Photo by Cristina M. Fletes (Post-Dispatch)
Berix
Bosna Gold, by some accounts the first Bosnian restaurant to open in St. Louis, closed without much fanfare in 2016. The news gently prodded this restaurant critic to get back to the area’s other Bosnian establishments, and I came away with a renewed appreciation — especially for 15-year-old Berix. Here is a place to jumpstart your day with strong (strong) coffee and a pastry or to end it with a filling meal of cevapi (small beef sausages served on the traditional bread called lepinja), sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls) or one of the grilled veal or chicken dishes. Be sure to try one of the savory pies — something like a cross between a croissant and a calzone — stuffed with ground beef (burek) or fresh cheese (sirnica).
Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Last year's ranking: new
Opened: 2002
Must order: Cevapi ($7.50)