Sofra

Sofra

108-10345 106 Street NW

Edmonton, AB T5J 

(780) 423-3044

A few of my friends and I have been meaning to check out Sofra for some time now. We'd been disappointed when they were closed for their seasonal holidays but were determined to make it happen this week! In the chaos of everything, just as we were about to head over, we discovered no one in our group had made a reservation. Diffusion of responsibility. We decided to chance it and rushed over before to try to make it there before the 630pm rush and managed to snag the last free table!

Pita

Everyone raves about the pita bread here, and with good reason. The moment you step in you catch the aroma of fresh [pita] bread and from our table we could see the staff rolling out and working the dough. It was thinner than the pita I've had at Greek restaurants (or from Superstore), warm, fresh, and topped with toasted sesame seed -- divine!

Dips: Sofra ezme, hummus, haydari

The pita bread would have been excellent enjoyed on its own, but we had to try some of the dips. The hummus was great (though not quite as extraordinary as Parkallen restaurant's). The haydari tasted a lot like tzatziki though thinner in consistency. A small amount is served with the main dishes, and we all agreed it complemented the meat more than the pita. The sofra ezme is feta cheese based and was out of this world. It was salty, savory, and hearty and definitely the favorite of the three.

Turkey meatballs - not the same as the turkish meatballs!

The turkey meatballs we the special of the day (NB: turkish beef meatballs are a popular regular menu item). Ground turkey is seasoned, formed into balls, them flattened out and cooked on the grill. The resulting flavor was similar to falafel I've had, but with a more meaty texture and taste, of course.

Chicken skewers (tavuk sis tarifi)

The chicken skewers were garlicky and tasty, a "safe" dish and pretty similar to Greek chicken souvlaki. If I had a do-over, I'd probably go for the turkey meatballs or try the beef meatballs or lamb skewers. The main platters are served with grilled vegetables, bulgar pilaf, salad, and the same haydari sauce we had with the pitas. The bulgar pilaf was flavorful and full of spices without having much heat. The veggies were perfect, and I would have preferred more of them over the salad. The dressing of the salad was much too sweet to be on the same plate as rest of the garlicky, savory meal.

Baklava

We finished our meal off with baklava, which was clearly moving so fast it was hard to capture on film. Baklava is very hard to get right but this was the perfect balance between sticky, flaky, and sweet. It was definitely among the best Baklava I've had.

Sofra isn't cheap, but for your money you'll get good-size portions of freshly made, consistently tasty food. The atmosphere was great for dining with friends, and the service was friendly and prompt. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and am already plotting opportunities to return. However, I will warn you: if you don't want your breath to reek of garlic the rest of the night, bring a pack of gum for the meal's end.

Unless you don't like your friends. Then exhale away.