Sahara Express

We just moved to the area and ate here twice in as many days it’s so good. The falafel is my favorite, very flavorful with out to much heat. You can alway crank up the heat with sauce any way. The baba ghanoush is super smoky from the tahini and fantastic.

absolutely the worst food I have never ate. i would not eat that food if you paid me and it cost me twenty bucks. the sauces were basically ranch dressing… not Mediterranean and the falafel was dry and taste like it was cooked in bad oil… did not eat but one bite to know I would not like it… the salad taste like they used canola oil instead of olive oil. left it on the plate… the yogurt sauce was ranch dressing… the hummus was totally tasteless… I went with a friend both our first and last time… to that place… he felt the same way… we walked out of that place with the food left behind… I am a big eater so it has to be bad for me to do that… had my friend not been with me I would of asked for my money back… the service was good… to bad the food was horrible… do you self a favor and skip this place. find somewhere else to eat… thanks …

I was very disappointed after reading the reviews. Cheep ingredients and flavorless food made this a poor choice. Maybe bad timing but I would not recommend.

I literally love Sahara Express. This is my go to casual authentic Mediterranean cuisine /​Greek food in Rancho San Diego area. The hype is real!!! Everything is Ahhmazing ! They have chicken /​beef shawarma, Sahara fries, delicious healthy salad, pitas, wraps, hummus, lentil soup, gyro tacos. Yummy!
Well obviously my all time favorite is the «chicken tikka plate » it comes with pita bread, yellow rice with almonds and a side of beet salad or your choice. But the beet salad is the bomb! –Red beets feta cheese red onions, parsley dried berries walnuts lemon & olive oil. Heavenly Deliciousness ! Must order!!! The chicken was really tasty, and juicy. Perfection ! Huge servings I couldn’t finish it. Very reasonable price. Love the ambience here, good vibes. It’s really neat and clean. The staff are friendly. Best of all it’s fast n quick service but not your typical Fastfood it’s always freshly made and healthy. Definitely I’m coming back here again soon! Hmmmm don’t forget the baklava. Sweet tooth ! Guilty pleasure ! Yum !!! Highly recommend and you’ll love this hidden gem Next to Soapy joes, Ralph’s grocery store :)

I have tried the chicken tikka, shawarma, greek tacos, yellow rice, beet salad, hummus, ganoush and greek salad. Everything is always very fresh. The employees are always friendly and prepare the food in a timely manner. The chicken tikka is my favorite and sometimes I add a small side of it to a greek salad. The salad can be split by two people.

This place has saved my marriage! If I have nothing to cook I stop by and get chicken shawerma and tabouli salad. The costumer service is on point. Raghda is awesome!

Good food… but two thumbs down for the Unilocal check-​in «bonus». I was given a teeny tiny container of hummus instead of the side dish that was promised. Good place other than that!

Sahara express is the perfect little quick stop. I can order my food, get my car wash next door, then my food will be ready. I usually order the chicken shawarma tacos. Plus I will get the middle eastern salad. It’s the perfect mix and the perfect side for my tacos. Me and my husband have been coming here since they opened.

Great food! Tender filet mignon. Greek salad was very fresh. Falafel & potato chop were delicious. Fries were tasty & crispy. Will be back soon to try out some other dishes.

Been coming here since they opened. Super sad to see Spinners restaurant go but their menu is pretty similar and they kept most the original staff. This Sahara is just like the big one up the street, except this one has a streamlined menu geared more for carryout. In fact you’re always better off ordering here than up the street cause the wait time there is always way longer.
Food is awesome. The 2 greek tacos for $ 5. are amazingly delicious. Great and friendly customer service.

Haven’t been in the area for awhile hoping for the famous Friday special $ 5 spinner fries. Didn’t realize they were under new management and under a new name. I said F it and decided to try it out. They have a different version of the spinner fries but nearly similar. So I decided to order the now Sahara Fries — Greek and my son had the Shawarma — Chicken fries… Greek was similar to the old Greek spinner fries. Chicken Fries were a tad different with a curry taste, but it was good. I probably would have given 5 stars but the price was a little high. Granted they do give decent size portions for the price. Wife had the gyro tacos and gave them a thumbs up. All and all I would probably come back again.

We saw a few people in there dining so we decided to check them out. Restaurant was nice and clean. Service was fast and staff was extremely friendly. Food was fresh and full of flavor. Their tacos are awesome with a middle eastern /​Mexican fusion and were super delicious :) My husband ordered the gyros plate and it was also fresh and full of flavor. The hummus was perfectly down and their Taboli was great as well. I definitely recommend this place and we will be back. The kitchen is completely open as well, so you can actually watch your food being prepared. While we were waiting , we saw several customers that had preordered and were just picking up. So If you’re in the area and don’t feel like waiting for a table or playing with ice water for 30 min, then grab a quick bite here and you won’t be disappointed.

I really like exploring new Mediterranean places and I’m so happy I found this joint. The gyro plate is very good. My only complaint is the size of their sides and the saltiness of the food.

