Sahara Restaurant in Heidelberg

Delicious food and friendly staff - highly recommended.

Everything was great. Food and service were top-notch as always. Sarah's is always worth a visit.

We tried the kofta and shisha, excellent; the portion size was relatively large.

A fantastic Lebanese restaurant! We went with colleagues to Heidelberg and decided to try this restaurant and didn't regret it. The food is amazing! The place - clean and the staff incredibly nice. Highly recommended if you visit Heidelberg.

So very tasty and the people are top notch.

Delicious and fairly priced. We'd been wanting to go for a while, and today in November 2025 we finally made it. Highly recommended.

Sahara in Heidelberg is definitely worth a visit. The shawarma platter and the cheese-filled börek are particularly recommended – both are delicious and freshly prepared. The portions are generous, the food is aromatically spiced, and it arrives quickly. The service is also friendly and attentive. Anyone with a craving for Middle Eastern cuisine should definitely stop by.

One of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at! Truly excellent service. Thank you so much! We've been missing our delicious, authentic Arabic food and we've finally found it again. 10/10 for food, service, and atmosphere.

The food was delicious, and the restaurant was busy, but we still got a table right away at lunchtime. It was a bit noisy inside due to the open kitchen and bar.

The food was incredibly delicious – fresh, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned. The staff was super friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. We will definitely come back on our next visit to Heidelberg!

Good food. Fast, friendly service.

Great food, clean, friendly....

The food is great! I tried different dishes, and all of them were very delicious. The food tastes clean and fresh, as if it were prepared at home. The staff is friendly, and the place has just the right vibes.

A large selection of dishes, freshly and attractively prepared. Friendly service. You can also order takeaway food at your table.

I don't know why the restaurant is so crowded!! I went to have a shawarma there, it wasn't good at all and it has nothing to do with Shawarma Shawarma! The chicken was rotten and had a bad smell!! But they are clever with the way it is served, meaning it is marble from the outside and soot from the inside and the guys work without any spirit at all!! But to be honest and for the sake of credibility, I only tried the chicken shawarma and it turned my stomach, and it is very expensive, but the rest of the food, I don't know, maybe it is good!

Very tasty restaurant and welcoming staff

Fabulous food, well priced and great service 😀

A bit loud and crowded, but delicious. Staff very friendly.

The restaurant that you will come back to a hundred times because of the kindness and hospitality of the staff. Rating before you even eat.

A very nice restaurant; in the city center of Heidelberg. Due to the location, the prices are quite high, but they're perfectly acceptable. If the service had been a bit more "on the mark," it would have received 5 stars. Since the waiter was out, the chef brought the food to the table. Overall, we were very satisfied; we'd gladly return.

This is one of the best restaurants in Heidelberg. It's so good! And the staff are really nice. I recommend it 100%! I always get the shawarma.

My wife and I ate there today. We ordered a chicken pizza, a manakish with cheese, a falafel wrap, and baba ghanoush. The waiter who took our order seemed very annoyed and snooty. We waited about 40 minutes only to discover that the pizza crust wasn't fully cooked. As a result, the dough was too soft, and the toppings too mushy. The meal was not enjoyable at all. Baba ghanoush wasn't served; instead, we simply had pureed eggplant (mtabal). Our criticism of the poor dishes didn't really get any reaction, and we were met with only nods. They would have at least appreciated an apology. The prices are obviously too high for the poor taste. This was definitely our last visit. I do not recommend this restaurant!

Super tasty food, fast service, located right in the old town, often all tables occupied :-(

The worst experience of my trip to Heidelberg was at this restaurant. The staff were unfriendly. The food (chicken) wasn't cooked properly when it was served. The portion was very small. According to the menu, the dish was supposed to consist of two skewers, but the skewers were tiny. The value for money is completely out of this world. For the same price, I even took leftovers home with me the next day in Bonn.

Food is excellent. I don’t why people don’t rate is 5+.

Constant quality, never disappoints

A very cheeky appetizer platter, vegan upon request. Friendly and fast service!

Delicious food with reasonable prices.

This restaurant, which once boasted a beautiful ambiance and high quality, has unfortunately declined considerably. The service is now significantly below average, and the shawarma portions have become smaller, even though the taste is still decent. Particularly annoying: While guests before me were able to pay by card without any problems, I was refused card payment – ​​a questionable behavior that seems intentional to elicit more tips. On my last visit in September 2025, I was even told that I could only sit at a table if I ordered at least one shawarma wrap plus a drink. I find this rude and completely unfriendly to customers. Conclusion: I strongly advise against visiting. The quality has declined significantly and no longer meets the previous standards.

