Sultan

The buffet lunch was an inexpensive (cheaper than the advertised price on the door!) surprise.
The décor is of a high-​end restaurant but we were paying under $ 10 each for the experience. The selection was average (3 or 4 entrees with meat and 3 without) but the quality was above most places at that price. The real attraction for me was the unusual spiciness of the food at a buffet. Obviously buffets try to appease a large amount of people but Sultan was unafraid to pour on the peppers! Kudos.
There was a generous assortment of chutneys and of unusual breads (savory doughnuts?!), and while the breads were underwhelming, the chutneys were good.
The biggest drawback to our buffet meal was the steamtray of naan. So often these days, restaurants are offering freshly prepared naan with buffet meals. I do not need to tell you the difference between naan fresh from the tandoor and naan from a steamtray!
Whatever Sultan lost on the naan, it almost made up for in the Coke department. Not only did they offer Coke in the can, but brought it to the table WITH glasses of ice. Now that’s a class move!
An excellent brunch option for the price in a competitive area of town.

Their buffet is very cheap — and sadly it reflects on the quality of their food. I would have rather paid a few dollars more for a greater selection of food & better service — or any service at all, even. There was only one other guest at Sultan on a Sunday afternoon — a lady who was in and out in less than 15 minutes. The place is clean and somewhat nice. We had to go behind their counter and find our own teaspoons for the tea and get napkins, and even though they had two people working the dining area (who spent the 1.5 hours we spent there chatting at a nearby table, mind you) — nobody moved from their spot until we were ready to pay.
Their Chicken Tikka Masala & Chutney were the the only good things at their buffet. The WORST part of the whole experience, however — was the naan. It was SO awful — hard, chewy, and OLD — that we just couldn’t eat it. I ended up having my curry with basmati rice instead — decent, but how do you screw up rice, really? Their samosas were very crispy. Their chai needed more masala.
Off day, maybe? We’d rather not go back to find out.

I came to Sultan expecting a 4 or 5-​star meal, based on lots of other Unilocalers’ reviews. The decent, contemporary décor and delicious Indian Shiraz confirmed my predisposition, as did my salad of beets and greens.
The naan arrived with my lamb korma entrée, followed a few minutes later by the saffron rice. The naan was freshly made but very dull — only useful as a tool to sop-​up the korma sauce; not worth eating on its own.
The korma was fine. Not remarkable, but enjoyable and a good value for $ 10. The rice, on the other hand, tasted like scorched vegetable oil and lacked any detectable saffron-​y goodness. Its bad flavor was strong enough that it detracted from the korma that I had unfortunately ladled over it.
Their chai delivered little but over-​steeped black tea and milk flavors. I had to search hard for any trace of cardamom, cinnamon or any other spice.
I found their service to be curt, businesslike and sparse, but nonetheless quick enough to get the job done. By the end of my meal, my Unilocal-​o-​meter was trending toward a two– or three-​star rating.
Then the bill arrived. My server announced matter-​of-​factly that their credit card machine was broken and that I would need to pay my $ 30 bill with cash. I told him I had $ 17 on me and that I wished he told me about this issue before I ordered. No kidding: He blinked once, turned and went on about his duties without another word.
(Another server offered to write-​down my credit card information and run the charge in the morning. I’m waiting to see what happens.)
One star, well earned.

I absolutely loved this place! I’ve only had Indian food a couple times before, so I’m no expert, but I had the best Indian food I’ve ever had at Sultan.
My family and I had to walk through a mountain of crack addicts and smelly man holes to get here, but it was worth it!
I’m kinda mad because I didn’t write down what we ordered! But I de remember the amazing tastes of my three favorite dishes.
We got a yogurt salad which was amazing! I didn’t think I would like it, but I LOVED it! I wish I didn’t have to share! We got a spicy lamb dish… ugh! the best plate of the night! Along with garlic naan. I would have been happy with just those three things. All for myself of course! We had a few other plates, but I can’t remember what they were. I literally had delicious Indian dreams of spicy lamb, naan, and cucumber yogurt salad that night. MMMMMMmmMmmmmmMMM

