Elma

Truly, one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. The staff was lovely, the food was delicious, and the restaurant is very modern and clean. Not pictured but the Charcoal Octopus was one of my favourite dishes.

You have to try the shashlik the meat was incredibly tender and juicy, and the lavash served alongside it complemented the dish perfectly. The Antep kebab and the green sauce were flavorful, but unfortunately both were extremely salty. I think excessive salt is a general issue at Elma, as the atom (side sauce) was also overly salty, the additional sprinkled salt was completely unnecessary. The chef mentioned that the atom is made with only yogurt, but in both texture and taste it felt much more like an aioli. I did appreciate the use of whole pistachios in it, which is not something we traditionally do in Turkey. The beet borani was not really a borani. Borani dishes are made with yogurt; while labneh is technically a dairy product, it doesn’t deliver the characteristic borani taste. I would describe it more accurately as something like whipped labneh with beet. Unfortunately, it was quite bland. The crispy garlic had no real flavor, and the beet chips were soft rather than crispy. The erişte was tasty overall, but it wasn’t actually erişte — it felt more like a generic noodle. The sujuk in the pide is homemade and was excellent; that was a pleasant surprise. The arugula touch on the pide was also a nice addition. I was surprised to find cinnamon in the baklava. While cinnamon is common in the Persian version, it’s not typically used in Turkish baklava. Service-wise, our server was great and genuinely helped improve our experience. And the decoration is beautiful.

An amazing restaurant that beautifully modernizes the diversity of Turkish cuisine. It's a truly unique place, distinct from all the other Turkish restaurants that, driven by commercial concerns, present Turkish cuisine as nothing more than kebabs. It's the embodiment of Istanbul's upscale restaurants in Penticton. The menu is blended with Turkish flavors. The octopus and prawn we ordered were delicious. The Turkish sausage pide was also incredible. I should dedicate a separate paragraph to dessert, but I can't describe the taste. Please don't leave there without trying Zerrin's Burma. Even the mastic ice cream on top was delicious, featuring Turkish motifs. I must also say we were hosted by an incredible team who served us very professionally. It was wonderful to experience such a delightful restaurant in Penticton during our short vacation. Please don't miss the opportunity to visit here..

We had a fantastic dining experience at Elma. From the moment we arrived - early for our reservation - the hostess warmly accommodated us without hesitation, which set a great tone for the evening. Our server, Christian, was exceptionally helpful and attentive. He guided us through the menu and gave some good recommendations. We ordered the Yaz salad, Atom, and Lamb Kapama. Each dish delivered fresh, bold, with vibrant flavors that felt thoughtfully crafted. Highly recommend Elma if you're in Penticton and looking for a modern take on Turkish - inspired cuisine with great service to match.

If you’re after a memorable culinary experience—blending Turkish creativity with Okanagan flair—in a beautiful lakeside setting, Elma is a standout. It’s particularly great for special nights out, tasting multiple share plates, or simply savoring something refreshingly different in Penticton. You truly won’t be disappointed!

We were in Penticton for a short visit and kept hearing from locals that Elma was the place to go, and they were absolutely right. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was inviting and the service exceptional. Mike, our server, was beyond fantastic! He guided us through the menu with genuine enthusiasm and suggested we share a Meze, a Pide, and a Main between the two of us. It was the perfect amount of food and an incredible journey of flavours. Each dish was beautifully presented and bursting flavours!!! We finished with their handmade Baklava, paired with homemade ice cream and a rich Turkish coffee. It was the perfect finale to an unforgettable meal. Elma’s is a must experience for everyone! The food, the ambiance, and the service are beyond exceptional. We can’t say enough good things about this place and were still talking about it on our drive home. If you're in Penticton, do yourself a favour and make a reservation. You won’t regret it!

I have visited Elma twice in the past month and had an amazing experience. Wendy served me both times I came in. She is knowledgeable, funny, kind and phenomenal at her job. The food is so delicious. Best octopus I've had in the Okanagan, it just melts in your mouth. Scallops were amazing and I dream about the Lamb Croquettes. Absolutely love what you are doing and I can't wait to come back soon.

We had a lovely time at Elma’s. The customer service was fantastic: friendly, attentive, and made us feel so welcome. The Turkish food was delicious, fresh, and full of authentic flavour. A great spot for a cozy meal and warm hospitality. We’ll definitely be back!

One of the best meals I've ever had in my life, every single dish was unreal. Our server Ebony was amazing and the whole vibe of the place is unmatched.

This is a gem of a restaurant. The food was so well prepared, with great flavour and beautifully presented. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and made some great recommendations. Give them a try - you will not be disappointed.

