Not what I expected by previous reviews and pictures. The tabbouli lacked flavor and didn't seem fresh. Served hot soup in a styrofoam cup for dinning in. I wouldn't consider it a restaurant more of a grab and go. It did not feel very clean, walls were dirty at our table. The workers were kind but were having a loud passionate conversation which disturbed the peace. read more

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Food is not tasty. Very downscaled for American palate. Alladins is much better! Compare the humus and you will agree.

Consistently delicious and fresh food! I've never tasted such crunchy, delicious falafel! So fresh, their fried cauliflower, hummus, soup,Chicken kebab and mujadera are some of my favorites. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Great location. I highly recommend! A delicious and nourishing experience. Oh and their fresh juices are divine as well as their coffee and pastries. read more

It's decent, but nothing special. Kind of the quality you would find in an outside fast food place in Europe. Just a little better than Woody's. Lacking in the spice area. read more

Tried all varieties of kabobs - very well prepared. Food is tasty and freshly cooked. Nice service both foreign and dining in and takeout.

Amazing family owned business that has been in our community for many years. The food is great and the service is even better, they offer zabiha halal catering as well. Definitely a must try restaurant when visiting East Lansing! read more

Pringles Style Mediterranean food Best part was the felafel. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The rest was disappointing. Brusque waitstaff uninterested in what you want. Lousy pita wrapped in plastic wrap. Got the lunch special and asked if I could Get something besides the tabouli, was told no and the waiter walked off and brought the lunch special with the tabouli. Lentil soup had no flavor, but fortunately it was a very small serving. Unfortunate that the food was so poor, in the past the meals were much better. read more

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Great food and great service. All that's needed is to renovate the place and make it a bigger spot! Overall, should try and looking forward to their growth! read more

We pass by this restaurant almost everyday on our way to the gym. It's not easy to miss because it's located in a corner lot with a big signage. Other than that, it's just a big establishment with no decor on the outside. A restaurant's curb appeal have a major influence to me when it comes to deciding where to eat. I mean, first thing we all do when entering a restaurant is to scope out the aesthetics, right?! Well, the exterior's not very attractive, to be honest. But do not let that stop you from going there, though. Inside is a different story. The decor seem to fit the ambiance they're going for: more on the traditional side. The food was also tasty! We got the Mix Grill family platter and the meat were all juicy and grilled perfectly. read more

Sultan's Restaurant - East Lansing - Mediterranean Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

I have been to this venue three times since they reopened at the new location. Always very welcoming and delightful delicacies. It's flavorful , healthy and the generous portions always leave with leftovers to snack on for later. I am glad I came across this restaurant because it hits the spot every time :) read more

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Great food and fast service the staff was friendly and the restaurant was clean Chicken Shawarma read more

Best Mediterranean food around! Best hummus around and the staff and owner are always the best and kindest! Sad they moved out of their larger restaurant building, but always happy to support the best! read more

My favorite place to take my business visitors/friends for lunch since it is close to campus and always has plenty of parking. The food is very good and Kebob lunch combos are always very good. read more

Came here to get some takeout with family, we're 4 foodies so naturally we ordered the sultan's feast for 4- when we went to pick it up we received two bags full of food and another HUGE foil tray of food. It was around $60, so $15 per person was pretty good. So this feast contained 2 salads, tabbouleh, hummus, baba ganoush, pitas, rice, chicken shawarma, grape leaves, kibble, falafel, and lots of kebabs. My favorite was definitely the shawarma. It was great! Not too dry. The falafels were the best I've ever eaten! And the hummus, baba ganoush, and salad were also delicious. Amazing middle eastern food!!! read more

Sultan's Restaurant - East Lansing - sultan's feast for 4! :) - Mediterranean Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

Outstanding food and great to work with. We had them cater a grad party and everyone raved about the food. From our perspective ordering the food and working with them on the menu we found them accommodating and helpful. Just a joy and if you're having a party this type of cuisine in general has something for everyone. And Sultan's is high quality. read more

