Sultan's Market: Bucktown's cheap and delicious Middle Eastern food
Since 1995, the Jordanian family owned Sultan’s Market has served the Bucktown community flavorful and affordable Middle Eastern bites. From hummus to spinach pie, Sultan’s knows how to satisfy the palate.
Before even glossing over the menuboard, customers must first stop at the salad bar. For $5.99 per pound, it’s time to load up on assorted Middle Eastern delicacies like olives, tabouli salad, veggie grape leaves and the more adventurous anchovies and squid.
Not only are all the sandwiches and dinners priced $8 and under, they’re also quite filling. Falafel sandwiches (fried chickpea balls drenched in Jerusalem salad and wrapped in a warm pita bread) and lamb shawarma are house favorites along with appetizers spinach pie, lentil soup and hummus.
After ordering, a cook prepares the dish in real time -- they’re extremely quick, here. Either get the food to go or hang out in the minaret carved décor to relish the scenery longer. The “market” in the restaurant’s name refers to candies, cans of fava beans, dried apricots and pita bread for sale. The food’s authentic enough to attract Middle Easterners wanting to get a taste of home and the neighborhood, penny pincher hipsters penny pinching who want vegetarian grape leaves. Self-serve hot sauce and traditional tahini can be slathered on the dishes, or just be eaten plain.
Adjoining Sultan’s is their recently opened smoothie/coffee bar next door.To complement the falafel, customers dish out fresh fruit from the fruit bar and have a barista blend it up for them. The room also lodges the spillover for when the main seating area gets too crowded. Sultan’s may not be Ali Baba’s Arabian Nights, but it comes pretty close to it.
HelloChicago Tip: Sultan's opened a smaller, second location in Lincoln Park located at 2521 N. Clark St.
Posted by Garin Pirnia