The ambience is lovely . There are two levels and both offer tables that have water views. The noise level was comfortable, no blasting music interfering with conversation. Our server was very knowledgeable of the menu and made some helpful suggestions. The cocktails were delicious and definitely not watered down . We decided to have our food tapas style and the recommended dishes complemented each other. The pide is a must try with whatever you choose to eat. The only negative is that they weren't able to make substitutions to accommodate food allergies.

The food was phenomenal!!!! Highly recommend the scallops, so tender and melt in your mouth The chocolate dessert (forgot the name) was delectable. And our server was on point.

Came here with my husband for date night. I came with an open mind and OMG! Everything was amazing. The vibe of the restaurant was great. The service was excellent and the food was out of this world. It took all my will power to not lick the bowl. If you can I would check out this place!

An excellent spot for something different than your usual pizza, burger or fried chicken in town. We found the portions a bit small for the price but the food was full of flavour so we were pleased. We particularly like the labneh, a sour yogurt similar to Greek yogurt, that was a common ingredient in among the dishes. For the two of us, three dishes seemed to be just enough. We got the humus, which came with an adorable and deliciously warm mini loaf do bread. We also got the grilled squid that both of us inhaled and then finally the NY steak (iskender). The service was pleasant and speedy. I also found the decor really bright and fun - something not typical of the restaurants around here. It reminded me of the trendy restaurants in Vancouver or Toronto.

This place is AMAZING!! My absolute fav! Have been sending everyone here and they all want to return! Miss some of the items on their old menu though (particularly one of the drinks they used to make, "the Black Sea", I think it was called). Mike, our waiter, was great! Will definitely return again!

The food was amazing. The pictures we added, don't tell the story you get when you are eating and experiencing the flavor combinations. The service we received from Ebony and the owner was great and Ebony's suggestion helped us navigate the unique menu and all the flavors it offered. Again a must try.

Delicious Hanger. Lovely waitress. Nice patio. Great ambiance. Perfect location. Slightly more than I wanted to pay but well worth it. Recommend.

Fantastic place to eat! Service was great as well! I had not had Turkish food before and now can't wait to do it again! There were 4 of us and we started with the Garit (a dip with cream cheese, basil, herb oil and pistachios, served with a nice crusty bread) yummo!! We also tried the watermelon feta salad, the Ling cod, the calamari, and the hangar steak flat bread or Pide bread and then both desserts were fabulous as well. For a light wine we had the DeSilva white blend. Loved it all!

Beautiful space with a beautiful menu! We got there for Happy hour at 3pm for a Friday in July. The covered patio is beautiful and the bar is amazing! We had the Amelia Earhart cocktail ($14) and it is super tasty. The other one that we really like is Black Sea ($14). We really enjoyed the meze flight ($19). Make sure you order extra bread so that you can use it for the meze. The fried mussels was really tasty. Cured albacore tuna was not too bad as well. Overall: we really enjoyed everything. Would not mind to come back again.

If you're in Penticton, be sure to go to Elma. We had one of the best dining experiences we've ever had at this gem of a restaurant. The four of us in our party shared a number of small plates for dinner and each dish was absolutely delicious. The flavour, creativity and presentation of dish was amazing ! The staff members are all very welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly which really added to the experience as well. As you can tell, we'd highly recommend Elma!

Excellent food service and vibe! A must Go! Plus the drinks are great! You'll be glad you did!

Fabulous food- don't miss this place! The best Turkish food I've ever eaten- I spent 3 weeks in Turkey and had nothing even close to this. Astonishing preparation of inventive dishes- 3 of us shared two small plates, a pide (small pizza-like bread) and two mains. We all agreed it was one of the very best meals in a long time. Exceptional service, good wine, lovely setting. A++

The food was very good! Great atmosphere! Treat yourself and enjoy Penticton at its finest!

We've been wanting to visit Elma since it opened over a year ago. Work and rehearsal schedules then travel followed by the nightmare pandemic made that impossible until last night. The husband and I decided that we deserved a treat for our birthdays and booked a table. The post labour day crowd was very light and we were able to get a table right at the windows on the second floor. Highly recommended! Lauren, our server, was unbelievably cheery, knowledgeable and was on top of everything in a most professional manner! Cocktails were yummy, We tried an Empress 75, an Elma Sour, and Black Sea....the last two with Buffalo Trace Bourbon....yum! Flavourful and fresh though the charcoal in the Black Sea was an unusual surprise. Food wise: Highly recommend the roasted beets on a pillow of whipped feta which would have made a dandy appetizer all on it's own! And the fried chicken...forget Col. Sanders!! The meatballs, zucchini fritters and oyster mushroom/haloumi skewers were tasty, sauced appropriately and well presented. We each had the labneh cheesecake but it was truly gilding the lily as we were already stuffed....shoulda split one! The turkish coffee was spot on! All in all, a fabulous experience and we can't wait to go back! Just a note about their pandemic protocols: All staff were wearing masks, sanitizer was everywhere and every table was sanitized after guests departed. Table spacing was very good. Appallingly, not one single guest wore a mask entering and leaving and observing passers-by on the street below revealed an equally deplorable lack of distancing and masks.

Amazing. The food was incredibly fresh and true to Mediterranean cuisine. Our server was fantastic. We asked her for recommendations and each dish that she recommended was delicious! I highly suggest that you dine there. Worth the stop!

Great food! Everything is in-house: the breads, the best hummus, the yogurt, lamb etc! The drinks are delicious too! Very sophisticated with the look & taste! The atmosphere is high-end with modern & Turkish infusion! The service is 5 stars!

Food was delicious with textures and fragrant spices. Generous portions that are best shared (with safety first in mind) and savoured over a glass of hot Turkish apple tea. My dinner companion & I agreed : tasty morsel in every bite!

How to describe perfection? The food is extraordinary delicious and the service is impeccable! The only way to get mideastern food this good would be to fly to Turkey and then try to find the best restaurant in town. The wonderful breads are made fresh daily by the owner--Ayse. The ingredients are all fresh with every dish made from scratch when ordered. The large ceramic oven in the center of the kitchen, which can be viewed by all guests, turns out spectacularly flavorful dishes. Don't miss the pistachio dip with freshly baked bread as an appetizer. The filo wrapped cheese baked to perfection and topped with sliced truffles is a show stopper. The lamb shoulder is served in a fancy bread bowl, and is different and better than any I've ever had! Elma's is the best restaurant in Penticton, and anywhere else for that matter!

Popped in here for drinks at the bar. Wow. Great Martinis. Interesting food menu too. Very friendly employees. Nice bright clean atmosphere. Must come back and try again

Wow! What a wonderful surprise! My husband and I made reservations based on reviews and were so glad that we did! The cocktails were inventive and delicious. The menu had just been updated, and everything we tried was delicious - eggplant dip, scallops, and a vegetable/yogurt dish. The flavors reminded me of my vacation to Turkey! I will definitely be back!

The staff was wonderful our waitress I can't remember her name she's been there a long time and just loves the place you could tell lovely lady first time at the nest everything was fantastic for breakfast I think it's my new favourite randy the owner came over and said hi Great atmosphere The staff was wonderful our waitress I can't remember her name she's been there a long time and just loves the place you could tell lovely lady thanks philndi

Just excellent, what can I say. Can't speak to pricing, because I didn't pay or see the bill, but a real gem in our town for sure.

Great food ! The chef is amazing , everything had exquisite flavor! The bar tender was a great mixologist.

Food was amazing ! They were understaffed both nights we came so there was a bit of a wait (1-1.5 hours) , but believe me , the food is well worth the wait . The staff were super friendly and nice. We tried the seafood pide, smoked mushroom dumplings, forno half chicken , stufffed eggplant, Brussel sprouts, octopus, and lamb shoulder .. honestly everything was really delicious but the dumplings, half chicken, and seafood pide were our favourites and we ordered them again when we went back the second time . I hope they are able to hire more staff so the wait isn't as long next time... but who am I kidding ? I'd go back even with a wait !

My friends and I are fans of Elma and have been visiting the restaurant since it opened. We chose to go this past Saturday night for a girl's night. We to sat upstairs in their enclosed outdoor area, it was dimly lit and the sun was going down - lovely ambience we thought. It was a windy night and we noticed halfway through our meal that things had been falling on our table from the roof - turns out it was dried bird poop falling. I let our server know as he had told us that there would be seating that table after us and they may not want to seat it again that evening, he said they had a bird nesting issue in the summer, but since the roof was closed now he was going to let the Owner know. Soon after, one of us took a sip of water that had been out on the table...there was dissolved bird poo in it.. her water had turned a cloudy white...she immediately spat it out and we turned on our phone lights to see that there were small bits of dried bird poop all over our table and food at this point. We told our server what was happening, and he was shocked and told us he was once again going to let the Owner know. He came back soon after and said the Owner's response was "tell them it comes with the territory of the patio". Which was shocking to us, as it was an enclosed seating area, with a fireplace going, and definitely not a patio open to the elements. Regardless its part of the restaurant. its We then asked to speak with the Owner. Mike (the Owner) took 20 minutes to come and speak with us about what was happening. When he finally came to our table, he was condescending and rude. When I explained the situation he said, "it is what it is" and "what would you like me to do about it" with a smug smile like I had inconvenienced him in some way. When we told him his approach of telling us he wasn't going to do anything about the problem for us let alone anyone else sitting there later, he brushed us off as he "was busy running food". I don't believe he's going to address this issue, as he made no commitment too, so I warn future diners and am worried for those eating in the upstairs space. You could have a side of bird poo with your meal. I work in hospitality, and this was the worst display of customer service I have ever received. This is a small town and word travels fast. I used to recommend Elma to everyone that visited but, I will choose to spend my money at a place that shows respect to their customers and cleans its spaces properly.

