Ephesus

I have eaten a chicken soup, lahmacun (Known Turkish pizza), Gyros and Kunefe. The Chicken soup was testy but I have eaten better. Lahmacun was really good and it’s satisfying. I think the Gyros and Kunefe was the best in whole SF bay area. The total amount was really on fair price. definitely go there again to eat kunefe.

Food is always good and service is great! My kids dropped their silverware multiple times and someone always came with a new one before I even had time to pick it from the floor. Highly recommend.

I always get the grilled Vegetable plate. The vegetables are marinated to perfection, and the falafels, hummus, tatziki are to die for. I love dining in with very friendly service and on occasion take out (through door dash which is fast). Really enjoy eating at this family run joint !

Everything I just ate from here made me so unappetized. I literally had to throw everything away. I’m mad because I just spent $ 70 on something inedible.
Chewy old bread on the wraps, chicken that is old rubbery tastes like nothing but the grill.
Doner meat tasted old. Not much meat in the wraps in the first place.
Even the desserts where off — baklava had almost zero filling and stale.

I came here for dinner with my dad and right away were seated and given water which already set me in a good mood (I love not having to wait but I love my water even more). The staff was very attentive and friendly and we ordered the Betyi lamb (loved it!!) and the Donner plate (lamb and beef with side salad and grains). I think the Betyi was unique in that I’ve never had something like it and it was really good. The Donner plate was also delivious. I found the meat very well flavored and tender though it was a little oily. The salad was standard and had a nice vinegrette dressing (I felt the side of ranch dressing wasn’t needed). The rice and other grain (I forget what it’s called) were also standard good (it’s hard to go wrong with them). I thought the prices were reasonable given the portion size. We definitely had leftovers especially since we ate up the complimentary bread starter they give you.
Overall I wouldn’t mind coming back. They had an okra special and I actually want to try it since the one time I had okra before I loved it! I liked the food we got because it was different from the usual falafel and gyro that most other Mediterranean restaurants offfer. I think some reviews mentioned not enough of the usual spices but I actually didn’t mind and felt it made the dishes taste good in a different way.

Best. Mediterranean. Ever. Best falafels I’ve ever had, and everyone I’ve taken here has loved their food too!

Let me preface this with saying that I am half Egyptian and grew up on Mediterranean food, so I feel like I know what’s good and what isn’t.
Got the okra special — DELICIOUS. All of the vegetables were perfectly cooked, and the sauce was hearty without being salty or oily. The rice was perfectly cooked and it was the perfect amount to go with the dish.

Located on busy Castro street downtown, I had always walked by this place, but never gave it a chance. Glad that finally changed after years. Have stopped in here twice and left satisfied both times.
My initial visit was the order of the Iskender to go and I came in during busy hours of dinner and sat at the bar and waited. I immediately noticed that the online menu prices were lower than what was on the menu at the restaurant, but only a dollar or two in most instances. The portion was well worth the price when I opened it up at home. The lamb was popping with wonderful flavor and the whole dish with the yogurt and bread cubes all together made each bite oh so comforting. Wonderful execution of the dish.
My second visit was meeting a Unilocal friend for lunch here. We started off with an order of the spanakopita, which came in two pieces for $ 4. Quick, light bite to start the meal. No complaints. They did take quite awhile to bring out the complimentary bread, which was a bit annoying for someone who always has carbs on his mind.
After exploring the menu, decided to give something else a shot this time and settled upon the lamb beyti. The presentation of the dish is just beautiful. However, while I enjoyed the dish quite a lot, it was not seasoned enough throughout. The flavors were too muted. I prefer lighter dishes usually, but after tasting how delicious and near perfect the Iskender was, it made it hard not to compare this lamb dish to that one. Still solid, but the other option is clearly the better one if you are craving lamb.
My friend got the chicken plate and was left pretty unimpressed. Portion size was quite small and chicken was a bit too dry. I would suggest staying away from the chicken options here and go with the lamb.
The owner/​manager was a delight on my first visit and the service during the lunch was rock solid by the employees as well. Wonderful dining options outside on the street when the weather is nice out and comfortable and inviting inside with above average décor. Cute, little spot that is probably more of a 3.5, but I’ll round up for once as I’ve left with a smile both times.

[Vegetarian]
Not the best Mediterranean place on Castro for a veggie. I had the daily special okra stew which was strangely served with sticky rice. The portion of stew was huge compared to the small portion of rice. Even though the rice and stew went together well, the stew was inedible by itself when the rice ran out. The okra was not cooked fully either. The hot mezze eggplant starter was underwhelming as well.

I’ve been here several times and had decent food. This review is about my most recent experience, which was not good. We were a party of 5 adults and 1 5-​month old baby. The food came SUUUUPPPPPEEEERRR slow and the server didn’t come back to check until we were more than ½ way finished. The food was mostly cold, like room-​temp cold but by that time it was too late to bother.
Side note: while reviewing the menu I noticed the back said that 18% would be added to parties 6 or more. I thought that was illegal now, but whatever.
So, the bill arrives and they’ve added 18%. Apparently a 5 month old baby in a car seat counted as the 6^th person. TACKY. I won’t go back for that reason alone.

In Mountain View, it is hard to find a place to eat that has a great atmosphere, really good price range, and flavorful food. Ephesus is that place!
I ordered the gyro platter and when I received it, it had lamb gyro, a side salad and rice for $ 11. The service was really good and was surprised for a party of 5 our bill was a little less tha $ 65.
I would definitely recommend this place for all types of diets or meal plans because there is something on the menu for everyone.

