sahara restaurant & hookah lounge

goodfood- nothing fancy. a small and simple restaurant in a shopping center with an adjacent hookah bar (same owner). i chose the non-smoking section.foodwas good quality with ample portions. home made bread was delicious! i chose shawarma platter with lamb and beef, plus an order of falafel. both were well-plated and tasty. my service was very attentive, but they were not busy on a tuesday night. glass of lebanese chardonnay was quite good and a bit overpriced - but not enough to prevent a second glass. i definitely will return. please go here, or any other locally-owned establishment, before handing your money to a chain restaurant.

greatfoodwith great prices!. i went there with my husband and we tried it out for the first time two weeks ago, and since then we've been back 3 times already!!!
thefoodis great, the prices are very reasonable and every sat they have live music with a belly dancer show!
the owners were so friendly, they came out and asked us how everything was, and made us feel welcomed every time we went there…
then we had shisha at their patio seating, with a pot of hot tea and a cheese dessert called kunafa, which was made in lebanon!
and when we were done we shopped at their market side, and got some pita bread, cheese and other lebanese products which prices where very cheap in comparison to other middle eastern and persian places i've been to!
take my word and check it out, i know i will be there again this sat :-)

the sahara is still the best. i revisited this restaurant on sunday the 23rd of may 2010. i was there on jan. 2010. this time i ordered the mixed grill. thefoodwas served piping hot. the servers, both of them were courteous. they asked me at different times if i needed anything. i did not. thefoodwas plentiful. go to their website for the full description of the mixed grill. you wont be disappointed. the hummus was delicious. the salad fresh and the rice pilaf exquisite. the rice was cooked to perfection.

i once more was not disappointed. i strongly recommend the restaurant to those who want to enjoy a genuine lebanese dish or two.

please do not bring your rowdy children. it is not fair to the other guests. take your children to a fastfoodrestaurant that offer a playground. or get a baby sitter.
while i was there two little girls were playing nicely without disturbing others.

they have a full menu on line.

succulentfoodand excellent service. their lamb kabob pomegranate literally melts in your mouth. delicious!!! their bread is home made and right out of the oven. they also have a full bar and excellent lebanese wine which is a must try!!!


-----20 sep, 2009-----

simply the best. my wife and i dine out at least 3 times a week. we are glad to have found sahara lebanese cafe. we visited sahara at least 7 times and never had a bad meal. it is amazing how fresh and tasty thefoodis at sahara. you have to go there to believe it. theirfoodis simply the best.

very bad customer service, the owner claims it's a lebanese restaurant while he's palestinian and hisfoodis not even close to lebanese taste, the worst middle eastern place i have ever been to

wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!. sahara has been opened for 2 years and ever since they've opened my husband and i have been frequent customers. whenever i have company in town i take them to sahara where thefoodand service always make me proud of my choice in front of friends ;-)
sahara never fails to continue to impress me, and i will never fail them by always staying a loyal customer and a huge fan!!!


-----25 jul, 2009-----

this is for anybody who appreciates a good lebanese meal!. this place was recommended to us by our friends and i love them for that! thefoodwas great; we went there with friends and ordered 2 sahara platters, and 2 mix grill platters.
the tabouleh was as fresh as fresh can be, and i swear the hummus was the best hummus i have ever had; ever!!! but my favorites were two: the baba ghannouge, which was so good you can taste the smoked egg plants between your teeth; and the kibbeh which the owners told us later is made by a house wife, who comes in and makes all their kibbeh and fatayer as well…
the mix grill was great, there were so many things on there; it came with rice, hummus and fattoush; and we ordered a side of garlic puree, which had all the goodness of garlic without the aftermath!
the meat was tender and juicy, and what i found interesting was that they asked us how we liked our meat temperature, and i have never been asked that before in a lebanese or middle eastern restaurant.
our server was very friendly and attentive; and the owners came by and asked us how everything was and if we needed anything; the couple were very nice and funny; and i have to say that i can not see the wife yelling at nobody especially kids for that matter!
we personally will be back, and i highly recommend this place to anybody who enjoys and appreciates a good lebanese meal :o)

the best in sterling. thefoodis outstanding!!! they just started serving homemade bread and it is soooooooo delicious. both lunch buffet and dinner menu are wonderful. everything is made from scratch no canned or frozen food. service is great and it is family friendly. desserts are yummy too. it is not a chain :) how can you beat the owner cooking for you and the other owner his wife waiting on you.

awesome!. thefoodis amazing. what can i say...it's like sex on a plate.

we love this place.. my family loves sahara. thefoodis delicious and fresh. and the folks at sahara take great care and pride in their service.

superb. i and english and visit relatives in lovettsville, and we never fail to visit the sahara several times during my visits.foodis always fabulous, and service attentive without being in your face. we love it, and bring friends to intrduce them. thank you!!!

i would not step foot in it again. i went their with my husband and kids. the owner's wife yelled at my kids for playing. and above all thefoodwas cold and service is very slow.
watch for the hair in the hummus

what a treat!. the first thing we noticed was how fresh all thefoodwas! then the taste! we went back two nights in a row and then back again a week later (and this was an hour drive for us) and it was worth it. we also shopped in the grocery part which had very good prices on olive oil and my mother has developed a love affair with the cheeses.

we have had almost all the mazza, taboulah and fattoush, and we are busy making our way through the sandwiches and entrees. the portions are generous enough to satisfy teenagers and a couple of mazza make a good meal too. the desserts are (heavy delighted sigh) worth every calorie.

we will definately be back!