Sahara Restaurant & Grill- Bar The District Detroit

Loved the food so much! Lots of flavor and not too oily or heavy. Kind staff, great location, and nice decor. Can't wait to go back.

Overall a positive experience. Mo our server was awesome and the food was tasty. The lamb was a bit chewy in our appetizer with hummus and pine nuts but all the other dishes we ordered were top notch! The combo platter especially was delicious. Our 3rd time there before a concert next door this time and we will continue to dine there.

I think we might have caught this place at a weird time, we will be back and check it out again.

Update: we ate here again, al fresco, it was a very enjoyable meal and a lovely evening. The bartender that served us was amazing I wish I could remember his name.

Fun spot with good food and tasty drinks. I was surprised when the bill for 4 cocktails, the dolmas and the app sampler was $150 with tax and tip, but it is right in the center of downtown, and it was a fun spot with good outdoor seating, so I wasn’t too miffed.

We catered from Sahara tonight for a colleague’s retirement party- everyone loved it and asked about where we got the food from! Simon and his team are incredible! Between planning months in advance all the way to the week and day of the event, communication was top tier. Looking to plan a future event? Look no further- Sahara is the way to go. You will not be disappointed!

Went with friends, horrible experience. Manger was nasty to us and had no empathy for our complaints. I couldn't believe our experience. Food was a hit or a miss. Appetizer was good but entree was disappointing and I didn't eat it and the manager in so many words said too bad too sad you have to pay for it. I didn't want them bringing any other dish in fear they were going to spit in it after the manager argued with us, she needs to be replaced as manager.

Beautiful Ambiance, But Food & Service Are Hit or Miss

I dined here recently and while the ambiance is absolutely stunning — colorful, vibrant, and beautifully designed — my overall experience was mixed.

Some dishes were absolutely phenomenal, like the wings and cauliflower, but others were shockingly underwhelming. The Parmesan-crusted salmon was dry and flavorless, and the rosemary potatoes were equally disappointing. I sent the potatoes back, but I held off on returning the salmon out of courtesy. In hindsight, I wish I had — especially after seeing how my friend was treated when she voiced her dissatisfaction.

She only took two bites of her entrée and genuinely didn’t enjoy it. When we asked if it could be removed from the bill, the manager flat-out refused, stating, “Since you ordered it, you have to pay for it — whether you ate it or not.” When we expressed surprise, she doubled down, saying “Other people liked it — we’ve been selling it like hotcakes all day.” That kind of attitude is unacceptable, especially at a restaurant that presents itself as high-end. Most places would at least offer to remake the dish, provide an alternative, or show some basic level restaurant etiquette. In the end after 5 minutes of back and forth with us she agreed she would bring us another appetizer in place of the entree but only because we had refused to pay for something we didn't eat. I didn't catch the manger's name but she could benefit from customer service training, it is unprofessional to go back and forth with customers.

The service overall was not much better. A male staff member — unsure if he was a waiter or busser — sighed when I asked for something to enhance the flavor of my dish. Our waitress seemed to grow frustrated with us as well. She forgot part of my to-go order multiple times, and although my friend had a better experience with her and tipped generously, I personally felt the level of service didn’t merit that.

All that said, there is good food here — but it’s definitely hit or miss. You really have to know what to order from the menu. Some dishes will blow you away, and others will leave you wondering why they made it to the table at all.

The atmosphere was overall pleasant but during our visit they would have a moment of blaring the music to celebrate someone's graduation but it goes on looping the song 3 times with the music at max volume which is excessive. Once I could see but anything more makes the experience unpleasant.

Despite the issues, I will be returning to try the Cajun shrimp Alfredo, hoping it lands on the “hit” side. I just wish the customer service matched the beauty of the space and the potential of the menu.

Based on my next experience I will provide an updated review

Was not allowed to substitute anything.

Dont go here if you have to be on time anywhere, they are so slow. Bummer because the location is amazing and the menu looks decent. We waited 45 minutes and only got water, we never got asked for our order. We had to leave due to time constraints.

Do not visit this location if you are used to eating at the Sterling Heights or oak park franchise locations. The food is not the same and the service was horrible. I honestly have never had to leave a review about such bad service before. The only reason I didn’t give only 1 star is because the food wasn’t horrible and the location is nice.

It started out very slow as they were super busy and understaffed, however it only got better from there. The food was delicious. We had hummus, fattoush, Iraqi falafel, 2 different chicken dinners- both different and delicious, a combo for 2, broccolini, rose potatoes, there was a stew of beans then some potatoes as well as pickled veggies. Our server was super kind and professional. I tried the belle glos rose, very summery and refreshing. What started off slow, turned into a delightful meal.

We had a fabulous experience at Sahara! The food was exceptional and generously portioned, the staff was friendly and so hard working, the atmosphere was delightful. The pricing is very reasonable for what you get, oh and the cocktails were yummy! All around wonderful experience.

Great overall place service was really slow restaurant was really busy because tigers game. They were definitely understaffed for wait staff.

This was a lovely place! Portions were bigger than we expected, and loved the cocktail menu here. Great spot to eat at

First time visiting here. The food was great. We had 4 different plates and they were all raved about. Nana's Dolma is really good. And your table definitely needs the hummus and garlic!