Sahara International Grocery Market

Staff: welcoming, and knowledgable of all items in store.Store atmosphere: new, clean and not crowded.Items: variety of middle eastern products; all organized in their aisles.Unique: sell fresh made pastries and bread.

Sahara International Food Market just opened a few weeks ago, in the shopping center behind Saigon off W. 38th St. I ventured inside to kill time before lunch at Abyssinia and was delighted to see a nice clean organized store, no funky smells or disorganized shelves like some smaller ethnic food markets. The majority of the selection focused on items from the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean regions: lots of olives, tahini, teff flour, red palm oil, halva, fava beans galore, hookah, tea, etc. I was excited to see small tubes of harissa paste for purchase; I always waste the huge tubs of harissa I find elsewhere. I also picked up some tahini, moroccan sardines, and freekah. Prices were pretty reasonable and nothing was expired. The cashier was friendly and I overheard him tell a customer that a butcher would arrive at noon, to staff the small deli at the back of the store. There was a small freezer/frig section and stand with fresh pita near the front. I definitely want to go back to explore more; Sahara is not as overwhelming as Saraja and is a great alternative if you are specifically looking for the regional food it stocks.

Overwhelming section of ethnic foods from all over. Did have trouble trying to find specific products, such as amla and goji berries. Four staff members weren't able to help me find them. That was frustrating.

Only store in town that carries Chief Curry Powder. Has a good selection of other items that can't be found elsewhere, too.

Couldn't get out fast enough. The smells were horrendous! Terribly dirty. I couldn't even look to see what they had to offer because it smelled so awful!