Came here for a Wednesday Lab Night (AYCE), $40/pp with tip included. Party of 2. For this lab night, we got the garlic naan with a dill yogurt dip, beet potato masala, cabbage stir fry with lotus over rice (tasted like grandma's cooking!), beets and mushroom over puree, & cranberry cake with hot fruit jam on top soaked in hazelnut cream with pistachio. All savory dishes full of spice and flavor. It was coincidentally all vegetarian this night, and still very very filling. We also ordered a drink, the Gaon Ka Buzurg (Village Elder) tasted like a floral garden, like we were back in Taiwan having afternoon tea! Also smells really good At the end of the five courses, the waiter asked us if there's any dishes we wanted to try again. Would 100% come again! Love the concept of the lab night, the chefs did not disappoint. read more

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This was such a fun spot, I'm glad I got to try it! They do something called lab nights on weeknights, it's $40 and they serve you a random assortment of dishes that they are trying out. It's all you can eat, and tip is included. You can list dietary restrictions when you make your reservation and they will do their best to accommodate those. It's a fun way to try new food and not really have to think about what you're gonna be getting. The service was unique for lab night, they only give you one plate at the start and no spoons but you can ask for cutlery if needed (we did!) read more

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Sultan is a unique and charming spot. The atmosphere is classy but casual. The waitress was helpful in suggesting how many plates to order. We began with a bottle of the Pinot noir on special. We then ordered the tandoori naan with dipping sauces and the Brussels sprouts and broccoli. The naan was absolutely incredible--maybe the best I've had. I found it a bit bizarre that the dipping sauces were an extra charge, but it certainly didn't stop us from trying them. They were unique and tasty. The vegetable dish was extremely flavorful and satisfying. Our next dish was the Sindhi Khargosh (braised rabbit). It was absolutely delicious! We were anxiously awaiting our final dish--the tandoori chicken wing biriyani. Unfortunately, it was a huge let down. The chicken was charred to death and the rice was bland as can be. Sad way to end the meal. Our servers ignored us while rolling silverware for a good part of the meal. I was surprised they never actually asked how the food was. Aside from that, I'd like to go back to try some of their other dishes.. but the place fell short of a home run. read more

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Food was tasty and we enjoyed their no tip policy as the price of the menu offerings already includes the tip.

Fantastic food on lab night and cool spins on classic veggies like beets and broccoli! Drinks (mocktails) were also flavorful and unique! read more

Sultan - Pakistani Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Small plates restaurant with delicious Pakistani flavors. I really enjoyed getting to try so many delicious things at this restaurant. Menu featured vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options. The restaurant is very clean and super cute. There is ample street parking and service was wonderful. They also do not allow tipping which is interesting. I really enjoyed this place and can't wait to come back and try their tasting menu. read more

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I really wanted to love this place. Being a huge fan of all food from this region I had high hopes for this restaurant. Either they haven't figured out what works best for them yet or they can't execute on their concept. The pros: food is small plates which I love for sharing and each dish comes out as soon as it is ready so it's pretty quick once your order is in. The ambiance was nice as well and we liked the decor. Many of the dishes are served in a very hip way which makes the dining experience fun (meat on a salt block, cocktail in photos, for example). Room for improvement: there is no host stand so we walked straight into the restaurant into a bunch of tables with people dining, unsure of what to do we saw a bar at the back and just walked over there. After a minute or two the only server working told us we could sit wherever we wanted. There was only one table that wasn't the bar, so we sat there. We were almost immediately greeted with water and a summary of the restaurant's concept after stating it was our first time dining with them. The server mentioned that they were out of one of their drinks (the one that I wanted) as well as four different food dishes (three we had planned to order). We had looked at the menu in advance so we could order right away but since they were out of so many items we asked for a minute to look over the menu again. Unfortunately that one server got busy taking care of other patrons (and working at the bar) and didn't come back for another 15 minutes. I understand the whole paying a fair wage and not needing to tip concept, but not when you only have one server/bartender for an entire restaurant with no empty tables. Now, the food. Our dishes were either too bland or doused with so many spices that we couldn't enjoy them. We were so excited for the garlic naan after reading the reviews but ours was covered in so much salt that it made me cough. Even my partner who LOVES salt said he could barely eat it. We were scraping it off for it to even be edible. For the price, I expected much better quality. At least our rice was cooked perfectly! Hopefully they can get some of these things worked out for future patrons. We will not be back. read more

