Balkan Roadtrip - Sarajevo, the land of Cevapi: MRKVA versus Zeljo
Cevapi or Cevapcici is the national dish of Bosnia & Hercegovina (and Serbia as well). It is very popular in the Balkans and a trip to this part of Eastern Europe is not complete without tasting it a few times.
When Bubbles and I were in Bosnia & Hercegovina last April, we were advised by everyone to eat Cevapi. It is a must! We started our trip in Tuzla where we had some local Balkan stews for our dinner. We promised ourselves to have Cevapi for lunch when we arrive in Sarajevo the next day.
In Sarajevo, there are 2 famous places to eat Cevapi. That’s MKRVA and Zeljo. MRKVA was recommended to us by the lovely young receptionist of our hotel. She swears it is the best and it is where the locals prefer to eat their Cevapi. The latter, Zeljo is very popular among the tourists.
So like any curious culinary traveller who not only enjoys the gourmet delights of this world, but also the customary local dishes and street food scene, Bubbles and I decided to try both.
MRKVA
Cevapi was our first meal in Sarajevo. After checking in to our hotel, Bubbles and I hit the Baskarsija, which means the Old Town of Sarajevo. Our first goal is to eat our late lunch at MRKVA. We followed the directions given to us and within minutes we found the café restaurant.
We both ordered the same Cevapi meal and some cream cheese. The minced meat sausage is skinless and made from pork, beef, lamb or mixed. It is usually served in 5-10 pieces with chopped onions and grilled flatbread. The onions are a really good pairing for the meat but I understand as well that some people would not touch them.
Because this is our first time to eat Cevapi in Sarajevo in this Balkan road trip, we didn’t have any other reference to consider, but we enjoyed this meal very much. We loved the taste and juiciness of the sausages. The flatbread was warm and delicious. We cannot complain, especially after a long drive from the north in Tuzla through the valleys and mountains in the countryside.
Hands down, we highly recommend MRKVA.
Zeljo
We ate here in Zeljo on our last day in Sarajevo, also for our late lunch.
It was raining the whole day in Sarajevo and it was Easter Sunday. We attended the Easter Sunday mass at the cathedral on Ferhadija Street and then went on to see Galerija 11/07/95 which is a memorial gallery and exhibition in remembrance of the Srebrenica massacre and its victims. I will be posting separate entries about our Easter Sunday and the Galerija. After which we went on to do some last minute (souvenir) shopping.
Of course, after all these activities and coupled with bad weather, it made our stomachs grumble. So we decided to search for Zeljo, the other popular Cevapi place in the city. Because of the rain, it took us some time to locate the cafe restaurant and when we did, we decided to sit outside where we have a good vantage point of all people passing by. #peoplewatching
Zeljo, we noticed, is more popular than MRKVA. It is super popular with the tourists and many reviews were written about them online. In fact, I knew about them through their online presence whereas I learned about MKRVA through our hotel receptionist.
We ordered the same thing, Cevapi with onions and flatbread, including cream cheese.
Our verdict? Zeljo is delicious, but we liked MKRVA more.
Our hotel receptionist told us that it really depends on our taste buds. She knows many people who favour Zeljo over MKRVA and vice versa as well. But she personally prefers MRKVA, and so does we.
I guess MRKVA wins in our books!
Travel Period: April 2017
Destination: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.
When Bubbles and I were in Bosnia & Hercegovina last April, we were advised by everyone to eat Cevapi. It is a must! We started our trip in Tuzla where we had some local Balkan stews for our dinner. We promised ourselves to have Cevapi for lunch when we arrive in Sarajevo the next day.
In Sarajevo, there are 2 famous places to eat Cevapi. That’s MKRVA and Zeljo. MRKVA was recommended to us by the lovely young receptionist of our hotel. She swears it is the best and it is where the locals prefer to eat their Cevapi. The latter, Zeljo is very popular among the tourists.
So like any curious culinary traveller who not only enjoys the gourmet delights of this world, but also the customary local dishes and street food scene, Bubbles and I decided to try both.
MRKVA
Cevapi was our first meal in Sarajevo. After checking in to our hotel, Bubbles and I hit the Baskarsija, which means the Old Town of Sarajevo. Our first goal is to eat our late lunch at MRKVA. We followed the directions given to us and within minutes we found the café restaurant.
We both ordered the same Cevapi meal and some cream cheese. The minced meat sausage is skinless and made from pork, beef, lamb or mixed. It is usually served in 5-10 pieces with chopped onions and grilled flatbread. The onions are a really good pairing for the meat but I understand as well that some people would not touch them.
Because this is our first time to eat Cevapi in Sarajevo in this Balkan road trip, we didn’t have any other reference to consider, but we enjoyed this meal very much. We loved the taste and juiciness of the sausages. The flatbread was warm and delicious. We cannot complain, especially after a long drive from the north in Tuzla through the valleys and mountains in the countryside.
Hands down, we highly recommend MRKVA.
The cream cheese is an additional side order and I highly recommend it if you like some contrast in the taste, especially if you eat the onions.
Zeljo
We ate here in Zeljo on our last day in Sarajevo, also for our late lunch.
It was raining the whole day in Sarajevo and it was Easter Sunday. We attended the Easter Sunday mass at the cathedral on Ferhadija Street and then went on to see Galerija 11/07/95 which is a memorial gallery and exhibition in remembrance of the Srebrenica massacre and its victims. I will be posting separate entries about our Easter Sunday and the Galerija. After which we went on to do some last minute (souvenir) shopping.
Of course, after all these activities and coupled with bad weather, it made our stomachs grumble. So we decided to search for Zeljo, the other popular Cevapi place in the city. Because of the rain, it took us some time to locate the cafe restaurant and when we did, we decided to sit outside where we have a good vantage point of all people passing by. #peoplewatching
Zeljo, we noticed, is more popular than MRKVA. It is super popular with the tourists and many reviews were written about them online. In fact, I knew about them through their online presence whereas I learned about MKRVA through our hotel receptionist.
We ordered the same thing, Cevapi with onions and flatbread, including cream cheese.
The local cola drink called Cockta =)
Our verdict? Zeljo is delicious, but we liked MKRVA more.
Our hotel receptionist told us that it really depends on our taste buds. She knows many people who favour Zeljo over MKRVA and vice versa as well. But she personally prefers MRKVA, and so does we.
I guess MRKVA wins in our books!
Travel Period: April 2017
Destination: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.
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