Efes Turkish Cuisine

Over 24 returned peace corps volunteers met and dined enjoying the atmosphere and food. These people have lived all over the globe and know good food! We all enjoyed our meals and despite the large group the staff managed us very well. Pros: Love the babaganush more

Having lived and worked in Turkey we went to Efes expecting authentic Turkish food and service. We did look up the menu online and without reading the deep details ( several items have tandouri) decided to make the trip to Tempe. Expecting real Turkish food we ordered Turkish beer, several appitizers and Iskender. Nothing other than the Efes beer was authentic. All the food had a an off taste of a spice we never tasted in Turkey. Reading the other reviews here ( which we did not do before we went) we now undestand why. We have eated at the place on Mill street where the original owner ( a Turk) has a small place that has real Turkish food.Please go there if you want a meal that is prepared in an authentic manner. Very disapointed. Pros: Real Turkish beer Cons: Food is not Turkish more

Pros: decor was pleasant Cons: everything else more

I went to this restaurant once. As a Turkish person living in USA for a while, I had great expectations. I ordered hummus and iskender. Hummus was not that bad, but it was not as thick as it supposed to be. I would not recommend eating hummus there. more

The restaurant was owned by a Turkish family. They were very friendly and served excellent Turkish food. Since Iraqis took over, the food changed. They use can dolma and can hummus. The Mexican cook puts in everything some kind of Mexican hot sauce, which makes everything taste the same. Even in lentil soup, which is usually not supposed to be hot. Pros: The live music on the weekends is good Cons: The food is not even close to turkish cuisine. more

First, the food and environment are very nice. It's a relaxing Turkish setting that's hard to find -- except in Turkey. Pros: Food and environment is very good and authentic. Cons: Most unpleasant restaurant owner I've ever met. more

Dolma from a can and traditional Turkish tea from Lipton... It was very dissapointed experience as a Turkish person. I have been in many Turkish restaurants in different cities in States and obviously in Turkey. This place can not represent traditional Turkish cuisine and I can say the place can be rated below average. Main interest might be having belly dancer and live music (eventually it is not Turkish music) but these are not helpful to eat quality food. more

I must be fair and state this is based on one item. Maybe the other stuff is good. I ordered a falafel sandwich. I asked if they could put hummice in it. They said the sandwich doesn't normally have hummice in it, but I asked for it anyway. When I got the sandwich it was really small. Each bite simply tasted like I was eating pita bread. There was so little filling. And, it's not like they were trying to save money by not using too much meat, it's vegetables! Load it with vegetables! As for the hummice, they did technically put some in, put it was about a tablespoons worth spread over the entire area of a pita bread and rolled up. This was not a pleasant meal, and at $7, definitely not a good deal. Like I said, I will not be back. Pros: interior comfortable, good service Cons: bad food, relatively pricey more

I haven't been back since my first review 2 years ago (see below). Partly because of the terrible service I had experienced there, and partly because a coworker's cousin of mine has opened a new restaurant on Mill Ave. and 5th that employs the former chef that made excellent food at Efe's Turkish Cuisine (note the earlier great reviews of others). I did dine there a week ago and had the combo plate of marinated chicken and beef with salad, pickled veggies, tabouli, creamy garlic dip, rice, and pita. What a great meal! Pros: Fresh and tasty meals, Clean kitchen Cons: Cafeteria setting more

I have been vegetarian for almost 5 years now and have been living in the valley my whole life. Efes has proven to be one of my favorite dining destinations since I discovered it with my friends a few months ago. They have, quite possibly, the greatest free appetizer - warm freshly sliced pita served with two excellent sauces. The green bean entree is so tasty and the spinach bareka is even better. The staff are laid back - sometimes a bit too much so. Give this restaurant a try. You won't regret it. Pros: Ambience, Excellent food, Great portion Size more