SULTAN MAHAL Restaurant — Restaurant in Maafushi Island

I have been in Maafushi for three days now and the family has been starving (literally) for three days till we got a hold of this quaint little restaurant this evening.

No words. Just brilliant. The Babaganoush had literally fresh flavours which you will NEVER find anywhere on this island plus the Afghani Chicken was heavenly!

Dear Chef, from one chef to another, I am definitely coming back with the family this evening!

To everyone else reading this. Don’t hesitate. Just go for it!

Update on day 2 dining @ Sultan Mahal

Excellent Butter Chicken and Naan. Just loved it. Chicken was a bit hard but could be softer

I dropped my rating by one just for a couple of reasons.

1. Grilled Fish - Not fresh. Sides were excellent but the fish was a complete letdown. You know it’s not fresh the minute it lands on your table and it has a stale fish smell. Had also mentioned to chef that I was particular that the fish should be fresh but sadly it was not. Told the front team to inform chef to not serve if it’s not fresh the next time around.

2. Shrimp Biriyani - A let down once again. The biriyani was dry and had sent it back to make it better. The biriyani typically did not have the right rice as well. The dish the second time around was better but could have improved.

Conclusion - We decided when we visit next, we would stick to Lebanese food alone.

Wishing the team at Sultan Mahal the very best. You still hold a mark higher than other restaurants in Maafushi. Just hold on to these small areas with freshness and you’ll do well! All...

We hope the restaurant takes our feedback seriously to improve the dining experience.

While the ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant, I must share my experience with the service and food. Our visit left much to be desired. The lady waiter appeared to be managing everything on her own, while the gentleman seemed overwhelmed.

We ordered a variety of dishes, including starters, main courses, and desserts, along with drinks and shisha. However, the sequence in which the dishes arrived was not ideal. Surprisingly, our first two dishes were not starters but main courses. These Japanese main courses didn't quite match the menu's description.

When the starters finally arrived, the Pani Puri was a bit of a letdown. The liquid was cold, and the flavor didn't live up to expectations. Our drinks were also a mixed bag – one too sweet and the other disappointingly bland, not due to ice dilution.

The timing of the dishes was inconsistent. One starter arrived 30 minutes after the others, and one main course was still missing while the others had arrived, and to our dismay, it was undercooked.

To top it off, the shisha we ordered was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes but took a whole 35 minutes. Frustrated, we decided to cancel the shisha and desserts.

In my humble opinion, this restaurant has potential but needs improvements. Perhaps a streamlined menu and a more proportional staff-to-customer ratio would help maintain consistent quality and efficiency. With some adjustments, it could become a go-to spot for a great...

Sultan Mahal delivers on everything; the food, the service, the atmosphere, all of it was simply impeccable. The greeter at the door was very sweet and helped us understand the theme and cuisine of the restaurant, and our server Bhavana was very efficient and kind to us.

The restaurant itself was very impressive in its grandeur, and it was a welcome spot of peace and quiet after a busy day at the beaches.

The food was just amazing—I feel like my vocabulary isn't expansive enough to try and describe just how good it was, but I'll do my best. We ordered the seafood platter, their signature chicken biriani, butter chicken and garlic naan, as well as the slow-cooked beef; every single dish knocked all previous renditions we've had of them out of the park. I may have been very close to tears from just how incredible the beef was. Paired with mashed potatoes and butternut, it felt like I was eating beef the way it was meant to be eaten for the first time in my life.

If you're in Maafushi, and you're not hitting up Sultan Mahal, I have to say that you're seriously missing out on some of the best food you'll ever have in your life. The restaurant is a bit tucked away, but it's more than worth the effort of finding it. 10/10, gold star, can't recommend it enough. I think I'm going to treasure the memory of it for the...