Price Guide (average entree): $ bargain - $6 or less, $$ inexpensive - $6 - $12, $$$ moderate $12 - $19, $$$$ expensive - over $19.
Quality Rating: Superb is the highest, considered the very best possible. Notes are qualifiers allowing insight into the reviewer's rating. Disclaimer
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 81st & Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Middle Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | * average | Notes: | palestinian mixed with 70's hippy |
| Food: | ** very good | Notes: | always plentiful portions and very fresh |
| Service: | ** very good | Notes: | good attentive service |
| Favorites: | falafil, mixed veggies, tabouleh |
| Comments: | Ask to speak with the Owner Sam, he is very interesting and appreciates return business. Portions are always plentiful and food is very fresh. Needs a new bathroom for sure. |
| Reviewer: | Todd |
Date: | 1/17/01 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 80th and Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Middle Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | ** very good | Notes: | quaint and charming |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | better than you'd ever expect from a small cafe in JC |
| Service: | *** excellent | Notes: | Justin/ excellent, friendly, fast |
| Favorites: | Sauteed Veggies, Shamir's shatta dip, Baba Ganoush |
| Comments: | I was addicted to Jerusalem Cafe before stumbling upon this place one afternoon. Now, I find myself venturing into JC at least once a week to have the owner, Sam cook for me some of the most delightful cuisine in KC. Everything is made from scratch and is made to order. I would consider myself to be a sort of dining snob, but I try to talk people into venturing here at least once a week. I love it!!!THe only thing that keeps this restaurant form being voted the best middle eastern in KC is it's location. If it was in Westport or downtown, the owner would be very well to do (to say the least). |
| Reviewer: | Mia |
Date: | 3/17/01 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara | Location: | 83rd/Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Mediterranean | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | general clutter, sticky floor |
| Food: | ** very good | Notes: | My fish was good. |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | Having read the reviews here, I looked forward to trying this place but wasn't too happy with the sevice or the sticky floor. We had a table of four. Two folks got their dinners and, 15 - 20 minutes later, the 3rd dinner came. The last dinner, mine, came another 15 - 20 minutes after that! We missed our movie but had plenty to talk about. Maybe just an off night but...would you go back? Sheesh. |
| Reviewer: | Jim |
Date: | 5/20/02 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | Metcalf About 77th street, OPKS |
| Cuisine: | Lebanese | Price: | $ bargain |
| Ambience: | * average | Notes: | Not very Sanitary |
| Food: | * average | Notes: | I liked the fresh Veggies |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | Service is Family Members Who Don't want to Be there |
| Favorites: | The Hamburger Gyros |
| Comments: | After Reading The Reviews, I drug My girlfriend there, She won't go Back, the next to visits were By Myself, I started to pay attention, Don't Need to use the Bathroom Out Back!!!!, It's an affordable Meal,But Not a Clean place. |
| Reviewer: | Sue |
Date: | 7/22/02 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 81st & metcalf, OPKS |
| Cuisine: | Middle Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | *** excellent | Notes: | midlle eastern music, lots of knick nacks and wall decorations |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | great fresh food |
| Service: | ** very good | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | gyro, dolmeh |
| Comments: | this is my favorite restruant i find my self comming here at least once a week as i work nearby |
| Reviewer: | Ben |
Date: | 4/23/03 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 81st and Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Middle Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | ** very good | Notes: | |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | |
| Service: | ** very good | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | Sam, the owner, does all the cooking and comes to chat with all his customers. He is a sweet guy, and every restaurant manager should
take notes from him. You can tell the food is made with love and it's
delicious every time. |
| Reviewer: | Gem |
Date: | 5/21/03 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 81st & Metcalf, Overland Park, KS |
| Cuisine: | Middle eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | This is Sahara's Achilles heel - and it's getting worse |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | But the food is the high point, easily the best in town |
| Service: | * average | Notes: | Usually adequate, but sometimes mind-blowingly bad |
| Favorites: | Sauteed vegetable sandwich, amazing baba ganouj |
| Comments: | Sahara Cafe sometimes breaks my heart. I love Sam, the owner, to death, and his food is truly excellent. But the place itself, in a converted Taco Bell, desperately needs a thorough cleaning from top to
bottom. Sam also has a habit of hiring hippy teenagers as waiters, which
can be OK. But they tend to be of the affluent suburban variety, which
translates into snarky or stoned service too often. The restaurant also
recently posted anti-war signs, which is fine ... but it's also fine for
people to choose not to patronize a restaurateur who wears his beliefs on
his sleeve. |
| Reviewer: | Marc |
Date: | 5/26/03 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 85th & Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Middle-Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | ** very good | Notes: | 70's style. Not a white linen place to eat but GREAT food. |
| Food: | | Notes: | |
| Service: | *** excellent | Notes: | Always there to please |
| Favorites: | No Favorites, All is top notch!! |
| Comments: | I agree with other comments left. The only negative comment I would leave is the bathroom situation. It's out back and does need to be updated. Sam is GREAT! Food is superb! Keep up the good work Sam. No restaurant like it. |
| Reviewer: | Lee & Mary |
Date: | 2/20/04 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 81st And Metcalf |
| Cuisine: | Middle Eastern | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | *** excellent | Notes: | the atmosphere is authentic |
| Food: | **** superb | Notes: | it's melt in your mouth good - the spices are so interesting |
| Service: | ** very good | Notes: | very helpful but not always cheerful |
| Favorites: | the hummus and kibbe are amazing - go try them now! |
| Comments: | sam is so cool ... i've known him for 6 years and he's always so happy and friendly ... it makes the trip that much better ... i definatly recomend this place to anyone... |
| Reviewer: | Amber |
Date: | 4/3/04 |
| Restaurant: | Sahara Cafe | Location: | 80th and Metcalf (across from Villa Capri) |
| Cuisine: | mediterranean | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | * average | Notes: | Colorful blend of American and Middle-Eastern decoration |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | Best Gyro's ive ever had, delicious fries, huge servings!!! |
| Service: | ** very good | Notes: | Very friendly and quick service |
| Favorites: | gyro with the seasoned fries, hummus appetizer |
| Comments: | I love the restaurant as do all my friends who i make a point to go there with, at least once a week, if not more! |
| Reviewer: | Corey |
Date: | 7/6/04 |
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