Excellent value, fairly priced and great service. We dine here once a month (and have been for years) and have never been disappointed. Our must haves are their round Kibbee, Baba ghanoug, hummus, muhammara and finish with Turkish coffee and their chocolate baklava. After our fill of apps, we don't have room for dinner, however, I'm sure it is excellent too. We also love that Abeer and Terik always greet us with a warm hello. This is by far our favorite middle eastern restaurant, not to be missed. read more

The food and staff at Sahara are the best. Warm, welcoming and helpful people serving fresh, tasty dishes. My favorites are the simple classics: fried halloumi, labneh and baklava. read more

Great mid eastern food. Excellent service. Wonderful management. Wonderfully decorated. Our new "go to" restaurant. read more

This place really deserves a 3.5, but we dinged it after having gotten used to the giant grilled platters from Oasis & A La Turka in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, at the same prices with twice as much food and a more delicate hand in spicing. We have been craving middle eastern food and found this place on yelp. As others have mentioned, the place is no frills but clean, and the mirror in the ladie's room made my legs look thin :) Stuffed grape leaves ($6): huge serving with 8 pieces. Jim just mentioned that they had a meat version so I'm pissed we didn't get those. Grr. We'll be back for those. These were good--not so tightly packed that I couldn't bite through them, but they were a bit messy, as the leaves could have been more tender so I wouldn't be pulling strands from my teeth after each bite. Flavourwise, excellent. Not too bitter. Mixed grill ($20): this came with tabbouleh, hummus, babganouj, and lots of meats, actually the right portion size for 2 of us, but we're just spoiled and used to platters filled with food, not just a small dinner plate to share. Tabbouleh was very fresh and tasty, but I wanted more of it. Hummus, correct size (Jim loves it, I don't). Babaganouj, not enough (I'm a glutton), so we ordered an extra side of it. It was a little mild, but I was hungry. No lebne (yogurt), which was a surprise, as I'm used to a trifecta of sauces whenever we eat middle eastern food. There were 2 tiny olives on that plate. Rice: good flavour, but a bit dry for my taste (I believe it was intentional). Meat:As much as I've eaten at middle eastern restaurants, I don't know the names of the meat types (we always get a mixed grill, which likely doesn't help). One of the grilled meats tasted like pumpkin pie spice, which was good, but threw me off as I know the spices are used in middle eastern cuisine, but not exactly in the same proportion as pumpkin pie spice. The gyros-like slices were average, but should have been a little more charred. The skewered sausage was excellent, one of the best I've had, as it had a delicate hand with cinnamon instead of the overpoweringly sweet/bitter version many places serve. Grilled cubed meats were a little overdone, and had a slight liver-taste, which usually comes from steaming. No grilled skewered vegetables such as peppers, onions, or tomatoes. :( Extra side of babaganouj: don't know the cost, but our bill came to $36 with tax. I decided to pick up 1 each of the baklavas (there are 6 varieties) as well as halwa ($25), since Jim had never tried the sesame paste and I spent a good deal of time trying to describe it. The rounded pistachio shredded wheat version was big and dripping with honey. The halva delicious (I don't think it will last through the morning). The service was a bit spotty, and flagging down a server was more difficult than it should have been. Incredibly nice, but I never got the olive oil I requested twice. Couples, families, young and ancient. A good mix of people. BYO read more

Once again, have to wonder what the raves are about. Went at lunch time, ordered the shwarma. It was dry, tasteless, the presentation totally boring, wrapped tightly in a pita, looking like a wrap from the grocery store. At first, the presence of shwarma was not evident, the portion size being fairly small. Supposedly came with hummous - none was present. Oh well, not having good luck with Lebanese food... And the service was ridiculous - one waitress who couldn't wait to get back to her reading material. read more

Best Mediterranean food in the area! The hummus is great, the grape leaves are super tasty and the grilled cheese that they have there (I now forget the name) are all excellent! And service was pretty good as well. Definitely coming back! read more

A wonderful change from American fast food and Chinese restaurants. You will find many traditional Middle Eastern dishes with there traditional names and yet elegantly described so you can order with confidence. Be daring and order the Finjan Erfeh to sip and settle into the ambiance. I had the Sahara combination and found that everything was wonderfully seasoned and prepared. For dessert, try the Namoura. It is a sweet refreshing end to a wonderful meal. read more

Sahara Restaurant - Dining area while waiting for dinner - Middle Eastern Near Me - Skillman, New Jersey

