Efes Cafe: User Reviews

Fresh & exotic in Lakeview
By mb5643 from lakeview, August 29, 2009

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Went on Thursday evening with three others. Ordered 5 appetizers and 1 entree and ate family style. Every item was delicious! Salads & appetizers were fresh and inventive. The beef shish ka bob was so flavorful and tender. The BYOB makes this an extremely great value. Go there fast so it doesn't disappear.

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Warm service, so-so food...
By Comensal from Oak Park, August 9, 2009

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The cordial service was a high point of our visit to Efes Café. The ambience was pleasant, too, but there were some culinary disappointments. We had a couple of appetizers: the dolma was tasty, with just the right amount of mint; mucver (similar to falafel, but ground veggies instead of chickpeas) seemed tough and overcooked. A kofte kebab entrée was similarly dry and chewy. All in all, the price was affordable, the food was barely adequate. Heads-up to drinkers: I thought they had a liquor license, but this is not currently the case. Fortunately, there’s a World Market across the street -- unfortunately, the World Market does not sell chilled wine.

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Always a pleasure
By don from lakeview, April 29, 2009

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This has become my favorite restaurant in Chicago! The calamari appetizer is a meal in itself. Entrees are nicely prepared and servings are generous. Try the stuffed baby eggplant dish -- delicious! The waiters are attentive, polite and friendly. Prices are very reasonable. I dine at Efes frequently and have always enjoyed a pleasant experience. This place is sahane, as they would say in Istanbul.

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best tradıtıonal
By teapary from statestreet, January 19, 2009

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efes has the best entrees that ı ever try..ı lıke thıs place because ı see hospitality whenever ı go there and also foods are delıcıous..you can have dınner sitting on the floor ın thıs place..and turkısh tradıtıonal food sultans choice is my favourite i think all gourmets should try it..

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Best food I ever had!
By aedc0a from Lakeview, January 13, 2009

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I have been eating at Cousin's (now Efes Cafe) for about two years. I can honestly say that it is some of the best food I have ever had! This restaurant has the total package...great food, excellent service, the CUTEST and most polite waiters, and the best atmosphere. The majority of the employees are Turkish, which gives the ambiance and the food a very authentic feel. I am a vegetarian, and they have a variety of excellent vegetarian options for me to choose from, which is unlike a lot of restaurants in the area (for instance Wilde) that have absolutely nothing besides a salad for me to eat! In addition, the menu has plenty of options for meat eaters as well! I would highly recommend anyone looking for excellent Middle Eastern/Turkish food to come to Efes Cafe!

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Great Place
By eddy from lakeview, January 11, 2009

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Absolutely fantastic i went there with my friends we really enjoyed it prices are reasonable service was great and friendly definitely a place to go.

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New Year Bash....WOW!
By cusa from lincoln park, January 11, 2009

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A group of friends and I came here (Efes Café) for our New Years and we had a great time. The food was on point, some of the best I have had on Broadway, and the service was great. They even had live dancing. This is a great spot for dates and to bring guests. They also have fun pillow seating. Again a good spot in the LP

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worst Turkish food in town!
By james from chicago-downtown, May 30, 2008

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I was really excited to visit this place, but it was a HUGE disappointment!!! I have been to Turkey a few times, so I know how REAL Turkish food tastes like, this was just a bad experience! Everything tastes weird... if you want good Turkish food, try somewhere else! I'll never go there again!

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Great place
By David from Lake view, March 22, 2008

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Cousins is a great place to dine. We were looking for a place to dine, so we chose this place just to try different food.
We had hummus, feta salad and seafood combo to start. Our entrees were grilled beef kabob, Lamb chops and Salmon.
We loved the food and the service. The wine collection was limited but good enough.
Our waiter was heplful and I loved the Turkish rice pudding.
We will go back again.
This was a great experience.

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Where do I begin???? First...
By Anna from Chicago, IL, August 14, 2007

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Where do I begin???? First of all we waited TWO HOURS for our food and it was cold!!! I tried to call to find out where my food was and NO ONE answered! Bread was stale, chicken was over cooked, and Sultans Delight tasted like aluminum mush. Plastic-ware and napkins were not included. I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED and urge everyone to STAY AWAY!!!