The presentation of the food when served to the table was so pretty. The humus is so creamy. The gyro meat had the richest flavor. The salad was crisp and fresh. When you go to enjoy the verity of Mediterranean food, be sure you are hungry, because the portions are large. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Gyro Plate presentation is so pretty. The Hummus is creamy. The Gyro Meat has the richest - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

I ate two of the falafels before I decided to make a review! The baba ganoush is smokey and delicious and light, some of the best I've eaten. The falafel is delicious, and not greasy. Everybody rants and raves about the hummus which is accurate. The only downside is that it does take a bit of time to receive your order, this is definitely not fast food. However the upside is everything is made fresh in house and is completely worth the wait read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - There were four falafels but I ate two before deciding to give a review. Papa ganoush, hummus and Mediterranean salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Small restaurant tucked next to valli grocery store. I had the beef shawarma wrap and falafels (to share). My sister had Greek salad. The falafels were absolutely heavenly. The spices used mixed wonderfully together creating a flavor explosion. Same with the wrap and salad. The staff was very pleasant, helpful and attentive. We'll definitely be back to try more items off their menu. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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The restaurant is very nasty decorated lots of room between the tables. No loud music, which is fantastic. The food was really good tasty and affordable. The gentleman who runs the place has a great sense of humor and engaged well with the patrons. The service was quick and the team was attentive. read more

Went in and ordered to go. Love the older gentleman that was working the counter. I felt at home with his personality. Ha! I got a gyro plate. It was all wonderful! It actually motivated me to learn to make my own hummus, which I did. And uh oh! Now I have two places for hummus... Sahara and my house. Very clean inside! I love that they have a brochure table inviting people to learn. As an OIF/OEF veteran, I find particular cultures very familiar and comforting. Thank you Sahara. As-salamu alaykum. read more

Amazing service my first time here and , right when we walked in it was the best service, we sat down and Rick the owner welcomed us and helped us find the perfect plate for us to enjoy. Everyone was very attentive. And the food was sooo amazing, from the food, the the sauces, the pita bread. Would 100% recommend to everyone and come back. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Beef and chicken and rice - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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What else can I say? Went here starving, came out sickly in love with Mediterranean cuisine. Owner begged me to devour my plate, so I accepted the challenge. Not one regret! Falafel with spiced lamb makes the perfect entree. Words alone cant describe the Arabic coffee. Atmosphere wasn't too loud either. Yum! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Falafel complemented by Arabic coffee with a side of pita bread! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

The service was excellent, the owner went out of his way to make me and others feel comfortable and try to get to know the locals. The chicken was excellent. I love the garlic aioli they serve, packed with flavor. The salad tasted very fresh. Everything was excellent, would love to come again. It's right next to the Vali produce, easy to miss but don't miss out, try this place. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Absolutely delicious food! They prepared food for the teachers at an arts workshop that I organized, and everyone raved about the food. The dishes were all beautifully presented and the seasonings and spices were just right. I highly recommend Sahara Palace Restaurant! read more

Great food and great service. The owner is super nice and funny. The food was fresh tasted great. We will go back

I have eaten here numerous times and it never disappoints. They have the most amazing hummus and shawarma. I would highly recommend. The owner and his wife are so kind. You feel like family when visiting. I would definitely recommend. read more

One of the BEST Mediterranean food you will ever have ! Delicious, fresh, authentic hummus and tender juicy kabob meal ! Greeted with a big welcoming smile, service was great also. Finish off with flavorful Arabic Mint tea with Baklava was priceless. Must try ! read more

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Was looking for some good hummus and this place did not disappoint. Everything was delicious. Definitely will be coming back to try more of the menu! read more

This is a must go place in Rockford. Traditional middle eastern food with the best service. The taste was incredible and we can't wait to go back the next time we are in town! read more

Absolutely delicious family-run restaurant. Not fancy, but well kept. The young man who helped me was friendly and helpful. Will absolutely be back. read more

Excellent place to stop for lunch. Our server gave us great recommendations for what to order and everything was fresh and delicious. Tons of options on the menu as well. Will definitely be stopping in again! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Mediterranean platter, coffee - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Can never go wrong here, everything on the menu is incredible and made fresh. The baklava is heavenly! And the owner is so kind and personable! read more

Simply fantastic food and the service was exceptional with the owner waiting on us personally

The food and staff are equally amazing, so hard to pick a single dish, everything is made with such care from scratch. Falafel, Kibbeh, tandoori and Taouk chicken and of course the AMAZING hummus! We get 2 large orders with dinner and a large to go! Don't forget to end dinner off with mint tea and some very tasty baklava! Watch out for proprietor Rick, he literally makes you feel like you're at home! read more

Delicious food and friendly service in an unassuming strip mall location. We were coming from Chicago suburbs for Rockford hockey game, on Sat night of Valentine's weekend. Figuring that most restaurants would be booked, we followed online recommendations and were not disappointed. We had baba ghanoush as a starter, then we had Arabic salad that came with lamb kabob entree. Everything was great. A family business built on grandma's recipes. Our waiter/the grandson, recommended the homemade baklava for dessert. Perfect. read more

Had the hummus plate and chicken kabob. Both were excellent and place is clean. Food good and service was also good. It's family owned and run. Next door to Valles grocery store so don't be fooled by the location. Very nice Middle East menu. read more

This is the best food we have ever had! What a fantastic family restaurant. The service was very welcoming and helpful! Great to bring kids as well! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Shawarma Combo Plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Fantastic food, great experience! The owner greeted us and treated us as if we were family. We ate soooo much and still had plenty of leftovers to bring home! We will be back for sure. Thank you for a great meal and a delightful experience! Happy Father's Day! From- the Ross family of Buffalo Grove IL and Madison, WI read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

The owner is very personable and the veggie sampler was excellent. I am not from this area but if I'm coming through again, I will stop.

