Outside tourist areas and large cities, the old-style ‘lokanta’ is an eating house serving quick and rather inexpensive meals. Regarding the dishes proposed, these must be ready-to-serve: a few soups, rice, several different stews (vegetables and meat), mixed salad, accompanied by bread. To close the meal one can choose between half a dozen desserts. Often, there are no alcoholic drinks available (except in tourist places).
This choice is more limited than in a ‘restoran’, where you could also order mezze (appetizers), grilled meat of fish, specialities and other more expensive food, (generally) along with wine or rakı (= turkish unsweetened, anise-flavored hard alcoholic drink). In a ‘restoran’, customers will have to wait, until their order is ready.

On the picture: A ‘Lokanta’ offering a larger range of soups and desserts than the common eating house.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: ‘Insight Guides - Turkey’ – Edition 1988 .