Sultan - Pakistani Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Stale leftovers served on "LAB" night when they "experiment" with their lackluster version of Pakistani food and have a fixed price menu that is diminutive and unappetizing. The bad food is exceeded only by the bad service. No one removes dirty dishes from the table; you are expected to use the same plate for everything, from aps thru entree to dessert. No serving spoons unless you ask. You pay a lot of nothing. To quote another review here, "they haven't figured out what works best or they can't execute their concept." read more

We loved our dinner at Sultan--especially the cilantro naan and the paneer korma. It was a charming space and the service was excellent.

A group of four of us tried Sultan for dinner the other night. The service was excellent. The ambiance was classy and casual. The food was creative and unique with mainly hits but a few misses. This is a small plate restaurant, so we ordered a variety of dishes to share. The drinks felt rather pricey, so we limited ourselves on those. We started with Garlic Naan and this is some of the best garlic naan I've had. Crispy outside, chewy inside, so buttery and garlicy. It was definitely one of the best things we ate. The Dipping Sauce Trio was also a big hit. The melted spiced gouda was amazing, as was the Thai chili chutney and we had no complaints about the raita. We had about eight different small plates. What stood out for me were the vegetarian dishes. Other than the daal which I found bland and unappealing; all of the vegetarian dishes were tasty and unique. Definitely not preparations I have had before. Our two meat dishes were disappointing. The tandoori chicken was fine but seemed to be lacking in spices and our most expensive dish which was beef had only two bites of beef. Most of the meat must have dissipated into the sauce, which was delicious, but what originally appeared to be a decent chunk of meat was nearly all bone. The prices seemed high, but there is no tipping, so when one accounts for that it's not too expensive. We will definitely go back to try more of their dishes, (it sounds like the menu changes), but we may stick to the vegetarian ones. read more

Bottomless mulled wine brunch. Beautiful corner spot on willy. Some great bites. Best naan in MSN. Some great bites. Especially the sweets. read more

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Great service and food. Some food is a little on the hot side so be sure to ask your server. Full bar with a great bartender. Fun place to eat with unusual tastes in food. read more

We have been to Sultan several times now and it's always delicious from start to finish. Reasonably priced naan as big as your head and the French toast served at brunch are fantastic. They change their menu seasonally, so there's always a reason to go back and try something new! read more

Sultan - Pakistani Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Service: 5/5 - Waiter was attentive! Super nice, easy to talk to. Filled up our waters, communicated the specials well, and led with the whole no-tip process that Sultan works with. I love this mission, and I wish more restaurants would just lead in a similar pay-model. Ambiance: 5/5 - Vibes were great! Walls were dark, but the lighting they chose complemented it well. It would be a lovely choice for a date or a dinner with a few friends to share things together. Food: 3/5 - Lots of room for improvement, but not bad. We ordered a series of things, so let's break it down a little further. Winners (things I would order again): garlic naan (so fluffy! and truly can't go wrong), aloo palak (nothing wrong about crispy potatoes), murgh karahi (am absolute flavor bomb - this was our favorite protein dish by far). Things we would pass on: Salmon was bland comparatively to the other things we ordered, chicken biryani was bland and didn't have much chicken in it, murgh palao was tasty but the rice was undercooked, and the rice in the kheer was also undercooked. Paratha was a little sweet, which I wasn't a huge fan of, and the roti was also just fine. Sultan cheese board was tasty minus the rye crackers, which are super hard to crunch into (almost feels stale). I want to come back again when they're more established, but for now, give them a try and see what you think! read more

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Oh my oh my is this place delicious! I love the concept and freshness of this new restaurant. They are a no-tip (they pay a living wage) small plate restaurant. They have limited tables but the space is comfy and upscale. My husband and I decided to try this out and we were very happy with our experience. We ordered Roti, Murgh Karahi (chicken in a yogurt & Tomato Sauce), Bhae Ki Sabzi (Lotus Roots), and Maash Ki Daal (Lentils). My favorites was the Daal, I love a good lentil dish and this one had some much flavor while being fresh at the same time. My husband loved the Roti and chicken dish. The chicken had so much flavor and seasoning, I think he was contemplating licking the plate. We are very excited to come back and try some more dishes, definitely will recomend to friends as well! read more

