Efes I in City of London, Westminster

If you’re giving this place 5* you haven’t had good turkish food! The food here is so bad and so overrated over cooked and dry and no flavour. This is my second time trying this place and both times were bad. Overpriced local kebab shops taste better and cheaper.

Went here on a whim - was really impressed by the quality of the food (had ribs and iskender). Were seated in the downstairs basement area which was comfortable. Decent, unobtrusive service.

Very tasty, service top, ambience discreetly friendly and modern. Nothing to complain about.

I was very underwhelmed by the food. The rice was luke warm, and the rest of the meal lacked flavour. The falafel was ok. The service was good and the atmosphere was good.

The food was good and the staff was alright. Very overpriced but Much better than the other branch in Stepney.

This Turkish dish suits our taste

A nice Turkish place but can be very busy and food takes long to serve. Platters are quite pricy but food tastes good and worth the price.

Nice atmosphere. Food is okay nothing to brag about for the price it is at.

The food is very good. The service was excellent 👍🏻 we spontaneously stopped by at night. Here we grill over charcoal.

We dined in for 4 people and ordered doner, lahmacun, pide and wraps. The waiter wasn't aware what's included in the wraps and struggled to take orders. Everything has come separately to the table and doner wrap was cold. I didn't want spicy but I had a spiced doner and it is expensive for what you get as doner wrap. Also, the Doner plate was too fatty. They serve lahmacun in 5 seconds which means they only heat up lahmacun, not doing fresh. The bread was saggy and thick not a proper lahmacun. Pide was the only recommendation that I can do, although the meat was mixed with too much fat, can try cheese pide next time if I ever go. I don't recommend going there if you dont have any other options. Places in Dalston is much better.

I happened to pass the restaurant, got a table and have to say that the food was really tasty. The price-performance ratio was a bit more expensive than in Berlin, but that's the case everywhere in London. I can only recommend the kebab plate and chicken wings!

Be aware massive charge if you eat in! I got a wrap and a single lahmacun which supposed to be 15,5 according to their price list at display and their menu inside but charged 25£. Apparently they add 10£ if you eat in.

Turkish pizza for £5 is a great deal

This is a really interesting restaurant. It has been around for fifty years and you can see why. The food is simple but lovely. The staff are well trained and attentive, but not intrusive. The atmosphere was busy with people enjoying being out to eat.

Pretty good, large portions, and true to Turkish cuisine from what I have been exposed to.

Always crowded and noisy. Serving food takes a long time. Food is okay.

The prices are very high, the taste is very bad, I told Adana it was terrible, there is nothing like hygiene. Something had dripped on the table. The best thing in the place was bottled Coke. I don't recommend it. Don't go and regret it.

Used to come here everyday before I moved out the area. Returning after three years I’ve had to change my five star review to a 2 star. Maybe they’ve changed owner? I used to get a beautiful falafel wrap in gorgeous fresh bread, delicious hummus and fresh salad, all for £5. Not only have they raised their prices by a lot but the quality of the food has diminished. For example, the fresh bread has been replaced by supermarket tortillas. Really disappointing and hope they can get back to the shining Whitechapel institution they once were.

Iskender, it can't be like this. Also, the sympathy of the people working in the kitchen blew me away.

Excellent place to eat and super service..great food !!!thank you very much

One of the best in London, really enjoyed it specially its halal clean well made delicious food

Take out mixed kebab £11. Meat extremely well spiced but not a lot of it at all in my kebab which was extremely disappointing. I was considering inviting my friend to have a sit down meal in this place but the value for money of my take out has put me off. It's such a shame but overall the kebab was a let down

I had a previous good experience at another branch but this time in Whitechapel, it was the complete opposite. The waiter was visibly annoyed throughout simply because we asked for a couple of minutes to get our order ready. When we were ready, he avoided coming over for some time. We had barely finished eating before he was grabbing our plates. Lacked basic courtesy and politeness, let alone positive service. And no, it wasn't busy at all. Lots of empty tables so there was really no need to rush.

Food is so tasty. I tried Donar lamb, it's fantastic.

The best restaurant in Whitechapel, highly recommended

The Kunefe here is really good!

As a Turkish, i confirm that it is indeed a good Turkish food! Don’t hesitate to come in and have a wonderful food in a very chilling and welcoming environment. Many thanks for the warm welcome and great food!

