Sahara Imbiss – 10/10

Sahara Imbiss is a Berlin institution, with branches in Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg serving some incredibly tasty and good value food. Most falafel places in Berlin are Turkish, but Sahara puts a Sudanese spin on the classic and it’s absolutely delicious. Since discovering the joy of falafel and peanut sauces, I’ve checked out a couple of Berlin’s other Sudanese restaurants, Khartoum and Marafina. Both are very good, but I still think Sahara is in a class of its own.

They offer a wide range of ingredients, including excellent vegetarian and vegan options: falafel, tofu, halloumi, magali (fried vegetables), chicken or kofta. You can then get essentially whichever ones you like combined in either a platter or a sandwich, and smothered in their signature peanut sauce. The sandwiches, especially, are outstanding value for the amount and quality of the food – I went all out with falafel, tofu and magali and it was only €3.70.

My friend had a platter with falafel, magali and halloumi, which was €5 (it came with bread, not pictured).

My sandwich was one of the best falafel meals I’ve had in Berlin. Every component was flavourful and perfectly cooked, and you could taste each one individually – every bite was a slightly different combination of flavours. The falafel was fresh, crunchy and had a very savoury, almost smoky flavour, contrasting perfectly with the softness and sweetness of the vegetables (carrot, potato and red pepper). They used smoked rather than normal tofu, which I think is a hundred times better, and I think it might even have been marinated in extra spices for more flavour. All these different textures and flavours, combined with the richness of the peanut sauce, made for a deeply satisfying taste experience.

The restaurant itself is small and pretty basic, but a nice enough place to sit and eat – there are colourful tiles on the walls and a ton of stickers and posters everywhere. I always really like this in a bar or restaurant – it makes it feel like it’s part of the community. I thought the Arabic music they were playing was slightly too loud (turning into my parents), but otherwise it was a really nice place to sit and chat over a meal.

We went to the branch in Herrfurthstrasse and followed it up with ridiculously cheap beers at the excellent Trude, Ruth und Goldammer, but I’ve also previously been to the one in Eisenbahnstrasse and the quality there is equally great. I highly recommend both of them whenever you’re after a quick, cheap and delicious meal.

 

Rating: 10/10

Food quality: 10/10

Vegetarian & vegan options: 10/10

Ambience: 7/10

Value for money: 10/10

 

Sahara Imbiss

Herrfurthstrasse 5, Neukölln

http://saharaimbiss.de/