The hummus is wonderfully creamy and light, and I could have eaten countless more bowls. Even if there was a bit too much olive oil for my taste buds. But still, combined with the crispy falafel, it was the perfect bite for me. High praise for both of these dishes.

A very wonderful restaurant, the food is delicious, and the staff are very elegant and wonderful. I thank Mr. Suhail for the quality and cleanliness of the food, and the good treatment and reception. Don't miss the restaurant.

Friendly staff, nice ambience, good food

The wait was way too long. Okay, it was busy, but then they served appetizers or optimized the kitchen processes. The food was okay, except for the rice plate with chicken for 19 euros, the quantity didn't match the price. The server didn't know what types of rice they had and was lackluster.

Service + ambience 1a however the vegan sauce was a bit "dry"

I ordered an order for two people, which cost 60 euros, and the food was really too small. The lamb ribs and rice were missing. And they arrived after an hour. Honestly, the ayran cost 4 euros and tasted like water. I would absolutely not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Warning: Food poisoning! I ate here on Sunday, March 6, 2022, and ate sharwarma. The next day, I vomited several times and had abdominal cramps with diarrhea. I was out of work for a week. This incident is most likely due to the food at Sahara, as I was there with a friend who was visiting me from another city, and he experienced the same symptoms in the following days. I will not eat there again if hygiene standards are clearly not being met.

The prices are extremely high for a plate of shawarma, or rather doner kebab (tastes bad), a small grill plate, and a salad plate – I paid 72 euros. They fill the plate with salad and only a little meat. One star is perfectly adequate.

Extremely delicious food, very authentic. The selection is relatively large for a restaurant of this size. We'd be happy to come back.

The food is delicious and authentic. If you like Lebanese cuisine, this is the place to be. The restaurant is beautiful, the prices are reasonable, and it's halal too—which is important.

Excellent taste, though could improve the actual means size

Bad treatment, the waiter was rude and ill-mannered, the table was empty and he told me it was reserved, and the food was below standard.

I really enjoyed the food and the service was good and attentive. It was a very hot day, and there was no air conditioning.

Oriental flavors are worth visiting and trying. We'll definitely be back when we visit Heidelberg.

Stayed 15 minutes asking/waiting to order, a lot of waiters just standing by. Horrible service. Left without eating.

A small but very pleasant place. The food is also delicious, everything is very fresh, and the portions are quite large.

The food was delicious. We chose this restaurant based on our gut feeling, and we didn't regret it. The service could be a bit more relaxed and friendly. It's a shame they're so far away (!). I could eat here every week. Maybe open a branch in Groningen?

As a Lebanese living abroad, I'm always thrilled when I find an authentic Lebanese restaurant that also serves meza! There were four of us and we treated ourselves to a few hot and cold meza plates – including hummus, olives, meat rolls, and crispy potato cubes. I love it when the food is shared in small portions so everyone at the table can try everything – it makes the whole thing much more exciting for me! For my main course, I had a shawarma platter, which was absolutely enormous. It came with a portion of hummus, garlic cream, a green salad, and tons of delicious fries. It was truly filling! I'd definitely go back – the ingredients are fresh and high-quality, and the flavors are truly authentic and not completely tailored to the German palate, which I consider a real plus. One caveat: You can't reserve a table there, so you might have to wait a bit to get a seat. And yes – they also serve alcohol! 🍷🍻

Many gluten-free options, including chicken gyros, fries, and much more. The staff is very knowledgeable.

It was great... ...see picture!

The food was okay and the restaurant is nice, but the waiter added almost 10 euros to my bill. It only came out because I asked for a receipt. His reaction made it pretty clear that this wasn't an accident.

The taste is delicious. Thank you very much. May God grant you good health.

Amazing Service and very delicious food

A beautiful Lebanese restaurant located in the old town of Heidelberg, with warm and charming décor. The staff is welcoming, and the atmosphere is very pleasant. The Lebanese specialties are varied, and the portions are generous. I highly recommend it!

Really good food. Freshly prepared. We had falafel, typical appetizers, and chicken.

