Gem Of Essex in Epping Forest

Thoroughly enjoyed my evening here! The staff were very welcoming and had good recommendations. The food was delicious, meat cooked perfectly, tasty and tender. The staff even bought out a birthday dessert without us asking as they had just noticed the presents on the table! Such a lovely thought.

Recently went out for a meal in Gem of Essex with my husband - the food is amazing and it's good value too. We'd recommend the calamari and prawns for starters which were really tasty.

On arrival, we were shown to our reserved table and it was good to see that they had altered the table layouts to give a good distance between tables. I had the calamari for starters followed by lamb cutlets well cooked for my mains. both dishes were delicous and the lamb was so tender it was just perfect. One of our group ordered lamb kebabs and he said it was the best lamb he had ever tasted. As usual, the service was great and we all look forward to returning again soon

Best restaurant in Essex friendly staff. Very good service and excellent service and excellent food. I do recommend to everyone who loves Turkish food with best service.

Friendly staff & Excellent Service! Went here with 4 friends and ordered the meal platter for four. Tasty selection of mezes with fresh bread. The lamb was succulent and tender. Finished off with delicious Anatolian dessert.

We were there on Monday night as a family.. their Adana dish was delicious! While the staff were so attentive even at busy periods Certainly would go again!

Amazing food. We came as a family and the service was very good. Would definitely go again and is covid friendly.

been here a few times always had lovely food and service. The moussaka and calves liver starter are wonderful.

was quite pleased with the overall quality of the food, for the price the food was good. Service was good, nice ambience and overall a good evening.

Lovely evening with friends at Gem of Essex. It’s so good to have a local restaurant with such friendly staff, especially Jay, excellent food and delicious Turkish wine which is a great discovery. Will return with or without Rishi’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ offer.

Have been here a few times and never been let down. The service is good, the food is delicious and the portions are big enough to leave you more than full! Would recommend.

Second visit in a month. Food is excellent quality and great value and the service is very 'child' friendly. Our 7 year old loves it there as the staff take time to interact. With children with various food tastes, they always find something that they really enjoy, nothing is ever left on their plates. Highly recommended.

Good Turkish cuisine affordable and nice family run restaurant. Competitive for places nearby only thing is it’s not as authentic as should be but great and affordable maze choices. Always friendly service too.

We were a party of four and booked a table for dinner @ 8pm and just as well we did. on arrival, the the place was really buzzing but our table was ready for us and reasonableyspaced from other tables. Although very busy, our server Rami, was very quick in taking our drinks and food orders. I had the lamb cutlets with salad and rice for my mains and the dish was perfectly presented and tasted wonderful. This was our first visit since febuary and the start of the virus but am sure that we shall visit again soon.

Indifferent service and terrible food. £17 for a mixed BBQ grill - 2 tiny pieces each of chicken and lamb shish which were not freshly cooked, and the lamb chop had barely any meat on it. Waste of money. Big disappointment as this was our favourite restaurant last year. Won't go back. Many other restaurants in Loughton are offering much better service and food.

We celebrated our little niece’s birthday at Gem. The waiting staff were very attentive and the food was excellent. This restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and is suitable for couples as well as family groups.

lovely food!!! been here a couple of times. Food and service was consistently good. Nice restaurant!!

We love this restaurant , the food is incredible all home prepared and cooked . No processed food . We now discovered their brunch on Saturday and Sundays. You must go if not experienced it.The staff are warm and friendly you feel like your in a familly home .Keep it up guys

Not impressed food very mediocre, no smiley service, won,t be returning!! Only second visit, first visited with a tastecard although stated online could be used in gems was told they did,nt do this anymore!! After me complaining they honoured deal.

been here quite a few times now and food really good, the set menu is really good value and you get 3 courses Waiter service excellent

We were a party of five and we were all looking to the evening as this was our first visit to this restaurant this year and the food is always good and we were not disappointed. On arrival, we were warmly welcomed and shown to a comfortable table and then our drinks and food orders were promptly taken. I chose the mushrooms for my starter followed by the octopus for my mains. Both dishes were of a good portion and very tasty, especially the octopus which was perfectly cooked and not at all rubbery! The whole evening was a great success and we shall certainly return again in the near future.

Set menu is excellent value. Large portions and good quality food. The atmosphere is always buzzing here in the evenings and the waiting staff are very friendly. Love it!

My friend was visiting and we decided to try this spot for Sunday brunch, having read the good reviews. The menu was also really appealing. We both had the Mediterranean breakfast which came with a Turkish tea. They were happy to swap my friend's halloumi for avocado. Great service and food - will definitely be back!

