Palma Restaurant

I don’t know much about the Bosnian culture in Hamtramck but people I know rave about the one culinary item in particular: Cevapi. Cevapi is a skinless sausage made from beef, pork or even both. In Hamtramck, you can get cevapi at three locations that I know of but fellow Unilocalers noted that I should give Palma a try. Palma, to my knowledge, is the only Bosnian restaurant in town.
We stopped as part of a Hamtramck UYE. The sole purpose for this stop was to try the cevapi. I’ve never tried it before so I didn’t know what to expect. Our server was a kind, young lady who assured us we made the right choice. We ordered a medium cevapi which came with five pieces of sausage, chopped onions and the bread. Get the sour cream based sauce when you order for a few pennies more. Also, the medium is a better value at $ 5.99 then the small order and a large order is also available for a dollar more.
Service was fast as there were only two other tables occupied than ours. The bread was enormous and came buttered and grilled. I would just have this grilled next time as it was sort of greasy. The texture of the bread is somewhat unique. While it looks like a giant hamburger bun, it’s light and even chewy. We were told that you eat the cevapi in a similar fashion to a gyro: bread, sour cream sauce, meat and onion. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. The texture of the cevapi was very similar to a Swift Premium Brown and Serve sausage in that it seemed overly processed and spongy. Flavor wise it was just kind of bland with now real spice or meat flavor to note.
Unfortunately, while the service was great, the cevapi itself left most of us disappointed.

I love Palma not only because it’s at the corner of my street but because it’s a real home style place. The bread and garlic spread (butter) is enough to visit alone. The Turkish coffee is amazing. The staff is great. Anything on the menu is delicious.

Great Bosnian food… Actually BEST Bosnian food in Metro Detroit. I suggest you try the CEVAPI, or Pljeskavice. They even have excellent daily soups. At the end of your meal, drink a Turkish Coffee and you will be ready to run a marathon :)

To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy my dining experience here, but I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to Bosnian cuisine so I’ve added an extra star to adjust for that.
Service was pretty weird. There was sort of a waiter, but he seemed really annoyed when we asked for menus and hovered impatiently while we decided what to order. He also wouldn’t bring tap water and made us buy bottled water (which came with wine glasses). I hate when restaurants do this; If i have to pay for a beverage I’d rather order a soda or something instead of being tricked into paying for stupid bottled water. And mind you, this is not a fancy place. The tables had tablecloths on them, but they were so dirty that it was distracting. Bosnian pop music was playing loudly on a television, accompanied by what appeared to be soft-​core porn (also distracting).
Everything on the menu is pretty meat-​tastic, which I knew before I put myself in this situation, yet it still surprised me somewhat. You have your choice of beef, veal, or chicken done up in a few different ways. I ordered the cevapi because it seemed like the thing to do. We were offered fries or «sauce» as an accompaniment and chose sauce, which ended up being a little cup of garlic butter (choose the fries!). The cevapi was pretty good, though a total gut-​bomb. Being a bit of a weirdo about meat, I felt reluctant to eat the sausages because of their extreme springiness and because I have no idea what kind of animal they were made from (the menu didn’t say) but they did taste pretty good. The bread was also good, like a super greasy, fluffy english muffin. The side of cabbage salad made a nice slaw topping for the sandwich.
Prices were reasonable (except for the water thing) but I still don’t know about this place. Maybe its just too greasy for my taste.

Oh boy, I’m going to get hate messages on this one from fans of this place.
I took a buddy of mine down to Hamtramck to see Hamtramck Disneyland and visit Detroit Threads and we weren’t sure where to eat. I thought of somewhere different. And different it was. I didn’t expect much, though.
When we first walked in the door we were actually greeted by a little girl who said hello to us. I just said a friendly «hello, how are you?» back. She went to the back to let them know someone was coming to eat. Then we were greeted by a waitress who said to just sit anywhere.
I ordered the cevapi which I thought was pretty good. My friend ordered the Bosnian version of a burger (Pljeskavica) with kaymak and it came in the same bread as my cevapi did. He ate it like you would a regular burger, yet it was massive in my opinion.
Overall, service was average. I didn’t know what else to say about it. Other than it just wasn’t bad.
Now here come the flames.

