The Grand Sultan

Someone from this business manages this listing.

416 reviews

#1 of 1 Restaurant in Margam££ - £££, Indian, Asian, Balti

+44 1639 892223+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 - 23:00

Mon

17:30 - 23:00

Tue

17:30 - 23:00

Wed

17:30 - 23:00

Thu

17:30 - 23:00

Fri

17:30 - 23:00

Sat

17:30 - 23:00

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

416 reviews

#1 of 1 Restaurant in Margam

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

£10.00 – £25.00

CUISINES

Indian, Asian, Balti, Bangladeshi

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

Water Street, Margam, Port Talbot SA13 2PA Wales

+44 1639 892223

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Is this restaurant family-friendly?

Yes

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Details

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PRICE RANGE

£10.00 – £25.00

CUISINES

Indian, Asian, Balti, Bangladeshi

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

416 reviews

Excellent

262

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

tafflpowell

Cardiff4 contributions

Take it away

Jun 2020 • family

Perhaps my expectations were too high considering all the good things I'd heard of this restaurant. Unfortunately it was of the same standard of the meal I order from my regular India take away and at some cost more. The chicken in my dish was dry and hot on the outside and cold in the middle. The naan bread was small and they served the chips in a plastic container which made them go soggy. Unfortunately it was an average meal, So I will be returning to my regular take away.

Written 5 June 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cyprus 20

4 contributions

Great food and service

Feb 2020 • couples

We ate there this evening quite early and it was still busy. Staff very attentive.food was excellent garlic chilli chicken was fabulous quite hot but very tastey. Would definitely recommend child friendly as well plus beer etc very good and reasonable price.

Written 5 February 2020

Betty

Wales68 contributions

Amazing!

Aug 2020 • family

I visited the Grand Sultan yesterday evening with family and everything was superb! Not only were there staff very helpful and attentive but they had everything in place with regards to social distancing etc. The food was beautiful! My mother had a curry brought out in a pineapple and she very much enjoyed it. The overall experience was excellent and to be honest very surprised to see the negative comments from other customers who have visited this restaurant. Thank you again to all the staff and chefs at the Grand Sultan for a fantastic dining experience.

Written 26 August 2020

srahman812

Thank you for taking the time to review us , We are happy to hear you had a pleasurable experience with us. While we aim to please every diner who visits us sometimes its not always possible. We hope too see you again.

Written 27 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TanithMeek

13 contributions

Spoilt New Year

Dec 2019 • none

Really disappointing, New Year’s Eve spoilt for my family. We have eaten here multiple times and have had a fantastic meal, this is why we decided to book for New Year’s Eve. Our table was booked for 19:30 we were not sitted till gone 20:00 and our food did not come out till 2 hours later. Unfortunately when our food did come, we were missing half, and what we did receive was not good, tandoori prawns were over cooked and Nan breads were doughy and undercooked. They had clearly overbooked and staff were being overworked, all rushing around but looked like they didn’t really know what they should be doing. I think maybe booking multiple sittings on New Year’s Eve was just being greedy and unfortunately did not work as the usually very high standards were know were to be seen. All tables around us were also moaning and complaining about the same issues we were having. By the time we were served our food, our entire party were feeling unwell and had gone past hungry and were unable to eat. My sister has a chronic illness and can’t go to long without eating, as food took over 2 hours to arrive she has been made incredibly ill. She spent the whole evening and night vomiting and has been unable to get out of bed today. Very disappointing new year, I will not be going back here for any event again as they clearly are unable to manage this. We spent over £120 for nothing as no one eat there food. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go here on big events, you will be disappointed. We will stick to other times of the year.

Written 1 January 2020

srahman812

Hi Thank you for taking time to review us. We are sorry you had a bad experience with us. As you could imagine New Years Eve is the busiest day of the year for all pubs and restaurants etc. We were overwhelmed with the demand and had 2 members of staff short. I think were we went wrong is keeping the option of a full menu like previous years perhaps next year we will be doing a set menu therefore making it easier for our kitchen team. I am sorry for the delay for your table and food while this is expected on New Years Eve I agree it was unacceptable. Sorry your evening didnt go to plan as you have stated you have dined with us previously and enjoyed we hope you give us a chance as things like this dont often happen. I feel saddened to see this review . Also I take note that upon your enjoyable visits with us no reviews were left for us on those occasions . We hope you give us another chance should you return we hope that you could post a positive review .

Written 2 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tanya john.

Pembroke Dock1 contribution

Disappointed

Aug 2020 • couples

On arriving we were greeted by a miserable waiter we were shown to our table ordered a bottle of red wine, a different waiter arrived with one glass of wine. Waiter returned and poured us our wine whilst dripping it over the table. No apologies. Ladies toilets were out of order. The disabled toilet was open for everyone too use, no lid on toilet which cause microbiological hazards. No soap or hand gel in place too wash hands only in reception. Staff appeared not too want too be there. Very unorganised.

