Coffee Slasticarna Drina

Best sirnica and burek in town! I could make them myself because I’m Croatian but why on earth should I bother when these lovely people can be paid to make it for me?! (Their’s is better, NGL.) Next time you have a gathering order a large platter of sirnica (pictured). If you regret it I’ll buy it from you. I promise.

Hands down the best ćevapi I’ve had in the US!! Truly authentic, felt like I was back in Bosnia eating this delicious meal! Couldn’t recommend this place more!

Popped in for a quick coffee while waiting on my friend at their appointment - delicious cappuccino and the sweetest woman was working! Quiet, calm, great ambiance to catch up with friends or read/journal. I didn't realize they were cash only and didn't quite have enough, but the lady was SO kind and just told me to come back and pay next time. Genuinely the kindest interaction I've had in a while and I'll be returning often just on that alone!! Can't wait to try all their offerings <3

Drina is the best place if you want to try authentic food for Balkans. Burek and Sirnica are the best. The lady makes her own dough. Yogurt is homemade as well. If you want to try real food with homemade ingredients then Drina should be your choice. Also don’t forget to try Turkish coffee.

What a fantastic home-cooked meal! The owner is an incredibly warm and welcoming person who truly excels at what they do. I can’t wait to return, and I highly recommend that everyone give this place a try!

Pretty decent place to have some traditional Balkan / Bosnian food. I usually get the burek and its great. Ćevapi are good. Believe its a cash only joint.

We had burek and cevapi and bosnian coffee, they were delicious. Loveeeee it

Best restaurant ever the cevapi and burek are mouth watering. And the sweets, omgggggg I love Bosnia

Nice Bosnian place. Delicious plieskavitsa - burger stuffed into flatbread. Order in advance to avoid waiting. I'd like to try more items on the menu.

I've already recommended this place to friends, their burek is fantastic! We called in to pre-order the potato burek as I'm pescatarian and love anything potato. They told us since their oven was full, we'd have to wait 1.5 hours. That we did, and we were not disappointed. My bf and I split it and we absolutely loved it. We will definitely be coming back! As a note, this place is cash only so don't forget your cash!

Clean establishment. Friendly, old-world staff. Nice ambient and the Burek (meat pie) is so hot, flaky & delicious!

The staff is very friendly. The meat borek is delicious. They only take cash here, so that's the only consideration. Would recommend.

The owner is very sweet and the food was delicious! Only critique is that it is cash only but there's and atm right next door!

This place definitely feels like a locals only cafe. There is very limited seating inside, but if you're lucky enough to snag a spot everything is amazing!! Came here with friends and ordered a little bit of everything. We got the meat Bosnian pie and the cheese Bosnian pie. They're so crunchy and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. We also ordered the meat mix, which is a mixture of chicken and beef with fries and some veggies. I also got to try a very typical Bosnian drink, sour milk. Sounds odd, but it essentially tastes like salty Greek yogurt. 10/10

Extremely delicious, I definitely recommend it. The service was very clean and on point. Especially catering orders are very large

Still the best burek from ex-Yu! I haven't been for almost a year and stopped 2 times in last few weeks for burek with meat once and burek with cheese last time, they were a bomb!! Much bigger, much more material inside and better then ever and I noticed they raised price like everyone else Great happy to support small business! But few minutes ago I read review from Christina from 2 weeks ago 1 star review because they are cash only and they raise the price C'mon Christina do you know how that affects small family business who provides excellent service and where they are located or how their space is decorated you know what... please do them a favor and don't ever go there again.

I just love this place. You cannot get better quality Eastern European food for the price! After doing a fasting blood test for 15 hours, this was the best comfort food place in the neighborhood! I ordered cevapi, sirnica and telece riznici. My mom and I split it between ourselves and we had plenty of leftover for my mom to take home to my brother. The cevape are made in house and they are just so good!! You could taste the freshness in them. I highly recommend trying them. The telece riznici just melt in your mouth!! The pita is made fresh daily and sooo good! Check this place out and please remember- it's cash only!