Word,
So Peter Griffin in a Family Guy episode once made a remark saying, «You know when they build a new bridge next to the old bridge and you use the new bridge and your like ‘wow, why did i ever use the old bridge?’» I think that’s the best way to describe Sultan in relations to next door neighbor Naan-​N-​Curry.
Sultan is family run restaurant and built literally next to local Indian food chain Naan-​N-​Curry. I remember watching the construction of Sultan and thinking, ‘Wow, Sultan is directly challenging Naan-​N-​Curry by having literally next to them” After going to Sultan’s like Peter Griffin I went ‘wow, why did i ever go to Naan-​N-​Curry?“
Sultan food’s is better quality, more selection and less greasy than its next door neighbor. The inside is very elegant as Indian restaurants go and have actual silverware and cloth napkins, a much better upgrade from Naan-​N-​Currys cafeteria style décor.
As a general rule I judge a restaurant’s authenticity being seeing how many people from that culture actually eat at that particular restaurant. I would say that when I’ve ate there in the past it was 90% Indian people which bodes well to how Indian feel about the quality of the food.
Naan-​N-​Curry one saving grace over Sultan is that Sultan does not do ²⁴⁄₇ buffet. However, like many Indian restaurants Sultan does a very good Sunday lunch buffet. It’s has many choices, including free samosa unlike some other places ***Cough Cough Naan-​N-​Curry cough cough *** The buffet is also very reasonable only $ 12 for a great selection of good quality food.
sups

I am officially angry with Sultan — their lack of professionalism to inform their potential patrons that they are closed for remodeling is beyond irritating. It hurts. It’s salt on the wound that they created when I tried to dine there another time but found a lame-​ass sign posted on their doorway saying that they were closed for a private party. Here’s a hint Sultan: Outgoing message. Leave them with information when you are randomly going to shut down for periods of time. Your door-​signs suck.
Even though the food is pretty solid, it’s not worth the trouble. I’m glad I went to Amber India Restaurant instead!!!

I would almost give this place a 4.5 star cause it was definitely good and man was it cheap. We have a game that we play with my group of friends where at the end of the meal, we try to guess the total bill and yeah, we all guess about $ 100 over what it came out to be. I mean, it was about $ 20/​person for good Indian food… that’s almost unheard of for us.
So we got the lamb dish that starts with a D on the menu… get that, it’s freaking good and not gamey at all!!! Then the other usual suspects like chicken tikki masala, spinach and paneer, 3 different kinds of naan, samosa, dancing prawns and some other dishes that I can remember the name of but again, all good. Service was very attentive… I can say that only negative thing if I really had to pick one out was the fact that you only got one refill on the iced tea. Would go back if I’m in the area and want good Indian food at a very reasonable price!!!

Bomb. Bomb. Bomb!
We’ve all had our share of Indian food, and we all have our favorite restaurants which we rave about. Well… this is mine.
It’s not an question of whose Naan is better, or who has the better Tandoori dishes, it really comes down to quality … and Sultans has it.
Honestly, I have had better — but that was at some shay shay Indian place where dishes are over priced and the chef only speaks French. Just kidding, I’ve never been to a place like that.
Anyway, located next to the nasty Naan N’ Curry, Sultans has an inviting air about it that is felt the moment you enter.
Dim lightings set the mood for a romantic evening — it doesn’t have to be that way, but that’s what I had going on that night. Couples around me were popping bottles of wine — that seemed a bit unusual for me at an Indian restaurant, but hey, I’m all for the libations.
I opted for a Taj Mahal beer, which paired perfectly with my meal.
I left the ordering of an appetizer up to my date — he always orders the same thing, so it was great to see his creative juices flow. He ordered these potato croquette things with corn stuffed inside. Mmmmmm… so good. Who doesn’t love fried potatoes? Crunchy on the outside, sweet, spicy and fluffy on the inside. We also ordered some spinach cheese stuff. It was good, but not my fave.
With Indian restaurants, you never expect one menu to be much different from the other, so I ordered an old time favorite, Lamb, to see how Sultans stacked-​up to my other faves.
I was already impressed by the piping hot food. It’s a small nit pick, but the food stayed hott. It is important when you’re sharing and dipping, that the temperature surpasses that «I’m full» moment, and still sticks around for the «Just one last bite» moment.
So … my lamb was great. I ordered it with a rosemary potato naan.
Long story short, I’d go back, and I’d tell all my friends to picket Naan N’ Curry (I got sick there once). The prices are reasonable, and the food yummy.
Enjoy.

