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Efes

4.5 (76 reviews)
ModerateTurkish
Open 8:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

Efes Photos

EFES ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Good for groups
Dogs allowed
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Efes

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Salad
Sandhya M.

Dined in 28 *and* 29 December 2023 I think it is a bit pricey here, but it does seem standard for central London. We paid £80+ for two meals, 2 passion fruit mocktails, 1x falafel, and baklava. For the table, they serve a salad and bread with 2 dips/sauces: 1x creamy and 1x tomato-based. The bread is very addictive. You can see the salad atop the counter as you walk in. I am not sure how long they put them out before serving, but it is also the area where customers are waiting for their to-go orders. We ordered falafel, which came on a bed of lettuce and with a side of hummus. The falafel was good, and the hummus just intensified the flavor. For our main dish, we had a salmon plate and lamb shish or first visit. At our second visit, we had the lamb chops and lamb ribs plates: all plates were served with a grilled tomato, a grilled pepper, and rice. You can order a side of rice, but there is not an option to make changes to the kebab meals. The rice was basic white rice. Our server was attentive and when he wasn't immediately available, other employees came to clear the table. At a table outside, I noticed one of the employees smoking. I can't say with certainty if she washed her hands or not before returning to work. The atmosphere was okay. The food came out timely. We weren't rushed to leave after finishing our meals. The food is amazing. The salmon was juicy and flavorful, the lamb ribs were a good portion I had to take some to go, and the lamb shish was tender and delicious. I just wished there were more options or an a la cart option and more vegetables other than a single roasted tomato and grilled pepper.

Lamb pide
Jie S.

Two meals in three days. Loved this place. We came as a big group first for dinner then came only two for lunch the second time. Main reason is I wanted to try lamb shish which we didn't get the chance to try. We had mixed hot appetizers, doners, chicken shish, lamb stew ( haleb kebab) and lamb pide. All really tasty . Maybe lamb pide was my least favorite. Chicken shish was surprisingly juice so I wanted to try lamb shish which was excellent grilled. So juicy with the original lamb flavor. Bakalava was super rich and sweet with which turkey coffee or turkey tea is the must. Services were excellent as well. Very attentive and prompt. Really enjoyed the dining experiences here.

Salad
Brandon N.

When I'm Europe, you must try Turkish food and, truthfully speaking, Turkish cuisine might be my favorite. It's so elite, emphasizes natural taste of its meats, and works strongly with clean vegetables for a good healthy and damn delicious diet. Efes represents that concept to an elite level, that perhaps even justifies a hefty price tag. I ordered the Lahmahcun appetizer (6 pounds) and the mixed Kebab platter (26 pounds), which is about $8 and $34 at the time of this writing. It is not cheap despite the sufficient volume of food. But, almost 100%, justified. Lahmahcun is essentially flat bread with minced meat and vegetables on top. I enjoyed the thin, soft, yet slightly crispy and charred texture, and the appetizer served as a fantastic wrapping for the complimentary salad they give. I felt the appetizer was 100% worth it as I could still feel the minced meat texture and flavor sufficiently. It was a good dish. The mixed kebab platter is a bit conflicting for me. I didn't expect such a heavy price tag, but truth be told, the first few bites were fucking incredible, like "bloody hell this should be illegal" incredible. It's juicy, with a nice tenderness to chew ratio, and the flavor of the meat still comes through so profoundly even with all the amazing spice and seasoning. It's really fucking good. Is it the best Turkish I've had? Top 3 in my life so far. That being said, it still is a hefty price tag for a platter and I really have to give this a lot of thought. It wasn't a life changing or educational dish, just a very solid one, but I can't imagine getting it again. Still, I'd come back to Efes for their other dishes, like more affordable Doners. With all that in mind, I think this is an incredible spot to have a sample of what London offers for the Turkish scene. Just do keep in mind the price tag.

A happy guy about to try Iskender kebab for the first time
Dwayne B.

Excellent service. Server was very attentive. Portions were generous. Restaurants is nice and has a classic feel to it. Great place to visit!

RJ L.

Came here here to eat at 9pm on Saturday after flying in from the states. I have walked by on other trips and just hadn't had the chance to stop in yet so this was the opportunity. I had the minced lamb kabab #23 and it was nice and juicy. The plate is simple but it's exactly what I expressed based on the pictures in the menu. The green pepper is HOT so beware. The pita is delicious it comes out warm and fluffy which is complementary along with the salad. The salad might not be for all taste but I really enjoyed it. It has a vinagar beet flavor to it Overall very good

Lamb and Chicken Kebab
Ethan B.

