“ad” – Why is this here?

It is an exciting time for the Ely food scene, with new venues seemingly popping up across the city every other week. While it is easy to get swept up in the latest shiny new restaurant, we sometimes forget the quality institutions that are already here and have been serving us reliably for years. There is no better example of this than Ely Turkish & Meze Bar.

Walking into Ely Turkish from Fore Hill, the first thing you notice is how basic and minimalist the setup is. There are no fancy thrills here; it is just a clean and spacious room that is large enough to seat any number of people, making it perfect for big groups. The service is immediately warm and welcoming, but it is the massive charcoal grill at the back that is the crowning jewel of the restaurant. It is almost always on the go, filling the air with a delicious, smoky aroma of spiced meats that lets you know exactly what you are in for.

The Menu

Before diving into the food, it is worth noting how remarkably accommodating the menu is here. This is a meat lovers paradise with a wide variety of grilled platters available but it also accommodates vegetarian and vegans quite well too. Families will also appreciate the fantastic deal on the kids’ menu for £7.95. Making it a proper bargain for keeping the little ones happy.

I couldn’t help but notice the price change with the Ely Special since my last visit. This was a popular dish for my wife and I  back when it was £60-70. Today, the price tag has pushed up into the £80 territory. That puts it considerably higher than some of its Cambridge counterparts, such as the Rotana Big Grill at £64 or Khan Zaman at approximately £67.

Cocktails

We kicked off the afternoon with a bit of a surprise, as they do cocktails! The Pornstar Martini absolutely hit the spot in this heatwave. It was really well made, especially for a restaurant that doesn’t specialise in them, and it was a brilliant, refreshing drink to enjoy before diving into a meat-heavy feast.

Cold Meze

Our evening started the traditional way with the cold meze platter, which arrived as a vibrant and generous display of colour. It is refreshing to find a platter where every single element feels genuinely fresh, rather than pulled from a wholesale tub. I was a particular fan of the hummus, which had a beautiful depth of flavour and a velvety smooth consistency that set a high bar for the rest of the meal. I was also a big fan of their chili sauce that brought a tomato based fiery kick to anything it touched.

Hot Meze

If the cold meze was a strong start, this hot platter was simply out of this world and makes for a killer sharing option if you are visiting with friends. It comes stacked with all the classics: crispy borek, calamari, halloumi, sucuk, and falafel.

The borek was a standout; a delicate, crispy filo pastry packed with a salty feta and spinach blend (see photo below). The halloumi arrived as a thick slab that was wonderfully soft rather than that horrible rubbery texture you can sometimes get elsewhere, and the juicy sucuk brought a mild, warming spice with a succulent texture. Between the crispy calamari and the falafel, this platter really delivers the goods. Then there was the calamari which was genuinely impressive. Forget those sad, over-battered slivers of squid you usually get served; these were thick, meaty rings in a light, crispy batter that had a properly good crunch to it. Absolute top-tier stuff!

The Chef Special

If you are looking for a solid sharing option for two, then the Chef’s Special is a great way to go. It is a proper meat-heavy platter featuring a combination of Adana kofte, lamb shish, chicken shish, and chicken wings, all served up with rice, couscous, and salad. It’s a generous plate that gives you a little taste of everything.

The star of the platter was undoubtedly the lamb kofte. This behemoth was big, succulent, and absolutely bursting with flavour, carrying a slight crispiness on the exterior that added a fantastic texture to every bite. The grilled peppers added a lovely pop of colour, making the whole plate look as good as it tasted.

But the real magic was in the meat. The lamb was incredibly soft – something you rarely find, as even the best grills usually struggle to tackle the natural toughness of the cut. Not here though, as Ely Turkish has clearly cracked the code. The chicken wings were just as impressive, falling away from the bone with ease and had a delicate, smoky finish that didn’t drown out the natural punchy flavour of the chicken. While some places get too heavy-handed with the char, this managed to nail the perfect balance between that authentic BBQ smoke and the meat itself. This is the kind of dish that brings a meal to life and gets everyone around the table talking – I highly recommend giving it a go!

Meat Moussaka

​But if we are going to talk about the absolute champion of the night, the Meat Moussaka utterly stole the show for me. It was thick, wonderfully cheesy, loaded with generous layers of aubergine, green peppers, potatoes, and onions, all smothered in a rich, velvety béchamel sauce. It was easily one of the best moussakas I have ever had. If you are visiting Ely Turkish and fancy a change from heavy plates of meat, then I couldn’t recommend this enough!

Ribs & Chops

​Naturally, while reviewing a popular Turkish restaurant, I couldn’t resist trying the lamb chops and ribs too. These were served on a blanket of pita bread, which did a magnificent job of soaking up all those incredible meat juices. I was surprised at how simple they were, with far less seasoning than you get at many other Turkish restaurants. They relied entirely on the quality of the meat to do the talking, and it totally worked. The meat was soft but had enough substance to it to really sink your teeth into.

Go fresh, or go home!

To balance out the sheer scale of the meat, I turned to the traditional Greek salad with feta, onions, cucumbers, and olives. This was a much-needed pit stop that added some essential freshness to the table. The salad was as fresh as it gets, with the cucumber being extra crunchy and a high-quality feta holding it all together. The olives were small but packed a punch, clearly a testament to their sourcing, and that handful of pomegranate seeds added a brilliant pop of tart sweetness. The dish was beautiful, though I would have liked a little more cucumber to get the ratio of greenery and crunch just right

Dessert, the Turkish way

Just when I thought I couldn’t handle another bite, the dessert arrived to finish me off. The platter consisted of classic baklava, but with a large portion of Knafeh as the centrepiece. This is a cheese-based pastry I hadn’t tried before, and it added a gorgeous, gooey, savoury dimension that really worked. I loved how the crispiness of the top layer cut through the sticky syrup, combining perfectly with the warm, melted cheese in the middle. Plus, the plate was slathered in chocolate, adding a moreish depth of sweetness that moved the dish away from being predominantly syrup-heavy. What an end to the meal!

A sure thing!

Ely Turkish has mastered the art of consistency – something that is getting increasingly rare in our counties fast-moving food scene. While it is tempting to chase the hype of every new opening, there is something deeply satisfying about returning to a kitchen that just gets it right. When you’re craving a meal that feels like a safe pair of hands then head straight to Fore Hill. It is exactly the kind of reliable, high-quality institution that keeps our local scene thriving, offering generous portions and a warm welcome that never seems to waver.

Thanks for reading!