One thing that didn’t get a mention in my previous post about Bosnian food was pizza.
The reason was that as hard as we tried we could not find good pizza in Sarajevo. In fact, we were pretty much resigned to the fact that we had left good pizza behind when we left the Croatian & Montenegrin Coast and their Venetian influences. But that all changed when we discovered Pekara Kovaci Kod Mahira (which roughly translates to Blacksmiths Bakery by Mahir).
Like most great food discoveries, it happened by accident. A delicious, delicious, accident.
We had stumbled and struggled up a steep hill to observe a stunning sunset from the Yellow Fortress above Sarajevo. On the way up, we had seen Pekara Kovaci bakery and observed people enjoying pizza on the street, but didn’t think much of it. After enjoying the sunset, we walked back down the hill and figured even though we had already had dinner, it would rude to at least not walk over and observe the pizza-making process. That is where we saw the magic happen. There was an old stone oven, long wooden pizza peels hanging out the front of the bakery, and three ingredients in the window: cheese, mushrooms, and a dark smoked ham. We stood in awe as the bakery cranked out pizza after pizza. The pizzas were hit with a base layer of the tomato sauce, then the cheese, ham, and mushrooms were added and baked to perfection. After that, a ladle of additional sauce was added in addition to pepper and some sour cream.
Needless to say, we knew where we were having dinner the next two nights: Pekara Kovaci. When we finally got the chance to eat the pizza, we were blown away. The crust was crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. The dark ham was like nothing we had either had on a pizza, it was really smoky almost like a jerky. The sour cream added a smooth touch to the pizza.
It was truly one of the highlights of our time in Sarajevo and I am comfortable going out on a limb saying it is the best pizza in Sarajevo.
If you follow in our foodsteps:
- Pekara Kovaci is located about a 10 minute walk up a hill from the Bašcaršija. From the water fountain, cross the street, and then make a right, turning left once you pass Konzum.
- Pekara Kovaci is take away only, but you can enjoy a pizza at one of the nearby benches.
Slatko i slano, Cheers, Merkator have greate pizza. 🙂
Just ate that pizza, it’s really tasty. The best I’ve eaten in a long time…..
Great! It really is delicious, isn’t it?
I wish if there is a delivery to my country, but the pizza is the best i’ve ever eaten.
Hi,
There are many great pizzerias in Sarajevo. What you had was clumsily modified (greasy) pizza that satisfies drunks. Speaking of toppings, that was smoked meat, not beef jerky. Smoked meat is tender and flavorful and shouldn’t be on pizza, because baking turns it into what you call beef jerky.
I ate pizza at several different places around Sarajevo and this was by far the best (and I wasn’t drunk any time I visited). However, as this review was written 3 years ago, I can’t comment on the quality of the pizza these days.
As a local, I can only confirm that this is the best pizza in Sarajevo 🙂