Unassuming Bosnian cafe serving burek, cevapi, and other meats. I got a half cevapi sandwich (5 pieces) and a cheese burek. Everything was great but the burek was particularly good (and also massive!!!). Prices are great. Cash only.

Whenever in chitown I visit this place, even though a lot of times it's out if my way.....but well worth it!

All of the food here is absolutely delicious. This is my favorite burek place. Everything is made from scratch. Even though I know how to make it from scratch too, this one is the best. The service is good and the prices are as well. They don't sell frozen food. You get best bang for your buck. I usually place my order by phone to pick it up and enjoy it at home. Every time when I get home and eat that food I have urge to call them back and let them know how delicious their food was. They never disappoint.

It's about time to receive our W2s. Are you happy with your potential tax returns, or are you getting ready to pay because you're happy to do so? Regardless what your situation will be, let's have some pocket money ready for "Coffee Slasticarna Drina," inside the strip mall on the corner of Lawrence and Campbell. Hubby and I had two (2) orders of Bosnian coffee, one (1) order of cheese pie (burek), and one (1) order of beef sausages (cevapi) for $20! We ate like royals. The gentleman in charge had a very soothing voice, and he was kind to provide some recommendations and introduce the most popular items. Everything was made to order, so wait was to be expected. Unless you would like to call ahead, I saw a few patrons coming in and out pretty quickly because they had already done so. Don't think about the "burek" as an average cheese pie you see in a coffeeshop or a pie shop specializing all-American style bakeries. They used the semi-sweet type of cheese and appeared a bit "crumbly" like egg white. The portion was quite generous; hubby and I shared the plate. On the other hand, "cevapi" was presented as a Balkan sausage sandwich, with freshly diced onion and sour cream on the side. Pieces of skinless beef sausages were embedded inside the warmed pits bread. It wasn't the easiest thing to eat, yet we managed to devour the entire hamburger just fine. Once again, this entree was also shareable. Everything that was sent to our stomaches was fantastic! They apparently had their regulars and were making themselves at home. They had a washroom all the way in the back of the kitchen. Parking should be effortless. A large strip-mall lot is available. It's also located within a walkable distance from the CTA Rockwell Brown Line station.

This place is 100 star place! Homemade pies with cheese, minced beef, potato or spinach it's up to you. Hospitality is great and feel like I am visiting my aunt. We always ordered takeout when we finish our breakfast soo we can enjoy it on a lazy mornings. Everything is fresh and ingredients are high quality. Winish your meal with coffee and Urmasica. And go home happy. And always come back for more. Ps they offer variety of Bosnian grilled meat. Update: Our fave comfort food! There is nothing more satisfying after crazy weekend, Sunday morning fresh pie and homemade yogurt!! Finish your meal with black coffe and some sweets! Yup.. we love it. Always ask for potatoes pie or spinach and cheese.. you need to call it before bc they made everything from scratch and they maybe need time to bake it. Enjoy it!

They have really good meat pie! It's still only $10. Everyone needs to try. They only take cash though!

I used to like coming here but with their recent price increase and still being cash only, I'll take my business elsewhere. If you are going to raise your prices, make sure you take credit card. They charge way too much for being a hole in the wall mom and pop place.

Oh my goodness, just had the most delicious lunch ever! I tried the cheese burek and the sausages sandwich...both were incredible! I've never had Bosnian food before and I am blown away by how incredibly perfect the pastry was on both. Also, it's a lot of food and it's rich and heavy so keep that in mind. I've lived around the corner for 2 years and am just filled with regret that I haven't tried it before. Can't wait to try some of their sweet items. Definitely coming back soon!