Felt robbed in broad daylight at the extortionate prices and sky high service charge to rub it in even more. The food is bang average, the only actually nice thing was the bread, oh and speaking of bread it was £2.50 for BREAD!!?? It’s free in any respectable Turkish place like the ones in Haringey. Absolute joke of a restaurant, £60 down the drain for a disappointing meal for two, just got to Corbacisi in Haringey for real service and proper Turkish food.

I had a food poisoning from this restaurant (Efes) last Thursday 22nd August 2024. The salad was not fresh at all, the dipping sauce was very bad and runny. Roasted veg was rotten. At the end I have been enforced to pay extra charges for the service. It is not recommended at all

Lovely meal, meat was nicely cooked, decent portion but not cheap. Would be nice if they cleared the table and I might have dessert. Great overall

I just bought ready-made falafel from them !!For 6 pound sold at Lidl for 1.40 pound Is there a respectable restaurant that serves customers ready-made frozen food that is not specialized Like something that is not called falafel from lidl?!!! Frozen fries too !! 3.50!! That’s cost me 10 pound for original price 2 pound!!! Why did I come to a restaurant then He doesn't know how to cook falafel In its original way ?!! Even the hummus was without olive oil and dry🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 A restaurant you said? 😂😂 run away

Good food and nice staff, open very late

Located at the top end of bricklane . Parking can be an issue .EFES has 2 floors . The lower floor is for larger groups. Bright vibrant atmosphere. Food was succulent and juicy.

My husband and I had dinner here on a visit to London and we felt so sick that night after eating here. Food tasted bland and unseasoned. Worst Turkish food I’ve ever had. Staff were also rude and unwelcoming. Will not be recommending this place.

A place that really deserves a stop both for lunch and dinner. Good quality of food, large portions, excellent bread and a very kind, polite and friendly staff. One of the best locations in terms of quality and price.

A busy place but food and service is good. We were served by Aniq - amazing guy with brilliant attitude.

The Food tasting was okay. The service was not good the staff was keeping looking at us ,stand on front us .it was uncomfortable at all, The price was very expensive compared with the food we got, and with other Turkish restaurants . I will never go back again .I don't recommend

I wound up at this restaurant at 11pm after a show, since it was one of the only places open. It was like floating into heaven - the food was hot and delicious, the service was lovely and courteous, and the vibe is immaculate. I wish I could give it ten stars. I'll definitely be back here when I visit London again.

Anik was wonderful as were the rest of the crew. We felt so welcome and loved coming in for great food and company! Definitely recommend!

Great customer service and the food was just it! Thanks Evie😊

It was my first time with my family and we all really enjoyed it. The food is very tasty and the service is good. I recommend it to everyone!!!

We ordered lamb döner and lahmacun. We really liked the lamb döner, we tried many other restaurants none of them were as tasty as this one( we are Turkish😊) However I did not like their lahmacun and lavas( it was not cooked in there)We will be coming back if we are around in Aldgate. Very good very nice👍👍👍😎

The food was amazing.. and there was a lot of it. The staff was friendly and gave you space.

Atmosphere is not the best, the food was very middling and if you're pasing for a takeaway it would be fine but dining in, at least in the middle of the day is not a great experience.

Thanks for the delicious dinner! Everything was very well cooked! Thank you for the compliments from the restaurant - the refreshing cocktails and juices for the children! We recommend!

We took pide and mixed doner kebab. It was amazing and very tasty. Beautiful restaurant inside and great service 👍

100% highly recommend ! The best turkish restaurant i ever had.

Nice atmosphere and good prices. Tasty food!

The smallest most expensive Turkish food I’ve ever had. Don’t mind paying for food good food and a decent portion. Paid almost £27 for only one skewer chicken beity. Everywhere I else I had it got 2 skewers and was cheaper. A rip a shame cause the food is not bad. It’s Whitechapel not Primrose Hill boys get it right.

The food is delicious and the service is excellent👍

Two restaurants in the corners split by a road... one focusing in turkish pizza(pide) while other is all about kebabs... we had a nice lunch with lamb shank ... original way stew of a leg of lamb well cooked with patatoes and carotes making an amazing broth to wash down the falling apart meat. LAMB SHANK is Not allways easy to find and it should not contain tomato sauce like other interpretations. Sometimes is a better choise then grilled meats. Many thanks! Efes been Enfes! There are lots of indoor seating and few outdoor too.

This restaurant is the most perfect place in Whitechapel you can go to. The service, taste, presentation, every detail is perfect. I would also like to thank everyone for the convenience they provided us.

