Sultan Kebab

by Charlottesville29

Sultan333 2nd Street SE . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 981-0090
https://www.sultankebabcville.com/

Why Sultan Kebab?

A restaurant that some chefs call the best in town, Sultan Kebab draws on the Turkish heritages of co-owners Serhat Peker and Deniz Dikmen. Peker is from Adana, and Sultan Kebab’s Adana Kebab is stellar – grilled kebabs of ground beef, spiced with red pepper and paprika. Dikmen is from Izmir, and the Izmir Kofte Kebab is likewise excellent – grilled meatballs seasoned with onion, cumin, and garlic.

With years of experience at Clifton Inn before opening Sultan Kebab in 2012, Dikmen and Peker are committed perfectionists, and won’t put anything on the menu until they have gotten it right. The house-made pita bread warrants special mention. While “pita” has come to connote any flat bread in the United States, Sultan Kebab’s pita bread is the real thing from Turkey, discs of soft, flavorful bread, made fresh daily. For sandwiches, the bread is sliced, and stuffed with your choice of kebabs, Turkish sausages, or vegetables. Regardless what the menu says, we ask for all of our sandwiches to be served on it. Sultan Kebab should always have a home on The Charlottesville 29.

What to Order

It’s difficult to go wrong at Sultan Kebab, where several items appear throughout the menu in different forms, from appetizers, to sandwiches, to platters. Below is a list of our suggestions, the owners’ favorites, and appearances in Five Finds on Friday, where a local chef or personality has named a Sultan Kebab dish as one of the best in town.

Our Picks

  • Sigara Borek
  • Lentil Soup
  • Lahmacun
  • Adana Kebab Sandwich, on pita
  • Izmir Kofte Platter
  • Ali Nazik
  • Manti

Owners’ Picks

  • Hummus Casserole (Dikmen)
  • Lentil Soup (Peker)
  • Adana and Lamb Combo Platter (Dikmen)
  • Chicken Platter (Peker)
  • Vegetarian Platter (Peker)
  • Baklava (Dikmen)
  • Rice Pudding (Dikmen)

Five Finds on Friday Picks

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Photo by Tom McGovern