I rarely give places five stars, but Sultan's deserves it. The place inside is very nice and service is excellent. Ultimately, you come for the food. Excellent tasting middle eastern food is what you'll get. The plating isn't fancy or decorative, but the flavor of the food is what you come for and it's the flavor that makes you stop and eat more slowly to enjoy everything. The fattoush salad is really delicious. The dressing they use is vinegar tart, but sweet and salty. It really sets your pallet up for a delicious entree. I've tried their falafel, beef and lamb kabab, schwarma dishes, tongue, etc... I have not had a dish I didn't like. Sometimes I'll purposely not finish everything so I can have more later. I enjoy it that much. read more

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Excellent service, mediocre food. Was disappointed with the small menu; I must say that this is the first middle eastern restaurant that I've been to that didn't offer raw kibbe. Bread was good, but the garlic sauce was too grainy. The fattoush salad was tasty, just the right amount of dressing, and veggies were very fresh. However, the chicken shwarma was barely warm, and the chicken itself was dry. The worst part of the experience was that there were fruit flies flying everywhere - kind of takes away from the dining experience when you have to constantly swat at flies. Yuck! I have a feeling that there are better Mediterranean restaurants in East Lansing. read more

Sultan's Restaurant - East Lansing - Chicken shwarma with hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Sultan's was the first (and sofar best) restaurant my family and I went to after moving to Lansing. If you're with a group of 3 or more people you can't go wrong with the Sultan's Feast. You get a lot of variety from some of the best items from the menu. read more

This was our first visit to this new location. The food was fresh and delicious. We ordered the mixed grill platter to share and had extra food left to take home. The staff was efficient and the manger was very involved in making certain the service and meals were high quality. The restaurant was clean and very busy. We will certainly be back. read more

Sultan's is the best middle eastern restaurant in east lansing. I am a frequent customer and they have never let me down. They're chicken shawarma wrap is a solid 8.2/10. chicken has flavor and is tender. Food is also very reasonably priced for being so good and so fresh. read more

Delicious, fresh, beautifully presented Middle Eastern food. We got the Vegetarian Feast for our family this evening, and it was excellent. Hummus, tabouli, veg grape leaves, mujadara, and more. All good. Glad to have Sultan's right here in the neighborhood! read more

Thank goodness for Sultans, or there may be a complete lack of good Middle Eastern Food in LA (that's Lansing Area btw). Nothing against Saharas or Woodys, but I think Sultans is the place to rock out. Not quite as good as La Shish on the East Side (although no Al Qaeda links either), this place has a menu that encompasses a majority of your middle Eastern favorites. The ambience of this place is pretty nice too. Clean, bright, and not hole in the wall like (don't get me wrong, I love holes in the wall) what so ever. Servers are generally pretty friendly, and are knowledgable of the menu, so don't be afraid to ask what kafka or tabouli are. I've had better, but for the area, check it out. read more

Awesome Indian cuisine! Great portions! And always so hot! I always look for a restaurant that serves Indian cuisine--no matter what city or town I'm in--and I was not disappointed with Sultan's! read more

I'm all set on Sultans. I live in Illinois where we have the pleasure of Naf Naf and I was hoping that when I was in town for a game on 9/9/17 that Sultans would still be a must visit for me when in MI- nope, no longer. Gone is the pillow-like pita- it's now the flat flavorless kind. They charged us $.50 for the garlic sauce that I thought is supposed to come on our shawarma wraps- wth? I wasn't paying but if I had looked at the receipt before my husband paid, I would have argued the charge- ridiculous. The garlic sauce has lost it's flavor- very bland/ meh. The salad that comes with the wraps is overly dressed and I understand why it was dead on a Saturday at 1pm. read more

A decade ago, this was my favorite Mediterranean restaurant (the best place to go chicken shawarma). However since then, the restaurant itself has taken a dive. Everything is grimy. Everything is dirty. Everything is disgusting. Which makes you wonder, "Do they follow good food safety practices back in the kitchen?" Well, two days ago, I decided to give this restaurant another 3rd try in the dire hopes to redeem their previous reputation. I ordered my favorite, chicken shawarma with hummus and tabouli salad.... The ramifications were horrific. Sure enough, food poisoning. I spend the next 1.5 days puking out both ends and losing a day of work. To Sultans (if you read your critics reviews): You have enough money to remodel and sanitize your restaurant. Don't be lame, do it. You (use to) have amazing food, but have fallen off course. Be awesome again. My husband and I miss your great food. Until then, RIP Sultans 03/02/18. read more

