The Sultan

I’d like to be more positive about them, because they’re basically the only Middle Eastern place in town, I just really wish they were better. I’ve eaten here several times; the lunch kabob wraps are a decent deal and fairly good (closer to 4 stars), but the dinners are a bit pricey for what you get – usually go with one of the platters which has rice and meat. The kabob dinners are a bit pricey and having once gotten them, I’d say too pricey. Service is hit-​or-​miss – sometimes the server pays little attention, while other times they’re ok. I hope this place gets some more traffic so that they can maybe expand their menu.

I rarely ever award only one star – maybe once before – but I can’t justify anything better: salad so wilted I can only imagine it had been stored in the refrigerator since the day before. Add to that a commercial bottle dressing. Wait! It started off with a five-​six minute wait, with the owner never acknowledging my entrance because he was too busy toying with something on his cell phone – and remained so, sitting looking totally bored with life – and simply sitting there watching and waiting til the lone waitress had served two other tables and rung one customer up at the register. He continued to wait, relying totally on her to finally come to my table and take my drink order.
Just as I finished my insipid salad (I’ll grant that it was a good size) the waitress brought my rather skinny shawarma. I didn’t mind the small size, as portions in the U.S. are usually twice what they need to be. However, this would have to qualify as the toughest meat I’ve had anywhere since my last visit to China. It was like leather, already slightly chewed on, and had virtually none of the wonderful qualities I’ve come to associate with Lebanese, Turkish or other Middle Eastern meats. Do I hear, cooked two-​three days ago in large quantities, frozen and then zapped in the microwave?
Finally, even though I was the last guest, the owner didn’t even bother to ask how my lunch was. I might mention in passing, also, that the incessant video was a low-​grade Lebanese version of Bollywood fare, matching in calibre the tasteless décor in a remade Pizza Hut.
Sadly, this food was a radical departure from the delicious food the same owner was serving on Saturday at the Farmer’s market in Bishop Park. Barely recognizable, and truly an embarrassment to what should be some of the world’s best cuisine – Lebanese.
Needless to say, I see no point in ever going back.

I don’t think this is a good Mediterranean restaurant. I ordered Chicken Shawarma to go. That’s not how chicken shawarma is cooked. Rice was not fresh. The pita was very hard (hard to bite in). The waitress was just sitting at counter playing with her cell phone. I think this place has the potential. But, food and service will have to be substantially improved before I will ever go back. You have better options like Chipotle close by for better price as well.

Love the food here. Everything tastes so fresh and homemade. The owners work so hard to make delicious Lebanese meals. The chicken and rice soup is amazing – I am addicted to it and order it every visit. You can’t go wrong with the entrees – everything I’ve had has been fantastic, from the schwarma to the falafel to the hummus. A very unique atmosphere from the decorations to the Arabic music tv station playing. There’s nothing like it in Athens!

Visiting the area for a few months, and decided to check this place out. I ordered the chicken schwarma. It came with pita bread, rice, and tzatziki sauce. I thought it was a pretty good portion for the price, and it was very tasty. The chicken pieces were pretty small, but the dish had a lot of flavor. We went on a weekday evening and the place was relatively empty. The service was OK.

We come here a few times a month. I love so many favorite dishes here I’d have to list the entire menu but to start the lentil soup is wonderful. The hummus and baba ganoush are the best I have ever had, not only is it the best in Athens, GA, it is better than any in NYC, Atlanta or Los Angeles! The falafel is very tasty as well with a bit of a spicy kick. There are so many fresh, home-​made vegetarian choices to choose from too, as well as lamb dishes. Home made desserts are divine. I highly recommend lunch or dinner at The Sultan.

Pretty hit or miss. Doesn’t taste as authentic as it used to. The owners should work more often so it tastes how it used to.

Meh. I’ve seen this place for the past 3 years and only today decided to stop in bc previously I expected it would be mediocre. I was right. Nothing special, but not terrible. I ordered the Lamb Shwarma wrap lunch special which came with fries. The meat in the wrap was cold and there was more lettuce than meat. So it was a lettuce wrap accented with meat. The fries were good, hot and crispy but just regular fries. Sadly they were actually better than the wrap. However, I guess my subpar experience was to be expected since this place is the only Middle Eastern restaurant in a small, Southern town. Meaning they don’t have to try hard to impress given their monopoly over the cuisine here. Not worth going back.
And by the way, I just finished eating my wrap and fries and I’m still hungry. Waste of money. I should have just cooked.

Their food is good, but kinda expensive. The portions are kinda small for the price.

This is another one of those under the radar restaurants that does not get the notoriety it deserves. This food is very authentic, and while it can be a bit expensive, it is delicious and completely worth it!

I love shawarma. This place does it right.
It’s not much to look at. It’s an old Pizza Hut. By appearance? It might frighten the average person in Athens that’s used to sandwiches, pizza, burgers and fries. But trust me … It’s well worth giving a try.

We have frequented the Sultan for years, from waaay back when it was near the mall. We disagree with most of the reviews here for many reasons,
There are some things that are always good: the chicken kabobs are always succulent and have a lovely unusual seasoning. Our kids love em; especially soaked into the authentic rice with noodles.
For classics, we suggest the tabouleh, the garlic cauliflower and the unusual thick and nutmeggy chicken soup. The falafel are so-​so, but NOT dry at all. They recently added the zuchini fries, which are amazing, if not like anything we have ever seen at a middle-​eastern restaurant.
Great desserts brought in from Atlanta.
Some unusual items for sale to go, like large botttles of Tahini, mixes, olives etc.
And you get to catch up on your arabic cable!
And talk to the owner, he is super sweet!

Some of my friends (and family members) have found this place pretty hit or miss, but I’ve always eaten well here. I usually stick with the basics: hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel (it is spicy here, but I’ve never found it «dry»). I’d happily recommend it as worth a try.

I have not had many Middle Eastern foods, but out of all of the places I have tried… This place was the worst.
I did not like my food or dessert at all. I can’t say much about the food because I don’t know much about it … so I may have just gotten a dish I did not like. Baklava seemed like it was packaged and not freshly baked. Honestly it tasted nothing like baklava.
It was very disappointing. The tea was even stale…
Service was terrible. Our server was only really «waiting» on us for the first 10 minutes and then was never really seen at our table again. She was over at the counter, however, talking about «hot guys» the rest of the time.
The only good part of the night was the hummus… But then again… Can you really mess that up?