It has gained a reputation for its delicious wood-fired pizzas and friendly staff, who always greet you with open arms, big smiles and excellent service.
Its Turkey-born owner, Niyazi Gunaydin, has been living in Rotorua for 15 years and has been running the cafe since it opened. He's a well-known personality in the community and never fails to remember a familiar face or have a friendly chat with customers.
Cafe Ephesus is open seven days a week.
The food is plentiful - by the look of the menu, which is brought to your table by the staff. There is an abundance of traditional Eastern food, as well as some dishes that feature Western twists. Kebabs, wood fired pizza, pasta, abundant greek salads, hummus and traditional flatbreads - you name it, they have it.
I ordered the dish I always get when I eat here, the meze, a mixed platter of flatbreads, dolmades, falafel and a series of delicious dips, including hummus and tzatziki. The flavours all together are an explosion on the tastebuds and the tzatziki is to die for. I could easily eat tablespoons of the stuff. My friend ordered the Aussie wood-fired pizza, topped with prawns and a spicy sauce. It clearly went down a treat as my friend reached for a fourth slice within five minutes of the pizza arriving at our table.
The service was friendly and snappy. We got our meals within about 10 minutes. We were well looked after.
The drinks are good. I hear their Turkish coffee is tasty combined with a slice of rich, honey-oozing Baklava. Because it was a warm day, my friend and I ordered an orange juice that was chilled and refreshing.
The prices are ridiculously cheap for what you get. You certainly get plenty of bang for your buck, with big platefuls of food at prices as low as $10. My meze plate was just $13.50 and my friend's wood-fired pizza (which was huge) was a low $16.50. Lunch meals range from between $10 to $20, while main dishes cost around $20. The most expensive meal on the menu is $27.50.
Overall Cafe Ephesus is definitely a place I would recommend, whether it be for an authentic meal out, a light lunch to share with friends, or a place to have drinks and nibbles at on a Friday night.
