by Natalie B.

Thanks to Hunter for reminding me that I have not reviewed this place yet. This was one of my least memorable meals I have had in a while. The service was pretty horrible. It took 20 minutes to get our server's attention when it was time to settle the bill. The food was subpar. I will not be returning.

by Ryan T.

I think the mistake the other reviewers made was going here for food. Pick a night and go for the hookah, get a few beers, chill out on the side patio and enjoy yourself. Every time I've been the waitress has been attentive to the coals. If they like you they'll sit down and have a few drags, which I think is very cool. It's less pretentious (more casual) than the Casbah in Riverside. It's been packed every weekend evening I've gone, but the wait hasn't been more than 30 minutes for me. It's a young crowd, mostly 20s. The prices are reasonable as well. I'm a fan.

by Hunter B.

Ah, Sahara Cafe. We really wanted to like you more, and would probably say 2.5 stars if pressed, but honestly, we had some issues.  The good: Our waitress was very nice, attentive, and did a fine job. We had no qualms about the service. Also, the manager (?) came over to let us know they were out of cold grape leaves (dolmas). The not-so good: They were out of (at least) three things we tried to order, a beer, the cold dolmas, and a soup. We were there around 7pm and it wasn't crowded, so it's hard to imagine they were all sold out by then. Not a huge deal, but still disappointing. (If you know how much I loves the dolmas, it'll make sense.)OK, I don't want to make a big deal about this, but a couple folks on the other side of the place were getting freaked out by a "big bug" in their seat. Apparently, this was a palmetto bug. One couple left, and a few other diners got a little antsy, but settled in after being informed. I thought LDC was going to want to bolt no matter what when she got this news (she went over and asked the scrambling party), but she kept her cool. Our waitress said it could be related to the patio on that side of the room. You decide. I'm just reporting. We stuck it out over on our side of the restaurant.As for the food, LDC really liked her fattoush salad, the hummus, the labaneh, and the pita. I thought they were all fine, but wasn't blown away. Honestly, the hummus from 13Gypsies has made others pale a bit in comparison, and other places (Zaitoon) are also stronger. I had a love/unlove response to my gyro: the meat was delicious and I really liked the grilled pita, but I'm used to LTO and tzatziki sauce on the inside. It tasted quite good -- but was missing the tzatziki sauce. Put it this way, I'd easily order it again with that difference. But as is, I prefer the version at Hovan by a nose. Your mileage may vary.I enjoyed the 2-for-1 draft beer special (two tall Tuchers, a German hefeweizen). But I did not partake in the hookah fest unfolding all around us. It's funny how the vibe of the place changed during our time there, from a total dude ranch upon entry, to a 50/50 mixed crowd by the time we left. Go figure.On the plus side, they didn't charge for the gyro because of the missing dolmas. That was very cool. And again, the service was great. But the quirks made it a 2.5 star experience, and we aren't in a big hurry to revisit when there are other options around. No hard feelings, but not a real positive recommendation.