Cevabdzinica Sarajevo

Amazing ćevapi and gras! My boyfriend is Bosnian and he loved everything we ordered. He even said it might have been better than his mom’s cooking. Definitely recommend!

Love this little place. It is tiny and disorganized, but the employees are sweet and the food is killer. Don’t expect a scene or ambiance, but come for the food!

Lived in Sarajevo for a few months, when I came to Astoria and noted that there is a spot where you can have Cevapcici, I have to try it to relive the Bosnian days.
It is served in a Bosnian bread with a sauce and mince meat or spicy beef sausages. It is a Balkan dish, but is considered as a national dish of Bosnia.
I was not disappointed, it is authentic and the sausages is tasty and its favor profile is I think what it was from my memory.
Good local spot.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been here but I was in the area. The food is still delicious and very filling. I had a spinach burek, potato burek, ten prices of kofte, and four waters for $ 30. The atmosphere is also very laid back and I would definitely return if I’m in the neighborhood.

It was my first time having Bosnian food and it was good. We had the Burek with cheese and the cevapi. The Burek was okay. The crust was crispy but I was hoping the filling was more flavorful. I would return to try the spinach and meat. The cevapi sausage were juicy and had great consistency. I look forward to trying other things on the menu.

Came here after our trip to Croatia, where we finally tried Bosnian food. We had also heard good things from friends. We lived up the block from here for years but never swung by.
The food is delicious, although the service leaves much to be desired. Then again, it is what it is. Come here for Cevapis! Yum!

Where to begin, this was my second Burek /​Cevap place in 2 days.
I live in Detroit and do not have chance (other than far away from me place called Palma in Hamtramck) for a good Balkan cuisine, so when I am traveling I always try to find it.
This week I was in NY, actually Long Island, so looking around I found this one and Djerdan, not far away from each other.
To be quire honest I gave Djerdan 3+ stars, compared to that Cevabdzinica Sarajevo is 3-​.
Let me explain:
I had Burek and Cevapi.
— First Burek, filo was very thin, not very tasty and cheese filling was definitely bland, bland cottage cheese, … That is not the way to make Burek. I have expected better
— Then Cevapi came, a little burned (black stripes on meet, real cevap is NEVER blackened), but on the top of that meet was OK, but not tasty, cevap did not have texture of bouncy cevap (if you tried real ones, you know what I am talking about). Somun (flat bread) was OK.
All in all, if you do not know original, it is OK, if you do know original taste, both Burek and Cevap will fall short of your expectation.
Music in the restaurant, not to my taste either, some new Bosnian ‘sevdalinka’ with mediocre singers is on quite loud all the time.
Would I come back, no. Good American burger can be equally or better quick bite than Cevap in this place.

We went from Manhattan to this place as I heard they have good burek. I had burek with meat and yogurt and it was good. Pretty big piece and it was reasonably priced.
I also orders a small portion of cevapcici to try and the were absolutely delicious, juicy and soft served in traditional somun. I was very happy about that.

Cevabdzinica Sarajevo (CS) is a great choice for quick, affordable, and tasty Bosnian food in Western Queens, especially if you’re about to see a movie at nearby Kaufman Astoria. The place is small, but the service is quick and the menu extensive. I ordered the cevapi, which featured 5 sausages, a tomato sauce, chopped onions, and some very fluffy pita. Absolutely delicious! The cevapi was juicy, but with a crispy exterior, and the tomato sauce — think a sweet, smoky spread — and the crispy onions made for nice complements both in flavor and texture. Nestle all that in some fluffy pita, and you have yourself a killer meal. And $ 8 for a meal this filling definitely checked off my affordability box. Definitely a hidden gem!

I went there this summer with my husband and cousin after a visit to the Moving Image Museum. Neither was excited about trying Bosnian food. However, once the food arrived it was; Woot! Woot! A total hit. They cremated an order of ćevapi with ajvar and lepinja with some bread. We also had the kajmak (a cheese thing) which was just ok. It’s cash only and kinda more pricey than I expected, but it was good and cheaper than Greek places in the area. So eat up my friends.

I got there @ o:30 and they close at 10:00. Nobody in the place and she was on the phone.
We was however willing to cook me anything I wanted. It was pretty good. I got the 10 piece beef sausage and bread.
Way too much food.

