Sultan Lebanese Cuisine & Bakery

I love this restaurant! Usually we order for delivery. I LOVE the falafel here!!! I have never been especially fond of falafel, but at this place I cannot get enough.
I had the occasion to go into the restaurant with a friend. We still ordered to-​go, but it was nice to see what the inside looks like. The young man that works the register is extremely friendly and personable. Overall a very pleasant experience.

We picked this place because 1 it delivered and 2 LOOKED like it had all we wanted… We placed our order which took over an hour and a half only to get ice cold blah food… We were charged for an appetizer we didn’t order and then our drinks and food were messed up… Very Expensive for 2 wraps sorry guys we will not be re-​ordering…

I love the beef shawarma here! And the little pickled radish and cucumbers that are made in house by the owner’s wife. Delicious!

Been a regular here for a couple years now. They got a nice variety of food that you can have for (a late) breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a quick snack.
Their Labneh is truly delicious, I usually go for that along a plate of Falafel and egg and cheese Manakeesh for a breakfast\brunch meal on a Saturday. They serve it with a complimentary hot tea (which I also love!).
I also like their Sheesh Kebab sandwich. Their Meat (Lah’mah) Manakeesh is pretty good too.
Overall, if you like authentic Arabic/​Middle Eastern food, this one is as good as it gets anywhere in upstate NY IMO.

Since I’m middle eastern decent I consider myself an expert on the culture and cuisine. This is my first time at sultans and I will say I am pleasantly surprised with this place. I am new to Rochester and have been waiting to find a restaurant that serves Lebanese food let alone good tasting food.
Ordered the baba ganouj and it was the best I’ve had since being home. The labneh was delish creamy fresh nicely blend of yogurt and oil. Our main dishes were shawarma plate and the mashawi plate and both were cooked well and seasoned just right. My only complaint was with the hummus and the pita bread served with the dips. The hummus was ok just good have been better. It wasn’t authentic enough for me and I’m not sure what was missing. My guess is the lack of garlic or lemon or tahini. As for the pita they cut it into to small of pieces. Wasn’t able to roll my kafta or chicken in it.
I would definitely recommend sultans to friends and I hope it sticks around.

They just reopened after being closed for 2 weeks for renovation. They told me they wanted to renovate to make the place more comfortable for customers they heard from on Unilocal! (So this review is somewhat meta!). The place does feel more like a restaurant now than a café. Still nothing fancy though and that’s totally OK.
They still have the same menu and prices which is awesome!
We got the Mashawi Platter and Falafel appetizer. Perfect amount of food for 2 people and so so delicious! The variety of meats in the platter is great!
This place is a hidden gem (or maybe not so hidden).

Here’s an idea — if your restaurant is closed for repairs, put a message on your phone that notifies customers, so that when people place an order on line through Unilocal,via eat24, they aren’t scrambling to figure out why no one can get in touch with the restaurant or where their order is. Based on this lack of professionalism, I would not make an effort to eat here after this one and only experience shows complete disregard of intelligent follow through and foresight.

