LOKUM means “Turkish Delight”
The name may suggest sweetness, but LOKUM is something else entirely — a travelling food and culture project rooted in flavor, atmosphere, and shared experience.
Drawing from Turkish culinary traditions and shaped by Mediterranean influences gathered along the way, LOKUM creates ephemeral spaces where food becomes a form of connection.
Founded by Cansu Cantaş — born in Ankara, now based in Zurich — LOKUM began as a pop-up restaurant and bar.
Today, it continues to evolve through guest residencies and collaborations across cities.
Upcoming LOKUM Residencies
13/03/2026
Tutto Bene, Palermo
@moltivolti
15-18/04/2026
Bahar, Zurich
15/05/2026
Lido, Zurich
Lokum is a traditional Turkish confection, typically served in small cubes alongside coffee or tea. Tender and elastic. Slow-cooked from sugar, starch, and natural flavorings, it reveals notes of rose, citrus, mastic, or nuts.
In Turkish, lokum gibi describes anything that feels effortlessly right: a dish that melts on the tongue, a person who transforms the atmosphere, a moment that unfolds with natural ease.
Turkish cuisine has long been reduced to kebab — a simplification that barely begins to describe its breadth. In reality, it unfolds across coastlines and hills, through bustling markets and quiet family tables, shifting gently from region to region, carrying with it the traces of many cultures without ever needing to name them.
For us, these flavors are inseparable from memory. They belong to childhood kitchens, to the rhythm of shared meals, and to the quiet ache that comes from living at a distance from Türkiye. Food becomes both anchor and bridge — something that holds us close, even when geography insists otherwise.
Many of our recipes begin in conversation: with older generations, in family kitchens, during long hours spent inside restaurant walls where gestures matter as much as ingredients. Over time, they evolve. Travel reshapes them. Personal experience softens or sharpens their edges. What remains is not preservation, but continuity.
And in the end, it is sharing that gathers everything together — not as an idea, but as a way of being. Around the table, stories are told without announcement. Food becomes language. And in that space, there is always room for someone else to sit down.
Pop-ups
Temporary editions in existing spaces.
For several weeks or months, each project is developed from an idea we want to explore.
The menu shifts accordingly, moving between multi-course dinners, classic dishes and meze-style formats.
Explore past editions and see what’s currently on.
Gatherings
Tailored food experiences.
Commissioned by private hosts, brands and cultural partners, each project takes its cue from their vision.
Atelier
Creative direction for culinary projects.
Based in Zurich, the atelier brings together architects, atmospheric designers, photographers and directors.
We work across concept, menu thinking, scenography, food styling and narrative, turning ideas into clear and workable formats.
GUESTS’ WORDS
9 / 10
"Truly a delight!"
“Experiencing Turkish cuisine at this level in Zurich is a real privilege - just like its name, truly a delight!"
10 / 10
"Something different and tasty!"
"The experience at Lokum was very special and tasteful, the vibe, the food, the team and the concept is all making this the perfect evening if you are looking for something different and tasty! I can only recommend !
9 / 10
Floored that every dish on the menu could be so great!
“I've been to Lokum twice with different groups of friends and both times everyone was floored that every dish on the menu could be so great! The menu is vegetarian friendly, but the lamb was perfectly done."
10 / 10
"Tradition, told differently"
LOKUM references Turkish food culture without clichés and without the charm of a mid-range kebab takeaway. Those looking for exactly that may feel unsettled — those expecting more than routine might discover how familiar flavors can be told in a different way.
Çok güzel
With the change of season came a departure from the lighter, late-summer meze and meyhane classics. As the season shifted, the kitchen followed. Ingredients changed, preparations became more refined and flavours moved toward a richer, more festive register.
The table reflected the time of year both in taste and in mood.
SO GOOD
Meyhane
A meyhane is a traditional place across Türkiye where people gather for small plates, music and long evenings that rarely end when planned. The word combines mey;wine and hane; house — reflecting its origins as a social setting where food accompanies conversation rather than leading it. Meze plays a central role here — not as starters, but as a way of eating slowly while talking continuously.
For this edition, the menu was offered à la carte, allowing each group to assemble their own combinations depending on the size of the table and the mood of the night. Familiar ideas appeared in unexpected pairings.
Many guests arrived for a drink and stayed as plates began to circulate, eventually joining the dance floor as part of the Stereo Bar crowd.
ARRIVE FOR A DRINK — STAY LONGER
Turkish Wedding
The first LOKUM edition drew inspiration from how weddings unfold over several days, often during the summer, moving from intimate beginnings to lively celebrations. A five-course menu remained constant throughout the week while the atmosphere shifted from evening to evening.
Midweek began quietly, echoing the closeness of a first meeting and a first promise. As the days progressed, tables expanded and the energy changed. By the weekend, music, movement and a festive mood filled the space.
Rather than focusing on marriage itself, the idea was to celebrate togetherness — to “merry” yourself, your friends or someone you care about.
MERRY YOURSELF OR YOUR FRIENDS
Tutto bene
For its time in Sicily, LOKUM moves between different locations, appearing each time as a one-day restaurant.
The first stop is Moltivolti in Palermo’s Ballarò district — a social kitchen rooted in a neighbourhood where different cultures shape everyday life. Here, food is not framed as a concept, but as something shared and lived.
The cooking follows the season and what Palermo’s markets have to offer.
THE RHYTHM OF PALERMO
Bahar
In April 2026, LOKUM — Bahar is presented at Damm für Dich as part of a six-week programme featuring six invited chefs, each shaping a menu over four consecutive nights.
Bahar, the Turkish word for spring, is LOKUM’s culinary homage to the season. The menu follows the arrival of spring across different regions of Türkiye — from coastal areas to inland landscapes, mountain regions and the east — built around vegetables that define this time of year.
This edition centres on ingredients that appear only briefly and mark the transition into the warmer months. Rather than representing a single regional style, it reflects how spring is cooked and eaten across the country, where markets and kitchens adjust to what has just come into season.
SPRING
Lido
Summer 2026 imagines a LOKUM lido at the height of the season — shaped by water, heat and long afternoons drifting into evening. The setting shifts between swimming, sun and unhurried gatherings, where light food, cold drinks and music follow the pace of the day.
Less a restaurant than a temporary summer state.
SUMMER
RESERVE A TABLE
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At times certain slots may be fully booked — simply check back a little later.