Girls weekend in Penticton and we had no dinner plans. Asked around and Elma was recommended so we stopped in to find we had to wait an hour for a seat. We had no other plans so walked around the gorgeous waterfront while we waited for our seats. We were a little sceptical when we were seated at the bar but boy oh boy were we entertained!! The bartender is amazing and runs non stop making unique cocktails, chatting with customers and restocking her supplies. The food was spectacular, we shared starters and mains all the while watching the bartender show. All in all a great night of dinner and a show!

My first visit was Sept. 2021. I hadn't heard of Elma (which means "apple" in Turkish, I found out) and a Kelowna friend recommended it. I was alone and it was in the middle of the pandemic, so I ordered takeout to bring back to my Airbnb. I love good Middle Eastern food and it is hard to find (no place really in Victoria, where I live) and this place blew my socks off - so fresh and creative. I had so much left over that I had enough for dinner the next night. So, when another trip to the area with a friend was being planned, Elma was high on our list. Her cousin and husband are vegetarians, so Elma was also perfect for them. We also got to chat quite a bit with Mike, the owner. He was super passionate about Turkish food and was very informative and helpful.

Went there for a many many course meal. Each dish was better than the next and they were all excellent! The Tuna was To Die For and will haunt my soul until we return. Cocktails, also perfect. Service staff were fun and knowledgeable. A Must go!

The food here is ten times better than what we had at a winery the night before. Very impressive, especially the oxtail and lentils in a spiral-shaped pastry. The room is open and modern, and the staff friendly, charming, and efficient. Can't wait to go back.

How unfortunate. The food was excellent. They are understaffed. Which I can accept. They lied about how many staff were available in the section they put us in....front desk said three, wait staff said two. We watched a table that arrived and ordered 10 minutes after us get heaps of food- of dishes that we ordered - while we still waited for appetizers. I understand staffing issues. Our waiter was the bartender, which meant neither drinks nor food were easy to access. Would I eat there again? Yes. If I was demanding and authoritative from the outset. But that's not the way I want to enjoy a meal while on holiday. One of my dining companions was a server at a high end restaurant and was trying very hard to be understanding and pleasant to the staff. Come to this restaurant. But don't be upset by the nice people, who are inexperienced, giving inadequate service. It's never the servers fault. Whomever owns and manages this place has excellent chefs and a great atmosphere within a very unpleasant experience. Know your limits and offer service within them.

Tried this restaurant out for a friends birthday. It's perfect for group settings as the dishes are designed to be shared. The fried chicken and the beet and feta salad are something I'll be dreaming about until I get to eat there again

For a truly unique dining out experience, Elma didn't disappoint. The spice palette and method of preparation is quite unique. I have been to Elma twice now, once for an incredible brunch of poached eggs in delicious delicately spiced sauces, Turkish coffee and flat breads and a not to be missed, burma, a delicious Turkish dessert that reminded me of baklava and then for dinner where I had incredible meat balls, chicken begendi and a bean dish called antalya beans. Truth be told, I rarely order beans or chicken dishes at restaurants as I kind of think that fair as pedestrian but frankly, they really were lovely and I greedily ordered a second chicken dish. To me, the spice palette and type of food was an interesting mix of flavours from the middle east and from areas like Greece. Yogurt is commonly used in their food presentation. The decor is really classy and frankly this place is just cool. The seating is exceptionally comfortable and I thought my servers were excellent. The dishes are presented in a way to encourage sharing among the guests if you want, but they certainly can be enjoyed alone. The restaurant looks out onto Okanagan Lake. If you enjoy indian or greek food, or just want to give your palette an education, I think you really will enjoy Elma. One of my new favourite restaurants.