I remember the torrential rains on that day as if it where yesterday, as I was looking for the Sultan Lebanese Cuisine and Bakery. The restaurant which is located in the corner of Mt. Hope Plaza, can be very easy to miss. It is very small inside with some tables, and a large counter for service. Sultan’s interior has a feel that you have stepped into a farmers market right in the heart of Lebanon, a little dusty I am not going to lie. I was joined with my other fellow Unilocalers! to celebrate another Unilocal!International Dinner Night. Being that this was my first time trying Lebanese styled food, it was great to have Em R. sit next to me to give me step-​by-​step advice (he even has a Unilocal!Food Master Badge). We took a little mini tour before dinner, and saw the giant brick oven along with the Shawarma Machine. The cooks there unfortunately do NOT know how to master the brick oven, since food was over-​cooked multiple times across the table. Now what’s a Shawarma Machine you ask?, well it’s beef and chicken mushed together on a giant rod rotating in a large heater. It looked disgusting, and you can tell too much meat was piled on together. Both the Beef and the Chicken Shawarma where dry, probably because they where over-​portioned on the pole while heating for an extremely long period of time (we call this in the restaurant business– cutting corners). With the Entrees’ CLEARLY lacking, Sultan’s does redeem itself in the Appetizer/​Dessert Category.
DRINKS: I took Serena T.‘s lead, and got started with there signature yogurt drink called Ayrun. You must have a select pallet to enjoy this drink, I was not one of them. It tasted like fat free milk with salt combined with a hint of mint. I can see this being a great drink in the desert (yes, the one with the sand) when it is extremely hot out, just not here. During the meal, I ordered the Beirut Beer. Beirut Beer is a signature Pilsner beer drafted right in Lebanon. It is light, and airy which complimented the Kafta nicely. This was Serena T.‘s last Unilocal!event with us here in Rochester, as she is joining Unilocal!Seattle next week. Serena T. was an amazing addition to the Unilocal!ROC team, and she will be missed.
APPETIZERS: Holy Baba Ganouj!, pureed eggplant dip in a masterful form. The eggplant was smooth, and creamy in texture. It has just the right amount of olive oil drizzled on top, and in the center. I like the big olive they place in the center of the plate… YUMMIES! The warm pita bread was grilled to perfection to dip into the Baba Ganouj. On the vegetarian side, we ordered the Za’Atar Manakeesh. The dough was grilled perfectly, with the Lebanese Za’atar and Sumac Spice dashed on top. After the dough was taken out of the brick oven, it was generously drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.
SALAD: The Tabouli Salad will leave you begging for a trip to Lebanon. It is a healthy/​refreshing PARSLEY salad that consists of fresh tomatoes, onions, and olive oils. I enjoyed the citrus burst from the lemon juice throughout.
ENTREE: To have the whole Lebanese experience, you must order the Mashawi Plate. This plate will give you a variety of food styles from the Lebanese culture. The variety however, is the only good thing overall about the dish. The chicken kabab was severely DRY. There was no seasoning on the chicken, just little burnt pieces to flake off. It was plain chicken on a stick you could of gotten off a food truck. The Shish (Beef) Kabab was equally dry, with a little bit of a taste of the cumin’ Za’atar spice blend on top. It tasted like burnt beef with grilled onions on a stick. The grilled onions where surprisingly cooked better (probably because they where not on the Shawarma Machine), and saved the day for that Kabab. The Kafta tasted AMAZING! You can TELL this piece was GRILLED to perfection! A Kafta is a grilled minced meat sausage. It was flavor packed, and you can taste the authenticity in the spices pronounced throughout. Unfortunately, they only give you 2 pieces of Kafka in the ENTIRE plate. On the side was a delicious chick pea hummus, served with pita bread. The hummus was a little watery for my taste, but the chick peas mixed-​in together help thicken it up.
DESSERT: Special props go out to Jay K. for ordering us the Rice Pudding. The rice, and milk blended in wonderfully to give it a creamy/​smooth texture. You can taste the hints of flavors throughout of the cinnamon and cumin’ with each spoonful. The bread and raisins where chopped in perfectly to not over-​power the pudding as a whole. As a BONUS, the dish was topped with baklava on top. The baklava was flaky/​buttery as you ate it together with your rice pudding. Mixing Baklava and rice pudding together sounds in-​ordinary, but the flavors will send you on a magic carpet ride.
OVERALL: The Shawarma Machine, Mashawi Plate, Tabouli Salad, Kafta!, DRY Chicken and Beef Kababs’, Creamy Rice Pudding, and Holy Baba Ganouj… I Might Be Back

Could this be the perfect falafel sandwich in Rochester? If it isn’t, it sure comes damned close! Its got crunch, texture, flavor, tahini. it’s all good. The price was great too at 5.49! I could eat this everyday.
I had to stay and order the falafel appetizer/​plate. it was that good.
The service is a little odd (order, they bring it out, you eat, and pay after), but whatever; if that’s the only thing I can nitpick, that’s a good thing.

This is my second time coming here and they make excellent schwarmas. This was also my second time trying out their manakeesh and they do not disappoint. I love the flat bread they make it on, not heavy or greasy at all and its so fresh, I can eat the whole manakeesh. This time I had the egg and cheese one but their other ones are also good. Highly recommend, love that it is also family owned and really authentic.

This place is friendly!!! The falafel was some of the best I ever had. W loved the za’atar bread, salad, hummus and schwarma. I wish it was closer to home. Only think the bathroom needs improvement and they could use better tables and seating. Will be back!

Seriously? I ordered to go, and found out the meat in my kabob wrap is all burnt dark and bitter like coal! This restaurant may have tasteful food, BUT I accuse your attitude that you serve your customers with burnt kabob!

