Just ordered lunch from here as I wanted something healthier during my work from home day.
The hummus and pita are good, pretty cheap for the amount as well. Â But the schwarma was pretty bad. Â It was dry, tough, and had barely any seasoning to it. Â It was shocking because this was about the first time I've ever had this issue with this type of meat. Â Lentil soup was by far the best part of the schwarma meal.
It's too bad, it's not far from me and I'm always down for some hummus, but I'll be taking my cravings elsewhere.
We have taken out food twice in the last month. Â They are back to their old standard.Everything is very tasty, the portions are large, and the orders are as requested. We will continue to use them as one of our favorite takeout places.
Highly recommended are chicken kabob, lamb kabob and Assyrian Beef Briyani.
The lentil soup is usually quite good.
I would rather come here and drive 18 miles then go to PITA INN. I come here at least once a week,just to come to this fantastic restaurant. The food is excellent  + authentic. The staff is very friendly.  My favorites that I usually order is chicken kabob,shawarama and dolma ! its a must try!!
Review Source:I've tried this place several times now and each time gets worse. Â I tried to keep it simple this last time ordering only falafel, salad, and hummus but it was actually disgusting. Â One falafel wrap had a yogurt sauce while the other didn't. Â The hummus simultaneously lacked in flavor while also tasting gross. Â I will never order from here again even if it means I have to travel further.
Review Source:You must try the Lamb and the Bklava
So I just ended up moving from Arlington Heights to Rogers Park. Having no gas set up yet we figured we would try a place we could walk to. Using Yelp, we randomly chose Sahara Kabob.
It being the 4th of July, we figured the place would be packed and parking hard, but neither were the case.
The young server was awesome and quick. She even brought me ice for my ankle which I twisted earlier that day.
We decided to try a few different things and split them. The salads were amazing and the pickled veggies were fabulous (seriously don't discount them). The portion sizes were also huge. The waitress even brought us a free desert, a killer Bklava which was not overly gooey.
For two people I recommend order some falafel, some humus, and 1 dinner. Since then I have ordered take out, delivery ( told me it would be an hour, was at my front door with 30) and eaten in the restaurant.
For recommendations-
Falafel ( probably the best I have ever had)
Hummus
If you get 2 dinners get one with the rice and one with the couscous
The Lamb is killer ( and not expensive- seriously we always get 1 lamb and 1 something else it is that good)
Save room for desert ( or get the Bklava to go)
I was starving in Rogers Park. I really wanted a lamb kebab from Sinbad's in Lakeview, but I was no where near there. I asked for a to-go "ground" lamb kebab at Sahara with hot sauce and no cucumber sauce. What I got was a lot of bread, crap load of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and 4 tiny tiny morsels of unseasoned lamb tips. I asked the lady when I ordered... Can I have hot sauce, no cucumber sauce and GROUND LAMB, but please not the other type of lamb. Well... didn't get hot sauce, never got GROUND LAMB, but I did get a s*** ton of lettuce, bread, cucumbers and tomatoes. Oh, I forgot to add, there was a piece of glass in my sandwich! I ate about a 1/4 of the sandwich, spit out another 1/4 of it then threw the other 1/2 in the garbage, because that is where this food belongs. I'm not the type of person to review like this, but Sahara Kabob has brought me to this point.
Review Source:DO NOT ORDER FROM OH YEAH DELIVERY. Â Ordered online thru Oh Yeah and never got the food.
Thankfully, when I called the restaurant, they made my order and delivered it very very promptly. (They had never gotten the order from Oh Yeah, and were very apologetic.) Just call the restaurant directly and order by phone.
That being said, I loved what we ordered. Gyro meat is well-spiced, nice and crisp on the outside. Fresh pitas. Kibbeh and falafel very good. Nice spicy dip for the kibbeh. Â This was our first time eating from here - will definitely go back and try other dinners!
I just realized that I had not written a review of this place, which was a sad discovery, as it is not only my favorite Mediterranean restaurant but it may be my favorite restaurant, at least in Rogers Park.
It's amazing. I crave it almost constantly. I usually get the falafel plate which always lasts me at least two meals. I'd also highly recommend the lentil soup.
Have never eaten in this place, but I had it delivered for the first time last night, trying to break the pizza cycle.