How darling is this place? Well by five stars that should give you an idea. Located in a small strip mall with parking in front of it, it can be easily be missed. Matter of fact, I have, thankfully a new friend told me about it during lunch today and we decided to walk on over for a after lunch coffee. At lunch she explained to me it wasn't as fancy as a popular place a few doors down. However, she said they had excellent Bosnian coffee, and she was spot on. Small, simple, and filled with a Bosnian clientele, the latter means it's authentic. The Bosnian coffee was strong, rich and delicious. I usually douse my coffee with cream and sometimes one sugar unless it's espresso or an Americano, even though cream and sugar was placed on the table using it would be a travesty. This coffee, stands alone, if you don't like it, you don't really like coffee. I also had the Krempita for dessert, it looks like it would taste like lemon, but it doesn't, it's a very light sponge cake with heavy vanilla flavor. I didn't try any of their entrees, but I'm looking forward to it on a return visit. Lovely lady running the shop, we placed our order and she told us to sit and she'd bring it out. When I went up to pay, she asked if I wanted anything else, I joked that we were good and we didn't want to pay. She sincerely said, well if you can't we'll be okay. She got me, I didn't know what to say for a moment. Recovering, I said of course I'm just kidding and I asked how much the bill was, she replied 5.50, so she got me again, because I replied for everything? Wow, 5.50 for two coffees and the cake, what a deal. Don't forget, cash only at this little gem.

The most homey and awesome family-run restaurant. Unpretentious but with amazing food. For anyone from the Balkans, this is a little piece of home, a perfect sense of nostalgia in the form of food. Sirnica (the cheese pie) is perfectly crunchy and airy filo dough goodnes filled with cottage cheese. So far, the only place in Chicago I know of where you can have yogurt the way Balkan people have it, as a drink. Amazing! I keep coming back, and will continue to in the future.

Pita(pie) at this place is amazing! We love both meat and cheese pita with their homemade yogurt. Have not had a chance to try anything else from their menu as we are preoccupied with pita whenever we visit Drina. :) Highly recommend their pita and yogurt!! The best in town!!

The owner is very sweet and the coffee is great. I like the sugar cubes instead of regular granulated sugar. If I still lived closer, I would go there more often.

It is so nice to visit a cafe where the people are so proud of their work and food. The man who met us during our first visit yesterday took the time to explain the menu. He helped us pick out a cheese burek and a meat burek and a sausage plate. All were absolutely amazing. The dishes were so fresh and the fillings so tasty. I could eat here every day. Thank you so much to the staff here for their hard work. If you haven't visited yet, PLEASE do so. The menus are in both English and Bosnian and they will help you find something you like without making you feel silly for never eating Bosnian food before. Also, if you Iike coffee, try the coffee here.

For the last several years I've been an avid user of yelp, but this is my first time actually writing a review. The main reason I'm writing this is because I could not find a menu anywhere online, and I feel like a lot of people may not even give this place a chance without seeing a menu first. So today while picking up food, I took a picture of the menu so I could upload it to yelp, so hopefully this hidden gem can be discovered by more people. There are three main criteria I look for in a good take-out restaurant: Good quality food, reasonable prices, and good portion sizes. Not only do I give this place five stars overall, but I would give it five stars in each one of these individual categories. This restaurant is easy to overlook since it's small and located in a nondescript strip mall. It has seating, but I've never eaten there. Almost every time I'm there, there's a table or two with actual Bosnian people, which I believe says a lot about the authenticity of the food. I haven't had everything on the menu, but everything I have had has been excellent. That being said, my very top recommendations would have to be the meat pita and cheese pita (which are called "burek"). They also have fantastic desserts (specifically pastries), but unfortunately they're not on the menu I posted.

Visited Chicago from Philadelphia (a city with no Bosnian population or restaurants aside from my mother's kitchen) and of course I had to make sure I visited a Bosnian restaurant. Found this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try with my friend. Small gem tucked away that I would visit over and over if I was a little closer. We ordered large portions of cevape and followed up with baklava and krempita (dessert). The place was clean, decorated with pictures from the homeland, subtle music in the background, locals enjoying a rainy Sunday afternoon, and we were warmly welcomed by the owner. Prices were very reasonable and I would definitely recommend this place to anybody for authentic Bosnian food!

The best pita (burek, sirnica, zeljanica) that I've had in Chicago. Their dough is soft, elastic, and fluffy. The filling (cheese, spinach, or meat) is well-seasoned and so flavorful. I'm craving some right now!

