Just yesterday, I got word from @EatingOrlando that Efes Turkish Restaurant has closed. The post is already written, so here are my thoughts on the restaurant anyway: I recently tried Efes Turkish Restaurant in Sanford. Efes is hidden away in the Sanford Marina in the building that formerly housed
Limoncello's. The location, with it's outdoor seating and unobstructed view of Lake Monroe is wonderful. The food is also a vast improvement over what Limoncello's degraded to.
Our meal at Efes started with an order of
Lahmacun, also known as Turkish pizza. This consists of bread covered in a puree of meat and vegetables, served alongside assorted vegetables. The vegetables were piled on the slices, lemon was squeezed, and the pieces were rolled up and eaten. It was my first time trying this, and I definitely liked it.
The mixed grill was also ordered. This dish came piled with lamb, beef, and chicken cooked in various ways over rice and vegetables. While I thought a couple of pieces of meat were a bit bland or overly chewy, the majority of the meal was really tasty. The rice was also surprisingly flavorful compared to most rices. This was meant to serve two people, but between this and the
lahmacun, three of us couldn't finish everything.
Finally, for dessert we all shared some baklava. I can honestly say that this was some of the best baklava I've had in the area with lots and lots of pistachios...
Efes was not cheap by any means. They definitely weren't in the low-cost Turkish food category like
Steak & Salad, but they did give huge amounts of food and it was all good. Maybe the higher prices had something to do with them closing...
We loved Efe's . In fact we went to eat today and had the terrible surprise that the place had closed. I hate to go to winter park since we live in Lake Mary but I guess we had no choice now. I agree the food was not cheap, but the amount of food was astronomical. Coming from a family with some Turkish roots I can attest that their baklava was one of the best. I am really sad that they closed.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer !! we just went today having a lunch but it was closed! I am coming from turkish backround ,the whole family loved it, food was great very authentic, waiters were very grateful ,very friendly and talkative. But I have to be honest, the location was not right, even sitting o the water and watching the sun goes down, just beautiful ,it wasn't enough ! Seeing the Owner standing outside on the main entrance and smoking and having no smile on her face, does not make it easier for the guest,unfortunately she never was involved with her guest . Sorry to point that out! In this spirit,I wish for all turkish cuisine lovers ,that we get a new place to go.
ReplyDeleteTry Pasha's in daytona beach. The food is awesome.
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