EFES Restaurant

My roommate and I live down the street from this place and cannot rave about it enough! The good is amazing, the people are amazing, the everything is amazing. When we finally came, we couldn’t believe that people are not lined up outside the door. LINE UP OUTSIDE THE DOOR PEOPLE. THIS PLACE IS AMAZING.

Received great service and recommendations from our lovely server, Emre! The meal and coffee were delicious! Lamb chops and kababs were fantastic!

I love Mediterranean food and this restaurant is lovely. My sisters and my niece were in town and we went here on a whim. They have fun booths that require you to take your shoes off and sit on pillows around a table, my niece thought it was the coolest thing ever! The food was amazing and the service outstanding.

We really, really like Efes. It’s so under the radar, quality food. First of all, we love sitting in the booths. You have to take your shoes off, but it’s so fun to get comfy and eat. The first time we went was on Valentine’s Day because we didn’t want to get all extravagant. It was pretty busy that night, but not bad at all. It’s BYOB and they also have some alcohol behind the bar as well.
When we went last night, we were the only ones there for a while (it was Wednesday night) so we had the place to ourselves. The waitress kind of seemed like she didn’t want to be there, but that’s probably because it was so slow. We got the haydari appetizer, which was very different, but really good, lentil soup, and chicken couscous. The price is super reasonable for the amount of food to get, so you really can’t go wrong. We love this place!

This place is dirty. Waiters are rude. Menus are not descriptive. You may think you are ordering one thing and then something else comes to the table and the chef screams at the waitstaff in front of everyone. Horrible experience.

I am sorry, but employees smoking cigarettes right next to the outdoor dining is just not acceptable. At least 2 employees were doing this, and one had two smoking breaks in the space of 40 minutes. Not surprisingly, getting the attention of servers was not easy. The Kofte Kebab and sautéed veggies were not bad. The vegetarian manti was rather bland.

Third time here and every time I leave very happy. I love sitting outside when the weather is nice. Its so pleasant and nice.
The food is always amazing!
I have had authentic home made Turkish food many times fefore and it’s so delicious. Well the food here is the closest to the most authentic Turkish food there it is.
The bread is home made and tastes so fresh and so so darn good. We order the apetizer combo and the mix plater wich it had three kinds meets. Very flavory and tasty.
The staff is so attentive and friendly. We got our drinks, apetizers and the rest of food quite fast.
This will continue to be one of my favorite Turkish restaurant.
Definitely recommend it!

Having personally studied in Turkey for 6 months during a study abroad trip and trying «Mediterranean» food through the United States, Efes Café was a good representation of what Mediterranean food should be.
The staff spoke amongst each other in Turkish, which is a good sign when you are looking for genuine Turkish food.
The restaurant was decorated with beautiful Middle Eastern (seemed to be mostly Turkish) décor. We sat in the carpeted table area, which regard shoes off and legs folded. After a long day of walking, I welcomed the idea of sitting with no shoes and eating on a floor-​like area. The waiter was very attentive; constantly filling our water up.
The food was good; not all of it was traditional Turkish but I understand that some ingredients had to be supplemented for what was available in Chicago. The bread was good, almost met my expectations of what Turkish bread should be.
Great food, excellent atmosphere. The prices are wonderful. I love that it is BYOB.

This place is wonderful! As a lover of Turkish food, it exceeded my expectations for most Turkish restaurants in America. Everything I’ve had has been exceptional. Very fresh, flavorful, and authentic. Servers are attentive and knowledgeable. Try the Manti, or anything with their great yogurt sauce!

Disappointing to say the least.
I had Sultan’s Choice, beef over warm smoked eggplant.
I didn’t enjoy it, the way it was prepared and the combination of the chunky beef and hot mushy white eggplant sauce, turned my stomach.
I asked for some spicy sauce the waitress brought hot wing hot sauce to the table.
I have eaten at many Mediterranean restaurants at home and abroad, my worse experience.
The service also left something to be desired.

Really great place. Portions are massive so be prepared. My favorite is the lamb shank.
Order Efes beer, you won’t regret it.

My wife and I enjoyed another lovely Mediterranean dinner at Efes. Service is always understated, warm and professional. The felafel is wonderful and the array of small plates first rate. We were in Turkey a year ago on a family trip and the food at Efes is very authentic. Very limited wines by glass but plenty of great beers. Price to value is great. We shall be back — best with a crowd to share starters.

I love Efe’s. Good food, they deliver, and they have coupons on Grubhub.
I usually go for the hummus with chicken entrée, dolma, and spinach primavera.
The spinach primavera is vegetarian and is AMAZING.

This was by far… The worst service I’ve seen in quite some time. It took nearly two hours to get a semi-​warm dish. EPIC FAIL!!!

Efes is an amazing hidden gem located in Lakeview, that’s why I make it a point to go every time I visit Chicago :) It is not your ordinary Turkish restaurant, the décor is nothing short of gorgeous! There is even an area to sit Turkish style on the floor with pillows and enjoy your delicious meal! The restaurant is owned by the most wonderful couple, they will welcome you with their warmth and smiles! All in all the place is great and will offer you a very unique experience you won’t be able to get anywhere else!

I regularly order from Efes since I moved to the neighborhood. Food is delicious. Even my parents visiting from Turkey (who are picky with their food and hard to please in general) approved.

It was just ok. Our drinks came 5 minutes after the appetizers. The entrée was cooked perfectly, but was a bit bland.

Meh: hummus, baba ganoush, chicken couscous, service, corkage fee
Yum: chicken artemis, haydari, baklava, plush dining room, cute al fresco patio
If you don’t live in the area, I wouldn’t travel to eat at Efes. But if you do live around here and you’re looking for a Mediterranean/​Turkish place that is convenient, check it out.

This place had some vegetarian options as well as some of the more popular Turkish dishes. To start off with, I had the Ezme and the Cigars — the Ezme were ‘spiced’ red peppers, parsley, mixture — it was interesting and complemented with the pita bread. I really enjoyed the ‘cigars,’ as they were rolled up melted feta cheese and parsley, a little bit on the salty side, but quite nice with your olive oil-​infused butter. I had the Beyti Beef platter, stated as one of their famous orders — it was like a burrito filled with two small cylinder-​shaped chunks of ground beef/​lamb mixture. It also came with a light vinaigrette salad with cucumbers and tomatoes and rice. I didn’t like the Byeti, but I did enjoy the salad as it was light and refreshing. The Vegetarian Moussaka was awesome — it was filled with yams and root vegetables — great taste, not too sweet nor too savory — just perfect and melted in your mouth; I didn’t even miss the meat! Our server was awesome, and he gave us free Turkish tea on the house — so sweet! I definitely recommend the cigars and the vegetarian moussaka!
+‘Cigars’ appetizer
+salad
+Vegetarian Moussaka

Not sure why this isn’t higher rated. I live a few blocks from here and the food and service are always consistent and amazingly delicious. The pace is for sure more slow if eating in the restaurant given its Mediterranean (I usually get delivery that arrives in 20 mins! fresh off the stove).
The veggie couscous, musaka, fresh turkish bread and hummus are some of my favorites. Definitely check it out if in Lakeview!