I’m going to have to Ceva my ties with this place, permanently. I hate to Bdzinitch about family owned places, but I have to be honest. I can’t give them a «yay vote» even if Sara gave them a «Yay vote» (Sara-​yay-​vote), because of what happened here.
My standards are set very high for Balkan food because of what is possibly WNY’s best restaurant — Balkan Dining, up in Buffalo, NY. It’s so insanely unspeakably good, it can’t be put into words. Next time you’re in Western NY make sure you give it a try.
In NYC I’ve tried a few similar places, most notably Duck-​a-​genie Burek in the Bronx, which is a 5-​star spot for their delicious, cheap and filling Burek. However, my love affair with Balkan food ends with Cevabdzinica Sarajevo.
The only reason it gets 3 stars is because the food is delicious. Not nearly as delicious, mind you, as Balkan Dining. Based on the Cevapi alone, it’s somewhere between a 4 or 5 star. The portion size is not very generous. The price is on the high side. But the meat is juicy and good and the bread that it comes in is enjoyable.
However, unfortunately, I had one of my worst NYC customer service experiences here. I asked for the Cevapi Sandwich, and we were very clear on it, and there was no confusion. She then made me the full-​order Cevapi dinner (I guess) which is twice the size. I certainly didn’t want that, but especially considering she then charged me something close to $ 15 for it (which is twice the price that the sandwich should have been).
When I pointed out this error, all hell broke loose. There was bickering, arguing, fighting amongst themselves, accusations, and all sorts of nastiness. It was a very awkward way to reduce the price by half. When she did finally agree to charge me for a sandwich instead of a full portion, she made it a point to open up my order, take out half of the order, and leave me with — honestly — what looked like a little less than half of what she’d originally given me. She took half the bread, half the meat, and so on.
I hope the extra bread and meat which they took back (and I assume threw away? Or hopefully someone ate them) was worth it, because it earned them a 3-​star instead of 4 or 5, and it also earned them one less customer, since I’ll never go back after being treated like that.

Having grown up in Bosnia, I must say that I really love this place. Unfortunately, Astoria is pretty out of the way for me, but I’ve been here a couple of times. I’ve also tried Ukus and Stari Most, two other Bosnian restaurants in Astoria. Out of the three, I think Cevabdzinica Sarajevo has the BEST ćevapi! It almost tastes like home. The entire vibe of the place is Bosnian, right down to the programs on the TV to the conversation swirling around you.
On this visit I just ordered the 5-​piece ćevapi. It came with fresh lepinja (delicious pita bread on steroids), chopped raw onions, and ajvar (like a sweet red pepper relish) on the side. I also ordered mine with kajmak (kind of like cream cheese/​butter, but amazing). I ALWAYS recommend getting kajmak. It is delicious and really adds to just about any Bosnian dish.
The one thing I wish is that they could serve beer. I used to get Karlovačko Pivo at Djerdan in midtown, before it closed down. And I know for a fact that they sell it at the EuroMarket, just a short distance away. That would have been a perfect complement to my meal, but other than that it was amazing.
I’m not really a desert person, plus I would’ve been way too full for desert anyway, so I didn’t try any of them. I would recommend finishing up with a cup a Turkish kava (coffee) to round out the meal.
On a previous visit I tried the pita (burek, krompirusa, zeljanica, sirnica). I don’t remember which variations I tried (meat, potatoes, spinach, cheese), but when it comes to pita, I would recommend going to Ukus. And when it comes to pljeskavica, I’d go to Stari Most. I haven’t tried the other dishes on the menu, but I imagine they’re good, particularly the meat dishes. They really have the seasoning down.
The people working there were friendly enough. It reminded me of going to a place like this in Bosnia, where the people are nice, but aren’t always super attentive. They often seemed a little preoccupied by their own conversations either amongst themselves, or with other clientele who also spoke the language. I have no real complaints though, we got what we needed, and we got it rather quickly.
The ambiance is about what you would expect for a hole in the wall like this one. It feels more like a fast food place than a restaurant (regardless of how it’s classified above, this isn’t really a fast food place), but you’re welcome to sit and linger (assuming they’re not busy). It has a very neighborhood-​y feel. I think we were the only ones there who weren’t regulars. I struck up a conversation with a gentleman a couple of tables down from us. He was from Sarajevo and it was just so nice talking about Bosnia with someone who gets it. That doesn’t happen often.
All in all, this place gets a solid 4 stars. It’s no frills, down to business, inexpensive, delicious, authentic food. Whether you’re from the Balkans looking for a taste of home, or a culinary explorer, this place is definitely worth checking out. And if you get a chance, check out the Museum of the Moving Image right around the corner.

Delicious! Appetizers, entrées and deserts! Must try if in the area. I come here twice a week… That good!

This is a true Bosnian place in the middle of Astoria! The atmosphere is quintessentially Balkan.
The ćevapi with ajvar and lepinja are delicious! Ask for kajmak (cheese) as well, as it doesn’t come included.
The burek is underwhelming, not recommending getting it.

Bosnia Hercegovina food!
Food was not bad, not my flavor though.
Owner? Waitress? Just 1 woman
Service so so.
Anyway just one time experience.
Not bad. Some people like the food.
Just not my taste. lol. It was a new and interesting experience.

I just checked out the Cevapi sausages and the Pljeskavica and both were mediocre. The Pljeskavica tasted better, because it had a bit more flavor. I guess they added more salt to it.
It was my first time trying out Bosnian food. I must say it was a new experience but not my cup of tea. My friend checked this place out and loved it. He keeps coming back, but for me, it’ll be just a one-​time deal.
The lady who was cooking served us at the same time. The place was small, so doing both was possible. She must have been the owner. She was pleasant though. Best wishes to the lady and to this restaurant.