See all

I read a couple of very positive reviews of this restaurant and was expecting great tasting, plentiful food, served hot, in an inviting atmosphere. I walked in at 8 pm, and was -- and would remain -- the only patron, dining alone in a dining room outfitted with lonesome-looking, pizzeria-style seating. That should have been a hint of the low-rent experience that follows. I ordered a gyro sandwich platter, but was told no sandwiches after 6 pm. Okay, fine. So I was directed to the pricier back menu, and had a choice between ordering a "platter" versus "full dinner." I ordered what turned out to be a lifeless chicken barley soup, luke warm. The platter -- kafta kebab with fries and stuffed grape leaves -- came next and I must say there were ample pieces (8) of overly soft stuffed grape leaves (no doubt reheated or microwaved multiple times). Keeping the grape leaves company were 4 small, slim, tasteless sausages and about a dozen small shreds of soggy salad greens -- not even enough to stuff the hard, cold single pita I was offered with the meal. The fries were firm and decently cooked, but they look like commercial fries, nothing like kitchen-cut spuds. They were served barely warmer than room temperature. The waitress was friendly and very attentive, but there was a tristesse about her -- no doubt from working in this establishment. I could have gone to the local -- also mediocre -- diner, which at least serves its bland diner fare hot. The tab would have been about $5 less for a meal I absolutely did not enjoy. Sahara Restaurant? Good name, suggesting aridity in every aspect of atmosphere, food, and overall dining experience. Me? I'd call it the Sad Cafe. Pass. read more

A hidden treasure in a typical NJ strip mall. We'd driven past it for years, and finally stopped in for lunch one day. Enjoyed it so much that we went two more times over the next week. The food is very good and large portions. The mint iced tea was delicious. The service is polite but not excessively friendly, the food is great, and the prices are very reasonable. read more

Both my co-diner and I had the Chicken Shwarma Very dry. To remedy, I doused it in hot sauce (which was essentially frank's watered down)...still not good... my co-eater also ordered fries, there were like 10 on the plate... read more

After the movies, we were supposed to go eat Japanese somewhere near the theatre. We didn't see the Japanese restaurant but saw Sahara. There's two other Sahara (Manville and Somerset - both I didn't like) and 1 in Brooklyn (I liked but far now since I live in NJ). This Sahara is like the one in Brooklyn. The staff were friendly and the food delicious. The guy who took our order said this is the original Sahara Restaurant. We ordered the usual platters and the sides, like kofta, shawarma, babaganoush, hummus, etc. they were all good. Service, price, quality and quantity of food excellent. I will order something I haven't ordered the next time. read more

I LOVE Middle Eastern food and living in central Jersey, my options are fairly limited. In this regard so I pad a star to any Middle Eastern place just on general happiness to have one to rate. The Sahara restaurant is a decent place to go if you want Arabic Mediterranean (Lebanese) style food in the central Jersey / Princeton area. In the interior is made up of a cross between prints of Middle Eastern geography and Persian bazaar style decorations. It sets the theme. I went here with my wife during lunch on a Wednesday and it was not particularly crowded (about a quarter full). The service was by a near-teen who obviously hasn't been doing this long as both the manner and speed were lacking. The food itself was adequately Middle Eastern in flavor but the flavors were muted (think Americanized palette). In that regard, Sahara's food shouldn't offend the more sensitive palettes while it will scratch (if not totally assuage) the itch for Middle Eastern Mediterranean fare. We had the Traditional Combination Platter (Kafta, chicken and beef kebabs) and the Vegetarian Platter (hummus, baba, tabbouleh, and falafel). The meats were delicious and the spreads were ok (nothing to write home about). Accordingly the falafel was good but not great. Overall, if you want Mediterranean style Middle Eastern food, Sahara will provide adequately. But only adequately. Middle of the road food, poor service and insanely overpriced (for what it is) makes Sahara closer to two stars rather than closer to four stars. But since there aren't many options of this type in central Jersey, you could do worse. read more

Stopped in here for an early dinner after going to the movie theater. This is the third time we have been here and we always have liked the food, the decor, and the service. We had a vegetarian eggplant-pepper dish (I forget the name) which was really good and really filling, and VERY heavy with garlic (which I did like). Just be aware of the possibility. We also had a falafel dish as well which was really nice and a very tasty almond dessert. All the food was nice, service was very reasonable, as it always has been in the past. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the ceiling makes it look like a big fancy middle eastern tent! Not all that expensive, either. You can do BYOB if you want (there's a liquor store in the shopping center). Definitely worth a try. read more

Sahara Restaurant - Beef shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Skillman, New Jersey

Had a large group for dinner, flat bread was amazing, really enjoyed seafood, cauliflower cakes, calamari appetizer & lentil soup. We did have to wait outside in the cold about an hour post reservation time to get seated as folks lingered after their meals. Propane heaters would have been helpful. read more

