Sahara Cafe

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.

I’ve been here quite a few times and their service has always been fast, and the food’s fresh. I love the way the gyro meat is cut into strips so that you get that nice crisp.

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.

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

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.

I came for hookah and a snack and was a little disappointed that they no longer serve hookah (at least for now), but I decided to still get a snack and that was a pretty good decision. This place has absolutely amazing food.
The atmosphere is pretty casual. I kind of felt like I was at someone’s house, and that’s probably partly because the people were also super nice. Everything tasted like it was made with real ingredients. I could tell they use a good olive oil. The labna and the faoul here were the best I’ve ever had.
I will definitely come back and recommend this place to anyone who’s in the neighborhood. I’d probably also pick up and take home if I’m in the area. I only gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because of the hookah issue, but if they had it I’d probably just move in.

GREAT Lebanese Tea!
Had the sautéed veggie plate and was pumped to get all that flavor! The shredded feta on top really ties it all in. The plain basmati rice is awesome too! I can’t wait to come back.
Every dish that came out looked delicious and smelled even better. The service is superb too — great friendly staff! They found out it was my first time and sent me on my way with some homemade baklava

I’ve only ordered take out from them.
I usually get the half and half choosing gyro and beef as my meats. Chicken is the third option. The plate is fulfilling for 13 $ and comes w a side salad, hummus, & pita bread. The meats are well seasoned. The pita bread is ok. I don’t think it’s freshly made.
The lamb chop plate (13 $) comes with salad, hummus, & pita bread too. The lamb is seasoned well. The chops are fairly small. However, I have seen smaller lamb chops going for higher prices. I think it’s decent for what it is.
I ordered the fried kibby plate (11 $). I enjoyed the kibby. But next time I’ll probably just get the appetizer and skip the salad, hummus, & pita bread. The kibbys are kind of small and come two to a plate.
Their falafel (3 $) are delicious!

Good food at a good price. Combo plates are recommended.
Try the Turkish coffee.

Adding my thumb to the many already up for Sahara Café. A no-​frills place with great food at a terrific price. We recommend the felafel and the hummus with lamb. The gyro meat is very good here, too! Visit and enjoy.

Unilocal 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.

Ever wonder what it’s like to have a Middle Eastern meal prepared with love and expertise? Look no further than Sahara Café. This little gem, tucked away on a side street along Lapalco Blvd. in Gretna, is so unassuming, I’ve driven by it numerous times without giving any thought to stopping in and giving it a try. Good thing I did!
For an appetizer, I had the qudsia, which is a variation of hummus mixed with whole chick peas, jalapenos and lemon juice. It was delicious and a nice break from the usual.
My go to for Mediterranean/​Middle Eastern is usually lamb kebabs, however, the place was out of them that day. Instead, I opted for the chicken shawarma. It was delicious and had a slightly sweet taste to it. It was wonderful. It was accompanied by a generous portion of salad and hummus.
For anyone who is looking for legit Middle Eastern fare on the Westbank, or just in general, I say that it is worth the drive to Sahara Café. I myself intend on returning to try those lamb kebabs. If they actually ran out of them then I take that as a sign that they must be awesome!

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 entrée my friend orders the half half combo plate with gyros and chicken and I got the hummus lamb! Our entrée 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!

Sahara Café executes the classic dishes of Middle Eastern cuisine to perfection. We found this restaurant while out for a drive on the West Bank in Gretna and were completely pleased. We ordered the sampler appetizer and the sampler kabob — each element was was so tasty! The bread that accompanied the dishes was fresh and warm. Service was quick and courteous. And the mint iced-​tea was a perfect accompaniment. I have found a new favorite restaurant! Did I mention that the menu prices were very reasonable?

Always a delicious meal. The Lebna is my favorite and love a great gyro! I will be back again over and over now that remember where this gem is located. Last time I was here was over 6 years ago and I still remember how good it was even after all that time!

Wow!
Stopped in after a buddy recommend the place. Had the half and half plate with chicken and lamb. Overall the meal was great and the service very friendly. I will be back to try the lamb chops.

OMG, this is one of the best Mediterranean cuisine. On Sunday I ordered some Kibby, rice, and half of grill chicken. Honestly, everyone in my family take a piece and I had to go back on Monday order the same thing without the Kibby plate. The server is amazing and guys this place is a must –believe me. I am from the Caribbean island and I am telling you it is a MUST!!!
Hally

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!

I visit this place 3 – 4 times a month and it’s the best Mediterranean food on the Westbank and arguably Uptown. I have had my share of Med food from various locations but Sahara tops my list along with Mona’s.
I recommend their Lebna, I absolutely love it. It is comparable to that of Mona’s only that Mona’s is a bit more minty and thicker. It is flavorful and so refreshing! I love their falafels and kibbeh. The chicks shwarma sandwich or platter are both equally delicious and they are very generous with the portions. For my taste, I personally rather Monas’s hummus although Sahara is consistently good.
The staff are quick, efficient and will remember your name and your order! Places like this just win me over. I have nothing negative to say about this place and have yet to have a bad experience.

After searching and reading reviews onYelp for a Middle Eastern restaurant on the westbank, we decided on Sahara Café .
As usual Unilocal delivered. Sahara Café has great food, we had chicken shawarma and gyro plates, they were excellent and fresh. The hummus was delicious as well as the salad and pita bread. We even had room for baklava which sweet and delicious and tasted like it had been made that day. We’ll definitely be back for excellent Middle Eastern food soon.