Sahara Cafe

No longer in business! Lol
Hopefully someone worthy and better will take this place and renovate it!

I decided to come hang with couple friends to smoke hookah in the area and we came to this location.
Walking to the place, it was in the corner of couple stores which wasn’t so lively. Than going in the person took us to our seat and gave us menus and took our orders. We smoked [ Hookah was not hitting that great] until one of my friends fixed it and we played cards while watching Dodgers game. Nice patio area for hookah. BUT THEN, I spotted a coachroach coming close to my table and told the employee and he just stepped on it and scooted it over!
Ok, i know it is outside patio area but:
1: that is simply GROSS
2. What if i was eating and you did that, there was dead pieces probably around the area, TOTALLY GROSS
3. Then he tells his other co workers and laugh about it. RUDE!
This place isn’t worth checking out and you can find better places to go near the same area if you wanted to smoke.

Hookahs are to expensive at 16.99! Food is good, drinks are decent and patio is okay also. The service can be questionable depending on who is working and on what night.

By far the worst lounge i have ever been to. I went with a group of friends and the service was terrible. The waiter kept forgetting to bring out our drinks and was extremely rude. It seemed like he didn’t want to be there.
The layout was nice. It’s an outdoor patio so it was nice sitting outside on a summer night instead of being inside a room.
If you have the option to go somewhere else then do it. It was overpriced and the music sucked as well. Overall a terrible experience and i myself will not be returning here. They don’t even offer the free head change for checking-​in.

Waiter service? I think not! There was no service whatsoever. I went with two of my friends on a Friday night at around 10pm. It was so hard to get the attention of the waiters even though it was not that busy. The waiters all just stood around at their small corner, doing who knows what.
We were not even done with our hookah but we decided to pay and leave just because the service sucked! We made sure we put down cash just so we didn’t have to wait for the slow server to come around again with our credit cards.
The hookah was okay, the food was okay.
I have not done hookah in a while and was really looking forward to a chill night, and this place totally killed it for me. I am not coming back ever ever again. Really. who manages this place? Get a new manager. wow.

Come with a group of friends and enjoy some hookah out in the patio. Their tea is super tasty and SUPER STRONG. Don’t drink their tea if you want to sleep at night! I also had some of their hot chocolate, which I would recommend if you don’t want to be up all night.
When they tell you they’re closing at 1am, they mean it. They booted us out at 1am on the dot!

This is my first time trying Mediterranean food so I have no other place to compare this food, but it wasn’t bad. I ordered Chicken Kabab Sandwich and it was fulfilling. After that we got White Peach flavored hookah for $ 16. The server walks around almost every 10 – 15 mins to check up the coals. Down part of this place that each person needs to spend $ 10 minimum and there is only one hose for each hookah :(Maybe I will come here for food, not to hookah.

I like this spot. Although I’ve had way better Persian/​Mediterranean food elsewhere, this place is pretty damn decent; and their prices are reasonable, too!
The hookah menu is not as varied as other joints, but they still carry the most popular flavors and you’ll still have a tasty session after dinner.
Their kabobs were pretty good… and they’ve got this drink called a Salahb… Salab…it’s like frothy milk with cinnamon that’s pretty damn good and makes a perfect dessert.
Outdoor patio seating is really nice, and they’ve got all the games, if they’re on, playing on their one TV. Outdoor heaters everywhere, as well!

Food is ok. For a place that makes kabobs all day long you think they would have learned by now not to overcook it and serve tough meat. Flavor is good though.
They have a relatively limited hookah menu (maybe 6 – 8 flavors). Quality isn’t bad. Not really good but good enough that I don’t mind coming for it.
Service is terrible. Ask for a coke when my food came and never got it. Asked for a refill on water… They took my cup and never brought it back. When they finally walked by again 10 minutes later, I tried to get his attention. He nodded to me, kept walking and proceeded to the table by the TV to sit on his phone. The 3 servers were all at the same table on their phone. Terrible Terrible service.

Always a «go-​to» meeting spot for my friends and I. Been a regular for a while! White Peach is our usual! Food is amazing too! Try the Salep — A nice warm alternative to hot cocoa… so delicious and such a huge serving! I love this place!

Sahara Café. My one and only place for hookah. Nice ambiance and the service is good. Great place.

Gone down a few stars. Ideally would give it 3.5 if I could.
I will still go and have no MAJOR issues, but it takes time for them to bother with you now, even when its a weeknight. And when it comes to getting your bill and even paying it, it takes even longer. So… I am not as happy as once before… but still would go. Just not as attentive as before.