Got the chicken schwarma entree and order of hummus to go. It was pretty good. Entree comes with salad and bread. Hummus waa pretty good. Flavor is not overpowering but it's not bland. I didn't like the salad. It had no flavor to me. But I like a lot of flavor. The chicken was cooked well. Not dry. Rice had a good flavor. Great portion size for the money . It was decent rake on schwarma nothing like anything from dearborn. read more

Sultan's Restaurant - East Lansing - Chicken schwarma entree - Mediterranean Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

I found an insect on my pita bread.The staff were shocked to see the insects and the owner didn't seem to care about it. Try avoiding the pita, because they're made days ahead of time and stored in bags that are breeding grounds for these insects. The combo portion sizes were terrible for the money i was paying...overall disgusting experience !!! read more

Sultan's Restaurant - East Lansing - Insects on the pita bread - Mediterranean Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

The food is inedible. We ordered a chicken kabob wrap and a kahfta wrap, both were served on old stale bread with cold undercooked gummy meat. Everything is slathered in mayo? Absolutely disgusting. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

I so desperately want Sultans to be that taste of home that I crave while I'm away at school, but every time I give it a chance, it fails me. The food lacks the authenticity of true Middle Eastern cooking. While I am aware that there are different Middle Eastern cuisines and recipes throughout the region, Sultan's, to me, seems to just serve up the American version of Middle Eastern classics. Yesterday I ordered a fattoush salad with chickens shawarma, lentil soup, and hummus. Here's my take on my most recent order: Fattoush Salad: Tasted like water. Literally. It was so soggy and tasteless that I didn't eat it. Dressing was on the side, in containers, so I'm not sure what caused the salad to be soggy and tasteless. Chicken Shawarma: Best tasting thing I ordered, but still not spectacular. I intended to add it into my Fattoush Salad, but I just ended up eating the Chicken Shawarma alone because the salad was unappetizing. Lentil Soup: It was more watery than I like my Lentil Soup to be, so I didn't eat it, and therefore I can't give any input on the taste. I can however, give you input on the consistency: The soup had the consistency of chicken noodle soup instead of the creamy, crushed consistency I prefer. Hummus: Bland. Literally just tasted like chickpeas mixed with lots of Tahini sauce. No hint of garlic or lemon, or any of the other spices which traditionally are mixed into Hummus. I want to love Sultans, I really do. It's walking distance to my apartment and close to campus, making it a convenient choice for carry out, but the consistently flavorless and unappetizing food have officially convinced me to move on. read more

Not from here and literally told the front desk order I was looking for Indian food for my bf since it was his birthday, phone dying no time to google and on time crunch! This guy LITERALLY had me at the wrong location searching for the restaurant AND LIED and said it was Indian food. I mention unsure what Indian food was. He LIED said he was Indian and what I was ordering was. Then KEPT asking me to buy other stuff when I said I didn't need it. AWFUL PLACE LITERALLY RUINED A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE OUT OF SELFISHNESS SALES! Who does that?!? read more

I feel like this place caters to western palates. It had much of the popularized traditional fare, but missing a lot of my favorites including raw kibbe. Do not let that deter you from getting a good fix though, because the portions are still quite generous, the spices on point on the meats, the breads are fresh oven baked, and the fried kibbe was the better than anything I've had in Dearborn. The garlic isn't a thick paste, it's more like the consistency of a tahini, and with less potency but still tasty. It was quiet, and menus could use a bit of wiping and dusting, but the staff was very friendly and attentive. read more

Awesome food. I love the lentil soup. Really fast and also a great price. Always a pretty short wait too

