Ephesus

The best Mediterranean restaurant in the town. Loved hummus, haydari and kebabs. Lunch specials are totally value for money. Delicious food!!!

Amazing food! We did the lunch special with hummus, haydari and the chicken kabobs. Everything was finger licking yummy and the people really nice.
Will come back!

it’s really really good.
super amazing.
authentic turkish style Mediterranean remarkable for Chicago much less Bloomington, IL

Would have given 3.5 but the service was very slow.
About food — just 3 words — go grab it. Everything is made fresh on the order and by tasting the food you get to know that the chef means business here.
Great food overall. Would definitely recommend.

Very friendly service good food. Hummus is excellent and the kabobs were delicious.
We will be back.

Everything was delicious. It taste all authentic and homemade. I visited Istanbul 9 months ago and since then, I haven’t been able to find a restaurant that serves food similar to what I had there until I found this place. It’s like a moms and pops place. The elderly woman who served us was very friendly and inviting.

I travel for work and eat at many similar type places. I am a picky eater and not often pleased. Let’s just say this is a slam dunk. Don’t come here for a quick meal. Service is slow because they want you to stay. The lady who serves is very friendly. It’s my first time here so I can only recommend what I ate.
1) Get the Turkish tea. It’s good. I added a little sugar. I normally don’t drink tea but this is the real stuff.
2) If you like crispy falafel, this is your place. Still soft and fluffy on the inside. It doesn’t come with a lot of sauce, so you might want to order extra.
3) Chicken Sauté was awesome! It’s got a little kick but nothing bad. The lady at the other table ordered it as well and the waitress already knew what she wanted. She must be a regular.
4) The kunefe was also great and made to order. It’s hard to explain what it is but it taste like but it’s good. Don’t be scared. Was good with the coffee.
This is not the place to get the same thing you always get. Venture out. You can get a kebab or gyros anywhere although I am sure they are good here too! I am a picky eater and I liked it all.

This is a great place for Kebabs. The rice and the salad is also so yummy. Definitely recommend this place.

Honestly one of the best kabob places around. Amazing service and well priced. You can tell the place has a loyal but small customer base, but never have I felt more welcome by a host. She goes above and beyond and makes you feel like family.

Personally, I love this place. I always order the falafel plate with baba ghanoush. It is wonderful. It comes with seasoned rice and side salad which I actually mix (sounds strange but is good).
The appetizer of warm pita bread and a traditional oil dip is excellent.
If you are unsure of Turkish/​Greek/​Middle Eastern food, they have the traditional gyro which some of my friends have tried and very much enjoyed. If you are more adventuresome they have lamb or chicken dishes that are thick with sauce and heavily spiced. I have tasted the ones my friends ordered and they were good.
I do not drink Turkish coffee but those who have said it was very good.
One more thing, you must try the Baklava. Truly, it is wonderful.
Sometimes the service can be a bit slow (I think it’s a family owned and operated restaurant) but it’s worth the wait to slow down and eat some great Turkish food and the people who takes your order (I usually see the same woman actually) are very nice.

We love coming here and the food has never disappointed us-​the waitress is very sweet and will explain any thing you have a question about-don’t be discouraged about the building and if you have to wait… it will be worth it!

Everything we had here was top notch! Highly recommend the cold appetizer platter that comes with what might be the world’s most amazing hummus. The kofte is tender, well seasoned, and so delicious. This is the kind of place that Bloomington needs more of. It’s unique, friendly, and everyone there cares about what they serve.

Holy kabob Meat-​Man! This place is one of the best kept secrets of Blo-​No. The food is authentic, has great flavor, and is fresh. My only complaint is the small waitstaff and lack of décor, but we can all look past these things for excellent food.
We had a lamb platter and it was amazing. The waitress did explain all the sauces we were given with our hummus which made the experience more special. Will be back!

Our first time here. We agreed that all 5 stars are deserved, even though the environment is like an former Pizza Hut space… no carpet though. Lots of posters of Turkey.
The food… we love falafel and this is the BEST falafel either of us can remember ever having. There is a tiny bit of a strong peanut sauce dabbed on top and the crispy exterior reveals a soft and yummy mix inside! The Doner Kebob sure looks like gyro, sliced the same, but unbelievably delicious! The spicy ezme is a wonderful compliment to it all. The hummus is sooooo different and good! It really tastes like the most addicting chick pea mix.
The lunch special comes with a rice pudding that is of equal deliciousness.
The owner is… just like others said, a delight! Like family.
If you are anyway near here, try this little jewel!

Rice pudding: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Their falafel and dolmas are fantastic. Lunch prices are exceptionally reasonable, considering the quality and taste. Dinner portions are large. The hummus could be a bit more flavorful. But to be fair, I’m a fan of both extremely spicy hummus and beet hummus. I’m a fan of bold flavors. The oil that is served with the pita is very tasty. I’ve asked what ingredients the recipe calls for and only two are needed. I’ve tried to make the oil at home but my attempts don’t compare to what they make in-​house!

