The lokanta serves a very particular clientele whose needs are that of a quick and easy meal at a reasonable price. Sort of like the Turkish fast food, all the meals in a lokanta are pre-made and dished onto a plate to order. The food is held in steam trays which means it is not particularly hot. On the other hand, the norm in Turkey is to serve food luke-warm rather than boiling hot.
Foods in a lokanta are normally soup, rice, pasta, stews, kurufasulye stuffed peppers and eggplants, döner, broiled chicken, and köfte,
A great advantage to eating at one of these establishments is the point and choose method of picking out a meal.
For lokantas in Sirkeci, check out Hoca Paşa street or see the map below:
View Esnaf Lokantas, Sirkeci, Istanbul in a larger map