We were there in Heidelberg as Tourist and someone suggested the restaurant to us it was good. We ordered vegetarian food and were quite satisfied

Food was very good. Chicken pieces were jucy. and so as the mango lassi. I ended up ordering 2. Highly recommended. But if you are visit on weekend its best to make reservations.

Always happy when I'm in Heidelberg

I'm not from Heidelberg and this was my first time visiting this restaurant. The atmosphere is very nice and cozy, the service was excellent—my family and I didn't have to wait long. The food was delicious, and the portions were really generous for the price. I'm Arab and have visited many Arabic restaurants in Germany—but this is by far the best Arabic restaurant I've ever experienced in Germany. I highly recommend this restaurant—it deserves 10 stars, not just 5! From now on, I will come here every time I'm in Heidelberg.

This restaurant was excellent and offers delicious Mesopotamian cuisine. We ordered falafel and a mixed kebab with lamb and chicken, which were both wonderful. The portions were generous, and the location is right in the heart of Heidelberg.

Food was too expensive and not as tasty as desired

My husband ordered two schwarma and rated them 4.8 out of 5 stars. My pizza was delicious.

The food is delicious, and the service is good.

High prices, not worth it at all, and the meat with dough should be called tomato with dough. It arrived burnt.

I wouldn't call it a reasonable restaurant, it's just a restaurant like a roadside kiosk, the food is simple and not of high quality but the prices are very high compared to what is served. The service is not nice. And the toilets are dirty

The food here is delicious—especially the meat and the sauces. 🍽️ The dishes are well-prepared, and there's nothing particularly wrong with the taste. The ambiance is okay, but nothing that creates a particularly wow factor. ✨ The restaurant used to be a huge hit, but that shine has unfortunately faded somewhat. The service is also just okay—you get served, but you often get the feeling that the motivation isn't particularly high. 😕 This unfortunately somewhat dampens the overall impression. Overall, a good restaurant for the taste, but there's room for improvement in terms of atmosphere and service.

Both last year and this year, we stopped at Sahara on our way to Spain, and we were not only full but also delighted. The shawarma is delicious. The only place we've ever tasted anything tastier is Miami. The other dishes from the shawarma are also very tasty. The place is always packed, but the wait is worth it.

Everything is excellent, delicious food and good quality

Such a bad place. Unfortunately, it doesn't even deserve a single star. I arrived with my sister and asked if we could sit outside. The staff were immediately polite and asked us if we needed a menu, even though it's actually a given. We sat outside and waited over 10 minutes to get my menu. The staff member saw us several times but didn't give us a menu, and in the end, we had to get up because we simply didn't get anything. And it wasn't even full, which is understandable. I wouldn't recommend it.

Came here with a group for dinner, pretty good: everything looks fresh, service is fast and unobtrusive. But not a delight, so 4 stars

They sell the typical frozen kebab and they say it's Lebanese shawerma, the waiters are friendly, the service is very slow. The food is average.

The food was okay, but the service was terrible. The waiter refused to serve tap water, even after we asked multiple times. Eventually, we gave in and ordered a bottle of water—there was no price listed on the menu. By the end of the meal, we were fed up and just wanted to leave. When we got the bill, it became clear why he had been so insistent: we were charged €6.80 for just 0.7 liters of bottled water. Absolutely ridiculous and dishonest. Go somewhere else where the service is good and honest.

Excellent food very tasty I order the mixed grill!!!

Super friendly staff, fantastic hospitality and good food. The Shawarma Teller plate is a godsend.

I imagined it would be better. It was okay.

> I can't really complain about the food – it was okay. But that's where the positive impressions end. The service was disappointing from the start. We were seated at a table for four people and one child, only to be told that no highchair was available. Apparently, there's only one highchair in the entire restaurant, and it was already being used by another family. To my astonishment, I was told to ask the other family myself if they would let us use the chair – which I honestly found quite inappropriate and unpleasant. The staff's tone was very cold and distant throughout. Later, we were seated at another table, which was supposed to be larger, but was right in front of the restroom door – which bothered us a lot. If I hadn't already ordered the food – and if about 15 minutes hadn't already passed – I would have definitely left the restaurant. I wouldn't have stayed a minute longer. As a dining experience, it was fine. But in terms of service, the visit was truly disappointing. Therefore, unfortunately, I cannot give more than two stars.