CASH ONLY. A work-in-progress family-owned venue that serves comfort food in fine dining prep (kitchen is amazingly cleaner and orderly than the front). New MENU soon. $7 BOSNIAN PIES are rolled like a sausage - stuffing inside a long phyllo dough and rolled into a circle. COTTAGE CHEESE & EGG is breakfast/dessert. MEAT is a meal/snack. Shareable, serves 2. Allow cooking time when ordered. BOSNIAN COFFEE is a quick, watered down version of Turkish Coffee but more portion. CANDY is missing, therefore it's not Traditional. :-) Unlike Turkish/Greek, it's acceptable to add milk/cream to coffee. See YouTube to make it at home. DESSERT is still served but hiding in the back. Until new menu comes out, ASK about it. Frozen BOSNIAN SAUSAGES available for purchase.

Ok I've got to write this review. The people here are too nice!! We came in on a Saturday early afternoon. We actually had lunch from a nearby restaurant before coming here. I was craving for coffee and desserts and this cafe came up when I searched Yelp. I'm not at all familiar with Eastern European food but decided to try it anyway since I was curious. We only had the coffee and torta and both were good. I think I'd come back for the coffee; not so much for the desserts. I would say this, however... I will come back for the service!!! When it was time to pay, we found out it's cash only :-( You know what the guy said? He said "don't worry, it's on the house." I couldn't believe it. Too nice, I tell ya!! Don't worry, we paid him of course. I made hubby drive around to find an ATM so we could pay the establishment :-)

True Albany Park gem. Great food, everything tastes so good, so authentic! Must try - Cevapi, burek, cheese pie and baklava!

It was my first time there is a small place with a lot of flavor to offer, if you want a good quality food with out putting a hole in your pocket this is the place if you like Serbian food.

This place is a hidden gem. The coffee and the sweets are to die for. I came by just to have a small meeting but ended up having an amazing experience. The server was extremely nice and gentle. The place, although small, felt very cozy and warm.

I first came here last fall to do some reporting actually (long story) and had the zeljanica (savory spinach and cheese strudel). I was new to Chicago at the time but didn't expect much given the pretty half-assed attempts of a lot of Bosnian food I've encountered here in the United States. I've been just.. astounded sometimes to find Bosnians cooking their own cuisine, serving mostly their own countrymen, pretty much Americanized versions of the cuisine. I didn't think we'd yet reached the point of Americanized Mexican or Chinese franchise food served in a restaurant setting, but I sometimes began to question that. But when the zeljanica rolled out here, I was pleasantly surprised! It is hands-down the best zeljanica I've payed for in the States. Mom's home cooking is always the best, as we all know.. ;) but this place does it damn good. First of all, it was "old school" zeljanica, meaning it was not made with store-bought phyllo dough (which, not to discredit it, can be great but doesn't compare to the hand-rolled dough). Also, the portion was huge. I couldn't finish it in one sitting. I followed it, as you're supposed to, with kiseli jogurt (pretty much like plain keffir). It was delicious. The dough was perfectly crispy on the outside and the filling was nice and soft. I devoured my left overs later that night with noooo problem. Nowadays, I don't make it up to the cafe very much just because I don't live as close as I did back last fall. But I just took my boo there last Saturday to have him try the best burek and zeljanica I've yet found here. He got a portion of the cevape (beef sausages in a fluffy, lepinja bread with onions and a side of ajvar pepper spread) and the burek, while I got my go-to zeljanica. For all this plus a soda drink, we spent like $24. Pretty good, I'd say. Just like before, I drooled whilst I ate the gooey spinach treat; he equally scarfed down his food. SO glad we made the trip :) Most Bosnians/former Yugoslavians are shocked to learn I'm vegetarian - gasp! - so I couldn't judge the burek, cevapcice or other meat-dishes for myself to see how authentic they were.. but I can attest for the zeljanica as being awesome. Finally, we were greeted very warmly by the cook and a young man whom I presumed was her son. I am always happy to support family businesses, especially if they are immigrant families (and extra especially if they are from my country haha). I will definitely refer all my friends here when it comes to trying something different or getting a taste of the Balkans :) Hvala puno, odlično nam je bilo!

