Sultan’s

Sultan Express
305 S Washington Sq, Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: 517-484-2850

Sultan’s Place
4790 S Hagadorn Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: 517-333-4444

There are two Sultans, the tasty hole in the wall in downtown Lansing and the forgettable dine-in restaurant in East Lansing.

The downtown location caters to the Lansing lunch crowd with a relatively limited selection of typical Arab cuisine – kabobs in particular. The garlic-flavored hummus is pretty good. It’s quick, inexpensive, and an above-average meal.

The evil twin Sultan lives in East Lansing on the East side of campus. While it offers a more formal atmosphere, it lacks desperately in the service and quality departments. My server practically ignored me while he ate his own dinner. My beef kabob was overly charred on the outside and it tasted as though it may not have been grilled over charcoal (for shame!). It was just OK.

Asia’s Finest

Asia’s Finest
6445 S Cedar St, Lansing, MI 48911
Phone: 517-393-1688

Asia’s Finest serves up the holy trinity of Asian food: Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese. It’s an odd combination, but it works. The meals are basic but it’s a cut above your standard Asian cuisine. If you look to be home-grown (in America, that is) the server will assume that you want your dishes mildly spiced. As you visit more frequently, you can work your way up to asking for a bottle of red pepper sauce.

The restaurant itself is in a strip mall in the convoluted mess where Cedar Street meets I-96. It is your standard strip mall ethnic dining establishment, complete with a faded overhead menu sign displaying pictures of their most popular dishes.

In the Vietnamese category, you will find a plethora of pho and beef and noodle dishes. For the Thai lovers they feature a variety of dishes that include Pad Thai and coconut curries. The Chinese is standard Chinese.