Review Efendy - Balmain

Even though i’ve been past this place a billion times, this was my first time dining there and it was such a nice spot for date night and trying Turkish food. I had the dessert before at a food festival but other than that I was with someone that dined there regularly, so I was in good hands. First up was Lamb Testicles which was literally called Koc, served with flatbread and salad. Some sort of marinated meat with yoghurt. Turkish mess for dessert, such a pretty and tasty dish. I love the crunch of the pistachio with the freshness of the strawberries. Try go on a nice day/night because the alfresco dining is so nice.

If you are looking for a great breakfast full of tastes and flavours, it is the best place in all over Sydney area you can find. Prices are so reasonable, customer service is great indeed. Comfortable Outdoor seating area. My suggestions to try with no doubt are: - Apple tea - Turkish Coffee - The big tray of jams and cheese

What a beautiful Turkish restaurant! Who would've thought this would be hidden away in Balmain. Absolutely love the setting and decor, you feel like you could be in Turkey. The food is amazing and the staff are very attentive and friendly. Had a really great evening!

Went for anniversary dinner and I was blown away by food and service. Staffs were quite pleasing and patient enough to explain the food and drink menu. They have a good variety of Turkish wines and non-alcoholic drinks as well. Situated in a street corner, parking is on the street and can be difficult to find during busy times since it is close to residential area.Food quantity is not too much and enough for one person. Being our anniversary dinner, I had requested to organise some surprise for my wife. After our dinner was over, we both were served with their dessert -Turkish Mess- with sparkles and the staffs wishing us 😊. It really looked like a mess but was yum. Would definitely come back to try out their weekend breakfast menu . Keep up the good service Efendy 👍

The claimed that they are the best Turkish restaurant in Sydney and I have heard a lot about them. We went there for breakfast and nothing was special about this place. Generally, i can list my experience as below: Very nice and relaxing atmosphere. The place is located in a price suburb. Interior is very nice. staff was ok but could have been a little bit friendlier especially the male waiters. The lady was good. Portion size was a big issue compared to their price tag,it was much smaller than my previous Turkish restaurant. We payed 35 dollar each for food that was worth $23-27 maximum. service was a bit slow. The turkish breakfast portions/variety was much less than my previous experience especially cheese variety. Needed to ask for bread but was charged extra $1. SERIOUSLY!??? Charging $1???? I reduce 2 star from my overall feedback just because of charging extra $1 for the bread. You can find much better value Turkish Breakfast in Newtown.

Get food pampered with what Efendy has to offer. Really good concept for breakfast that will keep your conversations going with endless food and beverage and friendly service. The variety was amazing and exceeded our expectations especially during busy breakfast times. Perfect for families and a group of friends alike.

Nice venue, beautifully decorated and large space inside. We didn't have a booking and had to wait 45 minutes for a table which was fine as we went for a walk. It was so busy they weren't answering the phone whe we called to make a booking. Tasty food, but qite pricey for the serving size. Service was average, not overly friendly or unpleasant either- just did their job. Breakfast menu looked interesting and may come back for that.

(3.5 stars) Before hip suburban cafes started arranging fried eggs and bacon onto heaving breakfast platters, Turkish people laid out rich, diverse spreads for their morning meal, using ingredients better suited to a long, slow meal. In Turkey, breakfast is called kahvaltı, which means “before coffee”, though at Efendy they let me smash mine with a Turkish Coffee Martini ($18). It’s traditionally enjoyed with tea, and they offer up three different types, all at five bucks a glass. Efendy takes breakfast regional with their Van Breakfast Feast ($35/person), named for the city of Van on Turkey’s eastern border. Beyond breakfast joints and cheese, the city is famous for its cats, known as Turkish Vans, and the lake (Van Gölü) they’re purported to have swum across when Noah threw them off his ark (if their romanticised history is to be believed). Our table is quickly laden with boards bearing Anatolian cheeses, including string haloumi, olives, spreads including house-made sour cherry jam, fresh vegetables, nuts and fruits. A separate platter of Turkish baked goods, like simit (a circular bagel-like bread coated in sesame seeds), give you something to try out those spreads on. Other baked goods, like pogaca - savoury pastries, with fillings like parsley and fetta - are good just popped straight into your mouth. Mixing and matching is part of the adventure here, though I will tell you the grill-marked halloumi is particularly nice with honey and clotted cream. What’s more successful about a Turkish breakfast feast than many of the newer breakfast platters I’ve seen, is that egg dishes, like menemen, arrive separately when they are ready, rather than being stone cold after being artfully arranged with your bacon and hashbrowns. Made using eggs, tomato, green peppers and spices, and sprinkled with white cheese, the menemen here is a bit blander than versions I’ve enjoyed more in other places. The sucuk (spicy dry sausage) on the other hand, is the tastiest I’ve eaten, particularly wrapped in warm rounds of Turkish flatbread. An extra buck buys you another piece if you go through it too quickly, like our table did. And before you even think about missing bacon, head back to the board and wrap your lips around a tasty curl of pastirma - Turkish air-dried cured beef – I reckon it scratches a similar itch. With the weather outside near cyclonic, we lingered over our breakfast purported to contain thirty different items, enjoying time with friends in the softly hued blue dining room. Punctuating any breaks in conversation with another round of cocktails, we worked out way through the breakfast-friendly list. Combining prosecco, pomegranate juice and a dash of Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, Narosa ($15) provided a particularly easy way to drink our way through a super-wet Sunday morning.