Come here with my friends from time to time. We always come for the hookah cuz it’s pretty darn good and once in a while they have new flavors. Pricing is about $ 10 per person but it’s only once in a while so it’s not bad.
Although i come mostly for hookah this place actually has pretty good food too. Their lamb shanks were soooooo tender and the sauce that comes with it is awesome. THeir salad comes in a good portion and the dressing is super.
Overall a very good place to come and hookah but also a good place to get some food if you’re hungry.

Decent place to go and hang out in the Phillips Ranch /​Diamond Bar /​Chino area. Atmosphere usually relaxed. When busy it turns into a circus.
When going for hookah it can be a bit pricey as there is a minimum of $ 10 per person. Staff is cool, come off a little strong, first impressions were meek. Have come around to the selection of flavors though.
Reallllllly dislike having to pay for water. First place I’ve ever been to adopting this business practice.
Sahara lacks in few places, but those areas make a big portion of why I’m not dying to go back there. Service could improve, and get rid of the fee for water.

I come here a lot.
They offer a lot of hookah flavors but the bomb ones are listed as premium –white peach and strawberry margarita are my favorite. The staff, especially Memo are great to ask for flavor suggestions if you’re stumped, they always have a delicious combo off the top of their heads.
They hook it up with a fair amount of hookah and try their best to keep your coals fiery and fresh.
I finally tried their food offerings the last time I was there and I was surprised by how delicious everything was. the beef shwarma was super tasty but the chicken they brought out was the superstar in my eyes. it was served with some bomb pita & hummus, rice and a salad. GREAT TASTING MEAL!
Also, you must try the sahalib, it’s a delicious dessert beverage that comes with crushed pistachios and helps me remember what falling in love feels like.
Some things to note:
1) there is a ten dollar minimum per person
2) there is no free beverage service when you’re only there for hookah– if you ask for a glass of water, you’re paying for it. (it’s no big deal to me, but I’ve noticed a lot of people cry about it)

This was our weekend joint… Great atmosphere, great hookah. If u tip the coal guy a dollar excellent service !! Great food and very helpful servers. However after the new management, I think business has increased but servers are having a hard time to keep up, CID the service is really slow lately !!!
Why i give it 3 stars: —
But after 4/​15, we found out they started this new live singing stuff. I dot understand the language they’re singing &. I don’t mind it… But it’s just tooooooooo loud !!! And it just wouldn’t stop even at 12 am.
We spoke to the management and they told us it gonna be every weekend, so unfortunately we won’t be going here anymore !!! Only if they did something any the super loud music we’d het our old hang out place back.

I can’t give this place anything but the highest of ratings since I met my baby here exactly 7 years ago… there’s love in the air (well, for us at least :))))))

Not too long ago I Unilocaled about the service here and how horrible it was and I complained about their not so appealing rules concerning their beverage service, but recently there has been a change to sahara’s staff and i would definitely say that Sahara Café has stepped up their game!!!
The quality of the service has improved tremendously. the staff are friendly and are quick to make sure everything is being taken care of.
The quality of their food and the new buffet is definitely well worth coming to Sahara Café
The man that handles the charcoal is very sweet and always seems to be there when you need him (for the most part).
They now offer free refills on their beverages if you purchase food and believe it or not the manager himself regularly checks Unilocal to see what reviews are posted! This alone gives me hope that Sahara Café will surpass many of its competitors!!!
Keep up the good work!

Previously, Sahara’s food was decent, service wasn’t something to brag about and their atmosphere was pretty dismal. Facts that would not have earned them 3 stars in my book.
But in the past few weeks, Sahara has stepped up in more than one way to garner a deserving 4 star rating.
The food is fantastic and the new buffet offers a cheap way to taste various middle eastern dishes for a low price. The buffet so far is only done on SAT and SUN nights and compliments the long menu of varied middle eastern delicacies. Oh, and you get free refills on sodas when you order food. :)
Highly recommended: Hummus (so far the best hummus I’ve had in the Inland Empire, if not in all of California); Beef Shawoorma (meat quality and marinade are both excellent); Chicken Kabob; fries (which resemble fries from Red Robbin); garlic paste is worth the mention as well; the basmati rice; the desert (knafieh with walnuts — though may be a little too sweet if you add the syrup).
The Hooka service and flavors are above average. My coals have never gone cold even though the place was packed.
The games: This place comes equipped with playing cards as well as Taweleh (Backgammon) adds to the overall ambiance.
The atmosphere: In addition to the 3 screens playing arabic music (and the occasional Lakers games), the new lighting and even the new glasses adds to the whole new face of Sahara.
The service: The only reason why I did not give a 5^th star is because of the service, a problem which will most likely get solved shortly. With the new changes done to Sahara, the influx of new patrons has swamped the staff who, despite serving with a smile and trying hard to be everywhere at once in face of this new influx, are simply overwhelmed.
I’m sure it’s merely a matter of time until more help is added to the excellent staff to help ease the pressure.
All in all, Sahara has risen to surpass its rivals in the area and still has room to grow beyond places like Eden Garden and Layaleena.
Highly Recommended from B.

