If you love to travel as I do, you can save a great deal of time and money by visiting some of Indy’s newest restaurants that evoke the sense of traveling to a new place. My latest journey led me to Sultana Cafe & Hookah Bar, a new restaurant infused with Egyptian culture on North College Avenue in the Chatham Arch area. As always, I invited a guest; this time my friend Essence joined me. She is thoroughly immersed in several ethnic cultures, so I knew she’d enjoy the experience.
The Friday evening we decided to visit just happened to be the grand opening celebration when the restaurant began marketing the space as a place to gather with friends during the late night (until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays).
Once I pushed open the door to the restaurant, I instantly felt as if I walked into Dubai. The room was low lit and the furniture was hand crafted, made of wood and embedded with small mosaic tiles. Some tables were larger and included benches with brightly colored cushions while others were smaller and made for a more intimate setting. Music played softly as we were seated in the semi-empty dining room. Although the room wasn’t packed, I knew this wouldn’t last for long, as the host explained to us many of the tables had been reserved for the evening.
We were seated in a cozy corner near the front window, and I couldn’t wait to taste the food. The menu includes Middle Eastern staples such as chicken and lamb kabobs, homemade stuffed grape leaves, roasted garlic hummus, Greek salads and more. Some of the more exotic dishes included Baba Ganoush, which is cooked eggplant with parsley, lemon, tahini, seasoning and extra virgin olive oil; and Shish Taouk, which is chicken marinated in lemon and olive oil, grilled over charcoal and served with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzaziki sauce.
Essence asked what a Saganaki was (found on the appetizers menu), and I was excited to share some knowledge I’d learned from visiting a Greek restaurant in the city. The dish is cheese served on a sizzling hot plate, and when it’s brought to the table, the server sets it on fire and screams, “Opa!”
She seemed very excited about this, so we decided to order this as our appetizer.
For our entrees, I ordered a gyro and fries, and Essence ordered a Spanakopita, a savory spinach pastry wrapped in flaky dough.
After we placed our order, I looked around the room and saw how many people had arrived. The room was nearly filled, and a small line had formed at the hostess stand. As promised, the waiter arrived with our flaming cheese served with warm pita bread.
About 10 minutes later we noticed the music was increased several notches, almost overpowering our voices. Seconds later I learned it was because a performance was happening! A number of belly dancers were out on the floor dancing and entertaining guests. Although this was very unexpected, it added to the experience of the environment and the food.
My gyro arrived and was very large in size, and the fries were the best fries I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not sure if it was the seasoning on them, but they were very, very good! Essence said her dish was very tasty as well.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sultana Cafe and am excited to go back again.
Sultana Cafe & Hookah Bar
1107 N. College Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46202
Sunday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (317) 672-7000
