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Sultan’s Kebab serves up chicken, lamb, beef, seafood, and vegetarian kebabs in whatever format you desire from “shish” plates to wraps, salads, or an individual skewer. Some menu items such as hummus and pita are familiar at the grocery store while others such as shawarma wraps with thin sliced lamb and beef are co-labeled as Greek gyros. At the newish Livermore location, Turkish flatbread named lahmacun are on the menu. In Turkey, lahmacun are considered street food or a snack. I will eat it anytime.
Though the mini-chain of three Sultan’s Kebab restaurants touts their food as Mediterranean, the menu showcases Turkish cuisine. The Tri-Valley founder, Sultan Ulas, hailed from Central Turkey. Fatih Ulas now owns the company after Sultan’s death and manages the Pleasanton location, opened 17 years ago. In 2017 the second location launched in Danville. Also born in Central Turkey, managing partner Fevsi Dinc met Sultan Ulas in the U.S. and manages the Livermore location. Opened in March 2023 replacing Backyard Bayou, Sultan’s Livermore resides on First Street near the Bankhead Theater and unlike the other locations, remains open until 11:30 p.m.
Compared to its sister locations, the Livermore venue has several unique features. A bread oven installed for previous restaurants gave Dinc the opportunity to bake specialty breads and new menu items such as lahmacun. Think of very thin flatbread topped with finely minced beef, lamb and vegetables seasoned with herbs, and spices.
Manager Dinc was eager to explain the traditional way to eat lahmacun to us. You layer on tomatoes, onions, and parsley, squeeze a bit of lemon on top, then roll it up. Dinc implored us to eat it the Turkish way while it is hot from the oven. The spice was mild and the flavors alluring.
The other bread oven specialty is pide, a thicker flatbread topped with vegetables or your protein of choice in the traditional oval shape with pointed ends. I asked for a “half and half” with part ground meat and the other half, steak and cheese. When my friend Kim saw the pide covered in cheese, she exclaimed, “Pizza!” Vegetarian or cheese versions of pide also resemble pizza.
The pide reminded me of an open-faced cheese steak. For those seeking familiar dishes, the menu lists Sultan’s burger, chicken wings, fries and more.
You can’t miss another major difference at the Livermore location. Livermore is the only Sultan’s Kebab with a full bar. Dinc worked as a bartender earlier in his career and has stocked the bar with a variety of spirits including Piñaq specialty flavored liqueurs. The only drink linked to the dominant cuisine is the Turkish Coffee with vodka, freshly made coffee and coffee liqueur. The Blackberry Margarita sounded interesting.
After sampling the meat on the lahmacun and then tasting the char-broiled kofte, an array of ground beef and lamb meatballs, the flavor profile of the meat captured my imagination. At this point, I had a “Madeleine moment” or sensory cue that evokes a memory. The French author Marcel Proust wrote about eating a madeleine cookie which suddenly and vividly evoked childhood memories.
For me, the spicing of the meat in the kofte and lahmacun evoked a Sabbath meal at a Jewish acquaintance’s home while living in London. I savored the delicately spiced, baked ground lamb dish which was not served back home with my family of Eastern European heritage. I realized the family most likely hailed from the Middle East.
I guessed the spicing was Aleppo pepper, and Dinc concurred. The pepper is grown around Aleppo, Syria and Turkey. Cumin is another primary spice in Turkish cuisine.
Knowing that her mother is not an adventurous eater, Kim’s daughter had encouraged her to try Sultan’s Kebab by saying, “Mom, this place is 11 out of 10.” Since then, Kim has dined there several times and discovered the chicken kebab plates. She sampled several of my choices and especially liked the lahmacun.
We both liked the smooth texture of the rice. When asked about the rice, Dinc explained they mix in a small amount of orzo pasta sautéed in butter and extra virgin olive oil.
The next feature unique to the Livermore location is the enclosed patio which relays an exotic vibe. The other locations have patios on the sidewalks open to the parking lots.
Though hot tea is complimentary, we both tried Turkish coffee, freshly made, and served hot and strong in an espresso cup. The culture calls for black coffee, which is not my custom, so I added a bit of sugar and enjoyed it. Non-coffee-drinking Kim gave it a try but was not converted. For dessert we ordered a rose petal, pomegranate, and pistachio flavored Turkish delight, square, sweet, and gummy confections dusted with sugar. Other flavored versions are sold in bars or rolled shapes.
Imported from Turkey, the large variety of Sultan’s Turkish delight tasted fresher than others I’ve sampled. After learning that the Pleasanton location had a larger selection of Turkish delight, I stopped by to view many more baklava pastries filled with honey and nuts and Turkish cookies.
We were so eager to try the new flatbreads, we realized that we ordered too much food. Next visit I want more lamb dishes and shawarma, thin sliced, marinated meat and cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Kim packaged up the pita while I popped Sultan’s falafel, fried balls of ground chickpeas, herbs, and parsley, into a takeout box.
“We are the only Sultan’s Kebab that serves weekend brunch,” said Dinc. This final differentiating aspect in Livermore is quite a spread for $22.99 with three types of freshly baked Turkish breads, eggs in shakshuka tomato-pepper sauce, tahini with molasses, Turkish cured beef labeled as shjouk or pepperoni, burek pastry filled with cheese, and desserts.
With the leftovers and busy weekends, I have not tried Sultan’s brunch. Dinc shared a photo of one portion of the brunch eaten by two. I shall remember to arrive very hungry.