Efes is the main course to the dessert place they own right across the street, though I don't like it as much as their sister shop. It's cute inside, but you can feel the heat of the meat on your face when you walk inside and it's a bit too warm for me. The staff was super helpful though and gave lots of tips on food spots nearby so that was cool! They brought out some bread and a small salad to start. The bread was soft and fluffy, and pretty good. The salad was a little sour and heavy on the vinegar for my taste though. I ordered the Lamb and Chicken Kebab and it tasted good on seasoning, but was just a little dry and chewy. I would've liked to try more and give it a chance but just wasn't interested enough to go back even though it was right next to the dessert place.

Kebab
Katie P.

The food was good! I had kebab and my husband has islander and we loved it. We got a side of babaganus which was also fantastic. The service was lacking. We asked for the bread which we were willing to pay and never got it. Then we noticed people had it for free. So that was annoying but overall good foos

Caitlin P.

The food is absolutely outstanding- fresh and delicious- but that's just the cherry on top of the wonderful service and warm welcome that Emircon gave us. It was so good we went back two times in a row. My 5 kids all gave it 5 stars as well! It's a don't miss!

Kebab
Amber L.

So the idea is sound. A very authentic Turkish place with the food Ina ready to cook form. I think we ordered the wrong stuff or perhaps caught them on a bad day. The food comes out as home cooked and argue servings. When I say home cooked I mean the presentation is not there. One dish was chicken with bread and a big spolch of yogurt. When you look at it it is not appetizing. The food looks overwhelming and not edible, but once you get over that the tastes are fine. The staff leaves a lot to be desired. I asked for water atleast 5 times to get served once. Not a good outcome for us.

Mix donar
Tasha J.

Best meal of the trip! I was staying down the block and seeing all of the Kabobs in the window, we couldn't pass it by. So glad we went in! Over ordered and over ate because everything was fantastic. We got the cold platter with hummus, babaganoush and cacik to name a few and some fantastic naan. We had the mix kabob plate and the mix donar plate, everything was absolutely amazing! The kabobs were better when they first came out but if you are a slow eater the donar was still amazing over time. I wish I could eat here every week!

Mix doner
Alexander Y.

When in London, definitely get a kebab! I had to find time for a proper Turkish restaurant after already having a quick, neighborhood kebab. A last minute search turned up Efes, so we came over and luckily did not have to wait to sit down even though we did not have a reservation. Chose a mix doner with chicken and lamb. I think I liked the chicken more than the lamb, but both were great as they were cooked and flavored very well. The portions were also extremely generous. Definitely make sure to use the sauces they give you as they make the meats taste ever better! Service here was great, no complaints at all. Very happy with my decision to come here. Would definitely come back again!

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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10 months ago

So far our best food experience in London! Wonderful staff. Every bite was amazing! Got the pide, lamb kebab, chicken. All lovely!

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Food is incredible, service people are chill. This was a go-to when I lived in the area

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Lamb was good! Fast service. Hummus was good as well. Salad dressing was amazing. Would definitely recommend!

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

The food here was Sooo good! I loved their tea and everything was tasty and affordable. I'd definitely return!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

It was great! The wait was a bit long but the food was fantastic and the service. I really like the family atmosphere.

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2 years ago

Wonderful experience. The rice and lamb was great. Turkish tea was much better than I expected.

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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3 years ago

Great shish Taouk and salmon. Very flavorful. Did not like the juice or tabbouleh. Good choice!

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Efes Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Efes

This place was recommended to me by my Uber driver Cetin, who sang the praises of this authentic Turkish food, and ir was delicious and the portion sizes are large.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Anatolia

Anatolia

(20 reviews)

££

London Fields

hi freinds I decided to write a yelp review on how much of a fun and exiting time I had here…read moreyesterday I had a chicken concarni and it was nice. I really likes the chips because they are nice also the atmosphere was nice thank you freinds for your great service and happines...

Where were you when you learned that Michael Jackson died? You're bound to get this question from…read morethis day forward, so you'd better juice up your answer! I was enjoying a late night (drunken, let's be honest) meal with three, come four fantastic friends, devouring a £12 bottle of white wine, (someone get this girl a straw!) and shoving hummus and lamb shish kebabs in my face at dangerous speeds. 3D glasses were involved, as were some incriminating photos with some overly powdered Turkish delight. I think quotes like "That's what she said" and "your mom" may have slipped in among my infamous Scottish and Irish accents. (They're truly amazing, you should hear me say "Carrrrehmel" juxtaposed with "They're magically delicious!" This also launched a few references to Toucan Sam, which were equally enjoyed by the Irish, Scottish and American group. Nearing the end of our hummus, haloumi, cack and kebab, Evelyn received the ominous text "Michael Jackson Died..." to which, logically, we decided to confirm by asking the waitstaff who had been trying to usher us out for the past 20 minutes. The only things confirmed at the meal were that #1.Anatolia Ocakbasi was indeed magically delicious and cheap, and that #2. If MJ did die, we blame the boogie. Bottle of white wine £12 Order of hummus, haloumi, cack and lamb kebab: £19 Having an amazing answer (and shocking photo evidence) to the question: "Where were you when you found out Michael Jackson died?" Priceless.