Came here for dinner. Dinner took almost 2 hours because of incredibly slow, inattentive service.
So why 4 stars? Because I’d have to rate the chicken tikka masala as some of the best I’ve had in San Francisco. The naan was also really good. The samosas were different than what I’m used to: they were smaller, almost bite-​sized. I liked this better than the usual samosa that is huge and falls apart when you try to cut into it to split it. Sad they don’t have pakora on the menu, but there was so much food I didn’t miss it.
I will definitely be going out of my way to come here when I need my masala fix. I’ll just make sure I don’t have anywhere I need to be for a couple of hours.

I don’t have much of a comparison when it comes to Indian food, besides Naan N’ Curry (which is right next door).
Bombay Prawns (coconutty), Tandoori Chicken (not too dry) and Naan. All were pretty delightful and easy on the tongue and stomach. Though…
The verdict? I prefer Naan N’ Curry a tad more. The Naan seems to be more satisfying for some reason and the dishes feel like they’ve got more impact on the stomach. By impact, I mean that the flavors are a little more hearty, reeking, spicy, and wreaks havoc on your intestines. Yeah, I like the wrenching NnC does for me.
But if you don’t need that so much, this place provides a decent experience.
I’ll have to come back here to raise it a star if I can find an overall dish deserving.

Maybe I went on the wrong day — Friday.
Maybe I went for the wrong meal — dinner.
It is beyond me why a place with service such as this has such a high Unilocal rating. Sultan is Robin to Naan N Curry’s Batman! It’s smaller with less stuff — stuff, in this case meaning décor and customers.
We passed Naan & Curry and were zapped by aromas and warmth. We stepped another 5 feet toward sultan and into its flaccid atmosphere. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food was alright but the service left a lot to be desired.
1. Offered the table closest to the exit where we were sure to be chilled by O’farrell’s winds
2. Had to request a fourth menu
3. The chais were delivered approximately ½ empty
4. Green tea delivered with no cup… NO CUP!!! Hot water, tea bag, spoon came out on the first round but no cup. The server realized this and apologized before this was pointed out. This is the only thing rectified without our bringing it up first.
5. A party seated after us was served before us. In fact, they were almost done eating before our food arrived. Our waitress had wandered off and was having a conversation at the door so it was necessary to hail another server who swore up and down that we didn’t have our entrees yet because she was waiting for us to complete every morsel of the appetizers. Mind you this was after hailing her with, «check please» — paying and skipping next door sounded like a good idea.
6. Our original waitress never returned after delivering appetizers. In order to FINALLY pay & leave we had to wave at the congregation of employees around the cash register.
Overall this place has a strange vibe. I do not anticipate returning. If I do, I would have to scrutinize all the Unilocal rating this place 4 or higher and see what the common factors were. This place was practically empty on a Friday night during a holiday weekend in San Francisco. Perhaps the mighty have fallen. Then again, I don’t believe Robin ever was that mighty.
Oh, the first star is for the food and the second star is for the music.

This place has one fanfuckingtastic lunch buffet. Mostly vegetarian entrees but the tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and indescribably complex lamb curry were all top notch as well. They even had a dessert I liked– some french toastish thing in a sauce of cream, lemon, egg, cream, butter, and cream.
I tried everything on the buffet and have no complaints. And the staff were very sociable to my friends and me.

I’m sure I’ve had worse service, but I’m not sure where or when. It was NOT packed, but as we sat and waited 10 minutes for anyone to take our drink order, we noticed everyone else looking around trying to get a server’s attention too. The only one who seemed to be on the ball was the busboy, who was great at filling water and clearing dishes. Unfortunately, everyone else needed a swift kick in the ass. We were in a rush — I’d think that an hour and a half would be plenty of time for a relaxed dinner, but we were pushing it because of the slow service. I asked for the check when the server brought our entrees. Nothing. I grabbed a guy walking by and asked him for our check too. Nothing. I finally had to walk up to the counter and explain that I had asked several times and we were really in a rush. And then the wrong check was brought to us.
And it’s a shame, because the food was phenomenal. Absolutely great. We had the shrimp appetizers and the corn croquettes to start. And then we had two chicken dishes and saag paneer. And everything was wonderful (the chicken masala was the standout).
I know the owner is a Unilocaler — why the hell isn’t he reading these reviews and doing something about the terrible service?
And the décor? I get it, you’re going for some sort of minimalistic and modern theme. But it doesn’t really work with the space. Get some art on the walls. And some tufts of fabric hanging from the ceiling would be a nice touch too.

