Sahara

I loved this place but unfortunately theyve gone out of business and are replaced by an xtreme pizza :(

Reasonably priced simple corner joint, good for take-​away food if it’s a day/​night a homemade meal can’t happen. Friendly service. Functional ambiance, not intended to be anything beyond functional. Tables outside can be nice on good days.

Really good. Never done shwerma before, so can’t really compare but what I had was really tasty. Friendly staff, clean place. Price seemed reasonable.

I always get the falafel wraps here, I haven’t tried anything else because the wraps are just that great I don’t want to try anything else haha. And the lemonade is so good too. The staff are always very very friendly and cook everything fast.

Great food and good prices. Friendly staff. Family restaurant

great staff… yummy falafels!
would definitely recommend and go back!

I just love this place. When my boss and I decide to leave the office for lunch, we end up here a majority of the time. I love the chicken schwarma wrap.
It’s right next to SSU, but it doesn’t have too much of that college-​feel too it. It always feels appropriate for a more casual business lunch.
The owner is incredibly nice. They have great specials. Prices are very reasonable. I recommend this place all the way around!

There service here was friendly, but rather slow. The food was good, but did not live up to myexpectations.

I have been here three times since discovering this place a few months ago. I lived in Los Angeles for several years and often get powerful cravings for Zankou (if you’re ever in LA and love shawerma, look it up. Do it.). I was seeking a shawerma one day and someone recommended this place.
Every. Single. Time. I have been here the staff has been beyond pleasant. Genuinely happy and helpful and courteous. I went, most recently, with a friend and we commented that the owners must be nice people to have such happy staff members. That’s such a nice thing.
So the décor is not amazing. So what. The place is always really, super clean, which is all that really matters to me. If you want fine dining, go to a fine dining restaurant. I don’t understand complaining that it’s not fine dining when it makes no attempt to be so. **shrugs**
The falafels are wonderful. My friend commented that it might be the best she had had in her LIFE. I’m not sure it was THAT good… but very on the excellent side for sure. The shawerma is delicious. And 8 bucks gets you a ginormous wrap, which I consider to be a dang good price for lunch.
Also the two little patio tables with cushioned chairs out in front of the restaurant are
super comfortable.
I will be back. Again and again.

I don’t get the reviews for this place. First, both times I’ve been here it’s been dead, and that’s really not good for a place that has all of the charms of an institutional cafeteria with it’s white ceiling tiles and matched fluorescent lighting. The place feels and looks cold. The ambiance is barely serviceable for lunch; no way you would want to come here for dinner. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine having a nice dining experience here no matter what the food.
Second, the food is usually cooked up by one of the college girls who work there; so much for authenticity. Then again, they’re not really cooking so much as they are serving you up pre-​made sides from the deli case and reheating everything else on the grill. For these reasons the prices are too high and unjustified.
As for the flavor: boring and bland. Nothing offensive, but nothing delicious either.
If you want to experience a delicious schwarma, check out Real Döner in Petaluma. If you want fresh falafel, visit the new Falafel King next to Oliver’s Market in Cotati.

I am totally bummed to report that the last time I was there (about a month ago now), the owner was not making food (but she was there and should have been more aware) and the young lady who WAS making the food was also manning the cash register. Eww, because she was not stopping to wash her hands in between making a cash transaction and handing food with her bare hands. Not okay. Truly not. I won’t be back, because:
1) I had to ask her to wash her hands; and
2) The annoyed look she gave as her first reaction as if I was wrong to ask this of her.
Even though her look recovered quickly and she washed her hands, it should not have happened that way. Too bad. I liked the food, too… but cleanliness and hygiene when it comes to the preparation of my food is equally important.

Wonderful little place! Awesome service, owner is such a sweetheart. Right when we walked in we were warmly greeted and handed a freshly very yummy falafel. My husband and I both ordered the the lamb kabob entrée. Came quickly and was quite tasty! After our meal we enjoyed some Turkish coffee (with a dab of sugar). Great meal and reasonable prices. We also had our 18 month old son and the staff was great with him (we were on a road trip and he was hyper from sitting in the car).
So yummy food and great staff. Clean restaurant and even the bathroom smelled nice.
We will def stop here again when we pass through.

EXCELLENT schwarma!
Simple, spotlessly clean, friendly family-​run restaurant does it right – fresh, delicious, large portions.
As for your schwarma «Jerusalem-​style» which means it has crumpled falafel in with the meat.
Mmmm!