Went there last night with friends it was very loud couldn’t hear friends talk only lip read the food was ok for my friends I ordered lamb shank it came out full of fat when we mentioned it too the waiter I was told it was the time of year that the meat was bad so really he was telling me that he had given me bad meat and then as an insult he said could I offer you chips or bread instead I thought that was an insult my friends and I have visited here on many occasion but we will not be returning there again , I found the waiter too be rude .

The food, service and atmosphere were excellent. Nice violin music in the background was relaxing. That plus good friends made for a wonderful evening. The brightest Gem we've been to.

Myself, husband & son decided to try this restaurant without booking last night - Sat. We turned up at 6pm when it was quite empty only to be asked if we had booked, being shown a long list of booked tables.Fortunately we were given a table but told we would need to vacate by 7.30pm which wasn't a problem.We waited a while before a waiter appeared to take our order. For starters we ordered Borek & Acili Ezme, & for mains I ordered lamb beyti. my husband & son both ordered chicken shish which all came with rice & salad, but when my husband said, when ordering, he didn't eat salad & could he swap for a few chips was told "on this occasion they would do it" which quite surprised me as it isn't unusual anywhere else.I was surprised we wasn't automatically brought some pita bread with garlic & chilli dips. When I asked I was surprised they only brought 2 whole breads but with a yoghurt dip not garlic as I had asked.Then when the starters did arrive, I was surprised the Acili Ezme was a large version of what is usually free the hot chilli dip plus paying £4.90p for the privilege!The mains arrived with a small pot of a sweet chili dip which was nice, but we would have preferred it at the start. The food was very nice & we all enjoyed it.When the bill arrived, it came with small packets of mints not Turkish delight or small baklavas. So they brought some Turkish delight after I asked.The bill with drinks came to £58 and we didn't leave much of a tip as we felt the service didn't deserve more.The restaurant did get more busy, probably with some regulars, but we wouldn't be in any hurry to go back again.

I booked Gem of Essex for a family birthday. The service was excellent - we were greeted with smiles from the waiters and kitchen staff. The food was very tasty. Surprisingly, the restaurant was not very busy. Perhaps it's Loughton's best-kept secret (a hidden gem!!)

Went for brunch on Saturday. Great service and the food was delicious. Not expensive. Vegan options. We would again and will !

Lovely food made better by really nice staff and surroundings. Not your usual Loughton rip off pricing. I've been twice and both positive experiences all round. Well done.

Simple concept that lots of place are doing... I. E. A posh kebab shop. Service is good, food is what you expect... While it is good there are not surprises

We were a party of six and chose this place to celibrate my wifes birthday as you are made to feel that you are always made welcome and that the service and food cannot be faulted. We were seated on table 24 which is very comfortable and provides an excellent of the kitchen and the chefs hard at work. At the end of the evening,the waiting staff served up the birthday cake complete with lit candles we had provided previously and it made a perfect end to a perfect evening.

We went to lunch with four couples who were our former neighbours.The food and the service were excellent

We all love this restaurant- gorgeous food, friendly staff and great atmosphere- highly recommend. Have been with friends and family and all adore it

We come here all the time, the staff are so friendly and the food has never disappointed. The breakfast is worth a visit, and the set lunch menu is very reasonable. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Had a great lunch in nice surroundings with excellent service. Lots of choice on the set menu and the food was delicious and portions were generous.. Great value for money.

We were a party of four and booked a table for dinner '20.00 hours and just as well. On arrival, the place was very busy but our table was ready for us and laid out with high quality cutlery and wine glasses which is always a good sign that the staff care for their customers. As usual, the food,house wine and the service was perfect and could not be faulted.This place is a cut above every where else in Loughton and we shall certainly be returning again soon.

Decided to pop back again for a celebration meal. We went for the middle set menu and chose a main course each. The meal was superb and very filling. Nice relaxed atmosphere. We will be back.p

Food is delicious, staff are very friendly good atmosphere, very clean.Will definitely be going back.

We had dinner here on a busy Saturday evening and the service was excellent, from the moment we arrived until we left. There is a very good choice of food and we were very pleased with our meals. Despite being busy we were not in the least bit rushed. Will definitely dine there again.

Six people aged from 6 to 66, we all enjoyed an outstanding early-evening meze-meal. Plenty of choice for each of us, both hot and cold, and lots of sharing. Everything was well-prepared and we’ll-presented. Service was very food, with attention to the six and the eight year olds in the party as well as the adults.

