My wife and I first went to Santa Barbara together in 2020. We were walking along State Street, and we noticed this store. My wife had traveled to Turkey, but I have not. I heard of Turkish Delight, but I have never tried it. We went into the store, and the architectural elements were amazing. It looked like we were in a shop in Turkey. We bought 3-4 different varieties of Turkish Delight, which had rose petals, pistachios, pomegranate, and some other nuts and fruit. They tasted absolutely delicious! It is a great dessert after a meal.We came back to Santa Barbara in late August 2021 and yesterday, and we had to stop into the shop to pick up some more Turkish Delight. It was that good. They only have the one location, but you can order more through their website.When you are in Downtown Santa Barbara and need a treat, make sure to stop at LOKUM. I definitely recommend it.
We came up to Santa Barbara for the day and we were just hanging out checking out the local sites and eating everything that sounded good to us. Our last stop before we headed home would have to be a coffee spot. We've had this spot on our must try list for quite a while. They happen to make a particular candy that one of our local coffee shops gives with every coffee order. We decided to try some pistachio baklava and some Turkish coffee. My girlfriend has had Turkish coffee before but I have not. The baklava was excellent and it was very similar to my favorite baklava in Orange County. I'm pretty sure that baklava I like from Orange County is homemade for a particular coffee shop we like. I discovered that I'm not a fan of Turkish coffee. It was a bit too bitter for my liking but I can definitely tell that it was quality coffee. It's just not for me. I should have tried the type that has chocolate in it. The presentation was great though. It feels like an experience rather than just coffee. The service here was great. Everybody was very friendly to us from the moment we walked in. I can say that they are a very honest crew here as well. It had been a long day for us and we were ready to hit the road. We were in such a hurry to do so that my girlfriend left her purse behind. By the time we realized it was gone it had been about 20 minutes. She quickly called LOKUM and they had her purse safely set aside for our return. Nothing was missing. You just never know these days when you do something like that if you're going to even find the purse or if it's going to have missing items. Thank you to all the employees for being honest. You guys are awesome.
Nicely decorated sweet shop. Their sweets are imported from Turkey once a week. They are fresh but expensive. Sales clerks are very friendly. You can ask for tasting lokums before purchasing. The only problem is which flavor to choose. Turkish tea is prepared freshly and tastes good. There is a sitting area indoors and outdoors. To experience real Turkish delights, this is a good option
Beautiful, breathtaking decorations. The store is a sight for sore eyes, a place that one would chance upon in Paris along a high-end quartier. Baiting you with tastes of each treat, it's impossible not to buy a slice of rose, pistachio Turkish delight or a few baklavas. These sweet, chewy delights are meant to be partnered with a cup of tea or a glass of Turkish coffee to savor each bite and sip. Ready-to-grab bagged teas and tin containers of coffee in a variety of choices line the walls with persuasive whispers for you to purchase.
Guilty of over ordering here. Some of the baklavas lack the depth and crispness of others I’ve tried. The variety of Turkish delights is wonderful, and overall a fun experience to try different flavors.Pistachio Turkish coffee came highly recommended, but I only recommend to those who prefer coffee with cream. I would have preferred the taste of the original.
Very good Turkish Delights and friendly staff. Turkish coffee is strong as heck so do not be disappointed with portion size. Trust me.
Well worth a visit! (3.5 Green Stars)We went into Lokum just to use the restroom and honestly I thought at first that it might be just a tourist trap kinda place. However, we sat down to sample some of the inventive Turkish delight rolls ($16 for around 6 pieces) and then went back for more, going a little overboard ($35!). However, one month later, we are still enjoying the selection – one piece at a time is enough for my sweet self – and they are still fresh and delicious.The rose-petal-covered-nuts-and-pomegranate and the hazelnut-almond-cream are two definite favorites. The café itself is beautiful and worth stepping into just to imagine that you are visiting an exotic place, “full of eastern promise” (that was the slogan for Fry’s Turkish delight, which bears no resemblance to the real thing!).It’s helpful that Lokum publishes ingredients on their website. Here’s a typical list: Water, Sugar, Starch, Coloring E124-E100-E141-E110, Nuts, Aromatic, Cream. Many of the colors used are actually pretty natural (e.g., chlorophyll or turmeric-derived) although some (E124) are synthetic. Would be nice to know what the ingredient “aromatic” means, but I guess that it’s probably derived from spices and/or fruit.I also talked to a staff member, asking if the marshmallow listed in one of their rolls is made from gelatin, and he told me that it’s plant-based (made from sugar) and gave me a sample of it.I’m giving Lokum 3.5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons:• This provides a nice alternative to over-packaged, over-processed “candy” from destructive multinational corps (I’m talking about all of you – Nestlé, Mondelēz, Hershey, Godiva, Ferrero, etc.)• When buying them in-store, Turkish delight is delivered in a simple cardboard box – recyclable or compostable. They even let us use our box a second time to buy the second batch!• Most of the Turkish delight rolls are vegetarian (contain cream) while the traditional Turkish delights are vegan. None of them that I could see contained gelatin, so they are all vegetarian (rolls) or vegan (traditional squares).• Honestly, there’s a benefit to opening people’s eyes to cultures that they may have been previously unaware of, or even biased against.• Ingredients are provided but it would be nice to provide more information on sustainability or social impact of these ingredients (i.e., some more info on sourcing of nuts, sugar, etc.).• Similarly, the teas and coffee lack certifications and info on sourcing. The coffee beans come from Brazil, where farming is usually industrial and very little coffee is shade-grown. If Lokum supported coffee and tea with a positive social and environmental impact, I would be more likely to have a coffee there.
