In November, Overland Park’s Mediterranean restaurant Sahara served its last gyro. Or so everyone thought.

That’s how it was until now – manager Salah Harzi saw that the store was closing and contacted owner Jawad Hijaz, who had closed it, to say he would focus on his restaurant Lee’s Summit (705 SE Melody Lane).

With Harzi willing to run the restaurant, Sahara was able to reopen a few weeks ago at 10150 W. 119th St.

Harzi said longtime customers returned in droves when they heard the restaurant was reopening. The Johnson County restaurant, which opened in 2021, had already garnered quite a few loyal fans.

“People miss this kind of food and there is a big community now,” he said.

The menu includes the same classics as before: shawarma, kebabs, hummus plates and falafel.

He also now offers a lamb shank special with couscous, which is popular with Moroccan customers, who he says don’t find many good couscous dishes in the Kansas City area.

Harzi, who is from Tunisia, owned Holy Land Cafe in Lenexa — another Mediterranean-style eatery — at 12275 W. 87th St. He served similar dishes there from 2008 to 2019.

He sold the cafe because he thought he was ready to escape the stress of the restaurant industry altogether, but after touring the Sahara premises, he decided to get back into business with the help of some of his former employees and rehired the chef and waiters.

“I like the place,” he said. “It’s nice and clean inside. I like the kitchen.”

Sahara is open every day except Tuesday from 11am to 9pm.