We were a party of six and booked a table for dinner @ 20.00 hours. On arrival, we were shown to our table which was very comfortable and gave plenty of room for us all. As usual, the place was well attended with happy eaters which gives the place a good "buzz".The food was really good and plentiful with every body ordering different dishes with no complaints. I had the sea bass for my mains which comes with perfect mashed potatoes and side salad and can highly recommend this dish to all fish lovers. The service was great and we shall certainly return again in the near future.

Dropped in 26/08 without booking, no problem at all, waiter found us a table with no fuss.

I went on recommendation and it didn’t disappoint. Sizeable portions from this Turkish eatery. Dishes were fresh and came quite quickly.

For an area which has been saturated by Turkish/meze type restaurants I was apprehensive but nicely done out without being brash pretentious Essex style. Food was well presented and good quality and very reasonably priced. What stood out for me was they had a few different things on the menu. Staff were very attentive also, this appeared to be a family run business also. A little Gem!!

Four of us went to the Gem to celebrate our sons birthday. It was the first time that we had been there. The food was excellent and so was the service. It was reasonably priced, Definitely worth a visit.

The lunch menu is very average, nothing special.

We had lunch at Gem yesterday and I can't recommend it highly enough. The food is excellent, well presented and reasonably priced. We had the lunch menu which had plenty of interesting choices. I'm a vegetarian and sometimes even in this day and age, struggle to find much choice on restaurant menus. Not so here, I was spoilt for choice.

At the moment these style of Restaurant are becoming increasingly common, it was only on our travels we noticed that GEM always appeared to be busy, not just on the usual days like Fathers/mother day etc .

It had been a while since we have visited this place and was really looking forward to it again as our last visit was great with lovely meals. This visit was the same. The place was "buzzing" which puts you into a good mood straight away. I chose the garlic mushrooms for my starter followed by the lamb cutlets for my mains. Both dishes tasted lovely and were good portion sizes. We all had different choices with no complaints and everybody had another great evening and shall return again soon

As always a wonderful relaxing lunch with friendly staff. As a coeliac Oz ensures I am looked after and have gf bread and my food is cooked correctly. I love coming here.

Great choices and big portions. There are options for set menu's or as normal from the a la carte. Fairly small inside so can feel noisy and crowded when it's full but that wasn't a problem for us. We thought it added to the atmosphere. The staff were good fun and helpful with the choices.

Went to this restaurant for the first time tonight for a family birthday, so we were keeping our fingers crossed. So glad we chose it, excellent service, food, atmosphere and decor. Very impressed and will definitely be going back.

Went there as found it as a good restaurant on the 2for1 meals offer on the 'Meerkat' site. Looked at the menu & all looked good & rang to reserve a table. Although 6.30 maybe early, the restaurant soon filled up - impressive for humpday Wednesday.

I pre-booked a table for my daughter and myself for her birthday and wanted to use my Tastecard which is a discount card which "Gem of Loughton" subscribe to. I also have to pay a monthly subscription to be able to use it. The criteria is that you advise them that you wish to use this when you visit. When I rang and told them I wanted to use my Taste card, they advised me that I could only order from the "Alacarte" menu (which is of course dearer than the set lunch menu). I was happy to do this so that was fine. Upon arrival, they had no record of my booking! I continued to explain that I had booked a table and spoke to a member of staff regarding the Taste card and he advised me of the terms to which I could use it! The Manager continued to argue and basically call me Liar and even tried to blame "Taste Card for the mistake! He did not attempt to offer any discount or make me feel like a valid customer. Not only did I end up paying the full amount for the meal, I was made to feel embarrassed in front of a restaurant full of customers. To add insult to Injury and this has nothing to do with the above, the Greek salad that we both ordered was a plate of cucumber, red onion, a small amount of fetta and it was more like a vinegar soup!!! Never going there again. Be warned!!!!

We have now been several times to Gem. Lovely restaurant and super friendly staff. The food is lovely. Ozzie and Ahmed are great hosts. Fun atmosphere. We’re looking forward to our next visit already... tonight!

This is a lovely restaurant. It was busy and had a lovely atmosphere. I really enjoyed the food. It was excellent for vegetarians and offers several set menu deals which are really good value and very tasty. The service was good too - very friendly and efficient. I would highly recommend Gem.

We visited this restaurant on Bank Holiday Monday, we hadn't booked but they managed to fit us in. The restaurant was really busy and easy to understand why. The food was amazing, I had the meat moussaka, and it was soft and beautiful, the wine which was recommended by the very helpful waiter, was also delightful. We will definitely be back!

Have visited this restaurant a few times since its opening. Service is very friendly and is good value for money. Food is pretty average, much better Turkish food in surrounding area in my opinion - but big portions and good value.

