A Turkish table
on Castle Street
Mezze made the long way, lamb and chicken over open charcoal, and a cellar that runs from Anatolia to Bordeaux — served in one of the grandest rooms in Liverpool's commercial district.
Book a table
in a few seconds
Open every day, noon until ten. Thursday to Saturday evenings fill up first, so it is worth picking your time early.
Booking for more than a handful of people? Email the team instead and they will sort the room, the timings and a set menu.
Recognition, and what has been written
Best Turkish Restaurant — Regional Winner
Awarded to Elif Turkish Grill & Bar
The announcement names Elif Turkish Grill & Bar and does not identify individual locations.
View award announcementCharcoal, copper
and a long table
Elif cooks the food of the Turkish grill house — the mangal — with the range and polish of a city-centre dining room. Cold mezze arrive first: hummus, cacık, smoked aubergine, vine leaves rolled by hand. Then the charcoal does the work.
Adana, kuzu şiş, pirzola, beyti — the classics, cooked over open fire and sent out on the blue-and-white patterned plates the kitchen is known for. Around them sit güveç in earthenware, slow-cooked lamb shank, seabass and king prawns, and a vegetarian list that is a proper menu rather than an afterthought.
More about Elif
Three things, done properly
Mezze
More than a dozen cold and hot mezze, from ıspanak tarator and biber közleme to sigara böreği and hummus kavurma. Order the cold mezze platter for the table and start the way it is meant to be started.
The mezze list
The charcoal grill
Lamb, chicken and köfte over open coals. If you cannot choose, the karışık mixed grills scale from one plate to a feast for four — adana, şiş, chops, ribs and wings, all served with rice.
Charcoal specials
The bar & cellar
Classic and house cocktails, Turkish rakı served properly, and a wine list that stretches from Kayra Öküzgözü to Chassagne-Montrachet and first-growth Bordeaux.
Inside the cellar
Built for a long lunch
and a longer dinner
Elif sits in the former Parr's Bank of 1899–1902 — a Grade II* listed building by Norman Shaw with Willink & Thicknesse — and the dining room is its old circular banking hall, under a glazed dome.
Lunch is quieter and quicker, and there is a set lunch menu if you are working to a clock. Evenings fill up, particularly Thursday to Saturday, so it is worth booking ahead.
A few things we are known for
Lamb chops and lamb ribs, lightly seasoned, served with rice.
Charcoal-grilled lamb mince wrapped in tortilla bread, with garlic yoghurt, mozzarella cheese and the chef's special tomato sauce, served with rice.
The traditional Turkish feast — grilled lamb or chicken with bread, yoghurt and tomato butter sauce, served with rice.
Adana, lamb şiş, lamb chops, lamb ribs, chicken şiş, chicken wings, chicken thighs and meatballs. Served with rice.
What people say
“Very nice place to eat, top quality food, and friendly staff.”Shona Morrissey · Google review
“The menu offers a wide variety of options at fairly reasonable prices.”Maudi Fria Andhini · Google review
Tables for the
whole party
Birthdays, engagements, work dinners and family gatherings — Elif is built for the kind of meal that runs long, and the mezze-and-grill format was made for sharing.
For large parties, email info@elifcastlest.co.uk and the team will talk you through the room, the timings and a set menu.
Private dining & groups
22 Castle Street
In the heart of Liverpool's commercial district, a few minutes from Liverpool ONE, the waterfront and both Moorfields and James Street stations.
| Monday – Sunday | 12:00 – 22:00 |
Book a table at Elif
Reservations are recommended, particularly Thursday to Saturday evenings. Book online in a few seconds, or call the restaurant and speak to the team.