Well worth a visit! (3.5 Green Stars) We went into Lokum just to use the restroom and honestly I thought at first that it might be just a tourist trap kinda place. However, we sat down to sample some of the inventive Turkish delight rolls ($16 for around 6 pieces) and then went back for more, going a little overboard ($35!). However, one month later, we are still enjoying the selection – one piece at a time is enough for my sweet self – and they are still fresh and delicious. The rose-petal-covered-nuts-and-pomegranate and the hazelnut-almond-cream are two definite favorites. The café itself is beautiful and worth stepping into just to imagine that you are visiting an exotic place, “full of eastern promise” (that was the slogan for Fry’s Turkish delight, which bears no resemblance to the real thing!). It’s helpful that Lokum publishes ingredients on their website. Here’s a typical list: Water, Sugar, Starch, Coloring E124-E100-E141-E110, Nuts, Aromatic, Cream. Many of the colors used are actually pretty natural (e.g., chlorophyll or turmeric-derived) although some (E124) are synthetic. Would be nice to know what the ingredient “aromatic” means, but I guess that it’s probably derived from spices and/or fruit. I also talked to a staff member, asking if the marshmallow listed in one of their rolls is made from gelatin, and he told me that it’s plant-based (made from sugar) and gave me a sample of it. I’m giving Lokum 3.5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons: • This provides a nice alternative to over-packaged, over-processed “candy” from destructive multinational corps (I’m talking about all of you – Nestlé, Mondelēz, Hershey, Godiva, Ferrero, etc.) • When buying them in-store, Turkish delight is delivered in a simple cardboard box – recyclable or compostable. They even let us use our box a second time to buy the second batch! • Most of the Turkish delight rolls are vegetarian (contain cream) while the traditional Turkish delights are vegan. None of them that I could see contained gelatin, so they are all vegetarian (rolls) or vegan (traditional squares). • Honestly, there’s a benefit to opening people’s eyes to cultures that they may have been previously unaware of, or even biased against. • Ingredients are provided but it would be nice to provide more information on sustainability or social impact of these ingredients (i.e., some more info on sourcing of nuts, sugar, etc.). • Similarly, the teas and coffee lack certifications and info on sourcing. The coffee beans come from Brazil, where farming is usually industrial and very little coffee is shade-grown. If Lokum supported coffee and tea with a positive social and environmental impact, I would be more likely to have a coffee there.
Wonderful and beautiful atmosphere
We went into Lokum just to use the restroom and honestly I thought at first that it might be just a tourist trap kinda place. However, we sat down to sample some of the inventive Turkish delight rolls ($16 for around 6 pieces) and then went back for more, going a little overboard ($35!). However, one month later, we are still enjoying the selection – one piece at a time is enough for my sweet self – and they are still fresh and delicious. The rose-petal-covered-nuts-and-pomegranate and the hazelnut-almond-cream are two definite favorites. The café itself is beautiful and worth stepping into just to imagine that you are visiting an exotic place, “full of eastern promise” (that was the slogan for Fry’s Turkish delight, which bears no resemblance to the real thing!). It’s helpful that Lokum publishes ingredients on their website. Here’s a typical list: Water, Sugar, Starch, Coloring E124-E100-E141-E110, Nuts, Aromatic, Cream. Many of the colors used are actually pretty natural (e.g., chlorophyll or turmeric-derived) although some (E124) are synthetic. Would be nice to know what the ingredient “aromatic” means, but I guess that it’s probably derived from spices and/or fruit. I also talked to a staff member, asking if the marshmallow listed in one of their rolls is made from gelatin, and he told me that it’s plant-based (made from sugar) and gave me a sample of it. I’m giving Lokum 3.5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons: • This provides a nice alternative to over-packaged, over-processed “candy” from destructive multinational corps (I’m talking about all of you – Nestlé, Mondelēz, Hershey, Godiva, Ferrero, etc.) • When buying them in-store, Turkish delight is delivered in a simple cardboard box – recyclable or compostable. They even let us use our box a second time to buy the second batch! • Most of the Turkish delight rolls are vegetarian (contain cream) while the traditional Turkish delights are vegan. None of them that I could see contained gelatin, so they are all vegetarian (rolls) or vegan (traditional squares). • Honestly, there’s a benefit to opening people’s eyes to cultures that they may have been previously unaware of, or even biased against. • Ingredients are provided but it would be nice to provide more information on sustainability or social impact of these ingredients (i.e., some more info on sourcing of nuts, sugar, etc.). • Similarly, the teas and coffee lack certifications and info on sourcing. The coffee beans come from Brazil, where farming is usually industrial and very little coffee is shade-grown. If Lokum supported coffee and tea with a positive social and environmental impact, I would be more likely to have a coffee there.