Sarajevo Restaurants

You'll find cevapi all over the Balkans, introduced by the Ottomans and a firm favourite ever since. One thing pretty well everyone agrees on though is that you'll find the best ones in Sarajevo and if you like your cevapi with an added zing, the best place in the city with the best cevapi is Banja Luka down on Bravadjiluk in Bascarsija.

A sunny day in mid-October was perfect for sitting out al fresco for lunch, watching the passing parade as we tucked in to our lunch. Service was quick and cheerful - when there's really only one thing on the menu, it's easy to be efficient. The cevapi are cooking here all day long, and going out to appreciative diners as fast as they come off the grill so they're always freshly cooked and deliciously succulent.

Banja Luka's menu isn't limited to just Banja Luka-style cevapi (Banja Luka's a city in northern Bosnia). You can order your cevapi Sarajevo-style here as well as a small range of other yummy grill-based meals. We opted for a plate of both types to share and enjoyed every mouthful, as it was apparent, the folk around us were also doing.

If time permits (it didn't for us) you really should check out Zeljo, anotherl institution among Sarajevo's cevapi restaurants... to quote the guide book "Most locals will say you haven't visitd Sarajevo until you've tried Zeljo's famous cevapi". I have to say we were tempted by the thought of a late afternoon snack there as we walked down through the old town, the air cloudy with a drift of cevapi-scented woodsmoke, but the promise of begova corba (Beg's soup) and other traditional Bosnian dishes for dinner kept us walking on.

Cevapi are small (finger-length) rolls of minced meat, well-seasoned and cooked over a charcoal grill. You'll find them all over the Balkans, in some places they may have pork in them but here in Sarajevo, with its mainly Muslim population, they are made from lamb and veal. A full plate is 10 pieces, it's fine to order a half serve.

What's the difference between Banja Luka cevapi and Sarajevo-style? They like them spicy in Banja Luka so add some chopped fresh chilli. You might see them called Sis cevapi on a menu.

Traditionally, cevapi are served with chopped sweet white onion and a decent sized pocket of pita bread. Banja Luka's bread was great - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside - very moreish. A tomato salad and some finely shredded cabbage for a crunch, it was as good a meal as you could ever wish for - delicious, rustic food at its best.

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