“ad” – Why is this here?

I am back over the border in Essex to visit a new Turkish restaurant in Saffron Walden!

After speaking to several locals in this beautiful historic town over the past few months, many expressed disappointment over the lack of exciting dining options in the area – so I was keen to see whether the arrival of Ephesus would do Saffron Walden justice.

You might look at a spot like Ephesus and think, “Is this just another Turkish restaurant?”, and though technically you would be correct, but it manages to stand out from the others with some interesting details that may excite a foodie. Examples of this are a proper charcoal grill, they butcher their own meat on site, and even serve their very own house-branded beer – all little perks in their own right but when you collect them together start to make all the difference.

The Restaurant

The bar is immediately strikes you from the moment you walk in. It has a prevalent warm glow from the neon lights with a wide selection of spirits along the back for their cocktail menu.

The restaurant itself is a stunning mix of contemporary design while still embracing the historical charm of the original building. It is large but has numerous rooms allowing you to have a reasonable amount of privacy and handle huge numbers of people.

But for me, the most impressive part of the restaurant is the gorgeous turquoise courtyard garden area, that comes with fairy lights above that telly add a touch of magic to the evening. Sitting outside on a warm summer evening with a beer and great conversation took me back to my last holiday.

The Menu

The menu is extensive, catering for everyone with a solid kids section, impressive cocktails, and a broad wine list that even includes Turkish bottles. Don’t expect anything innovative or far from the typical Turkish restaurant menu but nobody will be left feeling disappointed either.

Their Own Signature Beer

Named after the restaurant – Ephesus. Their own signature beer is smooth, crisp, and ideal for a hot day. It is similar to Efes but with its own distinctive flavour. Despite how easy-drinking it is, the beer carries a surprising depth that is very welcome and complements the grilled meats brilliantly.

Hot Meze

We opted for the cold meze platter to start, which comes with flatbread and a brilliant spread of five dishes: hummus topped with whole chickpeas, creamy cacik, shakshuka, fresh tabbouleh dotted with pomegranate seeds, and tarama salad. Naturally, I also had to order a side of Sujuk on top (grilled Turkish beef sausage) – one of my personal all-time favourites – served hot over fresh salad, as it was not included on the cold sharing starter. Everything on the table was fantastic with the tabbouleh being my personal favourite.

The Platter

The best way to know the quality of a Turkish restaurant is to order the shared platter as it has a bit of everything. All the ingredients here are cooked to order on a charcoal grill with the quality of their in-house butchery immediately showing. It did not have that overpowering, acrid smoke flavour you sometimes get; instead, it tasted remarkably clean and impossibly tender. The lamb in particular was like butter in texture, letting the natural flavour of the meat take centre stage. The kofta brought a fantastic texture with a lovely crispy skin, and the overall presentation across the board was beautiful.

Dessert

The desert menu is a decent size with 13 options available (yes, including baklava). We ended the evening with a traditional oven baked Turkish rice pudding that proved to be a fairly decent and cultural end to the meal.

A great addition to Saffron Walden

Sitting out in that turquoise courtyard on a warm summer’s evening genuinely felt like being on holiday. From being served outside with a cold beer to smelling the sizzling meat coming off the grill, everything just hit right. Ephesus proves it isn’t just another ordinary Turkish spot; by taking those extra steps – butchering on site, brewing their own beer, and making their own in-house dips, they do the little things that make all the difference.

It is a beautiful restaurant setting in a charming, historic town. Is it worth making the trip over from Cambridge for? Absolutely, especially if you love proper Turkish food. But for the people of Saffron Walden who have often brought up the lack of restaurant diversity in town, this is clearly a win. For foodies however, they may struggle to find that innovative or next level dish that is worth hunting down.

Thanks for reading!