I have to thank Sultan for enlightening me. Now I know what a good Indian buffet should be like. Until I came here, I thought the buffet at India Garden Restaurant was as good as it got.
Sultan puts that place to shame.
It is the first Indian restaurant that has a cool clean look and where the buffet has a wide variety of dishes. The freshness and flavor of the food almost overshadows how everything is perfectly presented. I just wished they served a Saag or a fish dish.
And unlike other buffets, they’re constantly replenishing empty trays with new batches of food instead of adding to the existing stuff.
Yes, the tab is a little pricey ($ 12), but if you adhere to you get what you pay for, then you’re paying for a quality and taste you wouldn’t find at your average Indian buffet.
The only thing that gets me is Sultan is located right next door to Naan-​n-​Curry. How do these two places co-​exist? More importantly, do they share the same kitchen? And if they do, why does the food taste so much better at Sultan?
Hmmmmm.

I’m happy to have found a decent Indian place that didn’t have «eau de cabbie» emanating in the atmosphere in the TL. From the suggestions of other Unilocalers, the family and I went to Sultan’s on a Monday night and were not disappointed.
The host greeted us warmly, sat us down in plush seats, water was delivered immediately and special dishes described and offered. Nice.
We ordered the lamb khorma (we love spicy foods), veggie samosas which were accompanied by a mint cilantro sauce that I could just about drizzle on everything and a spinach dish that wasn’t all that awesome.
lamb khorma: 4 stars for the spiciness but knock 1 off ’cause it was ladened with a lot of thick bones. I know it’s lamb, but I’m not asking for lamb shoulder here.
naan: Garlic naan for $ 2 a pop SHOULD have FRESH garlic as it did so not disappointed there.
Spinach and chicken in a tomato sauce: I would have liked it better had it not been for the fact that the spinach was frozen/​precut stuff. You can taste the difference with that kind of stuff.
The chai tea was almost as good as the stuff back home but not as good as the chai in Nepal but shoot, I’m in SF so I’ll shut up now.
Overall, the ambiance was pleasant but I wouldn’t take a date here if I was sitting in the main dining room ’cause something about seeing the high wattage florescent bulbs and their Hobart dishwashing machine is not my idea of atmosphere.

Pretty good food! I had wondered how an indian place could open just next to 24h naan-​n-​curry, but this place is worlds apart from the fast food there.
They can make anything in the veg section vegan, I had the lentils, and it was a dish I haven’t had before but it was very flavorful and good. The rosemary-​potato naan was new to me too and also very good. I wanted to try the saffron-​apple naan as well but I had to take a lot home as leftover as it was. Definitely want to come back and try more.

We went here after seeing a FREE show at Union Square. I had high hopes for this place, but it was disappointing. I can’t recommend it.
The place looks nice, but it’s way overpriced.
We got:
Tap water given as we sat down.
Pampadan — not sure if it was free, since it was supposed to come w/​the biryani dish we ordered though it came first. Nice & crispy. Had to ask for the chutney sauces.
lamb kabab — an appetizer. It’s 8 small pcs of minced lamb w/​onion & green chili, skewered & roasted in clay oven $ 10. Pretty good, though spicy.
spinach masala chicken $ 12-​some chunks of chicken breast pics sauteeed spinach & spices. I liked it ok.
hyderabad chicken biryani-​boring rice & more boring chicken breast chunks. $ 15 — skip it.
eggplant mattar — eggplant cooked w/​peas & scallions, Gujarati style $ 12 — just ok.
Rosemary potato naan $ 3 — was pretty good for naan.
some other chicken dish $ 12 — a bowl full of reddish sauce w/​a few chunks of chicken that didn’t look like chicken. Not good. Skimpy amount of chicken and for $ 12? Crazy!
garlic naan $ 2 — was ok
mango lassi $ 3 — pretty good
Total w/​Tax not tip was $ 86!
Service was slow even when it wasn’t busy, place gets noisy when it fills up. One unisex bathroom in the back. We paid cash — not sure if they take credit cards.
We wished we ate at Naan and Curry next door.

