I always passed by Sahara and I never knew what it really was until a friend wanted to eat here for dinner. I like Mediterranean food and never knew of this wonderful place!! I really think this will be my go to place for gyros or anything Mediterranean! This restaurant is kind of like a whole in the wall and I'm totally okay with that! My experience was very wonderful! For starters my friend and I shared the meat pies. It was very good! If you like bread with meat, this is the stuff! It waS seasoned well too. I don't know exactly what seasoning they used, but it was delicious! It came with a yogurt sauce, which I love! For our entree my friend orders the half half combo plate with gyros and chicken and I got the hummus lamb! Our entree came with a salad and pita. I really loved everything! The pita was thin and not thick like other places, which is good for me carb wise! The gyros was perfectly seasoned and cooked. My lamb dish was basically ground lamb on top of hummus. It was delicious as well!! It wasn't too gamey. For dessert we shared a hot baklava and our server even cut it in half and put it on a seperate plates for us. I never asked him to do that!! Super plus!! I would really recommend this place!!! Prices are very decent!!! And service was awesome!! read more

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I've eaten here many times ( and am writing this review as I sit in a booth enjoying my falafel) and LOVE THIS PLACE. Traditional middle eastern food and the hummus is amazing and light and fresh tasting. Portions are plenty, prices are great. I've spent a significant amount of time in the middle East and this is right up there with the best foods I had overseas. read more

Fabulous food and awesome service! In the area on business and found this great place. Chicken shawarma plate was savory and hummus was delightful. Highly recommend this little place for a cozy and delicious meal. read more

First time here Great food, reasonable prices, amazing quality, everything was brought very fresh we had the falafel, hummus, lebnah, fries everything was very delicious I also had the gyro sandwich the man who took out order was very nice and friendly kept checking up and making sure everything was good our drinks were constantly re filled it was such a good place to have some Mediterranean food the setting was very quiet and calm very very clean place no complaints what so ever very great place will definitely be back ! read more

I only ever get takeout from this place but I have never been disappointed with the food. I usually get gyro platter and stuffed grape leaves. The staff is always friendly and helpful. It's usually empty when I go but maybe they're busy for lunch. Lamb and hummus travel well so order takeout and you won't regret it. read more

I love this place so much. I have eaten here many times, and the food is amazing. I have eaten almost every vegetarian option they have to offer (my favorite being the Sahara Sampler...SO GOOD), so I can't comment on the meat, but it was absolutely amazing every time. If you enjoy Middle Eastern food, this is definitely the place to go. The baklava tasted like it was baked fresh and was absolutely delish, and I love their Lebanese tea! The prices are fantastic, too. The staff is also super friendly and nice. I highly recommend this place. read more

The interior does not do the food justice, for someone who has dined abroad I can say this is a very authentic restaurant. Great service, great food, however they need to upgrade the inside, but still this is a westbank best. read more

Great friendly service and staff. Boyfriend had the lamb shank special and I had the combination platter with the gyros and chicken. The gyro was hot and crispy. The hummus and salad that came with the plate was very fresh. The yellow rice they had was soft and fluffy. Their Lebanese tea was pretty good. It wasn't too sweet. I Will come back to try the other things. read more

Probably the best choice for middle eastern food in the New Orleans area, tucked away in a strip mall they serve up some great food, quickly and at a great price. It's quickly become one of my go to choices for lunch, and eventually I'll try their dinner menu out, since it seems to be filled with even better options. read more

Yelp definitely steered me in the right direction as I was drawn here by the large number of positive reviews. Came in for a Saturday lunch. Pretty low key but pleasant service. The food was really good and portions were large. Tried the baba ganoush - which was excellent with just the right amount of smoke. I tried the combination kebab and liked everything - particularly was impressed with the chicken. Connected to a specialty middle eastern market which is worth a stop afterwards. read more

We are semi regulars. Why? Because the food is delicious! Also a bonus - your order will be remembered!!

Best Mediterranean food on the Westbank. Been to other places on the east bank but none compare to Sahara.

Had the gyro plate on takeout. Its really good I should come in to dine next time. It's good enough to where I would eat the gyro plate out of a camel's ass. read more

Every time I come here it is never disappointing. I like pretty much everything on their menu. A MUST if you want something besides just sandwiches. read more

Great place with great food. Try the Lebna and any of the plates and you will be a winner. The staff is courteous and will remember you when you come back. And you will come back. read more

Love the food here! I eat here at least once every week or so. I absolutely love the red lentil soup! It is my favorite. The falafel and baba ganoush are also big winners. read more

My favorite restaurant. Perfectly seasoned meat. Every other Mediterranean restaurant is a disappointment after coming here. The combination plate is great. read more

Very good food and very cheap but the waiter was on drugs he hated his job I had to ask for extra pita and refills while he is hiding behind the desk so i had to scream excuse me while in there lol read more

Really great falafel. Loved the Turkish coffee. Staff are super friendly and welcoming. Thankful to have Mediterranean and Lebanese on the West Bank! read more

The food is really good, but they have literally always gotten our order wrong. Some of the workers are rude.