Good food, the do have different items of Mediterranean food including Chicken Shawarma
, Falafe, Hummus, Tabouli, cheese Mankeish
So reasonable price. Love it

So My mom and I stopped in last week because of the Unilocal recommendations. The food was delicious. There was a wait because everything is made fresh to order, we obviously didn’t mind. I got the shawarma platter and my mom ordered the mashawi platter with only beef (staff accommodated with no problem). Both platters come with hummus, salad (menu states tabouli but more like a Greek salad, which I loved) and bread for the table. Hummus and salad were fresh and the meats were Delish.
We were back in the area a few days later so we decided to take my sister and nephew. Now usually when a place is amazing the first time, it disappoints the next– Absolutely not the case! Cook was grilling eggplant over the open fire for the baba ghanoush and we couldn’t resist. My mom and I ordered the same plus babaghanoush (which alone is worth the drive from Syracuse). My sister got grape leaves and real tabouli, the grape leaves were nicely seasoned with cinnamon and cumin which we loved but the real tabouli is not as good as the other salad. Zaatar manakeesh was on baked to perfection.
All in all, we were all in food heaven. We plan on making the trip back out just to eat there again. If you like middle Eastern food, DO NOT PASS THIS PLACE UP!!!

Excellent, authentic Arabic food. The food was flavourful and amazing. Prices are very
Reasonable. Décor is more take out with seating than fancy restaurant. Saying that though it’s a large space that is moderately decorated. Main thing is it was very clean.
Compared to other so called «Arabic Eateries» on park ave. this is far superior. We will definitely return. The service was good and the food was quickly delivered. They were knowledge of any allergens and questions we had.
Family of 5 ate for $ 38 and we had leftovers. Can’t beat that.

(Although I’m giving this place 5 stars, it’s really more worth 4.5 – it’s not perfect, but it deserves more love than 4 stars.)
I was really missing Middle Eastern cuisine (Monroe Kebob really doesn’t count, guys) when I went here, and it perfectly satisfied my cravings.
The Lowdown:
Quality Lebanese food at a price that’s not a steal, but damn close. Their wraps are great, loaded with a whole lot of yummy spices, fries, and schawarma, and their manakeesh is delicious: warm and I believe baked in store – very «tender» as one friend put it (we mocked her choice of words relentlessly).
One of the biggest things holding back the full torrents of my love is the pricing for the sides. They’re just way to expensive for a cheapskate like me. I want a little hummus maybe, a little baba ganoush, but they’re charging upwards of $ 4 – 5 for them! Maybe have a smaller portion size as a cheaper option? Additionally, while delicious, the manakeesh is also a bit pricey for the amount you’re getting. To clarify, when I say «pricey» I mean compared to the perfect Middle Eastern store that exists in my head, where I would eat every day of my life given the chance.

Yet another big surprise as a huge gap seems to exist between my experience and those of my fellow Unilocalers.
I have been exposed to Lebanese and Mediterranean-​style food from an early age and I feel like my expectations are somewhat higher, or maybe my tastebuds have got used to something different quality wise.
We got together at Sultan for an International Supper club; We ordered the Shawarma combo and Baba Ghanouj with a yogurt drink (which is yogurt mixed with water and salt and is sometimes mint-​flavored and is usually paired with Kebab in Lebanese cuisine).
Baba Ghanouj was really good! It was garnished with a generous amount of olive oil and you could taste the smoked eggplant. It comes with a basket of pita bread which is light and delicious as well.
Everything started going downhill when the shawarma combo arrived. The slow-​roasted chicken and beef tasted nothing like chicken and beef and the lack of taste was compensated by copious amount of garlic! The Tabouli was lacking a main ingredient (Bulgur) and the burst of acidity of the dish was not nearly as much as what it should have been and last but not least, there was no finesse in the way the parsley was chopped.
Again, my expectations for a Lebanese restaurant might have been too high, but anyhow Sultan did not deliver.
The price is very reasonable though. For a big dish of Shawarma combo, you only pay 10.99. I might go back to try some of their other dishes.

