I was supposed to meet up with a few friends at Sultan Kebab and Baklava but our meet up got postponed. All the arranging made me realize I haven’t posted about my visit here from back in October. Oops. My first visit can be found here.
Sultan is a Turkish restaurant specializing in kebabs and baklava. We loved our first visit and wanted to try much more on our return.
I ordered a cup of the complimentary Turkish tea which I really like. It’s strong but with sweet overtones.
Then we ordered some appetizers. I think it’s best to get a small order of several of these appetizers so that they can make a combination plate for you. There was some mix up with our order, a new server they were training, so we ended up getting full size orders of each of the appetizers we requested, rather than smaller amounts.
Antepezme (onion, hot pepper, tomato, chili powder)
Hummus
I really love the hummus here. It has a very strong olive oil flavor. I could easily eat this every day.
Saksuka (potato, zucchini, eggplant, sweet pepper and tomatoes)
The appetizers are accompanied by their fresh baked lavas bread, a very thin, chewy bread, which you can use to scoop up the different pastes.
We also ordered the falafels.
I really like falafels. There’s a place nearby where my parent’s live that I used to frequent a lot in high school. Ever since, I’ve been searching for a good version in San Diego, but I’ve been disappointed each time. These were light, crispy, but still not nearly as good as my favorite ones from the Bay Area.
It’s been a while since our visit, and I am not positive which kebab FH tried on this visit, but I believe it was the Doner kebab (ground beef, house spices, salad and rice)
Karisik pide
Pide is turkish style flat bread pizza. Sultan offers four varieties, with karisik being a combination one, offering a few pieces of each of the other three topping choices.
On the other side of the dining area is there vast selection of fresh made baklava ($10 a pound). We love the baklava here. The filo layers are impossibly light, delicate and crispy. It’s also not as sweet as other baklava I’ve had. I always get a few of each one though I favor kaymak (turkish clotted cream), chocolate and pistachio.
Sultan Restaurant & Baklava
131 Jamacha Rd
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 440-1901
www.sultanbaklava.com
Re: Falafels
My husband is Turkish. We go visit our family often. I have never seen falafel either. However, like here, Turkish food is regional.
We don’t eat as much, say coleslaw on the West Coast as they do in the Carolinas. When you get near the borders of Syria, etc., the foods and styles change.
In my husbands village, not much meat is eaten at all. Lamb will be on certain holidays. Mostly fish, legumes, and vegetables though.
Please go visit Turkey. The people are amazing as is the beauty and history (and food!)
I enjoy your blog very much!!
Thanks for sharing. I definitely hope to visit sometime.
I somehow found your blog and love it. I will be checking in often.
That’s great to hear! Welcome!
Hi Kirbie – We drive out there every week, it’s one of our favorite places. Funny thing is, I don’t think falafel is generally served in Turkey since it’s more Middle Eastern/Arab. I really can’t recall seeing it on the menu anywhere during our travels in Turkey, though I could be mistaken.
Interesting on the falafels. Sultan has been my only experience with Turkish food other than some weird candy my friend used to make us eat. I love coming here too though it’s a bit of a drive.
Everything looks great! I’m looking forward to some of that!
We should order everything. You know, for research. 😉
Okay. I just stumbled here from Foodgawker.com, and lemme just say — you have a new fan! I’ve been perusing for about 5 minutes and have already pinned like 6 of your recipes to Pinterest. I cannot WAIT to start trying some of these, and your restaurant reviews are phenomenal, too.
Thank you!!
Aw, I’m so glad you are enjoying my site and thanks for pinning some stuff!