This restaurant nailed Turkish vibes. Everything was good. The Lamb döner meat is amazing. The Adana kebab has some room of improvement but is also very tasty. Hummus was authentic. The salad was fresh and very traditional. Great option if you want to try Turkish food.

Did takeout here. Staff is nice and informative of the menu. The food is overall good and plentiful portions. I felt the seasoning was a little short based on previous Turkish food I’ve had here and in Turkey. Overall, it’s worth a visit

Really delicious food, fair price, great service.

I visited for dinner around 7pm on a weekday and it was already quite crowded! We ordered the mixed grill platter, lahmacun and some falafel to share. Having recently visited Turkey, I was excited to try the food which seemed promising as the menu looked similar to those in the restaurants I visited in Turkey. The mixed grill had lamb, chicken, lamb kofte. I enjoyed the lamb the most and till today am still dreaming about the next time I’ll get to have it. The lahmacun was not as crispy as I had hoped, and the falafel was decent as best. Service was attentive and polite, and as customary in Turkey, they offered Turkish tea at the end of our meal on the house!

It was a great experience. The food is authentic and full of flavor, with fresh ingredients and well prepared. The atmosphere is cozy, the service is excellent and everything is very clean. The quality-price ratio is unsurpassed, offering an exceptional culinary experience. Highly recommended.

Delicious Turkish food here. A relief after the often somewhat "flat" English food. In addition to Turkish dishes, there is also plenty of Turkish drinks, including fresh Ayran, Salgam, Raki, tea and the beer of the same name. Portions are big! Staff are friendly and very attentive. "as it should be" the bread, salad and tea afterwards were on the house. And by London standards it wasn't even very expensive.

One of my all time favourite places to wine and dine. The staff is so attentive. They always make sure everything is right. I have been coming here for the past 6-7years? Haha I am sure they do not remember me, but every time I go in, it's a special occasion. The prices match the quality of the food as well as the service. The atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant, and the Turkish music compliments the whole experience. If you want to be sure you will be eating good, come here. Absolutely no regrets.

Very nice experience. It is a bit pricey but the food and the service made up for it! There is complementary bread and salad as well as tea afterwards. Thoroughly enjoyed

The restaurant is quite overcrowded, though the food and service is great.

Honestly best Turkish restaurant I have been to outside Turkey. Delicious 😋

Very delicious grills, especially the ribs and shawarma. The meat is legendary. The grape leaves were bad, and the rest of the food was all beautiful. The restaurant is approved in London and all of its food is halal.

Amazing food! Highly recommend. The food was so good that I forgot to take photos. Place was very clean and staff was very friendly.

Amazing experience, as always.

The food was ok. It was too dry for me and rice portion I was surprised at not enough for one to enjoy. This restaurant was recommended to me so I gave it a try.

This place is amazing. My partner and I loved it. Staff so lovely and kind make you feel so welcome. Food is sooooo good. Really enjoyed it. This is by far my favourite place to eat now when visiting London. Cannot recommend this place enough. Wonderful people wonderful service. Thankyou so much xxxxxxx

Highly recommended. Delicious food and exquisite treatment.

Food very average but not bad for 11.30pm. Don’t get the tabbouleh

I ordered shish tawook from them and it tasted very good, especially if the one preparing the order was an old man. It is open until late.

Efes is a group of Turkish resturants based in Central London. I have seen a few dotted around and always wanted to try one out. I visited with a group and we were all very happy with our dishes. We went for lunch and they have a slightly cheaper menu where you can eat the same dishes for less. When we sat down we were offered complimentary bread and sauce which was absolutely delicious. We liked it so much we ordered extra! On their menu there are a number of vegan options to choose from. I started with the Falafel and hummus, which was absolutely delicious but personally I felt there could be more served for the price. With this I ordered the shakshuka which was really flavourful and the veg was very fresh. To finish I tried out the Turkish tea which was really tasty and very reasonably priced. Overall the service and location is really good. May be a bit pricey in comparison to other Turkish resturants but in a lot of cases Efes will be the best flavour/experience.

The food was decent, bulgar did lack in flavour a little but overall I enjoyed my meal

A real culinary pleasure at Efes Restaurant My visit to Efes Restaurant in Whitechapel was an exceptional experience that I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone! The dishes were simply succulent, highlighting the freshness of the ingredients, which is evident in every bite. The staff played a key role in this wonderful evening, with service that was both discreet and extremely attentive. The ambiance is also a great asset of this restaurant. The music, soft and pleasant, creates a perfect background sound that complements the dining experience without ever invading it. It's the perfect balance to be able to enjoy your meal while having a pleasant conversation. A highlight of my meal was the homemade kunefe, a real delight! This dessert is executed to perfection, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Efes. This is a dining experience you won't want to miss. Efes Restaurant offers a memorable culinary escape with welcoming staff, delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere. An essential address in Whitechapel for all lovers of good cuisine.

