Sultan’s Market in Chicago

As Tiffany posted last week, not all gluten-free products are labeled as gluten-free, just as many restaurants don’t advertise that they are gluten-free, however offer many delicious gluten-free options.  Once we get a little more used to what is safe and what is not, we become more comfortable in exploring places, especially those that do not necessarily list themselves as gluten-free.  Not to mention, some restaurants do not necessarily want to advertise the fact that they are gluten-free, as to not scare off people that don’t quite understand gluten, and word-of-mouth quickly spreads through the gluten-free community.

One of the first things I do when I want to know if a restaurant will be able to accommodate me, is to do a search online for that restaurant plus the keywords ‘gluten-free’.  More than likely there will be a review somewhere of someone who has eaten there.  My next step is to call and see how they respond to me asking about them being able to accommodate someone who has to eat gluten-free.  If they are clueless about gluten, I know it most likely is not the safest choice.  Sometimes research just can’t be done because of time constraints and spontaneity, so use your best judgement.

Fortunately, living in Chicago, we are in a restaurant mecca and have many amazing and diverse restaurants at our doorstep, and by being in such a large city there seems to be pretty widespread gluten awareness.  One of my favorite all-time places to eat for a quick, casual meal (but interesting enough to bring out-of-town guests) has been at Sultan’s Market in Wicker Park.  The food is delicious and available at an even more delicious price!  You can easily enjoy a meal for under $7.  Once I learned I had to eat gluten-free, I was so worried I would not be able to enjoy my favorite foods, but thankfully that has not been the case, and after talking to the people who work at Sultan’s Market I was still able to enjoy the same food now that I enjoyed pre-gluten-free.  One is easily able to eat vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free here as well.

You cannot go to Sultan’s Market without having the falafel.  It is made with 100% chickpea flour and the best falafel I have ever had, and I have had a lot!  Be sure to order without the pita.  They will serve it to you with rice instead of the bread, or give you an extra falafel in place of the missing pita.  They offer Lebanese rice with lentils and curried basmati rice, both gluten-free.  I like to order it as part of a veggie meal with a side of Lebanese rice, hummus and Jerusalem salad (cucumber, tomato and tahini).  The lentil soup is another safe and yummy favorite.  They also offer chicken and lamb shawarma for the carnivores.

Being that is it an order-at-the-counter kind of place, you can ask the person behind the counter to change their gloves and they will be happy to do so and are familiar with food intolerances, even when the line goes out the door, as it often does during the busy times of day.  Be sure to stay away from the pita and the tabouli salad, which is made with cracked wheat.  Sometimes I will even bring in my own crackers to eat with the hummus.

To be safe, always ask to confirm what you are eating is gluten-free, since recipes can always change no matter where you are.

Sultan’s market has two locations, one in Wicker Park at 2057 North Avenue, close to the Damen stop on the blue line, and another location in Lincoln Park at 2521 N. Clark Street.

For additional information about gluten-free restaurant menus throughout the state of Illinois, check out our Illinois gluten-free restaurant roundup!