Can you say «Okusi Dobri» (tastes delicious)?! I absolutely love this place. Authentic European dishes. The main theme being Bosnian but has hints of Croation, German, and even Mediterranean.
The meats there are so delicious and juicy. Succulent. Fantasia. Bliss.
The bread is perfect for mopping up sauces.
And the crunchy cabbage slaw is so tangy and delish.
If you ever need a European food «pick-​me-​up», then you can count on Palma’s. Dont be hesitant to go in, just because the place looks like a house. But when you walk in, its a whole different place.

Cevapi is absolutely delicious, a skinless sausage or some people call it the Bosnian version of kofta. If you’ve had kofta or kofta-​like food elsewhere, say, in middle eastern or Turkish or Pakistanian restaurants, you will love cevapi which is more moist and flavourful.
The lepinja bread served with cevapi (and other dishes) is also very good, a cross between pita and ciabatta, but fluffier and more delicate than either. The bread that sandwiches the cevapi gets a dip (in beef broth) and a toss (on a grill).
The same cevapi sausage meat is used for making hamburgers, making it one of the tastiest burgers!
Kabobs are so so, not bad, just the usual dryness. I wouldn’t order this again.
A couple of things to note, the restaurant won’t serve you tap water even if you order other drinks (however, they will sell you bottled water). There is a charge for the bread basket, even if you don’t eat any and didn’t ask for it. If that may bother you, tell the waitress in advance that you don’t need it.

Palma (formerly known as Bosnia Specialties) is down the street from me, so you’d think i’d frequent this restaurant on a weekly basis or even place lots of take out orders here, right?
Well I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but i went for the first time last month.
You see the advantages of living around Hamtramck is the fact that you have a plethora of multi-​ethnic markets, restaurants, and bakeries within reach. Then there are the neighborhoods that are filled with dealers, distributors, makers, and growers of these highly addictive foods. So you grow wary of eating freshly baked pierogis, shingalas (Bengali name for samosas), bureks, sauerkraut, pita bread, and such… to the point that you venture outside your comfort zone (or city for that matter) to try something new!
In the process, i had ignored Bosnia Specialties and to my dismay the place had closed.
On the bright side, the restaurant reopened (under new management) as Palma, and this time i made it a priority to try their Bosnian cuisine!
The restaurant itself is located within a bright yellow two-​family Hamtramck home, right across from the Post Office. Upon entering you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back into the old country, visiting a second cousin who has laid out their finest linen table clothes in preparation for your dinner arrival.
Greeting you as you walk in is not your cousin, but the waitress with a welcoming hello! Service here was courteous, the atmosphere has a casual yet intimate feel, and the workers are friendly & hospitable!
All the food is homemade, including the huge fluffy freshly made bread (Lepinja), their Chicken Noodle Soup will warm your soul, and the Cevapi (a sausage looking medley of minced meat) left little to be desired.
I know their Cevapi had been getting rave reviews, but there was something about the gummy consistency of these and how they were prepared that i really didn’t care to try these again: /​
Some side notes: Cash only & pricing is extreeeeemly reasonable (about $ 5 – 8 for a meal).

I think I saw on Unilocal that the cuisine was American. It certainly is not American, but it is very definitely delicious. They don’t seem to have a lot in the way of vegetables. The bread they use for their sandwiches is delicious. The cevapi (spiced ground beef, I think) is amazing and I don’t know of any other restaurants that serve it. A Bosnian friend likened it to something like a Bosnian version of a burger joint. Cash only!

HOORAY!!! Bosnian is BACK!!!
I love me some cevapi and was super upset when Bosnian Specialties closed… but am SO glad that there’s a new Bosnian restaurant in town!
This is a must-​go for anyone looking for a new place to frequent and some stellar food!