I want to give this place a 3-​star but it’s hard when all I’ve had are desserts and the food I actually ordered was horrible.
First off this place is hard to find if your no longer familiar with the 71fwy and what used to be Old Pomona Rd. The signs for the street are incredibly hard to read in the dark, and if you don’t know what to look for. I got lost twice. Made two trips actually before finding Old Pomona Rd.
Second the waitress was nice, but not nice enough to tell my friend that when you have a certain amount of people, they automatically charge $ 10 a person.
I went here and accompanied my friend to her friend’s birthday who decided to celebrate at a shisha lounge rather than a bar. Other than it’s hard to find (kind of), when we approached it, no one was there to check if you’re legal. It was almost as if you were under 18 they allowed you to be there after 10PM. They had a dance room with a DJ, but no one was in there. The place was pretty packed and didn’t smell like smoke.
This place is almost like a tapa’s café. A lot of the desserts and appetizers were really cheap.
I can’t tell you the names of the desserts we ordered, but the one that looks like empanada has walnuts and ashta inside with pistachio’s and simple syrup on top. The waitress told us it was small and since we were sharing we ordered something else. When we got the dessert it wasn’t small at all. They serve two of these things on a plate. One was overcooked (left in the fryer longer) and the other one was a bit softer and easier to cut into. The dough was almost like overcooked donuts. I didn’t like it too much. While the filling was pretty tasty, the simple syrup made it too sweet. You have to like nuts and sugar to really enjoy this item. And while I enjoy both, I don’t enjoy my desert to be drenched in syrup. It was pretty good, but it’s not something I’d order all the time.
The other dessert we ordered was this soft white dough with cheese inside, topped with pistachio’s, ashta, rose water and something else. I really can’t remember, but it was so good. It was light and fluffy and not too sweet at all. The cheese inside wasn’t strong either. The waitress said it’s the Mediterranean version of American cheesecake. Which I suppose is not too far off. While this is good, I could only eat half of one.
For each dessert, the emapanda-​like dessert was $ 3.00 and the cheesecake-​like dessert was about $ 3.50 (or $ 4.25) I forgot which one.
Here’s the kicker from point #2 above. The guy who made reservations was told about 2 – 3 hours after everyone arrived and was enjoying themselves that «You’re bill is about $ 110, but since you have over a certain number of people, it’s $ 10 per person, so even if you DO NOT reach $ 170, we’re still going to charge $ 170.» They couldn’t tell him this before hand? They need to have this written down somewhere because that’s ridiculous. While $ 10 per person isn’t bad and included the shisha, they should have informed him earlier so he could tell everyone. Instead they chose to tell him after the fact. So everyone ended up ordering more food.
I ordered the falafel appetizer. This is the weird part. The appetizer is $ 5.75 while the sandwich is $ 3.50 (or so.) I didn’t understand that. I couldn’t wait to try the falfel too. When it arrived, I was so disappointed. Not only did it look overcooked it tasted nasty. I also want to say they made it themselves, but I’m leaning towards it’s processed and frozen and they get it from a supplier. Daphne’s has better falafel, that says a lot. I had to put a lot of tahini sauce on it to get some taste. Their tahini is bad too. It was too watery and had a very bland taste compared to other places I’ve had it.
Only come here to hang out and smoke shisha and maybe order some drinks. I would recommend eating before coming here and if you’re going to eat, just get dessert. While the desserts are pretty good, it’s the same main ingredient, ashta. Which seems a bit mundane, they have a lot of items on that menu, they need to change it up.
One thing I will give them is that there is someone who comes by every 15 minutes or so and changes the coal on the shisha.
Food: 2.5 star
Service (waitress): 1.5. The .5 is the waitress, the 1 is for the guy that came around to change the coals.
The rest was docked off for the mere fact that they did not inform or have it written anywhere that if you go over a certain amount of people in your party, that it’s $ 10 and regardless of your bill you’re still going to get charged for that x-​amount of people.