Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express
You don’t find too many Mediterranean restaurants in Albuquerque but here is one you’ll really enjoy. The Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express in the Albuquerque Uptown shopping center offers a simple menu done well! Click HERE for the entire review!
Overall Bites:
Value: Appetizers start at $4.50, with their sandwiches going up to $6.99. Your best bet is to make the sandwich a combo for a few bucks more to get a side and a large drink.
Taste: Wow! Talk about seasoning done right! I knew it was beef and lamb but the Greek spices popped, the tenderness was on point, and the Tzatziki Sauce all came together for one heck of a Gyro!
Presentation: Very simply done but the colors on the white plate made the food really stand out. It looked great, simple, and even elegant! Take a look at the pics below to see what I’m talking about.
Vibe: You can tell this is a family run business. Everyone was working together to provide you the best experience. This goes from the friendly man taking your order to the one who was cleaning tables and throwing trash. Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express is clean, friendly, and I Ioved that they noticed my newbie face and offered me a sample to help me make a decision.
Accessibility: The Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express is super easy to find in the Albuquerque Uptown shopping center. They’re on the restaurant side (the West) next to the T-Mobile store. If you go during lunch time you may have a hard time parking unless you park underground.
Review – Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express
It stopped by the restaurant just after 1pm on a Monday. I hadn’t had breakfast and I was craving something I just wasn’t sure what. I didn’t really want to drive out of my way so figured I would try the Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express since it’s next to my destination.
The lunch rush was just ending but there were still a couple of people in the restaurant. There were a handful of 2-top tables inside with another seating area against the front window which could accommodate another 5 people. If the weather is nice you can always enjoy sitting outside where there are umbrella covered tables in the front of the shop and some more tables on the side.
When you walk in the ordering counter is straight ahead. The menu sits kind of high so they are quick to offer a hand held one. They also offer you a sample of the meats which was a nice touch – especially for a newbie like myself who doesn’t frequent Mediterranean restaurants. I decided to order the Gyro and make it a meal for a few bucks more which included my choice of fries, rice, or a salad and a large drink. I took the basmati rice and had a mango drink.
The Gyro had beef and lamb seasoned with Greek spices and it was delicious!!! The combination of the meats, the Tzatziki sauce, the tomatoes and the onion made for a great taste.
For those who don’t know, Gyros are made with pita bread which isn’t to be confused with a thick flour tortilla. Pita bread has yeast while flour tortillas don’t. Can you put the deliciously seasoned meat in a thick flour tortilla? Of course you can but it would become a Mediterranean burrito and not the authentic Gyro.
I’ve never had basmati rice but I was pleasantly surprised. The rice is a bit longer, the color is different, but the taste is amazing! You have to try it. The drink was a 24oz cup which you could fill at the beverage station. Most places offer you a 30 to 32oz drink for a large so I felt like I was shorted about a cup. Try the mango tea when you go. I thought it was very refreshing.
The Sahara Mediterranean Grill Express gets 4.5 Bites. The food is great, the shop is nice, eating outside is pleasant (if the weather permits), and the staff is super friendly. I’ll be visiting them again real soon and trying something different….I’m sure I’ll get a sample that will help me decide.
Make sure to follow them on Facebook and check out their Website.