Great Greek food for the price! I don't know authentic Greek from Kraft Greek yogurt, and I don't really care. If you're a fan of the sidestreet gyro gutbuster, with tomato quarters, cups of tsaziki and 14lbs of somehow juicy-but-dry-and-kinda-crispy-in-parts lamb strips, you will not be disappointed!
The soup that came with my gyros combo was really, really good. Unfortunately, I didnt ask what it was, but ask for the delicious not-too-runny, not-too-chunky lentil-based (?) peppery green soup.
The kefta kabon (think lamb sausage that looks like a long dog turd) was too much money for what you get ($2.50 per turd), but pretty tasty and not corrupted by the delivery delay. Sadly, the spinach pie was and was not made with phyllo dough.
My favorite was the lahmim beajin, a greek pizza, but without cheese (I don't think) and heavy on the meat.
I'd recommend ordering a variety your first time like I did, especially if you are unfamiliar with the names. All in all, a really good bet and cheap!
I really liked this food. Fresh, hot, tasty. The price isnt too high and the people who work there, friendly and welcoming. Its a perfect place to take out from, we didnt eat in.
I got the chicken kabobs and cous cous.
He got something beef and rice.
The lentil soup is delish, like one other yelper had said.
Huge portions. We saved half and had it for breakfast.
Will return.
This one of my favorite take out joints. Â I'm always more impressed than the last time I ordered. Â The portions are giant definitely enough to share. Â My favorite entree is the combo platter, the meat is never dry. Â
I only wish they had not changed their name from Big Buns & Pita.
If anyone actually browses through the reviews then you should know:
* lentil soup is great! Everyone was on par with that
* rice had carrots and raisins , yano to count for our other daily food groups!
* food was piping hot in my togo order and was even hot when I brought it home yay!
- chicken shawrma sandwhich was messy but maybe I am just an idiot when it comes to eating sandwhiches
- I don't like a mixture of dark chicken with white chicken, yes I am picky and only like white meat :)
My review was removed due to "hearsay" Â I wonder if CBS is a good enough source instead of my "hearsay".
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I think it's important for yelpers to know when I place has been shut down due to sanitation issues.  I won't repeat my previous review suffice to say that  I will NEVER, EVER eat at this joint again.
JACKPOT!
I've only done carryout so I cannot comment on decor, or staff, but I have nothing but good things to say about everything else.
I stumbled on this place from a local mailer about edgewater/andersonville spots, and decided to redeem my free appetizer coupon. Phone staff was friendly, and food was delivered in about 30 minutes.
I had to combo plate as a main dish, and it was delicious. The rice was fresh, meat was tender and well seasoned, and they were not cheap on anything. For my free app I ordered a large hummus. Not much to say about the it, but as far as hummus goes, it was up there? Once again, not cheap on it. I ordered a large, and there was no reason for me to feel cheated. I tacket on some falafels, and spinach pies also. Nothing to brag about, but maybe they just weren't to my taste.
Just for kicks I tacked on some cheese fries, and lets just say they should leave that to the pro's, but it's my bad for ordering cheese fries from a kabob joint.
All in all the most amazing part of my meal was the price 20 bucks for food that kept me and my girlfriend full for 2 days. Everything is priced very reasonably, which made the meal all the more enjoyable. All in all I will order from them again very soon!
I like this place more and more every time. Â All we wanted was some cheap Middle Eastern takeout to watch Clerks and poor Conan's last Tonight Show. Â Taste of Lebanon closed at 8pm on a Friday? Â Their loss is Sahara Khabob's gain. Â Their lentil soup is not the divinity that ToL's is, but still way above average, and their pita bread is soft and fresh. Â The hummus with beef shawarma was great both warm that night and cold the next morning for breakfast. Â My favorite item this time around was the fattoush salad, a huge portion. Â They are generous with the seasoning so it is a very flavorful salad. Â
And what's this--they have rice pudding here!?! Â Oh...but not that day. Â BIG sad face. Â I have to go back soon to try it. Â We settled for baklava which was unfortunately very bland. Â Usually I don't care for the stuff because it's too sweet, but theirs needed more honey in a bad way.