We walked in to this restaurant last night ‘on the hop’ and luckily for us they had a table. The food was excellent and reasonably priced and the restaurant was beautifully decorated. The two waiters who served us were absolutely lovely and made us feel really welcome. We also got served a free and very delicious dessert. I would totally recommend this restaurant and will definitely be coming back!

Really friendly service from Ahmad and food was delicious! Some good vegan options as well. Worth a visit for sure.

I’ve been this restaurant twice this month. The food is just wonderful, full of flavour and beautifully presented. The service is amazing, attentive but not gushing. Prices are not over the top and the set meals are good value. All in all a great place to visit

We were a party of six and booked a table for dinner @ 8pm. On arrival, we were shown to table 24 which was very comfortable and gave plenty of room for six. Our drinks and food orders were taken by Achmed who was our server for the evening and he gave us good advise on the food menu as we have never visited this place before. The dining room is nicely decorated in subtle colours and the table ware and wine and water glasses were spotless and of good quality. I chose the lambs liver for starters followed by the lamb kleftico for my mains. The chopped lamb was served with a chillie sauce and was perfectly cooked and presented and delicous. The kleftico was large and came with mixed vegatables, creamy mashed potato and a lovely thick meaty sauce. The meat just fell of the bone and tasted simply wonderful.For drinks we had a 500ml bottle of Efes beer followed by two bottles of red and white house wine which went perfect with our food. Achmed was the perfect gentleman and nothing was to much trouble. We all thoroughly enjoyed the complete evening and shall certainly return in the near future to sample more dishes from their large menu

It’s a real Gem opened in Loughton. Lovely designed an interior, very impressive and great ambiance. We were made to feel very welcome from the moment we walk through the door.The waiter was very polite, friendly and professional, fantastic service. We had some cold starters and followed by a mixed grill which was perfectly cooked, very tasty and beautifully presented. Delicious home made baklava with coffee. A real pleasure, quality ingredients and fresh homemade food. Definitely worth a go if you love a real Turkish food. We had a great time and we will definitely go back.

We went for the second time to this lovely restaurant with friends. When we arrived our table was ready. The restaurant was full and there was a lovely buzz but not too loud.

This restaurant is the best Turkish restaurant in the area for value for money

So pleased this restaurant has opened in Loughton. It's a fantastic addition and we had a wonderful evening. The staff are very friendly and the food is incredibly tasty. My one gripe was the size of the starter of chicken wings. Apart from that we had a lovely evening and will definitely be back.

First visit for my wife and I, together with four friends who had been previously.Made to feel very welcome and looked after very well throughout the evening. Several different starters were enjoyed by all, followed by Lamb Cutlets, Lamb Shish and Meat Mousakka. Having been to two other Turkish restaurants in the last week, I felt this would be our first choice for a return visit.

First visit to this restaurant, food excellent, friendly staff, but not in your face, good ambiance. Strongly recommend you try.

Really delicious meat options, everything was fresh and perfectly seasoned. Delicious dips and sauces, I particularly liked the smoked aubergine dip. Staff were very polite and attentive. A real gem of a find!

It is an over used word "Excellent". In this instance, it is the only way to describe our meal this evening. The Lamb Shish was the best i have tasted . And i like a Lamb Shish !!.

It didn’t take long to work out that this is a family run restaurant given the warm welcome we received from all the staff. We were greeted by a bright and airy interior which created a relaxed and comfortable ambiance.

Visited last Tuesday evening, the acceptance of taste card made us try it. Good value, good service, will be back.

Visited here a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed a really nice meal, great lamb cutlets! The restaurant was very busy and the staff were very professional. There was some confusion with some customers who used tastecards as some of the dishes are not included in the deal but tastecard have not mentioned this fact on their website. We would definitely return to this restaurant

Had a late lunch here yesterday, food was delicious and the attention to detail really added to the experience. Beautifully decorated, very comfortable, and made to feel very welcome by the staff. I went with my fussy eating son, who loved his chicken, so definitely a good reason to get me back. I had the Chicken shish, followed by some traditional desserts with salted caramel ice cream - see picture. Can't wait to go back. Advise to book, it did get very busy around 4/5pm as we were leaving.

Been here a few times now and am not disappointed!! The food is amazing and the service is top. Jay who served us was very helpful. Lovely atmosphere and lovely staff and lovely food. Lovely!

Highly recommended by a friend I wasn’t disappointed. Had great value set lunch for just under £10. Good choice of excellent food. Portions were more than ample too.

Visited after being recommended by friends. Good food with friendly staff. Would definitely return. My friends all had the avocado and poached eggs which they said was delicious. I had the shakshuka. I did need to ask for the eggs to be slightly more cooked (possibly my fault as I originally asked for a soft yolk) but this was done with a smile and very quickly.

