Elma — Restaurant in Penticton

There are a few things I will say about our whole experience at Elma. When we heard that their will be a Turkish restaurant with modern Turkish and Mediterranean dishes we were absolutely excited about the whole idea. As we walked in to our 4 pm reservation that we previously made on the Friday the week before, we made a requested a table for 7 people and they had us down for only 5. Minor mistake and was not thinking anything of it. They acted quickly in adding an extra table and chairs for our party. As our server approached us, he started by welcoming us and pouring waters for the table. We were only given a happy hour menu and we were there for dinner. We asked him about the dinner menu and told us we can’t have it until 5pm. We are all confused because no one told us that we are not allowed to have a dinner menu on the phone by having our reservation at 4pm. When I phoned to make the reservation they told us they only had openings at 4 and 8pm. As they day passed by and the empty tables stayed empty we knew that wasn’t the case. Anyway, to continue, he asked if we wanted to order drinks and we replied yes. 3 people from our party ordered drinks and the rest of the party were ready to order but he was so rushed to walk away from our table without acknowledging the whole table . When he came back with the drink he proceeds to tell us that we need to be gone by a certain time because another party needs this table. We were thinking that they should’ve told us about the dinner menu and time instead of rushing us out the door. We then decided to order 2 meza platter and they both tasted amazing. But after are table ordered the one platter and the other half wanted to order more drinks and another platter he yet again walked away from our table as if he was rushing to get us out. We waited until 5pm and ordered from the dinner menu. Now I must tell you, with our whole family being middle eastern we were utterly disappointed by the size of the plates and the lack of information given for the plates. Our server told us the chicken kebab is enough for 2 people and it’s barely enough for one. Traditional Mediterranean dishes and Turkish food is piled high and delicious. Always extras to take home and reasonably priced. These plates were all completely overpriced and absolutely not worth trying. It was very sad to see as we were very excited to have a Mediterranean restaurant that looks great in Penticton but very dissatisfied with everything. As we ordered Turkish coffee after dinner our server comes up to us and says hey guys the other party is gonna be here so we need you to leave, “no rush” but we were being rushed the whole dinner. Our total bill at end came to $400 and was definitely not worth half the price. Plates were small and definitely not what traditional Turkish food is like. Hopefully you can change it around and look at the other Mediterranean restaurants around and see how they load everything to the fullest and everyone leaves satisfied. The Muhammara is the absolute best thing on their menu and you should definitely try it. The chicken kebab and fried chicken were very...

My wife and I booked a window side table two weeks in advance and were really excited to try out this restaurant as it had very good reviews. When we arrived the staff at the front checked in with upstairs to see if our table was ready and I over heard that our table was given away to the "blond ladies". The front staff then told us to wait as they are still getting our table ready. My wife and I then had to wait 10 minutes until they said our table was ready, which is a little annoying but things happen. When we went upstairs we were greeted by a tall slim waitress who asked us if we have been to the restaurant before, to which I said no. The waitress then rolled her eyes at me, and gave of the demeanor of a teenaged girl being lectured by her parents, before vaguely gesturing for us to follow her with out saying anything. She then sat us at a table not at the window facing another table sitting two blond women who are sitting at the window. I wanted to bring up that we requested a table at the window when we made this reservation but by the waitresses demeanor, and that it was quite obvious that everyone by the window was not close to being done, we would be waiting a lot longer (for our reserved table!). So I left it alone as we didn't want to wait.

Once the waitress with the bad demeanor left another waiter, named Mike, came. From here I have to say that Mike is the only reason that this review score is at a 3, because he was wonderful, nice, friendly. He asked us if we been here before as well and when we said no he fully explained the menu and gave great suggestions!

Now for the food. The food was quite good but a little over priced for what it was. I know that they say that the food is Turkish inspired, but as a person who has had Turkish food made in authentic Turkish ways, I would have to say that the food is not very Turkish. It feels like the chief whispered the word "Turkish" at the food before it leaves the kitchen and calls it Turk"ish" food. Again the food is great but not Turkish.

For atmosphere I do have to say that it was a little spoiled for my wifes and I. This was due to us not getting the table that was asked for, but the salt in the wound was that the view that was given to us was looking at the two blond ladies enjoying the view that we reserved two weeks ago. So it was very disappointing.

Personally, I would not go back. Not because of my personal experience but because of there are far better restaurants in Penticton. For the same price as Elma I would go to Hillside bistro instead.

All in all I would give the staff 1/5 (it would be a 0 if it was not for Mike, please get all over your staff to learn from him). Food 3.5/5 (good food, but over priced for what it is). Atmosphere 1.5/5 (no fun staring at the people who were given your reserved table, but looking passed them you can get an okay view...

You may hardly find bad reviews about this place, but it is what it is! I feel this place is simply OVERHYPED. Before I come to the food, let me tell you about the service here. From the moment we got seated, the vibe was off. Our server never greeted us. I think Wendy was our server. Her expressions were like she was forced to take our table. I was done in about 30 mins, and she must have come to my table 4-5 times just to pick up the empty plates, even if it was 1 small plate on the side. They are in a rush to clear up and get you out asap. I felt rushed all the time. That's not how a service should be. When I asked her for the desert, she got the menu, and then after 5 mins, she picked it up without asking if I needed something. Service was weird, in my opinion. Now let's talk about the food. First, I got Pistachio Burrata, which was super less in quantity. I expected it to be exceptional, but I was wrong. Quantity was like a thin layer from the bowl and was nothing great about it. According to the menu, the base was cream cheese, but it didn't even taste like cream cheese. Maybe it was made in house, was fresh, but honestly, it was bland. The only thing you could taste in it was basil. Except for the roasted pistachios, there was nothing good in it. Second, I ordered Tavuk (Chicken Pide), which was good. Chicken in it was supposed to be Harissa marinated chicken. The flavors were lacking, but it's still worthy of ordering. I wanted to get the grilled octopus as my mains, but with the experience so far, I skipped the mains and ordered Burma Baklava for my desert. Baklava served was just the size of the scoop of an ice cream. Ice cream was in-house and had star anise, cardamon flavor to it, which was good. Ambiance was also cramped, I also did not like the table as it was more widthwise that made it difficult to share, especially if you are with your kids. This place has small portions and cringe service. It was a big disappointment. Overall, I wouldn't...