• Jeffrey David
• Tender beef gulas at Bosna.

Bosna is practically the definition of an authentic restaurant: obscure, beloved and delicious. You wouldn’t know that the building where Bosna is located is a restaurant unless you were looking for it. But on the inside of Bosna, which is now 12 years old, you’ll find a crowd watching soccer on a Croatian TV feed, and delicious, heavy food.

If you’re looking for light or pretentious food, this is not the place. But you will find hearty, filling dishes, traditionally created to make cold winters and bleak circumstances more bearable. The menu features sarma, burek, grah, gulas and—the most recognizable item—cevapi. Cevapi is a small sausage made with beef, garlic and spices, sold in carts on every streetcorner in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia.

We ordered it with pita, but it’s not the kind of pita you think of when you get a gyro. It’s thick, doughy on the inside, grilled on the outside and cooked in butter. Together, the cevapi and pita were like a spicy sausage sandwich.

We also had grah (beans & beef served with bread), sarma (stuffed cabbage leaves with rice and ground beef) and gulas (beef stew served with rice or mashed potatoes). The gulas—incredibly tender beef in a hearty, gravy-like broth, loaded with herbs and spices—was profoundly delicious. It took a few pieces of bread to mop up all the broth and leftover rice.

Our bill for four dishes was under $20, and we were extremely full afterward. Not only is Bosna a place to find delicious, inexpensive food, but it’s also a wonderful lesson in culture, and tasty treat that we get to experience. Lucky us.

BOSNA
3142 S. Main, Salt Lake City
801-463-4638