Sömine

Sömine

(28 reviews)

£

Kingsland, De Beauvoir

Looking for a chill place to have a good conversation complemented with a satisfying meal? Then…read morelook no further...Sömine is what you are searching for! We were on our way to another restaurant up the street and we all decided we could no longer be bothered with walking, that's when Sömine appeared in the distance. We decided to gamble and eat here instead. This is when laziness actually is beneficial. The staff here is so friendly and funny. You were served with the complementary items and given recommendations based on our eating preferences. My fellow veg heads we can eat here! They have several items on the menu that cater to vegetarian boundaries (vegan I'm not so sure). I forget the name of what I ordered but it was almost like a meatless and pastaless lasagna. It was de-lish-us! The place is a bit small with the tables fairly close to each other, so be careful when moving around. Luckily for us, there was one other party there so we had room to stretch our limbs. I would definitely recommend this place

I have to admit, it's been ages since I last ventured out to Dalston...even though it is supposed…read moreto be the new hipster central! And given that I was practically a novice to this area, I whipped out my phone to consult the opinion of my fellow Yelpers as to where they suggest a starving bloke should find consolidation for his stomach. Sömine popped near the top of the list with overwhelmingly good reviews - amongst others, one by Lizzie G, whose reviews are generally superb! I walked along Kingsland Road, with its mixture of ethnic supermarkets, trashy clothing stores and fried-chicken shops. But the further North you go (towards Stoke Newington), the more the area seems to become "cool", as you can find hip restaurants and coffee shops for the yuppies and hipsters that slowly, but surely seem to "gentrify" this area. Sömine is as low-key as it gets - in fact, it resembles a cheap cafeteria of my long-gone university days. But let's turn to the food for a minute: they mostly offer stews, which are on display already from the outside. The guy behind the counter explained to me the various flavours/ingredients and in the end decided on a vegetarian stew and a stew with minced lamb and aubergine. He ladled them both on a soup-plate and on the side he served me some pickled vegetables and rice. (I specifically asked for the rice to be served on a separate plate.) What I liked best about my dining-experience here was watching the kitchen ladies making Turkish raviolis right there in the restaurant (see photo). For some reason, this act of making food right here and there, made me believe that all their food is made with a similar passion...

Tad

Tad

(15 reviews)

££

London Fields

The Tad Ocakbasi Meze bar is one of the classier Turkish restaurants on Mare St. in Hackney. For me…read moreit is much more inviting than your avearge Turkish restaurant. First of all, the outside seating is a feature not possessed by many other Turkish restaurants in the area. The orning provides shelter from the often drizzly weather, and the wooden seats are a classy touch and a nice change from the usual tacky plastic outside furniture on Mare street. Expect to receive more food than you think you will get. I ordered the Lamb shish which was beautifully tender. My friend had the mixed grill, which to finish eating is no small feat, he managed to make his way through the abundance of different meats. The shish was around 8 pounds, and the mixed grill around 13 pounds. I guess it depends on how much you can afford, and how much meat you can stomach. The staff really care about your experience, and take the time to have a chat with you. Their interest is genuine, and I did not find the their very personal style of service at all meddling. The Tad is open 7 days a week and is fully licenced.

Tad! It's not a…read morepreppy dude with floppy blond hair, Nantucket reds, and boat shoes. It's a yummy Turkish restaurant with an odd name that sounds like it should be sailing off the coast of the Vineyard. Or maybe Tad means something like food in Turkish. In which case I am dumb (sorry for all the East Coast references, Londoners). Tad stands out for me from all the other Turkish restaurants in the Hackney area thanks to the unusual dishes and the ginormous proportions. We had something called the Yogurtlu Adana, which was a kebab over flatbread, drenched with a tasty tomato-ey stew and drizzled with yogurt sauce. The bread soaked up all the savory flavor and became these delicious little gloopy blobs of yumminess. This dish also came with rice, salad, and a tasty grilled onion. We also had a really good kisir (cracked wheat salad) full of fresh parsley zest and a good-but-not-special-in-any-way hummous. The meze starters came with a basket of grilled bread, resulting in an IMMENSE amount of food. I ate so much I was in a serious food coma afterwards. Seriously, I fell asleep in the middle of work. I guess that's what I get for doing work in bed after an intense Tad experience. No, not that kind of Tad, that sounds dirty...

Efes - turkish - Updated May 2026

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