I'm surprised by the negative reviews. My wife loves this place and raves about how the ingredients are always fresh. We usually go here after watching a movie at The Montgomery Cinema. The decor has improved and the staff is friendly. My only complaint would be there could be more variety on the menu and/or specials and that's the only reason they don't get a 5. read more

The food is so good! My favorites are the Kibbee, String Beans, and Beef Shawarma sandwich. For dessert Kunafah is a must. The service is always great too! I found this spot about two years ago and it's my favorite place for lunch. read more

Sahara Restaurant - Round Kibbe - Middle Eastern Near Me - Skillman, New Jersey

See all

When you are in the 'burbs it's so hard to find a good restaurant among the landscape of chains. I have been coming to Sahara Restaurant since I was little and it was my introduction to Middle Eastern food. Perhaps my 4 star rating is slightly bias because of this connection to it but I still think the food is rather good. I actually would probably rate it lower if it were the same place in the city, but given the lack of good eats around here they get a boost. I have never had a bad meal here, but I dislike that they don't let you order sandwiches later in the day and that it must be platters. Sometimes I'm just not that hungry. The decor has barely changed since I was a kid. I remember they renovated at some point, but it doesn't look that much better. read more

If you're looking for lebanese, this is THE place to be. It gets hella crowded on weekends, so watch out. They have kibbeh nayeh (however you spell that) which rarely comes by anywhere else... You must order a day in advance! -1 and 1/2 star for the dude who would not bring me my mint tea. +1/2 for the cool photographs of the lebanon. Service should get better cuz my friend just got a job there. Hee. read more

Sahara is housed inside a strip mall that hasn't been updated since 1977, but don't let that stop you from going. The inside is quite cozy and service is very friendly. The portions are really generous for the price and everything is pretty tasty. They use plenty of lemon juice in their dips, which I love. The pita is perfectly average, but their Greek salad is great. read more

The worst middle Eastern food I've ever eaten! My wife and I love a good middle Eastern meal. So when we found Sahara was only a short drive away and on our way to a night out with friends in Princeton, we decided to stop in From the outside and inside, Sahara looks like a dingy strip mall establishment. I understand there's. It much that can be done to the outside, but the inside looked like the dining hall of a ski lodge. A half assed attempt to create the ambiance of a Lebanese restaurant. The restaurant was pretty much empty on this Wednesday night. My wife ordered the vegetarian combo ($9) and I ordered the meat combo ($16) The vegetarian combo had pretty good hummus and babaganous but that's about it. The meat combo came with lamb dish, chicken kebab, gyro meat, rice and tabouli. The meat was borderline inedible. I've never had gyro meat as dry and tasteless. The lamb sish was oily, tough, and had an odd oder and taste. Something was definitely not right with the scraps of meat that was in front of me. Seemed like it was reheated about 5 times. I guess the rice was the only thing ok in the meat platter. After dinner we tried the baklava which everyone seemed to be raving about. The baklava was definitely not fresh...I'll give it a 3 out of 10. The servers were in the middle of eating their own meal so bussing the two tables near us didn't seem like a priority for them. Both my wife and I woke up the next morning feeling sick to our stomachs. read more

I've been eyeing this restaurant for awhile and was excited to finally try it! The interior is really nice and inviting, and the staff were quite friendly. I ordered the Traditional Beef/Lamb kofta for pick up. The kofta itself tasted delicious and was well seasoned; however, the rest of the meal was subpar. The rice was flavorless and the tabouleh had a much coarser texture than I've ever had. There were also only 3 pieces of kofta and the meal cost $17. For the price, I was expecting better quality. read more

YUM!! All the items were fresh and delicious! It is a must try! I got a Greek salad and the chicken kabobs. The salad was loaded with toppings and the dressing was perfect. The hummus on the chicken kabob was creamy and puts store bought to shame. The staff was friendly over the phone and during pick up! read more

I thought this was the same Sahara from New Brunswick..I guess not, but was pleasantly surprised...the hummus was so delicious and perfect, I'm still dreaming about it! We had the beef shawarma, it was just okay. Pistachio baklava was yummy, even if a little cakey rather than flakey. Otherwise great service, although in the end, the server did not seem pleased that I had a coupon. read more

Great food, perfect tasty and quality. Friendly stuff, convenient location from movies. On my week list!

