Avlija (garden) has always been a place filled with a loud roar of excitement of children playing and joy of people spending time together having a cup of coffee. Typically, it is an intimate family setting, a place surrounded by high walls and hidden from the eyes of curious passers-by. Bosnian gardens have always been the most wonderful gathering places with the sweetest coffee to indulge in and tasty traditional Bosnian dishes to savor.
AUTHENTIC AMBIANCE
The renowned Sarajevo-based restaurant called Avlija used to be such a place – a family house garden of the restaurant’s owner Fikret Karkin. After the war ended, Fikret wanted to give strangers an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful sight and atmosphere his garden had to offer, as well as his hospitality and friendliness. The design of the family garden changed and it became a place where people who like slow music, long conversations and good food get together.
Amir Vuk, renowned architect with a recognizable architectural style, made Fikret’s ideas possible. He skilfully succeeded in keeping the garden’s authentic ambiance and giving it an entirely new function. Thanks to the idea the two of them shared and the esthetic vision of the owner, the restaurant opened in 1997 emanated warmth and had a domestic feel to it. When they see its decorative elements and details many of them had replaced with modern furniture a long time ago, some of the restaurant’s guests feel nostalgic about the times past.
COZY ATMOSPHERE
When you come to the wooden entrance door with a red heart on it, you will, if this is your first time at Avlija, surely be pleasantly surprised by what awaits you after you step inside – a restaurant nestled in a garden underneath a glass ceiling with lots of greenery, rustic details and photographs of old Sarajevo, a cobbled floor and wooden tables and benches covered with traditional colorful mats. The first Bosnian garden, hidden from the eyes of passers-by, is made for long sit-together sessions in a cozy atmosphere along with great food. Apart from various meat appetizers, different types of soup, pasta, salad and meat dishes, Avlija is renowned for its chicken wings, fritters and excellent crepes.
Avlija is frequented not only by guests from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, but also by guests from foreign countries who come to this special place in an attempt to understand Bosnian tradition and gusto through Avlija’s ambiance and amazing delicacies. We recommend you to visit this place yourself – go to 2 Avde Sumbula Street, step inside through the restaurant’s wooden door and enjoy the atmosphere of magical Avlija!