Written 20 August 2020

srahman812

Hi Tanya, We honestly appreciate you reaching out to us in the manner you have done so. Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the issues and would like to sincerely apologise for your experience. We would also like to clarify measures will be put in place for this to not occur again. Due to the Eat Out scheme we were overwhelmed with bookings, and with not all staff having returned from furlough, we were short staffed with no viable replacements available. We will be looking for all staff to return ASAP so all staff remain attentive to ALL our customers. While distancing measures have also had to be implemented in the kitchen we can't operate as smoothly as we have previously and are trying to brush out the teething problems with the new system we have had to implement in these unprecedented times. Only the gents toilet is out of order at present all toilets have hand wash and dryers there is also a sanitising station outside the toilets with a sign aswell also by the entrance of the restaurant . Further to your comment about no "lid" on the disabled toilet its a accessible toilet hence it doesn't have a lid. If your so concerned about microbiological germs maybe you shouldn't be dining out at present as we have implemented all necessary measures to make it a safe environment for all customers and staff Please consider i personally spoke to you before leaving and explained to you how its been difficult to meet the demands with everything that's going on. Please consider how the previous four months have impacted our staff as it feels we are all trying to get back up to speed with high service levels we set out for our establishment. We are trying to find out feet after the long lay off from actual face to face dining in service. Should you wish to reconsider visiting us again please ask for myself Sam and I will endeavour my best efforts to make amends with you upon your next visit. Once again I offer my sincere apologies . Kind regards Sam

Written 21 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

raybrahms1964

Swansea152 contributions

Avoid during lockdown!!

Apr 2020 • none

Past reputations count for nothing when you churn out unpalatable food like what I received. The owner tried to bluster his way out of it rather than taking responsibility by saying that the dish I ordered was an acquired taste! An acquired taste? It was completely tasteless so how can it be an acquired taste?! They take that many orders during lockdown that by the time you have waited hours for your food, what you receive should never have left the kitchen. There is clearly no quality control as I know there have been a lot of complaints. Instead of serving what is best described as mediocre food during lockdown, they should stay shut if this is the quality they serve to their customers. The buyer, instead of offering a refund that I was fully entitled to, offered a free meal the next time I decided to make a 20 mile round trip! Totally unacceptable. Awful food, awful customer service and an evening totally ruined. Thanks!

Written 24 May 2020

Steve H

1 contribution

Rushed

Feb 2020 • family

After hearing great things about this place was really excited to go. Arrived at 7pm,(we'd booked a table) with three others to celebrate my son's birthday. We were seated straight away and although several waiters approached us, no one actually took our order. We had to ask for drinks and also to place our order. The food itself was good, with the portions being very large. We did actually enjoy the food. We were pleasantly surprised at the end bill, being £86.00 for 2 rounds of drinks, popadoms and pickles to start, 4 mains with 4 rices and 2 naan breads, so rounded our bill up to £95.00 to show our appreciation. HOWEVER I finished my drink and went to the loo, when I came back my son and his girlfriend had finished theirs, with only my partner left with about an inch of their pint left, it was 8.20pm at this point, when we were approached by a waiter who said " can you leave now, we have people waiting ". We will never return when the service is so rude....it completely ruined the night!

Written 15 February 2020

Richel45

Neuville-aux-Bois11 contributions

Disappointing

Dec 2019 • family

The staff were lovely and service quick despite the busy Christmas weekend however the quality was not the high standard we were led to expect. The restaurant was very noisy. The menu was far too extensive and the price was very low indeed at 25 pounds a head for 4 people for starters, main courses, desserts and a bottle of wine. The chutneys were liquid and full of colorants. Far too sweet for our taste as were the meat sauces in all the dishes. The lamb was dry and I couldn't taste the flavour of the duck because of the overpowering taste of the sauce. Such a shame as we had really been looking forward to our meal.

Written 2 January 2020

srahman812

Hi Rachel Sorry you feel this way. We have discussed the issues regarding this review with the diner via email so I will not be posting a detailed response.

Written 10 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

avidtripper2

Porthcawl428 contributions

Friends had recommended the

Jul 2020 • couples

Friends had recommended the sultan and I have to say we weren’t disappointed. Food was fresh and full of flavour. It also represented good value for money and being able to order directly from the website made the whole experience painless. Growing up in the West Midlands we’ve eaten some fab Baltis and I have to say this one was no let down either. The naan bread was nice and doughy and the bhajis were just the rest side of crisp. We will definitely be back for another take away

Written 12 July 2020

Kelly L

2 contributions

Disgusting meal & horrendous service!