I ordered 4 chicken shawarma dinners that says on their website that it has hummus and when I picked it up they did not give me any hummus. I called them and asked if I could come back and pick it up since I got home and there was none. The person at the store said that he wasn't going to give it to me because the dinner doesn't come with it. I told him that I ordered it on their website and it clearly states that it comes with hummus. He said he didn't care and too bad for me. I will never come back. What a scam. I have a picture of the website showing it includes hummus. What a crappy place read more

I have been eating at Sultan's for at least 5 years and have loved it every single time, even when they run out of bread at night. The time before this last time I was at Sultans, everything was great, which would have been during the summer. Recently, I went to Sultans with friends and they must have redone the menu and apparently the recipes. Everything I loved before (lentil soup, hot bread, hummus) tasted completely different, and not for the better. It appears as though they have started using some sort of frozen option for the bread because now it is all the same size and doesn't form a pocket properly, which wouldn't matter that much except the flavor is not as good either. The lentil soup, instead of being yellow, was greenish and bland. The hummus also was not as flavorful as it has been. The meat came over-cooked, the falafel was dry, maybe it was just the day, but I am going to have a hard time convincing my husband and friends to go back. read more

Dinner at Sultan's was a mixed bag. As other reviewers caution, they run out of the fresh made pita. Not only does the bagged pita look lackluster compared to the pillow-y fresh pita, but the bag they put in our basket had already been torn open. :( The interior looked much nicer than other Middle Eastern places in the area, but it's outdated. Food was acceptable, but not outstanding. On the recommendation of other Yelpers, I tried the falafel. I was lead astray. It was one of the least appealing falafels I've eaten: bland, save the strong taste of garlic, and rock hard after being fried too long. The garlic sauce was lukewarm and surprisingly flavorless. The rice was just meh, but the hummus and chicken schwarma were tasty. Serving sizes were comparable to similar places, but significantly more expensive. The most disappointing part of our visit was the service. After taking our order, our server only came back to deliver the check. Another server brought our food, minus an item that only arrived as we were almost finished eating. Our drinks were never refilled. While some of the food was alright, Sultans isn't worth the cost or mediocre service. I probably won't be back unless someone else insists. read more

DO NOT COME HERE WITHIN AN HOUR OF CLOSING TIME. I usually don't like to give a poor rating after only one dining experience but I felt like I had to share my horrible meal with fellow yelpers. The sign on the door says the restaurant closes at 9 p.m. I even called at 8 to ask when they close and the hostess told me 8:45. I arrived by myself at the same time as a separate group of diners at 8:30, thinking we were well within the closing time. However, we were told or warned by the hostess that the kitchen was about to close. Still undeterred, I told them I would order quickly and get out before they would even remember I was ever there. I quickly ordered the kebab combo plate while I noticed the kitchen crew was cleaning up. My combo came with a soup or salad and I selected the lentil soup. It was quickly delivered by the server. The soup lacked salt and was rather bland. Still, I was hungry enough to eat all of the soup. The kebab combo was delivered rather quickly, maybe more quickly than it would take to grill the kebab. I don't know if I got some older pieces of kebab that had been grilled but all the pieces of meat (chicken, beef and lamb) were overcooked, hard and lukewarm. It's disappointing because the meat were all very flavorful. If only they were would have been cooked properly, it would have been a good dish. I asked for my check, paid and ran out of the restaurant as quickly as I was rushed in. Even if everything was perfect, I would still think this restaurant was average. I've eaten at some of the Middle Eastern restaurants in the Dearborn area and Sultan's would never be able to compete in that competitive area. read more

