Sahara Mediterranean Fine Wine & Food — Restaurant in Largo

My family heard great things about this restaurant from a person who is a good friend of the owner, so we decided to give it a try. We are well versed in Lebanese and all types of Mediterranean food as we have traveled the world, so we know what true Mediterranean food tastes like, and we do know the differences between Lebanese/Turkish/Greek, etc. We arrived about 6pm (they close at 8) and were greeted promptly and sat at a nearby table, and were given a carafe of water. We finally all decided on what we wanted and placed our order. This is where things go down hill a bit. We had a pretty long weight for our food, and while we realize things are made fresh, it was still a fairly long wait considering the restaurant wasn’t too busy. Once we placed our order, we didn’t see the server again until our food arrived. I will say, the cost for their platters (not sandwiches) are pretty pricey for the amount of food. We were recently in a far more costly city and prices were similar, but with far more food. The sides that were listed as a choice is only a choice for some platters though it says all platters get sides. If you get a sampler platter (listed under “platter”) you get no sides, because the side options are on the sampler already. However, it listed that we got a side option with the platter we ordered, and honestly, I could have used a few extra sides because the amount of food was not a ton. I also had gastric bypass and was able to eat my entire meal, which is very unusual for me. The bread/“pita” that we were served with our meal was sad. I would’t call it pita, as it was more like a flour tortilla, and not even warm. Like I said, Ive eaten all over the world and this was by far the worst “bread”. Now, the rest of food tasted really good, and we greatly enjoyed our meals. While we were eating, however, we had to get up 3x to hunt down the server for more drinks, desserts, the check, etc. The server never came on her own to check on us, in fact she stayed on the other side of the restaurant where we couldn’t even flag her down without getting up and walking to the other side. When we got up the first time for more water, a woman who was not our server very RUDELY asked, “do you need more water?”, as if we were bothering her. She very rudely brought a bottle over, and she was not happy that we asked for more of the other drinks that were not water. She just walked away. Eventually the original server came to get our other drinks. When it came time to pay, we also wanted to see a dessert menu, there isn’t one, but she told us what we could choose from. It would be much better to have it written down for guests to read and choose. The baklava was good, but the tiramisu was still very frozen, even after a drive home (we took our desserts to go). Our total was close to $200 and no one took left overs home. We were pretty taken aback by the rude lady and poor service, so went to read reviews when we got home and the response from the business is just appalling. The business cannot take constructive criticism well and lash out at any and all negative reviews. They seem to have a personal issue with the Turkish restaurant next door and therefore accuse everyone of “hating” them, and saying most bad reviews are some secret sabotage by their nearby competitor. Let me say, I have never eaten at the Turkish restaurant, nor am I out to “hate” on anyone. The negative reviews all have common issues; the biggest two being the rudeness/poor service and cost of food for the quantity. When multiple guests have the same issues, the restaurant needs to take a hard look at the issues instead of telling the customer that we are all wrong or accusing customers of lying. Along with our experience and the owner’s anger in any critique online, we will not be returning. I will edit this if/when the owners reply, because Im sure this review will not be...

Original review: We will not be back.

Update: I tried to refrain from itemizing my dislikes and only summarize my experience via stars. But due to the reply received, I will add detail to the experience I had. My hope of sharing the details now is so other young families will be better prepared walking in than we were. A mutual benefit for families and restaurant.

This is my review, not my husband's. He shared his dislikes privately, but I will continue to stay focused on my experience. Accessible wine bottles surrounding the walls on the lower 3' of wall space out of pure logic is not "kid friendly". Our children, 5 yo and younger, were standing next to our table and close to us, except for the 2 minutes for our oldest washing hands in the adjacent bathroom, not roaming around other tables or patrons. I do agree they were not seated. We were actively trying to calm the situation of excited and hungry children when an employee came to our table and displayed a public shaming in front of the other patrons with a raised voice and even directed the raised voice at our youngest. A simple request that we were not meeting your expectations of a guest in a calm voice would have been appreciated. I do not believe our type of young family is the target-audience for this restaurant and my rating of my experience reflects that. Last, for a young family, the price-to-portion was also not good for us. After purchasing 3 plates of food for a young family of 4, we immediately returned home and cooked a full entrée to satisfy the unfilled stomachs.

It was not all negatives which is also indicated in the number of stars selected. I did like the stuffed grape leaves which I added in the recommendations tied to this review. Our waitress took care nicely.

I wish your restaurant continued success. My review is not a personal attack but a reflection of my personal experience as a mom of small kids in a restaurant labelled as kid friendly but better suited, in my opinion, to a more mature audience (or kids staring at devices). I will continue to help my two children learn better dining...

Being raised 1st generation Lebanese, we are always searching for restaurants that serve food "like mother used to make." We've certainly found one...the SAHARA Fine Wine and Food, at 1901W. Bay Dr. Largo. Beautifully appointed, clean and engaging, this hand-made kitchen and wine bar is a jewel! Greeted first by Soha, the owner and kitchen master, who presented menus, and we immediately saw all the familiar things from our youth..(I think we were 10 years old before we discovered using forks instead of Pita bread.) I think we ordered almost everything - the sampler plate, kibbee, babaganoush, chicken shwarma over rice w/ vermicelli, *ask for tahini sauce. tabooleh - all very authentic recipes! The feast was served by our fantastic new friend whose name I can't spell, so I'll just tell you - ask for "Kay" and enjoy. The Lebanese are "people" people - and you'll know instantly that Kay alone is worth the visit to this charming restaurant. You will feel the true hospitality in her manner - she's there to serve you, from her love of people, and the confidence in her menu. You will be in good hands with Kay and Soha! Surrounded by a massive assortment of wines, I explored the next room and found Chris, the wine guru, sitting at a giant cask, and they immediately set out a wine tasting for us. Seriously, this delightful place just keeps coming with good things - all signs to us, we will be back - and often. CG Air Station, Station Sand Key, my fellow Coasties, you will thank me for this review. :) You owe it to yourselves to visit Sahara Fine Wine and Food. I'll...