Passing through Rockford and found this place. The food and service were top notch. They treat you like family there. We will for sure come back next time we are in the area. By far the best Mediterranean food we've ever had! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Arabic salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Fantastic place to get an authentic meal. The owner is gracious and very welcoming. Definitely coming back when I'm in the area. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Hummus with Chicken Shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

This is my new favorite Mediterranean restaurant. I went on our server's recommendation and got a mixed kabob platter. The beef kabob was delicious. The beef and lamb kibeh were wonderful but the star of the show was their chick taok. Moist and flavorful. The food here is fresh, delicious and the staff are a stitch. read more

The restaurant was empty but couldn't find someone to ask for a drink. Took 10 minutes to get hot tea. Never was offered water or refill. My beef was extremely chewy and embarrassing to gnaw on in front of someone. Very disappointed. read more

The food was so good especially the garlic sauce they gave me. The restaurant is decorated so cute. And the man at the counter was so kind and helpful. The food came out super quick too. It's a very nice family restaurant and I couldn't recommend it enough. read more

We were in the rush on our first full day in Rockford. So, we picked this place in a quick glance in Yelp. This is located nearby a large international grocery store. This restaurant seems to get decent traffic for take-out. We were only one of 2 customers who dined in. The owner was really nice and got milk in sippy cup for our son. Also, we ordered off menu which is only viewable online through QR code. Overall, the dishes were made fresh like the beef and chicken kebab. My son's chicken strips were fine but he wasn't hungry. It was perfect for the next days at Rockford in our hotel. Also, owner was super great to get us some pita bread which wasn't on menu. read more

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Food okay, service took forever and we had to get her attention several times. The waitress didn't understand ice tea vs sweet tea. Go only if you are not in a hurry. read more

Recommended for Arabic & Middle Eastern favorites. Parking at the shopping center is very easy. Nice menu options, warm welcome, nice and bright. Arabic music is a nice touch. Our group tried lentil soup, falafel, chicken shawarma, hummus and pita. The shawarma came on saffron rice and also a very nice Arab salad ( chop lettuce, chop cucumber, red onion and chop tomato with a red wine vinegar dressing, sprinkles of zatar on top of everything a very nice touch. The shawarma plate is enough for two. Plan on two falafel patties per person. There were squeeze bottles of tahini dressing, garlic sauce & chili sauce. Tzatziki is available as well. The food tasted fresh and carefully prepared. We skipped dessert but I think there is baklava or something like it. Very reasonable prices. read more

Delicious food, extremely friendly, really excellent dining experience across the board. Phenomenal falafel.

Omg, one of THEE best Middle Eastern foods my husband and I have ever had, and we've eaten Middle Eastern food from lots of different places, including homemade from friend's home. The food here is made with love, care, flavor, soul, and experience! Plus the family who runs it, are SO lovely. We got the privilege to interact with the awesome grandad who is so personable & friendly, who interacts with all of the customers and truly cares about people, and their food & business. I also got to interact with the grandson who makes the cute jewelry they have for sale there and I bought a super cute bracelet from him, while I was checking out and buying some baklava to go. This place would definitely be one of our to go places in rotation, if we lived close by. read more

Amazing food. Rick's wife cooks everything and she is perfect at flavoring food. I will be craving the baklava forever until I return. Rick will give you a hard time and pick your meal for you, A+ restaurant. I couldn't have left happier. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Hummus, so creamy I could die. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Greeted immediately and welcomed by a wonderful man. Ample menu with reasonable prices. I had three kinds of kabob, beef, yellow chicken and red chicken. Came with a Arabic salad and rice. We also ordered a large hummus, honestly one of the best in my life...and I've eaten a lot of hummus. There were several desserts to choose from in take home containers by the register. I got hareesa for dessert, super tasty. Come on in and meet Rick, he has a great sense of humor and will give you memorable service. Do yourself a favor and add their garlic sauce to everything it is amazing, soooooo good. read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Front door - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Hidden gem!! As a major foodie that has tried food all over. I can honestly say the quality of the food is amazing. You can taste the love they put into their food. I had the chicken tandoori entree and had all the homemade sauces with it. Everything was soo good. Service was great too, the owner personally asked how the food and service was throughout my dine in and was super kind. Definitely coming back. read more

Family owned and run. The staff is incredibly personable. There's a young man there who has really nice bracelets for sale and he helps his family take orders. Their food is phenomenal. Try the super vegetarian platter! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Super vegetarian platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

This is it folks, best food in town! If you like middle eastern food, this is as close to home made food served in a restaurant rather than in someone's home. Meats are grilled perfect, spices and flavors spot on. But let's not forget the kind owner with a sense of humor, he is truly the icing on the cake. You better finish your plate or he will have a word with you. The best food can only be from the best people! Recommend the mixed grill (lamb, chicken and kofta) read more

Friendly host and great food! What else can you ask for? Owner asked us our preferences and chose the entrees for us, was not disappointed! read more

Sahara Palace Restaurant - Authentic as it gets! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Rockford, Illinois