Very good food! Baba Ghanouj is the best that I ever had. Chunky and thick. Chicken kabob is good.Rice is really delicious. Moist and very tasty. My husband had shish kabob the first time and he loved it but tonight he had lamb curry and it was just OK. They forgot to pack our lentil soup and when I called they offered if we want to come to pick it up.We were hungry and not in the mood to go outside again so .....
I will definitely go back but I will check my take out before I leave the place.
Oh dear God. I am staring at my quarter of the way eaten tray of hummus shawarma (I think?) and I can't eat any more. My boyfriend got a gyros platter and we split an order of Boorek. I am so, so happy. This place was amazing. We got delivery - it took about 35 minutes, and everything, even my pita (!) was still piping hot. This, was amazing. And we only spent like 20 dollars!!
Wonderful!! Even the french fries are good! French fries!
This is a little hidden gem in the Roger's Park area. Â The decor of the place is pretty nice, and the wait staff is nice. Â
My friend and I were seated promptly and we were given a bowl of toasty pita bread to have with the veggie jardinera that they put out. Â
The appetizer was a large portion of hummus, and it was very tasty, thick, and with a bit of spicy kick. Â This was not included in the entree, but what was is your choice of three soups, of which I had lentil based on other Yelp reviews. Â The lentil soup is spicy, peppery, and good!
I had the combo plate, and my friend had the shish kabob sandwhich. Â Both were delcious, and the portions of my combo plate were huge. Â It is definitely enough to split with two or take the other half for lunch. Â
The only reason I took a star off is because the rice was a bit dry. Â I believe it's of the basmati variety, but it was still a bit too dry. Â Also, when transfering my left overs to go, I did realize there was a lot of grease/oil on the plate. Â It's alright, I just sometimes don't like food that's too greasy or oily. Â
Bottom line: Â Definitely stop in this place if you're in the immediate area and want to stuff with your face with some good mediterranean food.
I am really glad they renamed this Sahara Kabob, "Big Buns & Pita" was just embarrassing. I pretty much have tried every restaurant along Clark in Rogers, but the name Big Buns had been deterring me.
We had a great meal here. Everything was tasty, and the waitress was generous and full of smiles. Â The split pea soup was actually the best I've ever had, my picky son ate 2 bowls full. Â The baklava was divine.
The food is super good and so cheap. Â Everyone needs to haul their sorry a**es up to Rogers Park to partake! Â It's even better because it's BYOB.
We were given a plate of slightly spicy, super yummy, deconstructed gardinara to begin with.  This was followed by delicious lentil soup, creamy hummus, dolmas (which weren't fabulous, but could be forgiven) and then huge, heaping plates for our entrées.  We left stuffed, with heavy boxes of leftovers, and the bill was under $25.
The waitress was falling over herself to ensure that we had everything that we needed and were content throughout the meal. Â Any previous issues with service have been resolved!
I can't wait to go back.
Who wouldn't want to eat at a place called 'Big Buns and Pita?' (It's like they knew I would be there! lol) Too bad the alderman made them change their name to Sahara Kabob.
I want to give this place 5 stars so badly because the food is SO good. And the fact that it's walking distance from my house and BYOB makes it a godsend. They have great prices and great daily specials. I've had everything from their gyros, kibbeh, lamb curry, falafel, and practically all their kabobs. Their rice is fluffy and buttery, their lentil soup makes me drool just thinking about it and everything is ALWAYS fresh. But seriously, if the food wasn't THAT good, I really wouldn't go here because every time I go, their service makes me want to KILL myself for wasting my time!!
I admit that I am not the most patient person- especially when I'm hungry, but they take FOREVER!! Last time I was here, I ordered a dozen falafel and some kibbeh. I called it in 20 minutes prior and ended up waiting another 30 minutes after I had arrived. How long does it take to fry the things!?! But damn it! It was worth the wait. So delicious... Even with the crappy wait time, I still find myself going here more often than I would like because they satisfy my cravings for Middle Eastern food so well.
We've been going here for a few months now, and I'm tempted to give five stars after the dinner we had there a few weeks back. The ambiance is sheer Rogers Park storefront, but our meals were excellent. I had the grilled catfish, and it was great...and huge. Â The others had mostly meat platters. We were a party of four, and we tried a lot of the menu. Nothing disappointed.
