The owners of Sahara Grill, the bare-bones garment-district gyro joint, have branched out with this bona fide restaurant with cushy red velvet window-seat banquettes and a serious kitchen. You can make a meal of the delicious meze along with the freshly baked flatbread that washes up on the table like a puffy, sesame-crusted raft. But then you’d miss out on impressive entrées like iskender kebab and the “special beyti sarma.” — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Lunch Special
Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–3 p.m., $9.95
Recommended Dishes
Iskender kebab, $13.95; beyti sarma, $13.95
9.0
"Highly Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10
We've been to Sahara's Turkish a few times and have decided to have a 15-person party there shortly based on our experiences. The food is consistent, reasonably priced and the service is above and beyond what one might expect from a reasonably priced restaurant like Sahara's. There are many of these Turkish/Afghan/Middle-Eastern/etc., themed restaurants in the city, all with similar menus and price points. We actually have one closer to us (Beyoglu on 80th & 3rd), but enjoy Sahara's more.
The only dish I've ordered there that I was not impressed with so far is the Beyti (a chopped lamb grilled on skewers & wrapped in a lavash bread). The lavash wrapper tasted a little like a stale tortilla. But the Kebabs and the Apps we've had were all great. And, again, I can't say enough about the attentiveness and efficacy of all the servers.
You are in for a turkish treat with several signature dishes from the grilled chicken kebab, to the Iskander Kabab- thinly sliced lamb over a bed of rice and pita in a delectable yogurt sauce. The prices are so reasonable and the portions are plenty. Worth a trip again & again!