wow… Sultan’s is one of the best places for Indian food I have ever eaten at! So I was trying to diet and limit my outlandish eating habits, and then I came across this restaurant. So much for that. Loosened the belt and gave way to my expanding belly of gourmet Indian food…
Ate at their lunch buffet… As you enter, the aroma of authentic spices and tantalizing curry entices you to bum rush the buffet table. The Yellows, Reds, Oranges… Oh My! There before me was an array of colors and beautiful dishes. Chicken Tikka Masala, Kier, and so many other names I can’t remember. There was a sizzling plate of curried vegetables I think called Tandoori that you MUST try. The waiters are on top of your drinks and keep you stocked on your Naan!!! It’s a good thing too because I must’ve drank 5 glasses of water to temper the spices. Wide variety of flavorful vegetable dishes for the vegetarian crowd as well. Chicken legs that took up half my plate… Coconutty kier to satisfy your sweet tooth after the feast fit for a maharajah… Come hungry, leave happier than a fat kid with a candy house. ahhh. Whisk me away back to Sultans…

Hella deep wood décor comfy and clean. Fresh, pretty, well balanced flavors. $ 12 or $ 13 lunch buffet 7 days a week, a 20-​foot bronze terrine line-​up of curries, tandoori, five kinds of chicken, some lamb, several veggies and across the aisle two breads, thick raita, many chutneys, three deserts. Even the lowly kabli chana and daal masala are comfort food bliss. The value depends on your appetite. Eat like a lion and you can crawl back under a tree to sleep it off, you won’t need to eat all night into the next week.
The guy lingering on the iMac? He’s not just rotating Indian house beats. He’s online. He’s Unilocaling! One of the most gentlemanly souls ever to haunt Web 2.0. If that’s not worth your patronage, forget it. Gil has thrown a big mac at you using superpoke! Go back to Compuserve. Go word process a Wang.

Wow, finally! An Indian restaurant that offers interesting, varied cuisine in a modern setting, for a reasonable price.
Daniel W. and I had the buffet lunch here yesterday, and I was very impressed. It’s easy to find, right across the street from the Hilton and next to Naan & Curry — which may seem like an odd location choice, but Sultan and N & C are two totally different kinds of restaurants.
The décor is very nice and upscale — hardwood floors, modern yet comfortable chairs, richly painted walls with refreshingly little adornment. Very, very clean. Downtempo beats in the background.
Naan was brought to the table and we helped ourselves to the buffet. Oh, the colors, the flavors! My usual complaint about Indian restaurants in San Francisco is that they use very cream-​laden sauces, that basically taste the same. Not so here. Chicken Tika Masala, Chicken Vindaloo, Daal, Lamb Rogan Josh, Daal (ok, here is where the names escape me…), a potato dish with caraway, an Okra dish that was TO DIE FOR, fried cauliflower, papadams. Everything was fresh, thoughtfully prepared, and soooo tasty!
And instead of giant bins of food, the containers were reasonable-​sized so that they could be replaced with fresh food as needed. I would much rather wait for a dish to be prepared than scoop the scrapings of what has been sitting there for 2 hours.
The meat is Halal, which is a term I now recognize from going to lunch with a smartie like Daniel W. It refers to the way the meat is processed, according to strict guidelines, similar to Kosher.
I think that lunch is a fairly new thing here, so while there were a decent number of customers, it didn’t feel crowded. And at $ 10.95 for the buffet, you really can’t find a better deal elsewhere. The menu changes every day, so you won’t burn out on eating the same dishes over and over.
I can’t wait to come here for dinner and try something off of the main menu — and I am coming with friends because I want to try a lot!
This restaurant is pretty new (in this location, anyway), so give them some feedback, and if you don’t see something, just ask for it. The owners are super-​nice and appreciate comments. I look forward to seeing this business grow and develop into a staple in the theater district, a standout, destination Indian restaurant in a sea of sameness. Delicious!