Also, the $4.99 Business Lunch is excellent and abundant.  In addition to the promised falafel (nice, not bland) and three kinds of kabob meat (all tasty and succulent), it comes with delightfully moist, fragrant rice as well as  salad and a medley of pickled veggies.
Falafel sandwiches use wrap-style pita bread as opposed to pocket pita. Very tasty.
If you're in Evanston or thereabouts and used to driving out to Pita Inn or one of those places for your falafel fix, you should really try BB&P, aka Sahara Kabob. It's better. It's so good, it should be jam-packed like Pita Inn. And it's not. So go!
Just ordered delivery for the first time and I only had one bad bite...and that was my own damn fault for missing one of the seeds from the lemon I squeezed over my chicken kabob!
Based on one of the earlier reviews, I ordered the boorek as an appetizer. Â These "egg rolls" were delicious. Â Â The sauce was the perfect accompaniment and I used the last bite to scoop the rest out of the cup.
I went four stars just because of the chicken. Â I'm horribly picky about my chicken and it was a little too dry for me. Â Everything else - warm, soft pita, hot, thick soup, salad, pickled vegetables, and rice with raisins - was excellent. The portions were out of this world. Â I definitely got my money's worth. Â (In fact, I'm back for a second serving and scooping up the rest of the soup with my pita...)
I am definitely going to order from here again and next time I am going to get the kefta kabob.
Big Buns and Pita (love the name). A lot of my neighbors and friends have been talking about this place, how good it is so I decided to try it out for myself.
This place is good.
For appetizers I ordered fresh hummus and boorek----all very good
Next, nothing like to test a place if not by their gyro sandwich, which was excellent, the lamb was cooked to perfection.
My husband had  the chicken shawarma plate. My husband and I like the food so much that we came there AGAIN FOR DINNER the next day and ordered the same meal!!!
The owner, nice women who told has has been married for 25 years took our orders. She was so nice to us, she made us feel at home in her restaurant and treated us very nicely. Â
Very very good, highly recommended. BYOB
Try their lentil soup (so good) and boorek  is a must
Update on name:
It is still called big buns and pita but alderman Joe Moore of Rogers Park has a problem with the name.
So the owners added Sahara Kabob  to their name so they can stay in business.
I haven't been here in awhile, but I used to be a regular since it first  opened.  What I like about this place: close proximity to me, nice portions, quick service, and least expensive kabobs I have encountered.  They have lunch specials for $4.99 which includes kabob, rice, pita, salad, lentil soup.  All their entrees besides the lamb shank are under $10.
The lentil soup is bland, rice is plain, and kabobs are nothing to rave about, but this place is one of my fave cheap eats in Rogers Park. Â My favorite dishes from here are the shawarmas and the cornish hen.
If you're looking for a quick, CHEAP, filling, well rounded meal;
Big Buns is your answer in Rogers Park.
This place is terrific: large portions, small prices, and exceedingly tasty food. Â The kabobs (beef and chicken) served with rice with a hint of lemon, and especially the homemade hummus (with plenty of pita) were excellent. Â However, there were a few minor snafus, any one of which I could overlook and give this place a five-star rating. Â But taken together, they merit a one-star deduction:
-The meat, while flavorful, was dry.
-We ordered one hummus and one babaganoush, and got two orders of hummus instead. Â It was delicious, no doubt, just not what we ordered.
-Dining in was not an option simply because the place had to be at least 80 degrees inside.
I definitely will go back and try other items on their extensive menu. Â Overall, a very pleasant dining experience. Â Try it!
Holy YUM! Â This place is delish!
We stopped in one evening, ravenous, but wanting the food to go...after perusing the menu, we decided that we were hungry for Greek/Mediterranean style, so we popped in.
We ordered: chicken kabobs, shish kabobs, hummus, baba ganoush...the two dinners came with soup and salad and rice...$21. Â We had a feast! Â The food was fresh, hot, grilled...and overall pretty tasty! Â The chicken was a smidge dry, but you got lots of it...and it had great flavor, so I can overlook that. Â
My only gripes: we waited FOREVER for our food, and we were pretty much the only people in there. Â Also, instead of the baba ganoush, we got two hummus...which is fine by me, I prefer that. Â But the service was friendly, we were offered hot tea while waiting (hello, it was 80 degrees in there, no thanks!), and we were pleased with the results.