After receiving a message from the manager (copied below), I would like to "update" my review. ESPECIALLY WITH THE INSANE # OF HEALTH VIOLATIONS REPORTED BY INGHAM COUNTY (read below before eating here!). Notably, and actually supporting my initial assessment, the manager fails to acknowledge my chief concerns. I might give points for an honest apology, but if anything, I include this for sheer entertainment value - my rating was (initially) unchanged. For example, an apology "for not being what you expected" glosses over what I deem as BASIC expectations of ANY restaurant. Specifically, there is no reference to the dismal slowness we experienced, the pitifully dry pita, the bland and soggy food, the tough lamb shank, the awkward seating and menu design, etc. Recall, I also asked what award did the "award-winning" hummus win... hmm? I find it odd that the biggest concern of his was given to juices (when I only mentioned smoothies); this mention reflected the bright red color of the mango smoothie - even with strawberries (which was not requested), the color was not right. Yet, if I was to return, these might be one item I would have felt safe ordering, even before this response. Manager's comment: "I just read your review on our restaurant . as the manager I would like to apologize for the bad service you had and apologize for not being what you expected. My main concern was your comment regarding the juice, All Of Our juices are 100% fresh,nothing added besides fresh fruit and vegetables and we have been known for that for over 16years.i apologized if that's how it seemed to you but I assure you that everything is 100%fresh."" Reprise: Mr. Manager, you fail to address the most critical issues of my review and instead waste words making additional claims, despite the original ones having gone undefended. I have returned to your establishment since the original review and, unfortunately, the experience has not been better. Honestly, I think you're lucky to get 2 stars, and that's primarily because I didn't get sick. Which made me think to look at your health department record (note: Google Ingham County Environmental Health for a search)... records for a fairly recent (last fall) inspection indicate 16 critical violations and 13 non-criticals. In their follow-up report, giving you time to correct such serious matters, you STILL had 8 criticals. In my opinion, a restaurant with more than one critical should be CLOSED. (Further note: Sultan's Express is equally shameful.) The misplaced response to legitimate concerns is obviously apparent in more aspects of your business than I imagined. Now that I have confirmed I will never return to Sultan's, you have actually earned my very rarely given one star award. There is no opportunity to regain my (or my comrades) business now. read more

This is the first time I've ever been to Sultan's, despite growing up in this area. I became a huge fan of Middle Eastern food upon moving to Chicago, and I've had some great stuff there. Sultan's was perfectly fine and reasonably priced, but I wouldn't praise it beyond that. It's solid, tasty food, but I didn't find it special. I like the decor of the room, and it was easy to get a table at 7 pm on a Friday (unlike several other restaurants we tried....). Our waitress was incredibly friendly, and explained menu items very clearly. We began with soup and salad - Mom ordered the vegetable soup but received lentil, which I had ordered too. Soup wasn't as hot as I'd like, nor as strongly flavored, but I did enjoy dipping my bread in the soup bowl! Definitely tasted better with a bit o' bread. I had the chicken schwarma and hummus "lunch platter" but it was dinner time, so you pay $1.50 extra. The rice was soft and fluffy, and the hummus was pretty top-notch. The schwarma itself was perfectly fine - again, not terribly exciting, not too hot or juicy, but well-flavored. It almost tasted like there was bacon in it - I know that can't be, maybe it's just crispy chicken skin, but something in the schwarma was crispy and smoky-flavored. In a good way. I also had a fresh juice which was very nice - I think it was called "The Tropical Paradise?" I would probably try another Middle Eastern place in the city before returning here, but it was a nice place to go for a quick, satisfying meal. read more

Not authentic in my opinion since I lived in the Middle East. I didn't really like the okra stew, flavors were off. Also, I don't really understand the extensive use of bell peppers, this is not a middle eastern thing. Hummus isn't great. Lentil soup is bland. I also don't understand the use of the weird wide rice. Basmati rice is definitely the way to go. The chicken shawarma is acceptable. I personally wouldn't go back at all. read more

In an area with generally lackluster options for Middle-Eastern food, Sultan's somehow reaches a new low. The food was quite flavorless, and the service was lacking. Specifically, fattoush was watery, with a puddle left on the bottom of the plate. Not a puddle of dressing, mind you, but of water. The dressing itself had no sumac, therefore missing the actual flavor of fattoush. I ordered a vegetarian combo which was described as including falafel patties and grape leaves (plural), but came with one of each, and roughly a tablespoon each of hummus and baba ganoush. It also had mujadara and borgul; both were unremarkable. We waited about 10 minutes after our food came for fresh pita bread, only to be told they decided not to make any more that evening. So, we were given bagged bread from the grocery store instead. Seriously. I left realizing why everyone has told me to avoid this place since I moved here. Now I'll know to pay more attention to their recommendations. Oops. read more