I think they should start doing something gimmicky like «Shawarma Lunchbox» and «Kofte Lunchbox» where you get a little of everything for $ 5 or $ 6 at lunch time. I think they would sell tons. Then they can change their name to «Selltons.» Mwahahaha.
What to get: Beef and Chicken Shawarma combo wrap or plate.
What else: hummus, everything.
If you’re a tanning shop salesman, then basically you «selltans.» Same thing if you sell holidays to Cancun, right?
So this is the best Middle Eastern eatery in Rochester, by a distance. It’s also right up there with any that are in Buffalo, and might even be better than the Buffalo offerings. I’d love to have this place in the 716… maybe the owners would like top open up an extra location.
A lot of the girls at my gym are very pale. In fact the girlfriends of the personal trainers seem to have the «sole tans» in the place, throughout the winter.
The service has never been great, and I’m not sure if the food is always as fresh as it should be. But it’s very good value for money. It’s literally next door to one of Rochester’s other food gems (Abyssinia), and is literally half the price for food that is (arguably) just as delicious. If you enjoy delicious food or ethnic food, and you happen to be in Rochester, you really must go to both of these places. They are just that good.
If you’re a shell collector, where do you keep your shells? In «Shell Tins» of course.
The shawarma here is one of the best I’ve had in the region. Usually I don’t like wraps because they’re too dry or lacking taste. This one has exceptional taste, from the greasy, juicy, sauteed chicken and beef, to the salad and sauces inside the bread, and even the bread itself is okay although I don’t like wrap bread. The garlic, tahini, and hummus that you can get on there if you ask, are all delicious. But the star of the show is definitely the meat. It’s some of the best tasting shawarma meat I’ve had.
When I see 10s, I tend to swell down below. That’s why I call them «Swell Tens.»
I think if there are bad reviews of the shawarma meat — and there are — it’s because it’s greasy, a little grizzly, and extremely «real» in terms of exactly what street Shawarma and late night drunk Shawarma is supposed to taste like. Wet and hot and full of flavour. Whereas a lot of Rochester «Middle Eastern» places are actually vanilla watered down Americanized food that tastes more like parsley vegan wraps than an actual street kebab. And yes I’m looking at Sinbad’s, Aladdin’s, Byblos, and even Monroe Kebab when I say that.
I knew a girl who was actually a boy, from Senegal. Super hot. She called herself a «Senegalese Trans.» :)
The hummus is also some of the best in town but the real star of the show (so far) is the Shawarma. I’ll be back to try some platters with other stuff so I can update this review with all the other delights on the menu that I find, but for the time being, the dirt cheap shawarma combo or the pricier plate, will really do the trick. Best Middle Eastern in Rochester.
And if you do the wild thing with 10 blues/​r-​n-​b/​motown musicians all night, one after the other, and ask them to form a line for «service», every night for a week, what do you call that? «Soul Trains.»

I waited a long time before reviewing Sultan.
I didn’t like it, liked it, loved it, liked it, loved it again, liked it and then didn’t care for it much.
Goes to say their food is unpredictable. I usually go for their wraps. You’ll get a fresh and juicy wrap with delicious pickle and garlic sauce paired with succulent meat at times versus dry mediocre food which tastes re-​heated at other times.
I don’t care for the appetizers much. The falafel is mediocre. The hummus is good. You can have as much pita bread with it as you want. Just ask.
People seem to really like the Manakeesh which is good but my taste buds don’t usually crave it. It’s basically bread with toppings. A version of pizza so to say. It’s usually good but nothing extraordinary.
The seating is adequate. Has more of a diner feel to it than a high end restaurant but then again it isn’t a high end restaurant.
The prices are quite low for what you get and that’s a plus.
With a little consistency and improvement in the food quality Sultan can become so much more.
Using Halal or Kosher meat will attract a much larger Muslim clientele as well but the owner told me it would bump up the prices for everything due to higher costs.
Good place to try out for lunch I would say. Just hope the meat is freshly cut and not dry.
Extra garlic sauce. Always. But don’t plan a date afterwards. And if you plan on going to work after be sure to have some mouthwash handy in order to prevent your coworkers giving you an undesirable nick name.

Stopped for a sampling of basics/​classics and we were not disappointed.
After a very friendly greeting and some menu suggestions and discussions with the owner, we chose the Hummus, a Gyro Pita, Sultan’s Rice, the Labneh Manakeesh, and the Lahmajin Manakeesh.
Of the two the seasoned ground beef of Lahmajin was favored more over the herby yogurt of the Labneh. Both were decent and had flavors that I might enjoy more for brunch as the were not as savory or juicy as say the Gyro meat was.
The Gyro was a standard offering done perfectly well, with soft warm and fresh pita and juicy beef and lamb. Their Hummus was another well done standard and the serving was decently portioned if not generous.
The Sultan’s Rice (not gluten free) as it has Vermicelli with raisins and almonds was light and generously portioned but would have been even more enjoyable with some additional raisins and almonds and or if we had ordered it with some meat, will def do next time.
Definitely going back to try the Shawarma!