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The service and ambiance were awesome. It's commendable to see a restaurant pay its staff well that they have a policy of no tipping. In fact- they don't even have a place to tip when they bring out the bill. Parking is hard to find and thats the case for every restaurant on williamson street if they don't have a dedicated parking spot. I have to start with the good first. Service was great. We were seated as soon as we got in. The service was quick and extremely efficient. It's small portions tappas style so they encourage sharing. The garlic naan and the paratha was one of the best i have had in madison. The nihari was extremely flavorful. Just a fair warning- they don't ask for your spice tolerance so, if you are not used to spicy food- ask for recommendation. The murgh karahi was lacking something. I couldn't point to what it was but i felt it needed something. Now- we had an issue with the murgh biryani. The first time- it came out with the rice not completely cooked. We couldn't eat raw rice so we asked our server to check if it could be cooked a little more. When it came back- it was burnt and we could taste the burn. In all fairness- they didn't charge us for the biryani when we didn't even complain about it the second time. I could see that they are making every effort to let you have a good time. If you are looking for good naan and an awesome nihari- i would go try this new place out. read more

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Been to sultan a few times. Tried the tasting menu during the weekday, we weren't expecting to share dishes especially with the price being 35.00 a person. The portions we shared were very small and we all left hungry! But the service was wonderful and the staff were very kind. The restaurant is great overall but I'd recommend ordering off the regular menu. read more

Not a fan. Puzzled over the high praise of reviews but upon further review, there are many reviewers with only this restaurant as reviewed (possibly fake/friends of the restaurant?). Starting with the interior, without a vestibule, the winter cold immediately comes through whenever the door is open. The dining room is brightly lit (to a fault) with poor artwork/photos on the wall. Foodwise, with the exception of one dish, the dishes didn't impress and were overpriced. Sure, the no tip policy is baked into the price but $14 for a two egg shakshuka (which tasted excessively of raw spice) is laughable. Our best dish was beef shank. Incredibly tasty but at $26 and without a rice or a starch, it was approaching "not worth it". Thankfully we ordered naan to eat with it. Cocktails around $17 also left me wanting more. Simply not worth it. And while the restaurant was pretty full, I won't be returning. read more

Sultan - Aloo Mattar Methi - Pakistani Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Beautiful area on Williamson street to enjoy a meal. Alone or with friends the food is always excellent. The staff is great at answering questions. The food is prepared with care and skill by people that are passionate about what they're creating. The decor is simple and fitting. They have a beautiful bar as well. The bartender was able to give perfect advice on a pairing for the meal. Take a friend, take a moment, and enjoy locally ethically sourced food cooked and served by people who care about what they're bringing to the community (and don't forget the naan! :)). The Beef Shank Nihari is coming back on their winter menu and I could eat that and Naan for the rest of my life and be happy! read more

Wow, where to start: The amazing divergence of Wisconsin and Pakistani flavor, or the authenticity of the beef nihari (as good as my mom's). The roohafza was refreshing and the pear cocktail was truly blissful. We went on a Sunday night so mostly everything was out, but what was there was really good. The naans were done perfectly and the dipping sauces were also delectable. Additionally, they did not charge us for one of our dishes because so much was missing off the menu. Overall, this is a rising star in the Madison food scene, and I'm excited to see where it goes and I'll certainly be back to this gem. read more

I got their lunch takeout special- there's only one item on the menu for lunch. The food came quickly and the owner was very warm and welcoming. The lunch special is basically a lamb burger with curry potatoes and salad. The toast portion of the burger was a bit unorthodox but the patty and fixings were very flavorful. If you're crazy about lamb burgers like I am I think you'll be very pleased. My wife was less impressed so I finished hers - the additional bites only confirmed my high assessment. We look forward to trying dinner service sometime soon. read more

Fantastic food, great service. I was really surprised to learnt that they don't take tips - talked to an employee and they are paid a living wage. Nice little spot, and it's not crowded. Great ambiance too read more