They are good and they are likely *open*. The servings are generous. They were quick, the service was excellent and kind. A very safe bet.

Everything delicious, the food clean and spectacular. Very good service.

Excellent food, excellent service

Just eaten here today with my young family. A bit disappointed. Rice was dry and definitely over cooked. Mix kebab was OK. Standard seasoning. Lamb was over cooked to a point it was mostly burnt kebab. Chicken Kebeb was decent enough that it had flavours. Turkish food these days are overrated. What makes or breaks food venues are always flavours. The one thing I hate above all is when restaurants start using cheap condiments. Cheap and disgusting mayo like here. The chilli sauce that was made is lacking vinegar and salt. The prime thing in any kebab shop... The sauce. Service is very questionable. Salad came in... no bread.. bread came in very late. Waiters didn't no which table drinks are supposed to go to. Although the individual whom took the order did speak English enough. Chefs in here do not use sives!!!.. And do not have one inhouse to drain bits off from dishes of fluid filled soups. Chips and chicken nuggets were spot-on. Cooked well as it is supposed to. Food overall was expensive. So I expected better quality for the price.

Ate there last night and now I have food poisoning, not so fun

Fantastic place. The service was 👌 perfect. A great welcome, and Mohammed was an absolute asset to the team. Food was really good, Iskander was on point and the shish was tender. My only gripe was the Haloumi was a bit too thin. Avoid sitting downstairs when it's busy it was a bit stuffy and very noisy.

Lovely food, would be happy to go back again. Staff were friendly and helpful and the downstairs restaurant is a pleasant surprise from the initial takeaway looking upstairs. Definitely recommend.

Food was amazing - incredible kabobs. Service was friendly, polite, and attentive. Loved the mocktails. Great dinner out!

Great food. Open pretty late too. Great place to wind down

The best Turkish in Whitechapel. Food: perfect. Service: best i’ve encountered. Went for some quality scran on a cycle to Hackney and Efes jumped out at me. Sat outside and ordered the Mix Donair (bosh), but before even receiving it someone walked up, started getting aggressive and began harassing me for food. After asking them to leave, the owner came out, took responsibility and kept them at a distance as they wouldn’t move on to somewhere else. Despite the situation, the staff & owner at Efes handled everything extremely professionally. And the baklava was absolutely bangin. 10/10 will be back

Great restaurant, food fantastic nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Service very good 👍

Honestly after coming to this place as a local for few years i can say that they are just bad and am not coming back, dry, overcooked and never fresh from salad to sauces, giving up on this place.

Portion sizes were terribly small and the meat wasn’t even fresh.will definitely not recommend as prices r on higher side and quantity and quality u get in return is terrible.

Very bad quality meat was served and small portion All in all not a good experience at all

The portions are generous and the food is of high quality, unfortunately it is relatively expensive and often very crowded.

disgraceful service, refused to serve me at the upper floor of restaurant. food was served cold,found hair in salad, the staff were extremely rude.Will never visit again!

This is a wonderful restaurant with a warm welcome assured as you walk through the door. The food is beautiful and up there with some of the best Turkish cuisine I've had in ages.

Amazing food and good customer services...

Very helpful, excellent service, good food but what prices for a kebab in the suburbs @.@

This is the best food if ever had and the best service is Anik!

Some of the better Turkish food I’ve had outside of Istanbul and the service from Ahmed was impeccable. Give that man a raise.

I ordered chips to take away, I got home and found out they are undercooked, thanks guys 👍

Incredible service, fast and fresh food. Great portions and lots of flavour. Recommended the mixed doner, Turkish pizza with meat, along with the appetizer including hummus and tabule. Highly recommend for a hassle-free, friendly reliable and filling meal.

Great place to meet an old friend.

Lovely restaurant, the staff were fab and the food delicious. Highly recommend

The barbecue is delicious, especially the lamb chops. Recommended. The snacks are also delicious.

Very good food, correct. As for Turkish ones, it lacked spiciness and distinctive flavor. There are crowds in the restaurant and it's hard to get a table. A bit expensive but bearable. We recommend!