Sept 2022 • family

Never again, staff were very rude, ordered fried rice off the menu and asked to have it without egg & peas, had to check with the chef first, said it was ok but served us pilau rice, complained and came back with boiled rice! Questioned this to be told ‘all our rices are fried’, gave up on that one! Ordered ‘Chicken Tikka Curry’ and chicken madras and the waiter was abrupt with us when he served us and asked who is the curry for, to which we replied ‘which one?’ he stated firmly ’you only ordered one’, we said we ordered two, he said we ordered one! There were no hot plates, our food went cold quickly. The popadoms weren’t fresh and the keema naan was thin and extremely greasy One of the pepsi drinks was flat, had to ask for a replacement. The waiters kept watching us to see when we were finished eating, which was very intimidating. They cleared the table and I was still eating my meal. I was left with my son, the others had gone, we had ice cream for dessert, my son finished his and went to wash his hands, again I was being looked at to see when I had finished! Very annoying, my son came back to the table, my dish was collected and then no one to be seen to ask for the bill. Eventually called someone over, gave us the bill which was not worth the money we paid, only to be waiting for someone to bring the card machine. Ended up going up to the bar area and paid. I didn’t complain, I couldn’t get out of there quick enough!!

Written 16 September 2022

srahman812

Hi Kelly Thank you for taking the time to review us . I’m sorry to hear your experience didn’t live up to our high expectations. I feel saddened to hear you felt intimated but they are just doing their jobs clearing empty dishes or clearing away tables when finished it’s not done to make you feel rushed or uncomfortable. Sorry for the confusion over your rice but I don’t recall you mentioning any issues with your meals when asked and all dishes were finished . Can you please email me on info@thegrandsultan.co.uk to discuss this matter further please . In regards to the waiter mentioning the curry i have questioned him about this and he merely meant “ curry “ referring to it as the Chicken Tikka curry as the rest would have been called out by their names I.e chicken madras would have been referred to as the madras or massalla etc . Please do get in touch with me via email to discuss further .

Written 17 September 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Saifur

8 contributions

Best Bangladeshi / Indian Curry House!

Oct 2022 • family

Came in for a cheeky curry as I was craving it since my last visit and it always hits the spot. Having a parking area for customers is always a bonus especially having a 7 year old devil. It was a busy Friday night and they still managed to fit a group of 4 - I had ordered the lamb shank which was cooked to perfection followed by a juicy well done kima nan & an ice cold coke. My other half had ordered the chicken madras, mushroom rice and onion bhajees - she was extremely happy with her meal and insists we make this our new regular curry house. My son had a few mix of starters, he couldn’t get enough of their samosas and sheek kebabs. The staff & service is phenomenal, happy to answer any questions and suggest recommendations. The atmosphere is always just cosy and the view over seeing the golf course whilst enjoying my meal is just the icing on the cake! Bill was fairly priced, good value for money and the drive was well worth the trip. Special thanks to the all the waiters & chefs - 10/10 from me. Will definitely be coming again!!

Written 7 October 2022

DGmanj

Port Talbot117 contributions

Biryani has tasted like one

Jan 2020 • business

Does not match to Indian cuisine. Chicken Biryani was not any close to the spicy and tasty. Quite pale.. Masala was not visible. Curry was too much sore tomatoes.. Lack of spice🌶... Lal mass was not good.. Naga lamb wasn't much spice but lamb was tender.. Great ambience and drink🍻 slightly expensive..

Written 16 January 2020

srahman812

Hi Thank you for taking the time to review us. If you required your dishes to be more hotter you should have stated to your waiter that you wanted the dishes apne style. As our menu is designed for the british clientele. Upon our waiter asking is everything ok you stated yes everything is ok . If you mentioned then we could have rectified this for you. You also proceeded to take the remaining bits of your meal home with you . If you do not let us know your requirements or dont tell while dining in how can we rectify the issues. With you being of asian ethnicity we fully understand that requirements of extra spice is needed due to higher tolerance to spices but if not requested we cannot do this .

Written 17 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

4 contributions

Very Impressed

Apr 2022 • couples

I went to Grand Sultan yesterday and took my partner. We were welcomed and seated straight away with smiles from the staff members. The food was unbelievable, I would recommend the pasanda with mushroom rice and my awkward request of a cheesey/coconut nan. The owner will spend his time with each customer accommodating them. I also love the fact it’s out of the way and private. It gives you a very personal feel when eating there. Thank you to the owner and his wonderful staff.

Written 4 April 2022

Danielle A

Bridgend2 contributions

Slow service, poor food. Just awful.