So, you'd have to come back during the week. We were there on the weekend and also noticed how other guests had to wait a very long time. Furthermore, the service staff were very slow, disorganized, and not very professional. We had to wait a long time. They told us about 5 minutes, then it was about 20 minutes, and if we hadn't tried... it would have been another 20 minutes. The food was okay, but the service times, the way they treated us, and the hygiene, well, not again....

The food was super delicious. The ambiance and service were also top-notch.

Food "Very Good!" Sometimes it takes a little longer, though.

Very disappointing. While our order was ignored, guests at the next table—apparently acquaintances of the staff—received their food much earlier and of much better quality. Our food seemed to be served without care and incompletely. For the price, I expect fair service and no favoritism. Once and never again.

Good good , but the Portions are on the smaller size and o recieved a dirty Utensil and the bathrooms are a bit dirty

A first-class experience. The place is amazing. We've been regular customers for years and have never eaten anywhere else. Perfect for ending the evening.👍

At Sahara, you can either buy takeaway food or dine in the restaurant. The food tastes very good, is perfectly seasoned, and the portions are quite filling. However, I would recommend the to-go option, as the restaurant doesn't meet my standards. The plates we were served were both dirty and greasy on the bottom, which really shouldn't happen. Our order was mixed up with others 2-3 times, and in general, the staff seemed to have barely communicated with each other. The restrooms are okay, if a bit dated. Overall, the dishes were highly recommended, but the hygiene leaves something to be desired.

Unfortunately the kebab was burned like black burned! When we complained the asnwer was, oh sorry. That's it.

Ate my first shawarma wrap at 11 p.m. that evening—fresh, delicious, and reasonably priced! I'll definitely be eating there more often. 😃 I'm now a shawarma fan. 😁 Update one year later: Still the best place. 👍

Instead of halloumi they put bad sheep cheese in our wrap

The grilled platter tasted OK, but there was very little for 20-25 euros. The same goes for the eggplant. The pizza wasn't cooked properly, and the dough was very soft, even though I saw a stone oven in the back. The menu was smeared with some kind of dip, and the table shook. So, in total, we ate for 60 euros (including just a bottle of water for a drink) and weren't even full. It's a shame it's evolved. It wasn't like that back then.

Good restaurant with delicious food.

Super nice Lebanese restaurant, simple and cozy atmosphere. The food was incredibly delicious! Especially the homemade hummus and the homemade sesame sauce. The portions were also very generous. :) The service was super friendly and very attentive. We had a delicious dinner here!

Delicious place, good service, tasty food, delicious Heildberg beer and non-alcoholic drinks.

Great restaurant in the center of Heidelberg. The portions are great, prices reasonable, and good ambiance. We ordered the Shawarma plates with rice and the chicken burgers. We did not do drinks or desserts, so cannot comment on those.

The food was okay overall, but the dessert was disappointing. We ordered osmanli, but the kunefe was unfortunately not crispy and seemed like it had just been warmed up in the microwave. The service was friendly, but a bit hectic and too quick in taking our order.

The restaurant was crowded and hectic, with virtually no service. The food was tasty but uncoordinated – due to a shortage of skewers, we received a significantly smaller portion than on our last visit without comment. The chef, in particular, gave off the vibe that the individual guest didn't matter. Disappointing value for money – we won't be back.

The food was cold and dry and the service were not friendly at all

The food actually tasted good. Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey. The shawarmas are a bit small, but they tasted good. The waiter also had a cheeky attitude 😒

The shawarma? Super delicious! Everything is halal and the garlic sauce is incredible! ☺️ Also, the service is super friendly and the price is good too; I paid €6.90 for a chicken shawarma.

The best Arabic food I've ever eaten, and I eat Arabic food often. The service was nice and polite, the atmosphere was great, despite the restaurant being full of guests we got our meal quickly. The food was fresh, beautifully presented and delicious. I definitely recommend it!

We had Roasted lamb with miced lamb on a plate of spiced rice along with a dip. (Ousci) Price was a little higher for the quantity, but may be the taste satisfied it. The craneberry with appel flavored juice was different to go along with the platter. Recommended for a quality food and to try different variety of taste rather than the usual wraps.

Don't go here if you're on a budget like me! Or maybe get the take away? Food was great but too little serving 😢

Highly recommended, definitely our favorite restaurant. The food is delicious and the service is first-class—friendly, humorous, and attentive. We always enjoy eating there!

Good value, food is ok, the best thing about it is the seats outside.