassels. The one real downer is the lighting. They always have it turned on full, it's like trying to eat your dinner on stage, or on a football pitch under the floodlights. Not conducive to a relaxed, romantic dinner. read more

The owner was very polite, accommodating and friendly. The atmosphere was lovely, and decor nice. The food was very generous. I had the mixed kebab it was all good except the lamb kofta which had a strange texture. The best thing about the restaurant was the good service, free corkage and the shisha garden which has an outdoor heater. read more

Excellent restaurant with very fresh tasting food, very warm staff and a wonderful ambiance.

Absolutely appalled with this restaurant. the Manager who took our orders and 'served us' was rude and sarcastic throughout our whole time there, obviously has not learnt any manners and is socially retarded, as he doesnt have have any social graces and does not how to interact in a respectful and civil manner. When i said i will not be paying the service charge as i dont feel the service has been good due to his overly sarcastic manner, he abruptly replied 'Dont come back here again'. Gladly!! there are plenty more restaurants that are far better and friendlier!! On top of that, the food was of low quality. they obviously dont use fresh meat and cook it correctly, I urge you to NEVER come here as you will risk getting sick from the food and the service is horrendous! there are much better restaurants in brighton which have similar menus, but with better quality food! read more

i thought this restaurant was quite good value for money the portions were large the waitresses fairly attentive not particularly busy though..the kebab was better than a takeaway it was a lamb one by the way so perhpas the meat varies and bbq method tasty..the starters were great almost more than we could eat we enjoyed our meal here and would come again..trying it again tonight will let you know if different..sat night in brighton big test! read more