Top notch! I was highly impressed the first time I came in and they have never disappointed me since. I sporadically go to a Tuesday needleworking group at the Rancho San Diego library and always stop by here for lunch afterwards.
On Tuesdays they have their variation of Taco Tuesday which is two Mediterranean tacos with your choice of meat for $ 4. It’s a great deal and they don’t skimp on the meat. Their tsaziki sauce is some of the best I’ve ever had and their meat is just mouthwateringly delicious and tender. One of my favorite side dishes is the beet salad with walnuts and feta cheese for $ 3. I’ve had the Tiki chicken which was good and the Mediterranean salad which was wonderful. The lentil soup is excellent as well. I always get a yogurt mint drink to go with my meal for $ 2. It makes a great combination with the Mediterranean food. I haven’t ever tried their desserts but they look good.
The place is super clean and pleasant. The girl who works behind the cash register is about as nice as she can be and always remembers me from one time to another ever since the first time I went in. Once I accidentally left my purple pen lying on the table after using it to cross some things off my errands list. She came running out to return it to me before I could back out of my parking space which I thought was really nice. I will keep coming back here anytime I’m in the area!

Finding gems like this is why I love Unilocal.I was in the area for an appointment and didn’t want to do a chain store.
I lived in the Persian community in Los Angeles for 6 years so I know my Mediterranean food.
I checked in and ordered the hummus for my free appetizer. Smooth abs creamy and sprinkled with paprika. Yum!
I ordered the chicken shawarma and the plate was huge! (See photo). I’m a hearty eater but barely made a dent in my plate. It was served with saffron rice with yellow grapes and the I chose the baba ghanoush which had a terrific smoky roasted flavor. There was a roasted tomato which not all middle eastern restaurants don’t provide and is very important to me for the overall flavor.
I had water so with the free side it was $ 11. Pricey for lunch? Yes and no. I would share with someone else or what I’m doing is taking it home for dinner and maybe even lunch tomorrow.
Service was friendly. Interior is bright sis to walls of windows.
I would definitely come here again.

Created my own bowl and friends loved it! How to order it (from bottom to top) lettuce, baba ganoush, tabouli, pickled turnips, chicken shawerma and taziki sauce. It’s full of flavor and immediately addicting! Trust me, you have to try it.
This place is always making sure you are getting what you want. Adding or taking out an ingredient is never a problem for them which is awesome. They give plenty of food for a great price and it’s one of the best middle eastern places in town. I’m hooked!

I used to eat at the original Sahara when it was a little hole-in-the-wall…literally a hole. It was so small that there wasn’t even an area to sit and eat. After they remodeled, I still went there all the time.
I went to the Sahara Express for the first and only time so far, but certainly not the last, earlier this week. It was honestly better than I expected. I stopped going to the original Sahara due to their excess amounts of grease put into all of their food. I did not eat there for about 10 months, and just had a craving so I decided to eat at the express and try it.
The reason I give a three-​star rating is due to the fact that I walked in around 7 pm on a Tuesday night and there was nobody in line, and one person sitting already eating. I ordered my food and it took 25 minutes to get my order… but this is supposed to be an «express» though???
The place is very clean, and the food was really good. The reason that I had to wait over 20 minutes for some food at an «express» restaurant is not a good thing. Keep doing what you’re doing, Sahara, just hurry up a little!

What a wonderful find near Cuyamaca to grab a tasty bite to eat. Came here on a recommendation from a friend… and it was just what I needed to grab a quick lunch on my break between jobs.
I ordered the Chicken Tikka plate with hummus and a drink (which is free when you check-​in!). The chicken was tender and moist… with lots of great flavor! The rice and veggies were a great compliment to the dish. I liked the hummus side dish. I just wish the bread was a bit thicker, the pita were thin slices. But what really makes it this dish… is the garlic sauce. I could put that ish on everything!

Parked right in front and the place was closing in 35 mins. The young lady cashier was sweet and helpful. I got to checkin and get a free hummus side that was delicious. I ordered the gyro and a Greek salad to share. My husband went with the Shawarma fries just meat on fries. Next time he wants to order half Greek half Shawarma as recommended after we ordered as to what most people order there. This was our first time here. It took 10mins to get our order to go. We will be back and try other menu options.

This is the younger sibling of Sahara Taste of the Middle East a few block west on Jamacha. The good thing is that I really like that place, so I knew I was in for a great treat when I visited this new location.
I tried several items, including hummus, lentil soup, and a gryos sandwich on pita bread. First the lentil soup. It was of the blended variety and it was outstanding. It was a cup size and was a generous size cup at that (
). its flavor was spot on with great middle eastern seasoning and a nice creamy texture mixed with bits of lentils and what I believe was a barley enriched thin pasta (
). I was very pleased with the amount served and its overall flavor. The soup came with a side of house made pita chips and they were fantastic.
The hummus was of excellent quality. It was smooth with mild grittiness, but where it excelled, was it keen flavor. It had a nice mild garlic flavor and the drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, simply added in it richness in flavor (
). I was enamored with this hummus, and they certainly made me into a fan. The hummus came with soft pita, which was great, but crispy pita chips would be great too.
Finally, although the gyros was very good, I felt it need more gyros meat in it, because when I bite into a gyros sandwich, I want to taste that heavenly gyros meat and then the following ingredients (
). Don’t get me wrong, I liked it but I say pack on those gyros please. The pita bread it came on was warm and moist with good flavor, and their house version of tzatziki sauce was great and packed with a great herb flavor.
The young ladies who served me at the counter was very nice and so was the older lady who brought my food to my table. Great place for quick and tasty middle eastern food, hence the name…

I love Sahara. So happy they now have a second location open just blocks away from the original location.
Salads to sandwiches, plates, hummus & tabbouleh, Sahara fries… All the good stuff!
Fast.
Healthy.
Delicious.
Affordable.
What more do you need in a local restaurant?!