But if you're hungry, looking for something affordable, something healthy, this is a great place to pop in.
This place is really tasty -- they have a great falafel plate for when I want vegetarian, and an awesome lamb quuzi for when I want meat. Â It's not much for decor, but it's definitely clean! Â I usually order on GrubHub, or walk over and pick it up since it's a block away. Â Everything is always hot and I never have to wait too long. Â The Assyrian flavor is a nice change from your typical "Middle-Eastern" menus. Â I love the soup and the pickled vegetables (torshi).
The owner told me that he's paid to get a permit to allow customers to park directly in front of the restaurant for pickup (it's hard to find parking on Clark in that area and right now it's a No-Parking loading zone).
I think the food here is good. Â I've ordered from them several times for delivery and I always feel like I'm eating healthy whenever I order from them. Â The food is good, but the mustardy thing that they include on the side of the dinners smells horrible.
They provide good portions and they deliver within a reasonable amount of time.
Oh, and they gave me free dessert by surprise on the first time I ordered w/ them.
I have to agree with Samantha on this one; why wouldn't you want to eat at a restaurant called Big Buns & Pita. Â We dined in though it seemed like they probably do quite a bit of take-out...there were only a few other people dining in while we were there. Â
The food was great; we started with the hummus and as an entree, I had the chicken kabobs (both were really flavorful). Â As another person mentioned, there was a lot of food..I ended up taking home half of my meal. Â It's too bad that their delivery area isn't larger since I don't head to Rogers Park often.
The food was quite good. Â I had the mediterranean salad with fried pita chips and a steak pita thingy. Â It was a hot day and the place had no a/c. Â A woman was cleaning the windows with windex when we arrived and the entire place reaked of the odor. Â The wait staff was young and kind of slow, but nice.
He came out was a free sample of some kind of pickled, purple vegetable. Â I did not care for it but if you like that sort of thing I bet it would be good.
Some crack-addict looking man kept bolting in to fill his water bottle and take napkins off of tables (there are about 8 tables, very clean place, we were the only folks there).
Toward the end of the meal some bum entered and began begging for $. Â I was less than kind to him. Â The manager apologized.
I think we paid $20.00 for a salad, two sandwiches and a babaganosh plate.
I wonder if this place will survive. Â I do think they deliver and could maybe do a business in that direction.
I don't know what it is about this place, but the food is soooo good. My boyfriend and I have eaten at the thai/sushi place across the street a couple of times and have never noticed this little storefront restaurant. It's be easy to pass up as just another tiny, tasteless bistro.
I ordered the chicken kabob and my BF got the cornish hen. We also got a side of Baba Ganouj. The Baba was delicious - so fresh and flavorful. We both thought that the kabob was better than the cornish hen, but both were tasty. All of the recipes tasted like they must have come from somebody's loving mama.
To top it all off, the man at the counter (the owner) was so friendly. We promised to spread the word, so here I am. Go once and you'll be hooked.
These guys are great. I walked in there the other night and ordered the combo plate for dinner. It was fantastic! I had to wait a few minutes and the owner and I chatted and when my order came up he said "Since, it's your first time here, have a free rice pudding for dessert." Awesome!
I will definitely be coming back very soon. Thanks!
Big Buns and Pita is really good food at just the right price. Â It's a really clean, minimalist restaurant with nothing more than a few folding tables and chairs and a small TV in the corner. Â You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. Â It's not fancy at all, so don't expect that, but it's really tasty. Â
I get the Gyro almost every time I go there and I have yet to be disappointed. I've also had the Falafal and that was really tasty too. Â The fries are delicious, just the right amount of crispy. Â It's a good place if you don't mind a little grease. Â If you order a certain amount of food you get a free appetizer. Â Usually it's hummus and pita (pretty good) but once it was something else (some kind of vegetable with vinegar) and I didn't like it. Â My main dishes have always been delicious.
The people are really friendly, but not always speedy, so don't go there if you're looking to eat in 5 minutes. Â We usually wait about 15-20 minutes before our food is ready, but I've not been disappointed in the quality.
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