Ive been known to drive to Chgo just to get some dolmas and baklava, so when I found this little gem of a Mediterranean restaurant you can imagine how happy I was to discover IT’S REALLY GOOD!!! Had no idea it’s been here for 8 years!
Dolmas are nicely tender and seasoned perfectly. The flavored oil complements it well.
Then the Mucver (Turkish vegetable savory cakes) … refreshing and not greasy at all with Turkish home made yoghurt on the side, rice, and lettuce salad. Rice pudding for dessert is included but I also had pistachio baklava which is generous with HONEY! yummy!
My partner had beef kabob and red lentil soup which he liked too. The kabob comes as pieces of broiled meat on a platter with rice and lettuce salad but no broiled veggies. Portions are decently sized for lunch. Everything cooked to order.
The real high point of this restaurant, aside from the authentic and tasty cooking is Guillia (sp?) the chef’s wife and co-​owner. As someone said before, its like being welcomed home for a family dinner by your favorite auntie. She will even teach you some Turkish phrases if you ask her! Can’t wait to go back and try more things on the extensive menu.
çok iyi :)

So I was driving from Chicago to St. Louis and I was told that there is nothing to see and nothing good to eat. First was true but the later was wrong.
I had the best turkish food I have had outside of Turkey. I went to Turkey few years ago and loved their food and this restaurant reminded me of that. The lady who owns the restaurant is very nice (imagine ur favorite aunt!). We started with hummus and pita bread and omg the hummus was incredible. Then we had their lunch special, I got the meat combo which had all kinds of amazing kabob followed by a dessert made of rice and milk. The cost of my three course meal was only $ 14!
I frankly cannot ask for more. I mean, who would have thought that in the middle of no where in USA, you can find an amazing Turkish restaurant!
I would just drive to Chicago instead of flying or Amtrak, just so that I can make an excuse to go back to that restaurant.

Now that is customer service!
The lady who served us has just the most awesome personality. Worth the visit to get waited on by her.
We ordered hummus first, then the chicken couscous and some zucchini pancake thing. Pita bread with the hummus was a bit stale and the hummus wasn’t anything special. I did like trying out some new favors though. Both dishes were good.
Obviously a hometown, family restaurant. No fancy decorations, just good food.

Just when we thought we’d eaten at just about every restaurant in the Bloomington-​Normal area, I ran across some reviews for Ephesus. It then dawned on me that, even though we’ve driven by it hundreds of times that we’ve never eaten there. We finally made plans and ate there for a Friday dinner. Situated in what used to be a Pizza Hut, it doesn’t look like much from the outside and it’s not awfully impressive on the inside, but the real gem of this Turkish and Mediterranean eatery is the food and the service.
The inside has orange walls and is lightly decorated. There is some music playing from a boom box somewhere, and when we arrived the dining area was very clean.
A few minutes after we were seated we were greeted by who I’ll assume was the owner. A VERY nice lady, who is extremely pleasant but speaks very broken English. I’d read a few reviews ahead of time, so I knew going in that patience was in order. You could tell she really enjoyed what she was doing and welcomed us as if we were in her living room.
The menu has a lot of great options. I opted for the Salmon Turkish-​Style and my wife had a kabob of some kind. We ordered the Hummus appetizer.
The Hummus appetizer was Out Of This World. Very fresh-​made, and incredibly delicious. I make hummus at home, but it never comes out this good. It also comes with warm pita. Quite literally, it was heaven on a plate.
It does take a little longer for your meal to be delivered. Everything is made as-​ordered and by people who obviously take great pride in what they’re doing. The Salmon was not only hot and tasted absolutely delicious, but was presented very nicely (photo attached). It was accompanied by rice and a side salad. The dressing on the salad was excellent.
The portions at Ephesus are sizable. Chances are you won’t leave hungry. In my case, I had no room for dessert. My wife, who has never passed up a piece of Baklava in the 20+ years we’ve been married, took some home in a box and raved about it.
Know that when you to go Ephesus that the service isn’t going to be fast — and this is not a bad thing! — and that there may be a slight language issue. None of this, however, takes away from the food and the pleasant nature of this unique dining establishment.

If the large «Kabobs!» sign outside of Ephesus isn’t enough to draw you in, maybe this review will help you out.
I’ve been here a couple times and have enjoyed it both times. The waitress’s welcoming demeanor and the place’s casual décor make you feel comfortable.
The kabobs are phenomenal, and the lunch special is a decent value. Gotta love that rice pudding!
The combo cold appetizer is a good choice if you want to try a wide variety of Turkish food. It comes with hummus so if you hate everything else in the sampler at least you have a backup.
The first time I went here, however, the service was really slow, despite the fact that there weren’t that many people in the restaurant… I still can’t figure that one out.
Overall, a great addition to Bloomington-​Normal!