Sayad Mediterranean kitchen — Restaurant in Sugar Land

Members of the family have been to Sayad numerous times over the past 7 years, or so. It had been before COVID since the last time we visited, before today. We ordered a mixed platter, hot appetizer sampler plate, and lamb kabob.

The food is approximately as good as what we remembered. The lamb was particularly good. The appetizer sampler was not worth ordering. Competitors offer samplers with better selections and volume of variety than what was given. About 40% of the area of the plate was rice, which seems redundant given that almost every dish on the menu comes with more than enough rice. This platter would be improved with removing the rice, increasing potatoes, and including protein appetizers such as kibbeh.

Prices across the board are too high for what they offer. I can think of one competitor, not more than 8 minutes east of Sayad, that is similarly priced, but offers better quality and much more volume for that price tag.

The service was okay. Nothing unique or special there. The only comment is that there seems to be a dress code for the male waiters of black pants with a white button shirt and black tie. Some had the shirt tucked in, and others didn't. It would seem better if the dress code is relaxed to a polo, but if you're going to require a white shirt and tie, then management should enforce uniformity of the dress code across the staff.

The last and most pressing point is that the restaurant building itself is in serious need of attention. We remembered dining in Sayad coming with a very pleasant ambiance. It now comes off as grimey and dirty. For example, the dining chairs in the back are a yellow fabric, and nearly all of them are stained gray or black from use. Nearly every wall needs a replacement coat of paint. Some of the urinals didn't work, while the women's restroom was in serious need of a cleaning.

In short, the food is good, but too expensive, and the restaurant is becoming dilapidated. We hope this turns around soon for Sayad, but we won't be coming anytime...

I've been to this restaurant before and went there as recently as six months ago for Father's Day. That day our server was Ali, and he was amazing. He was very chatty and friendly. However, yesterday I went for my birthday, and it was the complete opposite. The restaurant manager in the front (bald guy) was rude and unwelcoming. He was initially going to seat us by the booths near the buffet area facing the parking lot. We had to tell him we didn't want to be seated here and wanted a more central location. He then proceeded to sit us in the middle of the restaurant, but I had to physically point to him that there was an open booth in the back where the paintings are and that's where we wanted to sit. Our sever, wasn't friendly either. She hurried us to order appetizers and food and didn't even have the common sense to bring a serving spoon with the salad. When I requested for a spoon, she brought it but not without showing attitude like she was unnecessarily inconvenienced when customer service is quite literally her job lol. When it comes time for the food, she again tried to hurry us with the bill. And then for desserts, we were told there are no desserts left. And then we requested complimentary tea and she took forever to bring even that. Complete opposite to my experience 6 months ago. Food wasn't even that great either tbh.On the way out, the same bald guy (the manager) didn't acknowledge us or thank us for coming. I think management has changed because I see similar reviews within the same period I'm referring to and it looks like quality of service has gone down significantly. I don't know if it's change of management or what. But if they continue like this, there are other Mediterranean restaurants on Westheimer alone, forget the rest of Houston, where people can take their hard-earned money. If I could half a star or zero, I would...

UPDATE: My husband called Al Sayad and talked to the owner regarding our messed up order. The owner took ownership of the issue and offered a replacement @ no cost to us. Such a good attitude of owning the issue and fixing the problem in good and satisfactory way shows how much the owner cares about his customers which reflect the 25 years of leadership and clientel in his field of business. Thank you! I'm glad the issue have been resolved right there and then. We will continue our patronage!

Double check your order before paying for it, because the staff there always mess up your order. They never check the order themselves. My husband made an order of Lamp chops and he requested it to be cooked medium and he ordered Arabic Style Chicken Shawerma, when he got home. We found the Lamp chops are over-cooked just like the last time we ordered it. Super dry. I ended up throwing it in the trash, as I couldn't eat it. My husband found that they given him the regular Chicken Shawerma not the Arabic style as he requested to. It tastes horrible. The only thing that was tasting good is the Tabula salad. So we paid $50 just to eat Tabula. The staff there are not professional at all. They don't check up the orders themselves when they receive them from the kichen. They also have a poor cold mannerism over the phone when taking the order. They make us feel that we are beggars and that they are bored.

The Afghani waiter is the only professional waiter among all the other waiters. I hope he can train them to be professional and have high sense of common decency when dealing with the clients just like him. I used to like this place, but I will never go again after messing up my orders 3 times on the row. They are expensive, you don't get what...