Kibbie, tabbouleh, shawarma, all very tasty. Service was friendly and energetic. Ma'amoul made a delisious dessert. The seasonings were very well calibrated. This is an excellent place for Mediterranean food! read more

This place is amazing. I fell in love with everything on their menu. The seasonings are flawless, the portions are great. Try the appetizer sampler. You need to taste everything. The service is fantastic. The men who work there have such a great spirit and they truly care about their customers. The restaurant is clean and well maintained. You must go! read more

Very authentic, The closest to what iv had in Bahrain minus the french fries ! a must !

This is probably my favorite middle eastern restaurant in the West Bank . Very good food and service.

Love this little gem on the West Bank of New Orleans. It's a small, family owned restaurant-usually one person work the front and one works in the kitchen. Server is always friendly and helpful. It's very homey. Food is delicious. My husband only eats the labna from here and no other Middle Eastern restaurant in New Orleans. I love their hummus with lamb. Falafel sandwich is $3.99. How can you beat that, right?!? read more

The food is very good and the staff is friendly. They are open till 2am and will deliver to Ochsner nearby. We usually order gyros, shwarmas, hummus, musabaha, baba Ganouj and meat grape leaves. Shakour's meat grape leaves are delicious. read more

I'm vegan, so I rely on places like Sahara Cafe when I want to eat out with my non-vegan friends. There is plenty for all of us to love here. The eggplant sandwich is my favorite, but I think they recognize me by my signature phone order of "two falafel sandwiches and baba ghanouj." The falafel is incredible, second in New Orleans only to Lebanon's, but Sahara has the best baba ghanouj in the city. The staff are incredibly friendly, and if they're not too busy, they're happy to chat with me while I wait for my food. Oh, and it's also really affordable, too! read more

Best middle eastern food on the West Bank and in the running for all of Mew Orleans. Lentil soup is delicious as is the haloumi and the baba. Take a drive out. read more

The falafel was delicious as well as the gyro plate. The meat was very tender and we'll seasoned. The in house pita was amazing. They have the best humus I have ever had the pleasure of tasting served with what I believe was jalapeño on top. Overall 5 star definitely worth trying if you are in the area. read more

I absolutely love this place. The man that works here and so nice and welcoming, I am pretty sure he is the owner. I love that about a place, seeing the man who runs is all out and about. Every time we go there we are never disappointed. Delicious food and amazing dessert! May be a bit pricy, but worth every penny! read more

I have eaten hear several times and everything is great. The falafel is the best in the NOLA area hands down. The lamb and humus plate is a great entry. The lamb has a very well rounded developed flavor. I can't say enough about their humus...it's amazing. This place is a must try. Then you will be hooked. read more

Amazing food at a good price. Easily my favorite middle eastern food around the city, topping even the uptown places (i.e. Lebanon's). I've tried almost every entree on the menu and they're all delicious, particularly the chicken kabob, lamb chops, and gyro. Each entree comes with the selected protein, a very refreshing salad, and top notch hummus w/ pita. The service is great too. The workers are very courteous. Also, the hookah is high quality. The restaurant closes at like 11, but the side room stays open for hookah pretty late so it's a nice place to chill and smoke at night. read more

The service was great and the food was awesome. First time I've ever had this type of food so it was different but nothing was a let down. I started with the Sahara sampler and everything on it was really good. The whole time here I didn't have a bland bite. I will be back soon and will make this place a regular stop. Also the tea is worth it by itself. read more

Delicious. Very well put together. Great menu. There's not much curb appeal, but the food is really good!

Great food staff are friendly one of my faveret places to eat would definitely recommend eating here if your in the area

Had lunch there today and was very pleased with quality and timeliness of the service and food. Enjoy.

I can't say we expected our favorite pick of New Orleans to be a Mediterranean restaurant, but the Sahara Cafe is amazing. We ordered a sampler platter and another platter of dolmas to share, and I was so glad we had the chance to try everything! My top picks were the falafel and the kibbies, the hummus and other dips were also awesome. Reasonably priced and, despite the fact that we came in ravenous, the two platters were more than we could eat. Great service, too. read more

Great chicken shawarma! Loved the hummus! Can't wait to come back soon to try some of the wraps and appetizers. This place has a great variety of food! Went in for lunch time, not crowded. The service was pretty good, though my friend and I were a little confused on whether to go up to the counter to pay or wait for the check. Other than that, everything was excellent! read more

Is the best food ever and the best thing there is the shwara sandwiche . Also the people there are really nice and do the best they can also the service is the best I have ever seen read more

My favorite Mediterranean spot in the GNO. Whenever we're on the westbank, we make it a habit to go! Try the Sahara sampler, kufta kabob plate, hummus with lamb and Lebanese tea! Also, the baba ganoush is phenomenal! read more