I’d always been wanting to try this place every time I was in Kaufman area, and when I got a chance, it disappointed me big time.
We got there for some quick meal since the Brazilian place 6 blocks away was closed.
I was so excited since this place has been around forever. It must be good, right?
We were gonna go with order #4, but it was whopping $ 28! Are you serious with the price here? So we went for 10 pieces of Ćevapi for $ 14 instead. I gave him twenty, and, the owner kept complaining about receiving a big bill from customers, and big bills I mean the twenties. Was it my problem that you don’t have change?
I overheard one party complain to the owner that there were signs to be found that this establishment is cash only. Of course, people are walking around with hundreds in their wallets these days!
The order that we tried was a letdown. It was like something that you can prepare at home, yet you have to come out and spend double for it. The sudjuks looked like they were out of the frozen pack, probably from Euro Market. The Ajvar paste was definitely from the jar, and on top of that is the sloppy chopped up onions. All that for $ 14???
Plus you can always hear the owner talking/​complaining/​dissing in his own language. I find that pretty rude. I know that English is not your native language, but Hello, this is America. You should never talk nasty about your customers. It doesn’t matter what or how much they order. They bring you business, period!
Where is Gordon Ramsay? This place needs a wake up call.

Sometime ago I visited Cevabdzinica Sarajevo (CS) and I hated it. The conditions for today’s return visit to CS couldn’t have been more perfect for the restaurant: a fellow Unilocaler received a review of the day acknowledgment for their review of CS; I was a stone throw away – and I don’t throw very far – from CS; and, I was very hungry.
My order consisted of what other Unilocalers thought were the best they’ve had: cevap (slightly spicy sausages similar to the larger Greek befteki), which comes with ajar (very red pepper sauce with moderate spice), raw onions, and a pita like bread. I also ordered the cheese burek.
Fot those not into history you may want to tune-​out for this paragraph. The Balkans and most of Europe were under Ottoman rule for about four and a half centuries (see «The Balkans Since 1453» by Stavrianos) and as one might imagine the cuisines of the region gently fused into a blur so that one can’t distinguish what was local pre-​Ottoman rule. One anecdotal rule of thumb is that the dishes are the same with the exception that the further west a dish is enjoyed the less spice it will contain. Bosnian food tends – in my humble opinion – tend to be medium-​to-​mild in spice and similar to other cuisines in the region – like Greek cuisine.
Any one of the two dishes I ordered could have come from my mom’s kitchen and I could have swore that the cheese bourek in fact was made from my mom. This is not good. The Greek version of a bourek has the suffix of «pita» attached to it as in spanakopita (spanaki = spinach and pita = bourek) or tyropita (tyro = cheese, etc.). The cheese bourek at CS tasted pretty good but the phyllo dough wasn’t the usual paper-​thin, crispy, phyllo dough variety. It was a homemade and half-​baked gooey variety of the kind that mama Mahi made for yours truly.
To paraphrase one Unilocaler reviewing CS that hit the proverbial nail on the head: CS is fast food Bosnian style. Fast or otherwise the food was good as in not bad and most certainly not great. Quality was a bit lacking but then again I adventurously ordered sausage. Does anyone really want to know how and with what sausage is made?
The service was good too. Absent were the loud yells from the kitchen that others mentioned. I was kind of looking forward to hearing the staff squabble volumously in the kitchen. Indeed, I didn’t have much to do on this particlular afternoon.
I look forward to returning and not because the food was memorable but because I’d like to try some other dishes and up or down-​tick this review.

As a Unilocaler, I am drawn to exotic foods. As a Jew, I am drawn to words that sound like a sneeze. Yet despite living in Queens for eight years (three of them down the street) I had never been to Cevabdzinica Sarajevo. That was recently rectified.
The inside is very old school and filled with posters and mementos from Bosnia. It has a great family feel and the owner was personally serving us.
I knew I liked bureks, so we started by sharing a meat one. Holy moly. It was almost a foot long and easily sharable for three people. It tasted very homemade and was quite delicious.
For entrees, we had the beef goulash, meat and bean stew, and lamb chops. Both stews had deep, rich flavors and felt like they were made with a lot of love. The lamb chops were very good too, although there was nothing Bosnian about them so we should have gone with something more ethnic.
The dishes came with a crazy special bread from Bosnia that the owner has shipped in every week. It was OUTSTANDING. Especially dipped in the goulash.
After our meal, we sat with the owner and talked for about 15 minutes. He brought us out three desserts. Two were similar riffs on a light pastry with honey. The baklava was so different than any I had ever had. It was much less sweet (in a great way) and we all fought over the last piece.
This is the kind of place that hopefully won’t disappear among many of the interchangeable restaurants constantly popping up in Astoria.