Sawa Mediterranean Restaurant & Buffet — Restaurant in Denver

We were excited to try this restaurant, but were disappointed with the buffet and service. While the restaurant's open space and aesthetic were lovely, at 5:30 pm, only the host's friend and who I assume is the owner's (unattended) young child were there. You would think ample food would be ready for the dinner rush, but it was picked over, and there were no falafel or pita bread. The Hummus and Chicken tasted sour, as if they were days old. The falafel (once we asked for it) was undercooked and bland. We are thankful that (as of the moment) we haven't gotten sick from this. Throughout our meal, we noticed that the host was more interested in socializing with his friend, and while he was distracted, the opportunity to ask for refills (since the soda fountain was behind the cash register) was ignored. Furthermore, when the Host's friend decided to leave, and the opportunity to get refills was taken, I couldn't help but notice that the host put the outlet of the ice dispenser and the fountain nozzle inside the mouth of the USED AND DIRTY cup. After this, the host LEFT with his friend out the front door and was gone for about 15 minutes. Because we had not yet paid, and being good citizens, we waited for the host's return. Not even the kind lady we had to flag down knew that he had left. Upon the host's return, he took a personal phone call before helping us pay. The host seemed displeased with the fact that he had to accept payment and finalize our...

My family and I visited this buffet yesterday, and initially, we were very impressed, the food tasted great, and we enjoyed the atmosphere. However, later that night, all of us experienced severe food poisoning. I spent the entire night running to the bathroom every 30 minutes and am still feeling extremely sick.

For context, I do not have a sensitive stomach. I have traveled extensively through Mexico, Southeast Asia, South America, and India — eating all kinds of street food without ever getting sick. This made the experience all the more shocking.

Normally, I would not leave a negative review. In fact, I called the restaurant the next morning just to inform them of what happened, thinking they would want to know. I made it clear that I wasn’t asking for a refund or anything in return. Unfortunately, the woman I spoke to was extremely rude and defensive. She insisted their food temperatures were correct and did not even offer a basic apology.

I am writing this review simply to warn others. Based on our experience and the way we were treated afterward, we will not be returning. I truly hope the restaurant takes food safety and customer feedback more seriously...

I had an incredibly disappointing experience at Sawa Restaurant. The food was bland, dry, and tasteless. The chicken was raw, the rice flavorless, and even basic items like French fries and chicken nuggets were cold and stale. There was no seasoning or effort put into any of the dishes. Calling this Mediterranean food is an embarrassment. The food did not look like what was shown at the pictures and items were not available as presented at the pictures.

The restaurant itself was freezing cold, and the bathroom had no soap, which raised serious hygiene concerns. It made me wonder if the staff even washed their hands properly.

Customer service was just as bad. There was no greeting and the staff had a careless attitude. The manager was loud, unprofessional, and incredibly rude, which made the whole experience even worse. She did nothing to create a welcoming atmosphere and, instead, made us feel uncomfortable.

On top of everything, the prices were ridiculously high for such terrible food. It was overpriced, disgusting, and definitely not worth the money. This was easily one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had, and I would recommend staying far away...