Lokanta Grill & Bar
Mediterranean restaurant · Pleasanton ·
Sophisticated Turkish & Greek fusion dishes, dips, and flatbreads
Sophisticated Turkish & Greek fusion dishes, dips, and flatbreads
"Make this your pick to set up a promising date for success–there's flattering lighting, potent cocktails, and shareable appetizers that practically guarantee another rendezvous. Start with the Greek dip trio with garlic-heavy hummus, creamy tzatziki, and smoky babaganoush served with soft pita while you gaze into one another’s eyes. Show off some good taste and get the lamb kebab plate with rice pilaf or the rich, layered musakka as your entree. Share the kunefe for dessert (or, if the date is a bust, order it to-go and eat it at home while re-downloading Hinge)." - gabi moskowitz
"Make this your pick to set up a promising date for success–there's flattering lighting, potent cocktails, and shareable appetizers that practically guarantee another rendezvous. Start with the Greek dip trio with garlic-heavy hummus, creamy tzatziki, and smoky babaganoush served with soft pita while you gaze into one another’s eyes. Show off some good taste and get the lamb kebab plate with rice pilaf or the rich, layered musakka as your entree. Share the kunefe for dessert (or, if the date is a bust, order it to-go and eat it at home while re-downloading Hinge)." - Gabi Moskowitz
"In the Clinton neighborhood, diners gather over spreads of rustic meze, glasses of “lion’s milk” raki, and cardamom-fig-infused Old Fashioneds with traditional Turkish folk music in the background. Wrapped in blue floral accents, the Turkish tavern even has a shelf displaying the chef’s picks of olive oils and spices. Although some know Turkish cuisine for its meat kebabs, Umut Matkap centers much of Lokanta’s menu on vegetable dishes that he enjoys from his home country, such as borulce salatasi black-eyed pea salad, tekmilli fava bean spread topped with dill and lemony red onions, and patlican ezme smoked eggplant with pomegranate dressing. To dine in true meyhane fashion, nibble through dips and salads and sip anise-flavored raki, while enjoying conversation with friends." - Waz Wu
"At its Clinton Street location, this former pop-up showcases the remarkable range of rustic Turkish cuisine through its meze, dips, and pide (flatbread). Lokanta is not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but there’s an artistry to how Umut Matkap crafts his vegetable plates. The move is to order a variety, from the silky fava pate and smoky deep red muhammara, to the savory-sweet caramelized onion stuffed garbanzo dumplings and bulgur patties balanced delicately on lettuce wraps, then nibble your way through the spread, while sipping on glasses of raki (licorice-flavored spirit). Lokanta is open for takeout, delivery, and sidewalk dining." - Waz Wu
"I checked out chef Orhan Yegen’s new restaurant Lokanta and found his mezzes masterful; highlights included hot and tangy yogurt soup, grade-A stuffed cabbage, lush moussaka, and simply cooked whole fish. Yegen, who remains an owner at Sip Sak in Turtle Bay, told Grub Street he enjoys the “adventurous” customer base at his new spot." - Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya