Chefika: A Cozy, Romantic Gem Serving Fine Turkish Food

Chefika, is a new-ish fine-dining Turkish restaurant on Walnut Hill Lane, just west of Central Expressway, in North Dallas. We finally got a chance to stop by, realizing only after our visit that we had waited way too long.

As serial enjoyers of Mediterranean cuisine, we imagined we would like it but weren’t emotionally prepared to love it quite as much as we did. We were surprised by how high-level everything was — from the food and interior to the service as well.

The patio and interior of the restaurant are gorgeous. Inside are ornately patterned rugs, wicker light fixtures and pale wood tables, all of which combine to create a warm, pinkish glow. Large string lights float above patio tables, and if you know us, you know we love a good string light.

As far as fine dining goes, we were very surprised at how reasonably priced everything was. Two appetizers, one entree, dessert, and a tip set us back about $75. These days, many trips for two to most casual-fine dining chains can run just about the same, if not more; the main difference is that the quality of the food, service and atmosphere at Chefika felt to us like money even better spent.

The staff treats everyone like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce themselves — yet this felt genuine. Walking to our cars after dinner, we felt like we’d just spent an evening being fed excellent food at our very doting grandmother’s house.
We started the meal with the beet carpaccio (maybe our favorite dish of the night) and the pan-seared halloumi. Before those came, we were surprised to be offered a (huge) basket of fresh Turkish breads with a side of tapenade made from olives and pistachios. We could (and may or may not have) eaten the tapenade on its own with a spoon. What a perfect condiment.

The basket held two types of bread, one being a flatbread reminiscent of the kind served at many other Mediterranean restaurants. And while it was nice, the second bread stole the show. It has a light nutty flavor from a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top, with a soft light crust on the outside. Served sliced, it was an A+ vehicle for the tapenade, which we (not so) low-key wish they’d package up and sell (but definitely not so we could eat it straight out of the very jar it came in with a spoon while sitting on the kitchen floor at 2 a.m.).
After definitely not demolishing our bread basket, our beet carpaccio came and the pan-seared halloumi followed shortly behind, both gorgeous. The beets were soft and tender, topped with plenty of chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese. We think it was our favorite dish. Never did we ever think we’d describe a beet salad as being decadent, but here we are.

The halloumi was delicious, too, but it’s hard to go wrong with a plate full of seared grilled cheese. One thing we loved about it was how well the cheese's inherent saltiness paired with the accompanying fig preserves.
Though seemingly simple, every part of the grilled chicken dish was executed so perfectly. It’s not often that chicken ends up having an almost melty quality, which this one did. We’d liken the texture to grilled chicken we’ve had at Brazilian-style steakhouses like Texas de Brazil or 12 Cuts, though the flavor and marinade were different. The rice was spot-on and fluffy, and the vegetables were all tender.
Chefika boasts its flavors as being “vibrant,” and, really, all of them were. In general, it's nice when heavy dishes have something "bright" to add a touch of lightness, just like a super rich dish needs something to keep it from feeling too heavy. We think we loved this place so much because everything we tried was both bright and rich all at once.

Finally, for dessert, we tried the Turkish flan, or kazandibi. It was more dense and firm than the Mexican flan we might be used to, and so, so good. Topped very generously with cinnamon, both the flavor and texture are balanced. Next time (which there certainly will be), we’ll have to try it with the Turkish tea, which would be a stellar companion to the dessert.

So much attention has been paid to so many little details here, and we found ourselves thinking that whoever put all of them together must know a lot about hospitality and have a real, genuine love of food and people. Or must have been watching a lot of The Bear.

So, if you’d like to be treated like you’re as valuable a guest as Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce while eating a rich (and dare we say bright) beet salad for as much as you’d drop per person at an Olive Garden, we highly (highly) recommend.

Oh, and it shares a parking lot with a Trader Joe’s. Truly, what more could any of us want?

Chefika. 7859 Walnut Hill Lane, No. 170. Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 9:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.