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    Efesus Cafe

    4.5 (57 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    EFESUS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Mozzarella Flatbread with extra cheese - SUPER YUMMY!!!
    Linda B.

    We ordered through Uber Eats and the food was so OK. It wasn't that great at all. It was just all right. It wasn't that tasty at all. We will never be ordering from here again!! Pretty sad, isn't it? We will never be ordering from here again!!

    Manti

    We got the spicy chicken and tzatziki, Manti, Beef Pide and the baklava and all of it was delicious! Great food and good service - we will be back.

    Pita bread
    Susan H.

    We learned of Efesus Cafe, located in the original part of Ashburn, when we were invited to an event at Anatolian Bistro. The owner was working on adding more healthy items to his menu and invited people to come in and sample them. We liked what we sampled and let him know. As we were leaving, he handed us a menu for Efesus Cafe which is owned by the wife of the owner of Anatolian Bistro. Efesus Cafe bills itself as a "Mediterranean Restaurant". The menu also has foods from Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Turkey and Albania. It's not upscale and definitely casual. The small shopping center where they're located also has an Orthodox church in it. No doubt, when the church has events or masses, people will end up going to Efesus for a meal. We were here on a Saturday for an early dinner. At the time, the parking lot was almost full as the church had something going on. Upon entering Efesus Cafe, we were immediately greeted and seated at a circular four top table in a corner right by a window. Our server was friendly and efficient. He brought a bottle of cold tap water, which we appreciated. To start, we chose "Spicy Ezme" from the "cold starters" section of the menu. "Spicy Ezme" consists of a mix of minced tomatoes, peppers, mint, parsley and herbs. Some homemade bread also accompanies the dish. We enjoyed this starter; the medium spiciness was just right and didn't drown out the other flavors. The only complaint we had (if you can even call it a complaint) is we would have liked more bread. We ended up running out of bread and couldn't finish all of the Spicy Ezme. I ordered "Kofte" for my main course. It consists of: "Grilled ground beef patties served with white rice, and sumac onion." I grew up eating "Chofta" as the Albanians call the same dish. I was surprised at how thin the ground beef patties were here and they were a bit overcooked. The ones my mother and grandmother would make were smaller and thicker. The dish is served with a very nice moist pilaf. The bit of onion that came with the meal was lightly grilled. Even though I took a photo of this dish, for some reason it didn't come out. My husband ordered "Lamb chops" which consisted of: "Grilled and seasoned lamb chops served with a side of white rice and vegetable. The chops were cooked medium rare to medium and were quite tasty. The roasted vegetables that accompanied both dishes were cooked tender crisp. For dessert we had baklava; I ordered Turkish tea and my husband ordered Turkish coffee. The baklava was quite fresh with a nice honey flavor and a generous amount of pistachios. They also serve some Italian items such as pasta and a Margherita pizza. Also, one of the "Hot starters" is Albanian liver (Arnavut cigeri). We both agree that we would like to return and try other items.

    lamb shish
    Tiffany T.

    Located a bit by itself and off to the side but worth checking out if you're craving mediterranean food/lamb! It has a very homey feel from the restaurant/cafe itself to the food when its served! The workers were very friendly and checked on how the food was too. Rice - came with the lamb dishes but making its own section because it was really yummy! seasoned nicely, plump and soft. 3.75/5 Lahmacun - essentially a super thin pizza. Its good and perfect to share with 4 people since its cut into 4 slices! Was good but nothing too special. I liked it with the red onions on top and lemon 2.75/5 Lamb shish - A little chewier but had really nice flavor from the seasoning and the cook! 3.5/5 Lamb Shank - Fall off the bone, extremely tender, good with the tomato sauce! Not dry but also not juicy but the tenderness makes up for it. Huge portion, the leg could defnitely be shared 3.75./5 Spicy chicken with yogurt - not my personal type of flavor. chicken was cooked nicely. the sauce is like a spicy buffalo sauce but i dont actually like buffalo sauce lol. yogurt mellows it out and makes it extra creamy. I liked that there is bread in it but i think it would be better if it was separate since they got too soggy while eating. 2/5

    Efesus Chicken - A white plate contains chicken in a creamy sauce with sliced green peppers, served with a mound of rice and a tomato slice.
    Lorna H.

    Delicious food and great service!!! The restaurant is so clean and welcoming. Our server was very sweet and recommended the efesus chicken. I loved it !! Highly recommend

    Inside view
    Kevin Z.

    Very nice place. Very clean and inviting from when you first walk in. Nice varied menu which features some great dishes. I had the chicken shish after the hummus app. Rice pudding was the best dessert. Friendly staff, very good prices, great experience.

