Efes Meze

Family-owned and a fixture down Greenwich’s Trafalgar Road for over 15 years, those uninitiated into the pleasures of Efes Meze are urged to book a table soon. With a traditional Turkish open grill as the centrepiece of this elegant, homely split-level restaurant, plus an outdoor shisha lounge, wide range of drinks (including the namesake Efes beer) and Turkey’s national spirit raki, Efes is one of London’s best for Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine and hospitality.

Long established in London’s Greenwich, Efes Meze is privileged to have long relationships with reliable suppliers keeping their kitchen stocked with fresh and organic produce, contributing to the renown attached to their mouth-watering menu of Turkish and Mediterranean delicacies. As is often the case with Turkish, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern restaurants, the quality of their sharing platters is a good gauge of the general standard when it comes to the rest of the menu. Well, this Trafalgar Road institution has made delectable meze a focus of its hospitality for the past 15 years, and a couple of these hot or cold numbers, paired with a glass of Efes beer, perhaps, a fine wine or a glass of fiery raki, ensure that Efes Meze ranks high in the city’s choices for Turkish fine dining.

Without a doubt, the focus of Efes Meze’s dining experience, if you put its famous meze to one side for a moment, is the presence of a traditional open charcoal grill in the restaurant. Here, you can watch Efes’ chefs expertly grill boldly marinated, spiced and flavoured meats to perfection. The Efes Meze special mixed grill is good for the indecisive, while rarities like the regional Inegol kofte to tempt those who think they’ve exhausted the possibilities when it comes to dining Turkish style in London. Another feature of Efes’ Trafalgar Road premises is its outdoor (but all weather) shisha lounge, where patrons can enjoy a flavoured hookah or even a cigar, ideally with a glass of raki, Turkish tea or coffee after their meal. While Efes is well-known to Greenwich locals, this beautifully appointed and hospitable restaurant deserves a wider audience.