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First time dining here. I loved the concept...upscale Punjabi cuisine...waitstaff paid a living wage so no tipping...small plate/tapa style service so you can share many dishes. The location, decor and serviceware all contributed to a unique atmosphere that set the stage for what looked to be an amazing experience. The illusion was broken once we were seated. The waitstaff were mostly absent during the entire meal. We saw our waiter only twice...when he took our order and when he gave us the bill. The waitstaff all congregated at the back of the restaurant where they looked busy, but were not interacting with customers. We had to ask for water repeatedly during the meal. After we finished our first drinks, we wanted to order a second, but gave up. Several of the wait staff seemed extremely introverted and would not even make eye contact, so it was difficult to get their attention. Our first taste was an amuse-bouche, a potato appetizer reminiscent of aloo ki tikki, served with a chickpea curry, mango and onion jam. Great presentation, but flavor was lacking. It need some herbs or spices, and definitely salt. Our first dish to arrive was a pickled beet salad, which was served with the same mango and onion jam as the amuse-bouche. Like the amuse-bouche, this dish lacked complexity and salt. The pickled beets dominated our palates. The murgh karahi was the best of the dishes we tried. It was flavorful and well seasoned, reminiscent of food I have had in Punjab. However, due to the small plate/tapas style service and slow service, each dish we ordered was served alone. So no accompaniment, such as rice or bread, with this chicken dish. We did ordered naan. However, it arrived at the end of the meal, after we had eaten all our food. I would expect the bread to be served first so it can be enjoyed with the other dishes, especially with a curry. Unfortunately, the naan was baked to a crisp (it snapped like a cracker, except around the edges). It also tasted more like pizza dough than naan. Tables next to us clearly had the same experience we did. They were repeatedly looking for waitstaff, water, and other necessities. All around a disappointing experience for a $130 meal for 2. I will try it again in 6 months or so. Hopefully, they work out the kinks. But I suspect this restaurant will not last long in the competitive Willy St corridor. read more

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Great food, good atmosphere and kind staff. Little pricey but no tipping to pay their employees a living wage, this is reflected in their stellar service and quality of food. read more

My sister and I went to their Lab night - $35, no menu - they just bring out a number of dishes that they are trying out or working on. In all there were five dishes including dessert. I really liked the chaat in the baked onion. The naan was amazing. We were also served their version of chicken piccata and beef ravioli. Service was great. It was a fun thing to do on a monday and I thought the food was excellent. Highly recommend doing their lab night. read more

Food was really good. Great company makes family style even better! I would recommend. Great service and wonderful atmosphere.

The beef shank was nice and light and tender. The non was cooked thoroughly and seasoned appropriately. Make reservations it makes things move quicker. Service was fast and efficient. read more

I had been eyeing Sultan for a couple of years, but we hadn't found the right time to make it there. Tonight was a celebratory night and we were able to find a reservation. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server, turned out to be the owner and chef, Sultan, and we were taken care of beautifully with great guidance in our menu selections. My husband wanted a chicken dish, but was a little suspect of the description of the murgh makhani French toast. Sultan told us that it is his favorite dish on the menu and fortunately, we listened to him. It was an amazing dish. The maple syrup that we feared was used in the most subtle, yet interesting way. Our entire meal was delicious, but that plate was the winner. The entire staff was engaged in refilling waters and delivering beverages. We were impressed with the attentive service. We will return soon to try the spring menu. We had no trouble finding parking, despite the busy, vibrant neighborhood that Sutan resides in. Thank you for a truly delightful evening, in a simple, yet elegant atmosphere. The closing touch was the gift of tiny, delicious cardamon sugar cookies to take home. read more

