Elif Castle Street — Restaurant in Liverpool

This large Turkish restaurant has recently opened in the grand old Parr’s Bank building on Castle Street, previously home to one of the most ridiculously ornate branches of NatWest known to man.

The outside is relatively unassuming, but inside there is a large, rotunda type space, with tables under a central dome. Bar and service area round the edges, with tiny (dry) fountains and a general air of the early 20th century about the whole thing. You expect there to be a swing band striking up a tune in the corner whilst flappers sip cocktails into the evening and gangsters eye each other warily…. Anyway, it’s certainly a unique, if slightly noisy experience.

Couldn’t book online as Open Table claimed no reservations available until 1st October – that seemed fanciful, so we went any way on spec and were seated straight away. It was busy, and certainly popular, but not full. Yet another reason not to trust the internet.

Decent tables, scattered in the round and well-spaced. None of your sitting elbow to elbow with strangers. Some very large tables for parties of up to 8 or 9 and I think I spotted a private dining room in the corner.

The beer was Peroni – I know Efes is normally the choice with Turkish and it was available, but I find it heavy. There was also Asahi on draught. Prices for the beer were reasonable.

Service was quick and friendly – ordered from the hot mezze menu to start (some gorgeous Sigar Borek – filo pastry with cheese..) followed by the lamb Beyti. I love Beyti, I’m so glad there is now somewhere to get good Beyti in Liverpool – Beyti, if you don’t know, involves little balls of minced lamb, wrapped in lavash bread, and smothered in a tomato-based sauce. Moreish does not cover it. Yum.

Also on the menu were all of the classics – Lamb Adana was there for sure. Also a massive mixed kebab which I spotted one table trying (and failing) to complete. Such meat.

Didn’t have dessert, but there was a choice of three or four puddings, including what seemed to be baklava, but stuffed with fluffy cream… I want that. We saw a birthday cake being delivered to one table, but I think the cake was something they had brought in themselves for the occasion – just an M&S thing.

Unusually, for a place on Castle Street, the toilets are not in the basement, but are in fact upstairs on a small gallery. I was expecting to find them hidden away in a vault, like Pho next door or Riva Blu across the road.

Overall a very positive experience and definitely somewhere worth trying if you like tasty Turkish/Mediterranean food in a city centre setting. If there is a big group of you, maybe come in and get a lot of Mezze, that’s always going to be a...

Dining at Elif was a spectacular dining experience. Atmosphere was 10/10 and the decor was beautiful. Not too classy, but classy enough to make you want to sit up straighter. The Castle Street branch also has a smart dress code, which actually makes sense, considering how good the place looks.

For the starters we opted for the Hot Mezze platter which is basically a choice of four hot mezze from the menu - King Prawns, calamari, chicken wings and garlic mushrooms.

I was disappointed in the calamari portion as we only got three rings that felt warm when they arrived (Wished they were hotter). The Prawns were alright but tasted like the garlic was social distancing in the pan when they were being cooked. Wings and mushrooms though? Banging. Next time I’m skipping the seafood and doubling up on those. They also gave us some bread with the starters, which went well with the starters and mains.

The mains were where Elif really shined. My partner had the Iskender which was juicy, tender, and drowning (in a good way) in this rich tomato sauce. I went for the Kuzu Kavurma which was packed full of flavour. The lamb was cooked beautifully as were the veg. My only surprise was the mashed potatoes. It didn’t look like regular mash. It looked more like a thin layer of custard. It was banging to be fair but I was just a bit confused about the looks.

Service was brilliant. Waiters and staff were ready and would periodically check in to see if we were alright, needed more drinks, or just fancied being spoiled a bit more. Also, when we first arrived there, the place was buzzing!! Had to wait 10 mins before we were seating because there was not an empty seat in sight. Popular for a reason.

Over all, we loved the food so much we went to their Bold Street branch the next day. Everything about the place was top tier… just don’t go there expecting generous...

Food quality and venue was great , staff were friendly and trying hard but our experience fell well below expectations. And if your party has allergies - be very careful, they have no allergen menu and staff seem to make up incorrect opinions of what contains egg and what doesn’t . Luckily we have Been to Elif in Bold street so had a good idea . One of the managers was over confident in stating there is no egg here - if we had believed him , we may well be in hospital or worse right now . Another waiter however confirmed there was egg on the bread and sauces and pastries . We were in the VIP room as a party of 15 - downside of the private room is that you get forgotten . First waiter asked if we were ready to order even before alll of us had sat down . Then no one returned for about 20 min , until I went out and called someone. Didn’t ask us about drinks , but when they did , they seemed to of left me out . When we finished , no one Asked us or showed us any dessert menu , so I assume they don’t do dessert, we ended up going elsewhere. I had to first find someone to get the bill at the end . We waited for ages then for someone to come to take payment , after 15 min I gave up , I went out and just paid at the reception . They call it a VIP room but you’re definitely the least serviced group in the restaurant. Food was very good however , although lamb chops and ribs were not as tasty as Elif on...