Food here was pretty good. Don’t often get Greek/​Mediterranean so I do not have too much of a reference for what it should taste like.
Staff was extremely friendly and attentive. Food portions are a bit smaller– depending on dish you get
Comes with complementary bread with some dip– interesting? kind of oily… literally oily lol
Shared a humus dip. Not AMAZING but not bad either. Taste better than costco?
Got the Lamb Shank $ 17. Braised lamp on mashed potatoes. Cooked in a tomato base, so kind of watery and too .TOO many carrots (is not a fan of carrots). Mashed potato sat under the lamb and was kind of masked by watery tomato sauce, BUT the lamb was on point. Almost melted right off the bone and was able to cut easily. Juicy, soft, and well marinated. Wish there was more for $ 17, but it is lamb so it is understandable. Huge chunk of bone that made the lamb look bigger :’(false advertising man!
Dessert– not sure what it is called but it was like a soft/​chewy cheese in the center and slightly deep fried with… crispy…shredded…substance on top (some kind of flour base? not sure but it was yummy). Drizzled and sat in a syrup base. A bit too sweet for me but it was great to try. Very interesting.

Amazing Mediterranean place. The baked egg plant with veggies was delicious and their service was extremely quick and good.

This place is pretty good. There’s a lot of great Mediterranean food around this area so it’s hard for a place like this to stand out.
I got the Beyti, which everyone seems to get. It was really good. Kind of like a beef wellington, but with lamb instead of beef, and bread instead of pastry. It’s cooked in this tasty tomato sauce and placed around a big dollop of yogurt. The flavors mix together very well. My friends were quite pleased, despite having not wanted to go here.
There wasn’t much of a wait, and the service was really good. Overall, a very nice place.

I’ve been here a few times now, and the experience is consistent: Good food, lousy service. The last time I went, the server was really nice but still slow overall. That said, I like the food, prices are reasonable, and ambiance is nice inside and out.
During my visits, we’ve had the Beyti Lamb (this seems to be very popular — you can see one or more on almost every table), Sauteed Shrimp, Baked Mushrooms, Calamari, and Greek Salad, and all were tasty. I’m a big fan of the Chicken Shish; that’s my go-​to here.
Ephesus might not blow your mind, but I appreciate good food that’s almost impossible to screw up. And heat lamps for when Castro gets dark and chilly. I love (heat) lamp.

Came for lunch on a Saturday in the summer and was able to get an outdoor seat without much fuss. The food here is pretty ok and generally lacking in spices. I had the Eggplant with ground beef, which could really use some more seasoning, but the beef was good. My fiancé had the Alexander. The meat was nice and tender.
I also had the Turkish Sprite, which actually tasted a lot like Japanese Ramune.
If I come back again, I’ll definitely need to try their signature dishes.

I came here with my family of 5 so we ordered A LOT. We ordered: calamari, combo appetizer, Kuru Fasulye, Beyti, Iskender, lamb chops, chicken magluba, and adana kebab.
The calamari was excellent and for just $ 7, they give you a decent portion! The combo appetizer consisted of plenty of bread, hummus, other dipping sauces I can’t recall, cold eggplant salad, a falafel, and some little rice ball thing idr the name of. Sounds like a lot, I know, but it was very small portions so it was great for sampling!
As for the food, I tried a bit of everyones dishes which was excellent! I don’t remember what the names of each dish was beacuse i don’t know the language but everything was great! The only problem we all agreed with was there was very little meat in all of our dishes. I ordered the lamb which I know expensive, so I already expected mine to be small. However, mine still filled me up and was probably the best dish out of everyone’s hehehe… It included rice, mashed potatoes, a side of veggies, and three delicious pieces of lamb chops cooked to perfection. So yeah, everything was excellent and the service was very friendly and attentive!

I really liked the atmosphere. Oustside sheets are so comfortable.
I came here Friday night before 8. It was not that crowded and we were able to get outside table. We had lamb, beef! It was delicious. I rarely eat non-​Asian food, so it was fun. The service was also nice.

I am always a fan of Greek cuisine. One of my favorite Greek soup is Avdolemono soup (lemon soup) and this place makes a good one. The Beef and lamb gyro plate is also good. I still need to check out other dishes too. The place is quite charming and ambience is nice. I will definitely come back.

I’ve tried the Alexander and the zuchini appetizers here. It’s just mediocre for my taste.
The grilled zuchini was a bit cold when it came out even though it’s supposed to be a hot appetizer. They do have cold appetizers for you choice as well. I do like the yogurt sauce on top. It’s good to dip the bread into the sauce.
I have mixed feelings with the Alexander dish. I like the yogurt sauce, the right constistency, and the flavor not so overwhelming. The meat is supposed to be strong and flavorful, which it was. However it was pretty tough. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be like that, but the bread underneath the meat was mushy. I thought it was different and a bit weird for my taste to have tough meat, mushy bread, and yogurt sauce combined all together.
Maybe some of the other dishes could be better. However considering the Alexander was supposed to be one of their signature dishes, it wasn’t that great in my opinion.
I do commend the service there. I got to taste a complimentary sample of their baklava. That was actually a delight after the meal. I’ve tasted baklavas before and they were super sweet. As you guys know, I“m not a big fan of sweet things. However this sweetness, but not too bad. I was able to eat the whole thing without getting a sugar overload in my mouth.