We brought out of state guests with us to Sultan. We were greeted promptly and had a chance to review the menu. We had a hard time picking only a few dishes. Pro Tip: Choose dishes for the table and plan to share them. It makes for a better experience. We ordered two specials (a ground lamb kebab and scallop and pear "flowers"), the fish dish with sardines and the cod. We also ordered a dish of biryani. And lots of naan! First out was the garlic naan and biryani. Yum! Next came the ceviche scallops and pear, served cold. Very tasty. We then got the cod. That dish was heaven!! The sardines were amazing! The kebabs took a bit of time, but our waiter explained that they were having trouble with the tandoori and they had to remake them. They were worth the wait. I'm seeing other reviews where they state that either the dishes were too spicy or very bland. I'm not sure what they ordered, but none of the dishes we ordered were either spicy nor bland. We just got a lot of flavor in every bite. I suppose it could be personal spice tolerance, but my husband cannot stand spicy food and he didn't find any of it spicy. But I would recommend consulting with your waiter if you are concerned. The decor is attractive and we loved the big windows looking out over Willie St. Prices are a bit higher than some restaurants, and that's likely because Sultan is paying his staff a decent wage. However, for four of us, we spent around $240, which isn't really that bad in Madison. I plan to come again. read more

Service was great. Server was attentive! Food was unique what we had was delicious. I suspect whatever they are serving is going to be good.

First time giving this place a try in our neighborhood. We ordered several items for take out and were very happy with the whole experience. It was also super nice to not have an awkward question of whether we want to tip for take out service. No tipping policy makes this place so pleasant. Their bread/naan options are super reasonable and really good, I recommend ordering a few different ones. The entrees were carefully prepared and had some amazing flavor. Each dish had a ton of spice to it, which was at my limit, but overall very good. If spice isn't your thing, you may want to ask your server for recommendations. read more

After they took down my initial review, I'm forced to re-write a more detailed explanation on why I feel this place is a total scam. I've eaten the best south asian / pakistani food across the entire world, across many modern / fine dining settings. I was excited to see Madison have a place that tried to do it, but this misses by a LOT. 1. Cooking technique: a. Biryani and plain rice was soggy and not cooked properly. Before someone opens a "fine dining" experience, please learn the basics of how to prepare food. You have to crawl before you can ride a bike. b. The chicken Achari, while cooked well and tender, tasted like they just poured masala powder over the chicken after it was cooked, clearly they didn't cook the spices, a staple in preparing south asian dishes. The flavor was non existant, not to mention they didn't even bring any rice or nan to eat it with! c. My aunt ordered "vegetarian steaks" which were tiny pieces of radish and lotus root mimicking steak. Both the radish and lotus root were undercooked, the lotus root being absolutely inedible. d. We ordered some "chaat" appetizers, a which looked good as they came out, but lacked basic seasoning, salt. It was utterly flavorless. 2. The service. When we arrived, the waiter (assuming owner) told us that they serve food "Tapas Style." What we quickly realized was that "tapas style" was a clear excuse for a mis managed kitchen. The food came out in an absolute nonsensical order. Mind you, the restaurant was not busy, MAYBE 20 people. I got my main course before anyone else got any appetizer (chaat) showed up. They meal did not come with any rice or Nan, which the waiter told me it did come with, and I sat there for 15 mins as the only one with any food. Slowly but surly the food came out, one of our 4 naans appearing every 5-10 mins. Their only saving grace was probably the naan. It was really the only thing with any flavor. Even at that it was more of a Turkish style flat bread, a bit tougher than naan should be. Oh and the waiter (assuming owner) didn't write any of our orders down (which for a larger party is bold) but I assumed he was expereinced and could indeed remember. Sure enough they forgot my fiancees order, which was brought out at the very end of the meal. Again unseasoned. No apology. Long story short, any person who really knows this cuisine, will not be duped by the overpriced nonsense. Do yourself a favor and get Indian food from Whole Foods and put it on fancy plates instead. Oh and $17 for half a serving of an old fashioned using amrut, is so rude. They literally gave me half a glass. This place sucks. Save your money. DONT BE FOOLED MADISON! read more

Tried Sultan for the first time last night. There were 4 of us and we ordered 5 different items. Tastes were delish but I emphasize "tastes". Each item was enough for a small bite. The murgh korma was delicious but for $18.00 we expected more than one small drumstick. We each had a tiny tiny bite. The chicken liver mousse was fabulous and enough for each of us to have 2 bites. Naan was outstanding. Samandari was good but again not enough for more than one small taste per person. I like the concept of small plates but these were tiny tiny plates that cost more than they should. AND, a $17.00 old fashion is absurd. Service was excellent and ambiance was pleasant but loud. Give it a try but leave hungry. read more