Went to the restaurant today for lunch. Food was lovely. Chicken shish and chicken koftah were great. The lamb liver was too tough so would not recommend that one. Service was great though and overall reasonably priced.

We visited last Friday night after looking on here at the best restaurants in Loughton. We were not disappointed - friendly fabulous staff & amazingly tasty food.

Very tasty food really enjoyed my evening there. Will be going back again soon. I had the lamb shank and it was amazing.

We will definitely be back. Friendly service, lovely food. The meat was beautifully cooked and the desserts were delicious. Lovely wine list. My 11 year old also enjoyed the food as much as us. Recommend you book as we tried to get in the night before we actually went. It was busy and popular. Thanks for a lovely meal!

Second visit. party of 4. Set menu B. Food is excellent and lot of effort goes into the tender and tasty meat dishes. The waiting staff are really nice guys. Wine is good value too. This will become a regular for us, and it’s not too loud which is the plague of the current rash of new venues. Well done GEM - keep up the good work.

Upon my forth visit here, i decided that i had to give it a 5/5 star rating as the whole experience was wonderful. The staff were very friendly (especially a younger gent called Ozzy) and the manager in particular was very welcoming. It definitely has the best Turkish meals in Essex, and i would highly recommend to everyone! I will be returning for sure.

Went to this restaurant with a group of friends and the service was so bad I left before eating.

I highly recommend Gem of Essex on Loughton High Road for a wonderful Turkish meal and very friendly staff . We went there for the very first time tonight for my friend’s birthday and we thoroughly enjoyed it !

I have eaten here 4 times (or more now) twice for the lunch special and twice in the evening.

I live in the Loughton area, and I was interested in trying this new restaurant from its many positive reviews online and its general appearance when walking past. Let's just say, I was not disappointed.

I eat out a lot and I’m fussy however I really can’t fault a single thing. We have the b set menu with stifado and kleftiko and everything was spot on including the service. Plus good selection of wines. If you like this kind of food th place is a must and very well priced.

1st time to try this relatively new restaurant but it certainly won’t be the last. The food was super as was the service. We tried the hot mezze to start and I would definitely recommend them.

Very friendly and efficient service. The food was excellent and just the right sized portions. I had the liver starter followed by BBQ mixed grill - cannot fault it. Slight misunderstanding with out taste card but sorted out very quickly and efficiently. Great staff, great food, great baclava. What else could you ask for. Will definitely return.

Such a lovely atmosphere, casual, friendly staff. Reasonable prices for quality food... and lots of it. I absolutely recommend

food, staff and atmosphere fantastic, I had the sea bass and substituted this with bulgar wheat, salad with no dressing and the staff went all out to ensure my request was met. We didn’t order desert but was absolutely surprised when the staff came out with a plate of ice cream and baklava each and told us it’s on the house! Special mention goes to Jay, he looked after us throughout our visit, he was very attentive. Highly recommended and would certainly come again.

Love this restaurant - food is consistently excellent. The weekend breakfast is delicious and such a varied menu choice. Set lunch is excellent value for such high quality and the main menu is perfect too. Can't recommend highly enough. An absolute gem and leaps and bounds above the rest.

We had an amazing meal. The food was excellent. The service from All the staff but with a special mention to JAY who was very attentive.

The food was exquisite. Very good product. The attention and friendliness of the staff, exceptional. 100% recommended.

First visit tonight for my birthday. a wonderful evening with excellent food and service by Jay .Healthy fresh cuisine and very pleasant atmosphere where you could actually have a conversation in comfortable surroundings. Will definitely return ... A very nice touch with complimentary olives , bread and ice cream to finish. A complimentary bottle of pressecco was a final touch . Will certainly return

Visiting tonight for a friend's birthday meal, beautiful food wonderfully cooked, complimentary dessert and a free bottle of prosecco for the birthday girl, great service from Jay, will def come back to the gem of loughton, Essex xx

Popped in for lunch for my mums birthday and the food was delicious and the service was impeccable! You can tell it is family run as they were very attentive and extremely helpful and flexible! Would definitely recommend and visit again. Good work!

Following a recommendation from our daughter, we popped in for dinner on Monday last week. This really is a little gem, with terrific food, friendly service (Ozzie was very attentive) and a nice atmosphere. Tremendous value for money, was stated beyond belief (totally stuffed!) and wine was good and reasonably priced. This would be a great place for lunch or dinner, and thoroughly recommend. We shall definitely be returning and we wish the owners and staff success with the restaurant.

Absolutely delicious meal at Gem - reminded me of our wedding in Turkey it was that authentic.