    Chicken Steak
    Jeff H.

    We had dinner there on 5/26/2024. It's a quaint little restaurant. We had grape leaves and Baba Ganoush as an appetizer. The grape leaves were tasty, could have used some salt. The baba ganoush was very tasty, also needed some salt. My wife had the Chicken Steak. The chicken had a nice char, slightly overcooked but still ver tasty. The rice was cooked perfectly, also lacked salt. There was nice assortment of roasted vegetables on the plate. The yogurt sauce was tasty. I had the Hunkar Begendili Lamb. It was very tasty. Lamb was slightly overcooked but still delicious. The sauce for the lamb was delicious. The eggplant puree was creamy, very tasty. The rice was cooked perfectly, definitely needed salt. Overall, a very fresh, tasy meal. The staff were very friendly. We would go back and recommend this restaurant.

    A menu from Efesus Cafe in Ashburn, VA, displaying sections for soup, salad, lamb, chicken, beef, seafood, and starters with prices.
    Kathryn P.

    Nice ambiance, friendly staff and delicious food! All the dishes we got were very flavorful. I really liked the spicy beef sucuk, just wished there was a bit more of it on the flatbread. Definitely would come back when I'm in the area!

    A rectangular pizza topped with pepperoni slices and melted cheese, served on a white tray at a restaurant.
    Bob M.

    This is the new restaurant in town. They have a Turkish / Mediterranean spin on food. Simple clean flavors that work. Service was spot on and helpful. This location has had issues with the previous 2 restaurants but the owner has experience with another location in Herndon and that one is very successful. I wish them luck. Locally owned is a plus. My only minor complaint is was the napkins,they were the cheap giant kind. It doesn't match the plating, or the silverware.

    My two sister-in-laws enjoying the appetizer and delicious bread at Efesus.
    Sharon V.

    One of the first restaurants I took Co. to after moving to Ashburn, VA. It did not disappoint. We had a lovely time and delicious food with excellent service. I would not hesitate to dine there again. The Efrsus Chicken was just the kind of comfort food I needed after a big move across 3 states!

    Adana kabab
    Fadhil A.

    The food is 10/10. this restaurant is impressive, clean, fresh, tasty, good food presentation, the portion is reasonable, good price, great friendly customer service. will definitely visit again. We need more quality restaurants in loudoun county like this place. Big thank you to all the staff :)

    Katmer to share!
    Helik S.

    We've known Cemal from Anatolian Bistro restaurant in Herndon where we enjoyed many dinners over the past years, however living in Leesburg we couldn't go as often as we would have liked. This is why we were excited to hear he was opening another location in Ashburn much closer to home and couldn't wait for him to open. He finally did and we came right away. The place looks great: simple yet elegant, servers are very attentive and courteous, and of course the food was delicious and elegantly served as we expected! We found the menu here much more diverse with Mediterranean fare with offerings to accommodate different palates. We enjoyed a very fresh, delicate, and flavorful Greek salad, followed by a perfect Lamb shank and Begendili Spicy Chicken, and couldn't resist a sumptuous Katmer to share as dessert! Cemal, the owner was welcoming and friendly as always and we are sure he will make this place at least as good as his other one. We have a new go to destination when we feel like eating out well, in style, and without breaking the bank.

    Far picture is the beef sucuk cheesy flatbread and near is the Canu-shaped beef flatbread. Both were tremendous!!!

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    2 months ago

    Nice Turkish place, lady owner was nice and food was decent, I will go for dinner again.

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    4 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Great fresh food, lots of flavor and friendly people. Highly recommend it for any occasion.

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    1 year ago

    So clean, polite and delicious. We had falafel, lamb chops, eggplant and Adana chicken kabob. Cooked to perfection. You can't ask for more!

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    Ask the Community - Efesus Cafe

    Are the meats halal?

    Hello, yes we are serving halal meats.

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    What an incredible restaurant! Sitting in Seattle, we ordered dinner for my Mom for a Christmas…read moregift...she lives in Ashburn. Everything was going perfectly until the Uber Eats driver bailed on the delivery as the food was coming out. There was no way to get the food to her. After searching for an alternate way to get the food deliver, the owner stepped in and even though they do not normally deliver, he did. The team at Mediterranean Breeze saved by Mother's Christmas and she told us that the lamb chops were the best she's ever had! We can't wait to eat their in person when we come to visit! Thanks! Brig Gen (ret) Blaine and Jeana Holt Seattle, WA

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    Efesus Cafe - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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