Have been to Sahara many times and whether it's dine in or takeout the quality and service is always amazing! The staff are on top of everything and you can tell how much they care about making sure you have an amazing experience! The food is incredible every time! I would eat Sahara for every meal and be so happy every time! read more

Sahara is good option for this area, where there is a limited supply of establishments offering middle eastern food. I tend to be picky for middle eastern food and so unless you want to go 30-40 further out. We have had the chicken kebab platter, along with the falafel and schwarma sandwiches. (The large can be split especially if your having some side dishes.) Hummus is decent. Service is good, but they can get backed up on larger orders so plan timing accordingly. The service is fair for the restaurant, at the end of the day your going for the food and that is what will either have you come back or look for another spot. read more

I cant say enough good things about this restaurant. we ordered through grubhub and the driver never showed up to pick up the food from the restaurant. They called from the restaurant saying that the food was just sitting there and actually came by to deliver themselves. This speaks volume about their customer service. Please keep up the good work!! read more

We went for lunch and it was amazing. The food and service was outstanding and the prices were great. I recommend getting the appetizer platter with different stuff like hummus. read more

Came here for dinner on a weeknight with family. It was really easy to find, being located in the strip mall near shop rite. I ordered the chicken kebab with couscous. It also came with some regular and whole wheat pita. The food was seasoned really well and the harrisa sauce was so good I was loading it onto every bite. Overall the dish was excellent. We also split kunafah and pecan baklava for dessert. Wowww the kunafah was sooooo delicious. Dough with cheese and a really sweet syrup. Tried the off the beaten path pecan baklava, it was good but I think i was expecting the traditional with pistachio! Will definitely come back and highly recommend! read more

Excellent food, local for me, great ambience. Eat in our take out, both the same. Enjoy eating there. Staff a little non descript, service is average. read more

EXCELLENT! I rarely give a restaurant an Excellent rating but this one deserves it. It's everything I like about going to a restaurant. It's a fairly small restaurant but when you walk in, the atmosphere is so welcoming and beautiful. Even when it's been filled with people, there's always a hushed feeling so that you can actually hear your party speaking with each other..... unlike others where you can barely hear above the din. And then there's the wait-staff and the owner. They're efficient, accommodating, and make you feel as though you were having dinner in their home. ........ and, last but not least, the food is perfect! My husband usually gets the gyro platter and, since it's so good, he always sticks with that. I, on the other hand, like to try something new so this time I had the chicken and lentil soup which was yummy. I then tried 1 of their appetizers; the small meat pies which were either cheese or meat. They kindly gave me half an order of each and they were both great. I did actually also keep "tasting" my husbands gyro. Perfect. We topped it all off with a piece of pistachio baklava and a Turkish coffee feeling that we'd just had one of the best restaurant meals we've had in a while. Thank you to all who provided this for us. read more

Great little place! Service is always terrific. The food is always excellent! I recommend anything on the menu. All are fresh and tasty! Don't forget desserts the baklava is great with Turkish coffee. read more

Extremely disappointed! I am middle eastern myself and when I ordered the traditional combination dinner platter I was extremely shocked (not in a good way). The portion was unbelievably small for $24. It's not even enough for my husband to fill up on for dinner. I highly recommend they check out the portions you receive at other middle eastern restaurants and their prices. If you are going to call it a dinner platter and charge $24 for it at least give a dinner portion. I will never ever go back. read more

Sahara Restaurant - Traditional combination dinner platter that happens to be ALLLLL rice and hardly any meat for $24 - Middle Eastern Near Me - Skillman, New Jersey

Ordered takeout. I don't know if this is norm, but I expected pita to be hot and meat flavorful and not try. This place offered none. The hummus was pretty good, same for babaganoush but that's where it ended. Probably not going to order again. Was expecting so much more from the hefty $20 price tag. The 2 stars are purely for the dips. Everything else was so not up to my requirement. read more

Great authentic food, the chicken kebab was phenomenal. I definitely recommend trying it. The tabouleh was very tastey as well, one of my favorites. Our server was very friendly and welcoming and she answered all of our questions. I would definitely recommend this place to my close family and friends! read more

The interior is warm and decorated like a Bedouin tent. The food was good but lacked depth, it was just food. The staff was cheery and attentive. We had a wonderful time! read more

Sahara Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Skillman, New Jersey

Sahara is right by my favorite cinema so I like stopping by for some great Lebanese food after a movie. Because of this, I have generally eaten here on off hours so I can't speak much for crowds or popularity. Sahara is a little vegan paradise. There are so many appetizers and sandwiches to choose from. It has the classic hummus, falafel, babaghannouj, stuffed grape leaves, all quite good; but my favorite is the mjaddarah, a lentil and rice dish, that I don't see in many Middle Eastern places. Come sample all sort of Lebanese food and enjoy the fresh, hot, and delicious pitas. read more

Amazing food and ambiance! Great management and service! Could not get enough Shish kebab! Will be back!!!

Amazing restaurant and amazing service. Food is great and I love the small quiet setting would highly recommend

Never disappointed! Great date or group place! Byob which is a plus! Well priced with a fun atmosphere. (Just wish they would replace some of the fluorescent bulbs to give a more relaxed ambiance). Never ordered Togo but I imagine it's just as good! read more