If you wish to escape the US and leave Chicago entirely, welcome to Slasticarna Drina! Our server was a very pleasant young man who spoke English well but with a distinctive accent--no doubt Bosnian, who answered all our questions very well. The surrounding tables were inhabited by aging Bosnians engaged in relaxed conversation much as I imagine it would be if we were in a similarly small cafe in a small town in Bosnia. The Turkish coffee came out first, very delicious! We had to wait quite some time for our Cevapi, very rustic sausages of lamb and beef on equally rustic bread, seemingly baked in a clay or stone oven.The bread was both pleasantly chewy and soft and the sausages were delicious. We finished with an excellent baklava, full of walnuts and dripping with honey. Simple food expertly and lovingly prepared. Very pleasant service NOT typical of the often disinterested service so often experienced in Eastern Europe, and many times in expat establishments here in the US. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I had looked ALL over Chicago for Bosnian coffee. Forget Turkish coffee, come here and get BOSNIAN coffee! When I lived in Sarajevo, I got HOOKED on it. It was so good in fact, that I learned to make it myself, complete with authentic dzezva and cups I got from Old Town (you can pick up coffee grounds at Devon Market). But there is nothing like going to a cafe to have true Bosnians serve you some of the best. Do not leave here without getting meat or cheese burek. I love this place.

Burek with cheese and meat,cevapi,tulumba,baklava,boem with nice people who own and work hard on it everyday which makes that small place a BIG five stars. -Mofa and Alem

I came back here yesterday, service was great and the food was awesome as usual. They mixed my Borek with cheese and spinach which was delicious, I ended having to take it home and heated it up in the oven. The funny part is my cat approached it when I set it on the dining table, she literally started salivating! I have never seen her do that before, and she ate several bites of it too (not from my plate, I ended up putting some on the side for her). Basically, the food here is so good even your cat will drool!

Absolutely love this place! Though it's Bosnian, my dad is Turkish and it's his favorite place to get burek. Admittedly have not tried much else on the menu other than coffee and prepackaged sausages, but we have never had a bad experience with any of their burek and we've been here quite often. Can be difficult to get a seat if you pop in when it's busy, but the food is more than hot enough to bring home. Cannot recommend enough, even compared to places on "best burek" lists by newspapers.

Awesome food!!!! Sweet staff! We go here every time we visit Chicago! Highly recommend it.

This place is a hidden gem. A family owned business managed with love and care. The food is almost as good as my mom's, but better because it comes without any guilt trips and judgment (you know how mothers can get). I recommend a take out since the venue is simplistic and feels more like a diner. Plus you'll want to be near a couch after the meal since everything on the menu is very filling and coma-inducing. Now on to the good stuff... the food! Look, if you're not familiar with the Balkan cuisine, you're in for a treat. The menu too is simplistic but everything they make is fresh and mouthwatering. Ćevapi (skinless sausages inside of doughy flatbread) and different types of pita (not pita bread!) are the only items. Whichever type of pita (think Greek spanakopita but prepared differently and with different ingrown) you pick, you will not regret it. Burek (minced beef and onions) is my favorite, especially when dunk into a cup of kefir. If you choose to dine in, consider ordering kahva (Turkish coffee but really Bosnian coffee) and a desert displayed in the refrigerator by the cash register. You'll feel transplanted to a different part of the world.

Small and unassuming, you might miss this strip-mall Bosnian eatery if you blink. There's only a few tables in this quaint restaurant, but I get the feeling most of their business is carry-out. And be sure to bring cash as they don't accept credit cards! Now that first impressions are out of the way, let's concentrate on the food. Oh God, THE FOOD. I ordered an order of the cevapcici and the cheese pita to go. I've heard rumblings from Bosnian friends that Drina makes the best burek and pita, and based on the flaky, salted cheese perfection of their pita dish, I have to agree. For $6, you get a huge order that kept me sneaking back to the fridge for days. The cevaps are also very good as is the accompanying lepinja bread... even the kajmak is prepared in the more authentic, traditional manner. Taking cevaps home is never preferred as the steam from the dish will make the bread a bit soggy in the styrofoam container, but I actually prefer my bread to be softer. The prices are inexpensive for what you get. Also, try the krempita, a rich creme cake that shouldn't be missed!

