In the funky casbah ambiance of Sultan’s Market, college students queue up with office workers and local homeowners to call out their orders to a team of brusque steam table jockeys who scoop and pack in overdrive, turning out tasty, low-priced Middle Eastern fare. The restaurant, run by Lebanese owners, started out as an ethnic convenience store offering hot food on the side but eventually morphed into a cafeteria restaurant where the food is the star.
Because it’s a former ethnic grocery store, it retains a fascinating inventory of Middle Eastern-style treats, from dates and nuts to imported chips and Turkish candies. All this adds to the feeling that one has been transported from Wicker Park and set down on a street corner in Beirut, and the brisk, no-nonsense throughput of its customers – 30 seconds after you’ve called out your order your meal is pushed across the counter at you – puts one in mind of a frenetic Moroccan market.
And the food is good. The hummus is creamy and delicious, the tabbouli is fine, and the shwerma is savory and satisfying. When it comes to satisfaction, Sultan’s Market exceeds itself. For a mere $12 you can have a 3-course meal that you will be hard pressed to eat in one sitting, featuring a main course of meat and rice, hummus, cucumber salad and three servings of pita bread. College students and cash-strapped twenty-somethings recognize the value for the dollar and flock here, leaving competitive Middle Eastern eateries scratching their heads at the appeal.
But there’s more to it than just the food. The Sultan’s funky ambiance is a cartoon version of the Alhambra complete with arches and arabesques and fringed lamps and wacky mirrors. It’s really just a faux overlay for the usual wood booths you find at many a college hang-out, but its fun, and the customers seem to appreciate it.
Yet Sultan’s Market draws more than just college students. It’s a favorite of the lunchtime crowd and provides a quick, inexpensive bite for locals returning home late from the office. There’s a full salad bar stocked with all kinds of Middle Eastern goodies like stuffed grape leaves, artichoke hearts, brussel sprouts, olives and feta. And the drink cooler has hard to find Middle Eastern soft drinks like Lychee soda and pomegranate juice.
However, the star of the show is the falafel. Your mouth begins to water as you watch the prep-man drop two billiard size falafel balls into the pita pocket and then ladle in a delicious cucumber salad and creamy hummus, and spices it up to order. You can hardly wait to get to your seat and start wolfing it down. It’s that good.
Sultan’s Market is cash only. It has 12 tables inside and a pleasant sidewalk dining area on a tree-lined stretch of Hoyne.
Sultan’s Market offers authentic Middle Eastern fare prepared with dash and verve in a fun and funky ambiance for a song. It’s what budget ethnic dining in Wicker Park is all about.
Sultan’s Market
2057 W. North Ave.
773-235-3072 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: M-Sa 10am-10pm, Su 10am-9pm
Features: Outdoor Dining, Cash only, No alcohol, Carryout
Avg price of a meal for two including drinks and tax $24
Website: http://chicagofalafel.com
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