Sultan's Market — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

The memory of a Name ! It’s very sad to see such beautiful restaurants been tarnished that way - May Ramli- used to make the best food in 1998 when I came to chicago to study in architecture school Sultans was my favourite stop - I lived two blocks and I used to set with the owner and hear her stories in Jordan- her falafel was top on list- the lentils soup - the lentils rice and kuftah was magical . I ordered today with friends from Logan square on California and our disappointment was so high that we decided not to eat the food ! 1- falafel sandwiches: falafel cold and bitter the oil must been at least a week old which make them taste funky and very harmful actually because the oil and hydrogen build . Also the 3 inch slice of cucumber, the half split tomato and the half pound of hummus in it - made me impossible to eat. I think that the one that made the sandwich have no clue or any training of making falafel sandwiches! 2- the chicken sandwich: cold just like left the fridge- no slat no spice no any indication that is shawarma , did not taste as shawarma did not look like shawarma only bita bread was ethnic to the east the rest have no connection to M/East . 3- the lamb shawarma: it was not lamb shawarma it’s more of beef shawarma and also have no connection to shawarma beside the aesthetic side taste was horrible and cold . 4- lentils soup : I love this soup May Ramli always gave me this soup on cold chicago days - this soup was cold and have no taste at all look like burger kings lentil soup ! 5- kuftah and lentils rice : again cold and absolutely have no taste and it’s old ( 2 days at least because of the mild rice taste and the hard lintels! Kuftah undercooked and have the worst horrible taste.

This restaurant really have NOTHING to do with amazing Sultans north Ave location ( it’s first time to knowing they franchise the name!) Sultan honestly was my favourite Middle Eastern place to take my clients too in North Ave in bucktown. Now Sultans have nothings than just a memory of Name ! I have not eaten in other locations and I will not - I think I will next time try Bucktown location only - the amount of disconsideration in preparing our food made even question if this food is Halal ! Very big disappointment! The question is did I recommend this...

What a disappointment!! So I would have given only 2 stars, but their falafel alone is redeeming them (on price, serving size, and taste, a winning trifecta).

Was super excited when sultans opened up, as my other favorite middle eastern place down on Armitage and Humboldt has amazing everything (kebabs, schwarma, rice, baba, soup, and fries even)... except for their falafel. Decided to try out a few of the things here and see how it compares. We got pickup, and there was legit about 8 min from pickup to sitting down to eat in my apartment (so i don’t want to hear any excuses about it being different when it’s fresh).

The meat (chicken on my platter, mixed meats on my roommates) was soooo dry and rubbery. I actually took two bites and said I can’t do this anymore. The rice was meh on as well, and only had a few veggies (mostly peas) sprinkled throughout. The hummus tasted processed like it came out of a plastic container, not fresh at all- and so bland as well! You could have convinced me it was mashed potatoes if i was blind folded. The baba was okay, but overpoweringly smoky with tons of green (parsley maybe) overpowering it. After sitting in my fridge for a week, while I tried to work up the desire to ease my guilt and finish even a little more of my platter, I literally ended up throwing away (something I almost NEVER do).

Redeeming items: the falafel was HUGE- and at 50 cents a pop a great deal. Didnt get a pic bc I was so hungry and devoured them so quickly. Dipping sauce was pretty decent too, and the pita was nice and fluffy when it was fresh....But literally, that was it!! I might be back to grab some falafel at some point, but that’s as much as I’m willing to trust...

One thing we love about Middle Eastern food is that there are so many great vegetarian options as well as meat dishes so everyone can get what they want and still feel satisfied. At Sultan's Market, this is especially true and their large menu variety proves it!

We tried a lot of different menu items because we couldn't decide on just a few things. Everything looked, smelled, and sounded so good when we got here (and ended up tasting amazing too!) The menu is very reasonably priced as well!

Starters: Baked Spinach Pie, Baked Meat Pie, Baked Egg & Cheese Pie, Baked Zattar Bread (they warmed these up for us and we tried them all right out of the oven, they were delicious!)

Soups: Gradma Zarifa's Lentil Soup and Mama Masada Chicken Soup (both were tasty and perfect for the cool weather)

Entrees: Falafel Sandwich (I could eat this everyday for lunch), Vegetarian Combo Dinner with Falafel, Tabouli salad, and Curry Rice, Meat Combo Dinner with Lamb Shawarma, Chicken Shawarma, Kefta Kabob, Tabouli salad, and Lentil Rice

Sides: Pita bread with Hummus and Baba Ganuj

Dessert: Baklava (if you know you know)

We went to their new location in Logan Square and were blown away by how nice of a space it was! They have a beautiful interior, with a large patio in the back, and even tables on the roof. We want to go back at night to see the...