What a great little place! I was led to believe that they simply served dessert, but you can get an entire meal and then some. They have a glass display counter full of sweet treats and a grill menu was posted on the wall featuring all the Balkan go-to grill goodies. I was on my way to a restaurant for a group dinner and spotted this shop out of the corner of my eye. If I hadn't been planning to have a giant dinner then I would have just stayed here and tried more off of the menu, but I was in a hurry and ran off with a slice of their layered cream cake and a piece of baklava for later. Both were amazing, moist and sweet but not sickening, just like majka would make.

Beef burek is so flaky and delicious. Their coffee is also awesome. Perfect place for a cheap but tasty meal

Got a 5-sausage cevapi sandwich, fries and can of pop for $8. That seems to be the going price in Lincoln Square. The Lepinja bread was very fresh and tender. Comes with some kajmak, a rich creamy soft white cheese, and some diced white onions on the side. I also requested some red pepper spread. Service was prompt and courteous. The room is small and it's a bit of a hangout for locals during the day. Great spot for a lunch with a couple of friends.

My first visit here was my initiation to Bosnian food, though it is very similar to Turkish and/or Armenian (but with a few twists). I had the Cevapcici (Bosnian beef sausages)...wow those were good and served under this amazing fluffy bread. I also tried the meat burek which was very tasty but needed a bit more salt or spice...still delicious. I also tried two desserts: the krompita (yum) and the Tulumbe (very similar to Arabic Awamma) The owners / staff were very welcoming and cute but there isn't much to the decor here (its a small place in a strip mall), and I imagine most of their business is takeout. Anyhow, I recommend it and will be back.

Now, I have some advantage here-I am Bosnian, and I know what to ask for and what it should taste like, but then you should trust me when I tell you, this is authentic Bosnian, good food! Here you will have the best pita by far! so, most of you will ask what's this pita? it is a cheese/potato/spinach/meat-filled flaky pastry rolled into a spiral and sliced into sections for serving. it is somethng you have to try! all my non-Bosnian friends LOVED it! At Drina, my favorite is potato pita-but then you will have to pre-order (give em at least an hour). Cheese and meat are awesome as well! If you are there on a day when they make spinach pita-you are in luck! But if you want to try something else, do it! everything is just delicious at this place. Their cakes are the best in the world! and I ma not exaggerating! I love this place!

The Burek tastes like home made "pastys" and the cevapi comes with a fabulous bread that resembles a mixture of pita and an English muffin. Oh yeah baby! So good and I liked the Turkish coffee. I wish they had hot sauce at this restaurant, but it's ok. Next time you're in the area make sure to hit this place up or isla pilipina two doors down.

Their cevapi and desserts are amazing!! The owners and employees are very nice and welcoming. I will definitely refer all my friends here when it comes to trying something different or getting a taste of Bosnia.

Since I'm from the Balkans, I'm very picky about these places, but I've been going to Drina for a long time, and the service was always exceptional. The food, always fresh, my favorite is the spinach pie or the cevapcici, beef sausages with home made pita bread. I have to say Drina definitely has the best cevapcici in Chicago. Try their desserts too, you'll love it.

Small cafe and bakery known for their savory "burek" pies and sandwiches. When I first walked into this Bosnian coffee shop I noticed a couple slices of cake in sparsely filled cooler. Drina Cafe's real treasures laid hidden in the back kitchen. I was surprised by the fluffy gigantic pastry that came out when I ordered the cheese burek ($7). Any variety is sure to please just ask for the freshest burek or "pita" as it is labeled on their English menu, and you wont be disappointed. The savory pastry is unlike any burek, spanikopita or khachapuri dough. The burek's tender inner layers of the dough steam with the cheesey filling creating an elastic and very satisfying gooey middle. The warm soft center layers are in perfect contrast to the baked and slightly crispy exterior. Bureks take around 30 minutes to bake so call ahead just in case. We will be back!

Amazing cevapi, some of the best I've had since I was in Bosnia. They have really great coffee and deserts too.