The Sahara - Chéticamp — Restaurant in Cheticamp

Extremely Disappointed – Major Decline in Quality and Cleanliness

We visited Sahara Restaurant in Cape Breton yesterday hoping to enjoy the same good food and service we had about two months ago. Unfortunately, this visit was completely different — it was the most disappointing dining experience we’ve ever had.

Service issues: We were seated but left for more than 10 minutes without menus. I eventually had to take one from another table. When our tableware finally arrived, both the plates and cutlery were visibly greasy and clearly not clean. I brought them back to the server, who apologized and did not replace them — promised that will bring clean ones, but never did.

Food quality and menu problems:

• The muhammara was thick, bland, and very poor tasting, nothing like what we had there before. • The mutabbal (listed as containing sour cream) was served without it, and its texture and appearance were so unappetizing that we sent it back. • When we tried to order tzatziki, we were told it wasn’t available, even though it was still printed on the menu.

Main courses: Both the adana kebab and lamb chops arrived on plates that were still greasy around the edges. When we cut into the kebab, it was undercooked and red inside, clearly unsafe to eat. We couldn’t even try it. We could not even get to the lamb chops after all these problems.

To make matters worse, we ordered Diet Coke but were served regular Coke., No water was served and no napkin was served, but hey, there was no cutlery as well.

At that point I spoke to the staff, explained that the food was not edible, and said we would not pay for uncooked or unclean food. The server went to the kitchen, came back, and simply said, “That’s fine, have a good day,” which was the only positive part of the experience.

Overall impression: Something has changed drastically at this restaurant in just two months — whether it’s management, kitchen staff, or hygiene standards. The cleanliness, food quality, and professionalism were far below acceptable standards. This place urgently needs better oversight and a proper health inspection.

We left without eating our meals, deeply disappointed, and sincerely hope the owner reads this review and takes immediate action to restore the standards that once made this...

Would not recommend or get anything from there. We ordered mix grill platter for takeout and it was supposed to be for two people. According to the menu it was Adana kebabs, shish tauok, mushroom kibbe, grilled veggies, lamb chops, pita bread and dips for $41.99. When we opened the package at home there were no lamb chops, grilled veggies and mushroom kibbe. I called the restaurant back the lady said it’s our old menu, I said you opened the restaurant two days ago literally and even if it’s old menu why is the price same with three dishes missing. She said do you wanna talk to the owner ? I said sure! The owner said oh is that our menu? I was like this is what you posted and someone shared in community bulletin. She said can you send me the menu? I said okay but afterwards I never heard...

I visited the Sahara in Chéticamp and, unfortunately, the experience left a lot to be desired. The entire visit took around two hours — not because we were enjoying a leisurely meal, but due to incredibly slow service. It took about 30 minutes just to place our order, and nearly an hour more for the food to actually arrive.

I ordered the chicken shawarma, hoping for something flavorful and satisfying. Instead, what I got was more like a giant wrap of iceberg lettuce with a few bits of chicken thrown in. It felt like I was eating a salad with an identity crisis rather than a proper shawarma.

Overall, between the long wait times and the underwhelming food, I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you have a lot of time to kill and very low...