OMG! Why did I not find this place sooner? Most definitely the very best middle eastern food this side of San Francisco. Exceptionally tasty, fresh and authentic.
How does the owner do it? She imports the spices, coffee and more from Jerusalem. You will not find better Turkish coffee in Sonoma county.
With the minor exception of an annoying TV on the wall (with that too being authentic to Middle Eastern restaurants!), this place is definitely on my «best restaurants» list.

I’ve been to Sahara several times, but returned recently and resolved to finally write a review for this excellent restaurant. I’m always pleased by the fresh food, very friendly and attentive service, and quite reasonable prices.
I really don’t understand the complaints of those who say that the menu is pricey. I have a rather large appetite, so I don’t like small amounts of food for lots of money. Sahara has generous portions for the price, so no complaints there. Believe me, I’d mark them down for that if such was the case.
All-​in-​all, good food, good location right across the street from the university, and good service. I know I’ll be back again.

After developing a heavy addiction to falafels when spending time in Egypt, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sahara pop up in my old neighborhood a few years ago. The falafels are huge and amazing with tons of juicy spices. Cairo has nothing on Sahara!
Their chicken kebab combo plate is enough to turn you into baby Buddha. If you can’t roll your self home after, maybe, the Asian restaurant down the way will hire you as a lobby statue. C’mon, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would pay to rub some fat man’s belly for good luck.
I could live off the baba ghannouj here, despite eggplant causing Columbia River Gorge like tendencies through my intestines. Sorry to be graphic, but hey it might help if you’re trying to do a cleanse, ya know.
If I had a cost efficient camel, I totally would gallop over to Saharas’ right now.

I’m a grad school student in the midst of my last year, which involves not only taking 19 units this semester, but also writing my thesis. Figure in the fact that I also work on campus, and that amounts to a whole lot of time spent at school. I live, breathe and occasionally eat school. But the latter item only happens when I remind myself to do it.
A few weeks ago, I had some downtime between work and a meeting, and wanted to grab a bite, seeing as I’d forgotten my own lunch that I usually pack. While trying to decide what to eat, I lamented the lack of variety of food on campus; unless I want to eat chips or candy, there are very few vegan options.
A co-​worker overheard my complaining and asked if I’d ever been to Sahara. I was confused. She explained it was just across the street… a short walk away. I in turn was surprised that the shopping center just off campus contained more than just a Starbucks and Taco Bell.
So I decided to give it a try. Went over and ordered the falafel wrap, which is one of the handful of vegan items on the menu. I got the spicy sauce which was just perfect. In fact, the whole thing was pretty perfect. The falafel weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but they were relatively high up on the list. What really makes the wrap is the bread they use. The texture is perfect… soft and crisp… and tastes so amazing served warm.
Since then, I’ve dreamed about this delicious entrée but had yet to go back. So when I found myself with a three-​hour break on campus this afternoon, I made plans to run some necessary errands, but also made certain to fit in time to stop off at Sahara and get myself a falafel wrap to go.
It must be my lucky day, because the aforementioned menu item was the special of the day, so I got a discount! Awesome! And even though I had to wait a good 45 minutes before I could sit down and enjoy it, it was still totally amazing.
As for the location itself, it’s unassuming, but very clean. Lots of open space and tables. The employees I’ve talked with appear to be college students themselves, and they’re all very friendly and efficient. Today there was satellite radio on playing 90s hits. YESSSSSSSSS!
Anyway, I can’t wait to go back for more falafel, and to try all the amazing looking sides and salads on the menu. In the meantime, I hope this place sticks around, because it’s a welcome alternative.

I know a lot of people are really turned off to the idea of eating different food. But this place is AWESOME, even if you’ve never tried this style of cuisine. You would be surprised how much you’ll love it. I know, because I used to one of those people.
Sahara is a delicious place to go for a quick lunch or dinner. Everything is so so good and the people are nice. Definitely worth the try if you haven’t been.

Second falafel was just as good. I took this one home and heated it up later. Flavors and textures held up nicely. Service, once again, impeccable.
Oh, and the halvah was heavenly.

Moving from Boston was sad because I left some terrific Middle Eastern places. So I was happy to have found Sahara. Genuine authentic middle eastern food. The falafel is crunchy and moist, the dolmas, light and lemony.
The prices are a bit high, but they are doing a dollar off from 6 – 9. In my view, they might want to consider a lunch special to draw the SSU lunch crowd.
The owners are warm and friendly people.