My visit to the Sultan in Lancaster was New Years Eve. Me and my partner usually stay in but decided to book a night away and an Indian meal for 8pm. When we arrived the lady on the front of house informed us there had been an error with the booking system and that she didn’t know who was arriving! We got seated at a table and ordered poppadoms and chutneys which came promptly. We then put in our full order for the special set menu for 2. One of the waiters came over after around 20 minutes and asked if we were ready for our starter, to which we said yes. Another long period of time passed and he came over again and asked if we were ready, so we said yes again. There was a big table in there so we understood they were busy. The starters came out after a while. The food was undeniably delicious. Once our starters were cleared, the same waiter asked if we were ready for our main courses, to which we said yes. There was a very long wait on food and it was obvious in the restaurant that they were struggling with service. We were understanding, although no one came over to inform us, which would have been appreciated. When the 2 tables next to us which arrived later than us were served and we had been waiting over 30 minutes after being asked if we were ready for our main courses we started feeling slightly infuriated. We then asked the waiter if our mains were on their way and he said “they should be”. Our main courses got brought out all separately, starting with curries, then the rice and potatoes, then the naan bread. Ideally, you want your main course to arrive altogether. Once again the food was outstanding, but the service really let our experience down! We asked for water to the table and no one came with any until we asked again. When we asked for the bill we waited a fair amount of time to see the lady on front of house occupied so when we got up to go and pay and she apologised for forgetting to come over. I’d rate the food 10/10 but the service and waiting times were not ideal. We arrived at 19:45 and left at 22:10 which seemed like a long period of time with no heads up on waiting times. I understand NYE is a busy night and can totally appreciate it but communication with customers would have been highly appreciated. Although the food was outstanding I am unsure if I would return as the service let our experience down. If you are happy to wait, the food is well worth it!
Sultan Of Lancaster – Lancaster