SLO’s newest dessert shop serves up Turkish delights, baklava and more
A new Turkish-style dessert shop has opened in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Lokum opened Sept. 10 at 715 Higuera St. between Blackwater clothing store and Buffalo Pub and Grill.
The business, which launched its Santa Barbara location two years ago, specializes in traditional desserts such as baklava and Turkish delights, as well as authentic coffee and tea drinks.
Lokum offers an immersive food-and-drink experience similar to one you might find in Istanbul, where owner Levent Derdiyok grew up before emigrating to the United States in the early 2000s.
“All of our products are imported from Turkey,” Derdiyok said. “We have so many choices in Turkey. But we are bringing here the top sellers that I like the best.”
The family-owned business takes its name from its most popular confection — lokum, which means “Turkish delight” in Turkish.
Business opens dessert shops in Santa Barbara, SLO
The Derdiyok family first emigrated to upstate New York, opening a store there in 2006, before moving to California.
According to Derdiyok, Lokum opened its first Central Coast location on State Street in Santa Barbara just before the coronavirus pandemic hit. That location is currently run by his brother, Bulent Derdiyok.
“Without so many people looking for things to do, people have come in and we’ve been busy,” Levent Derdiyok said.
When he and his family began looking to expand to a similar-sized community, they landed on San Luis Obispo.
They like Higuera Street because it’s centrally located with significant foot traffic, Derdiyok said.
Derdiyok said he thinks he could maybe earn four times the revenue in areas of Los Angeles. But that’s not where he wants to live and raise his three children; he has an 11-year-old and two pre-kindergarten kids.
“I grew up in a city where there’s 20 million people and traffic and we are sick of it,” said Derdiyok, who lives in Arroyo Grande. “We love this place.”
Lokum’s San Luis Obispo dessert shop is housed in a 2,100-square-foot commercial space decorated with Turkish tile and hand-blown glass chandeliers. Derdiyok’s family owns a downtown Santa Barbara retail store, Seven Hills, that sells rugs, chandeliers, ceramics and other home furnishings.
Lokum’s new spot formerly housed Len Collective, a jewelry and home goods store now located at 760 Higuera St.
“We’re really thankful to the landlord for working with us to bring our business here,” Derdiyok said.
Lokum serves Turkish delight, baklava
Lokum’s menu features a dozen different types of baklava and more than 30 types of Turkish delight.
Baklava, a pastry with a culinary history dating back to the Ottoman Empire, features thin, crispy phyllo dough, finely crushed pistachios and walnuts, butter and syrup made of sugar, water and lemon juice.
Turkish delights, delicately chewy treats presented in rolls that can be cut into smaller pieces, feature flavorings including pomegranate, chocolate, citrus and berries. They often include nuts as well.
The menu offers vegan and gluten-free Turkish delight options.
“We give lots of free samples and educate people about what they’re trying,” Derdiyok said.
He added the shop’s offerings reduce the heavy sugar and butter taste more common in Turkish eateries.
In addition to coffee and tea drinks, Lokum has coffee pots, grinders and herbal teas for sale.
Higuera Street location is hiring
According to Derdiyok, Lokum’s San Luis Obispo location has been a year in the making. The owners signed a lease in September 2020 and then went through a permitting process.
They had hoped to open Lokum in June, but had to wait for remaining contracting work to be completed.
Derdiyok said Lokum is currently hiring for its San Luis Obispo location and expects to staff up to 10 workers.
“We expect Farmer’s Market nights to be really busy,” Derdiyok said. “We’ll need to be ready.”
Derdiyok plans to create a parklet in front of Lokum. He also hopes to eventually expand the family’s operations with a retail store in downtown San Luis Obispo, also on Higuera Street.
“I want to focus on this first to set up this store, and set it up and take my time on starting another business,” Derdiyok said.
Lokum is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, although those hours may change long-term, the business owner said.
For more information, call 805-550-6622.
This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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