Excellent Food, Friendly & Happy Staff, made for a great experience Looking forward to our next visit read more

A bunch of friends and I were at the Sultan yesterday and enjoyed a wonderful lunch with kind, friendly service in a pleasant ambience. I'm not much for super spicy foods so I asked and the Morgh Shahi Korma dish which is a bone in chicken in a wonderful sauce was recommended. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the flavors were delicious The spices that were present added only mild heat and were there to provide flavor not burn your throat. Some of the other dishes are spicier so I did not ask to taste my friends food and wont commecnt except to say that everyone agreed it was definitely worth coming back for more. We shared two tandoori naan breads which was pleanty for our table of six. I could have filled up on it but thought to leave room for the entree. The Gyaling crepe is also offered as a bread but tasted more like a desert. The prices include a tip and were reasonable. I highly recommend trying the Sultan. read more

For a small plate restaurant, while the presentation for the most part is very good, the prices are high for this market (although this could be in part due to the no tipping policy, which is commendable). The reason why we will not be back is due to the surprising spice / heat levels of a number of their offerings. I say surprise as they give you no prior indication of this on the menu or via the server. It's common practice in professionally run establishments to make their dinners aware of such things. There is no reason why the special that evening, tagliatelle (incredibly watery) with lamb meatballs should have so much heat that it was inedible. We complained about this to our server seconds after the table next to us did, but he just nodded, smiled and walked away. My dining companion, who likes spicy dishes, agreed it was impossible to eat. This happened with a few other dishes that we ordered as well. I think if Sultan wants to survive, they should take a less heavy handed approach to their spices, as they can be a crutch that hides a lack of skill. At the very least, be kind and let the diners decide what level of spice they are comfortable with. read more

Why this place is not packed is beyond me! Must do the naan! We shared many tapas and there was a vote for every dish as the favorite. Yes u won't find naan like this anywhere else in the area ! read more

I was extremely excited to try this place. I'd walked by several times & the delightful aromas were enticing. As soon as I had a free evening, we went in for dinner. Unfortunately, it was over Labor Day weekend when a good friend was visiting. I would have preferred to share this disappointing experience with my husband rather than a guest. Luckily, it was the only terrible food we had all weekend. It started out well with a happy hour special, a $4 Masala Mule that was quite good for that steal of a price. My friend ordered a $22 cocktail (that is outrageous for Madison) that was nothing special. Then our food came...all at once. It didn't fit on our tiny table, so I had to move some of it to the empty table next to us. Our server was off-putting & unfriendly, robotic in his answers & did not comment on my feedback when I told him our food would be cold by the time we could eat it. And it was. The empty plates piled up on the table, he never took them away. All of this would have been fine if the food tasted as good as it smelled. It didn't. Every single dish was so over salted it was barely edible. The terrible thing was, the spices & flavors underneath the salt seemed good, however, we could not enjoy them with the copious amount of salt covering them up. The food looked pretty & striking against the black plates (trying to think of nice things to say). There was one delicious thing on the table & I'm grateful we ordered 2 of them, the garlic naan was the best I've ever had. And it was $2! The prices here are all over the place & don't make any sense. We go out to eat several times a week to our many fabulous Madison restaurants. I was hoping to add this one to the list. The bill came to the same price as our spectacular dinner at Mint Mark the night before. There is no compelling reason for me to give this place a second chance. I have never had a worse meal in Madison. read more

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This is has got to be the most interesting menu to try right now. The fusion here between traditional Pakistani cooking and modern small plates concepts is truly visionary. The spot is cozy and unpretentious and the service is professional while maintaining approachability. Plus no one else is slinging fresh tandoori naan like Sultan. The garlic naan is to die for. 10/10 read more

This place was AWESOME and had exceptional service. We loved the food and the atmosphere, we had made a reservation and glad we did. The chef greeted all customers and there were so many delicious choices on the menu. The music selection was outstanding music, perfect for dinner and loud enough to hear, but not so loud you couldn't enjoy dinner conversation. My wife and I really enjoyed the evening. We will be back, thank you to everyone at Sultan Madison!:-) read more