Feb 2023 • family

We had booked up for my sons birthday as he loves Indian food. We had high hopes and were really looking forward to our visit. We arrived for our seating at 8pm. 30 minutes later we were FINALLY seated. In waiting looking into the food prep areas staff were touching their faces and then preparing food and even eatting. When we were seated we were given some papadums. Whilst complimentary for the delay the basket was dirty with old curry sauce stains. The sauces were tasteless. We waited a while to place our orders. The food took a while to come out... but hopefully meant it was being cooked fresh. Out of all of the meals the only positive were the chips. My husband and son love spicy dishes and when ordering were told they were spicy for the dishes to be bland. The korma was too sweet and my dish was rather burnt. We went to the Grand Sultan as a change from our normal restaurant as they are meant to be Award Winning. Fortunately for our normal restaurant we wont be going back again to the Grand Sultan... there are far better Indian restaurants locally. We were going to ask them to help with our sons birthday cake but given the whole awful experience we all wanted to leave as quick as we could. So we have enjoyed this at home... although much to my sons relief of not being embarassed. So i guess one other positive from this visit. Rubbish service and even worse food based on our sorry experience. We wont be going back and would not recommend.

Written 17 February 2023

srahman812

Dear Customer, We are sorry to hear that your recent visit to our restaurant was not up to your expectations, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. We take all feedback seriously, and we have investigated your complaint thoroughly. We have spoken to our staff and reminded them of the importance of proper hygiene practices and the need to ensure that our customers are not kept waiting unnecessarily. We are sorry that you had to wait for 30 minutes before being seated. Regarding the cleanliness of the basket with the papadums, we would like to assure you that this is not acceptable, and we have taken steps to ensure that this does not happen again. We regret that you did not enjoy your meal and that the dishes were not to your liking. We understand that you ordered spicy dishes, but they turned out to be bland. We apologize for this and assure you that our chefs are trained to ensure that our dishes are prepared to the highest standards of quality and taste. We appreciate your feedback and hope that you will give us another chance to serve you better in the future. We would like to offer you a discount on your next visit as a gesture of goodwill we hope that this will go some way towards making amends for your bad experience with us. Please contact us directly for more information on how to avail of this offer. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best regards,

Written 5 March 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nicola J

1 contribution

Horrendous

Aug 2022 • friends

We had to ask to order after no one paid any attention to us for 30 mins. Waited a further 1 hour for food after we promoted them One of our party had a meal that was so dry it was inedible. We brought this to the attention of the waiter also explaining that overall we thought the keema Naan was … missing the keema. We were told “well that’s how we make it here” Trying to lighten the situation I said “well I’m sorry I must be uneducated to that as I didn’t know” and the waiter got very angry saying I was being sarcastic. The “manager” then appeared along with a lot of the other staff and was very intimidating suggesting we were complaining just to get free meals. We were not. We were simply saying things were not right It got very heated and one member of staff accused one of us of calling him a name which categorically did not happen. Our table was cleared and one of our party said they woudknt go here again. The managers reply was “I couldn’t care less” Terrible service, slow, unhelpful and intimidating. Don’t complain people - they just get all the staff surrounding you to have a go as well

Written 27 August 2022

srahman812

Firstly when you placed your order you was told the dish you was ordering is a dry dish the mixed grill from the tandoori section but you insisted you would have it with your friends saag aloo to add sauce . We have 12 other diners who sat in the same section and were also appalled by your groups behaviour . Firstly I will not have you call a member of my staff a Neanderthal which’s is pretty much a racist slur most definitely derogatory. Yes you were very sarcastic we can take criticism or constructive criticism but when met with sarcasm it’s pretty difficult to handle a situation when referring to a meal as you said “ drier than your mums sandals “ in your own words . Then a male member of your party saying F it just run out without paying . If you wish to complain there’s no need to swear , be sarcastic, or cause a scene in front of people . We took the meal of your bill and reduced a further 10% yet you still paid a fraction of the amount on the bill and walked off not to cause a scene we allowed you to do so as a male member of your group had become pretty aggressive and had to be told by a female member of the group to go outside and calm down. Which doesn’t make the matter any better . With your comments about not coming again etc we’d try to resolve it as much as we could but always met with sarcasm you was told there is not much else we can do as all the other meals were finished . You didn’t complain when a member of staff had walked around the tables to ask is everything ok only when it came to clearing your table . It could have been rectified sooner . When someone keeps repeating the same like “ I won’t come here again” in a heated situation what do you expect? When you was saying it to the person you called a Neanderthal ? How did you expect him react to that? I heard you say it to my manager with my own ears . The staff did not surround you they was serving the large group who sat opposite you . I can only apologise for the wait of your meal but it was not an hour you waited as a a team member showed you the wait time was about 50 mins as the time which on a full Friday night where all meals are cooked freshly can take some time . In future if you dine out and wish to make a complaint about your meal . Please do so in a polite manner not making derogatory comments about how staff members look and with sarcasm .

Written 29 August 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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