I eat Bosnian, Croatian, and/or Serbian food at least 3 times a week at a few different places around Chicago. I figured I was on a roll, so let me try this nice two-sided cafe/meat market. A few times, I came in, sat down for lunch and was totally ignored by the server. After about 15 minutes I got up, and walked over to the "take-out" side...which is, as Yelp calls it, a Meat Market. okaaaay. The first trip was unsuccessful. The lady ignored me and helped a couple that arrived after me...who spoke their language. Normally, I would say something: Frustrated and hungry, I just left.
The second time I visited, I went to sit and after 10 minutes of seeing others served before me, I went to the meat market. After another good wait, I finally got to order soup for our office from the take-out hot food counter. It was exceptionally good! Some of the foods are tricky...if you are a Muslim or a non-pork eater, ask first! Most of my favorite dishes, on the day of my visit, were cooked with pork. Also, the food is served by the pound, so a juicy or heavy dish can put you back an arm and part of a leg. Gosh, it was great though.
The last visit, I went straight to the meat market, were once and for all...I gave up on this being a place which welcomes brown faces. I went down the grocery isle, choosing some of my favorite Eastern European snacks to take back to the office when a lady, who was not present to help me at the hot food counter, pops out of no where and follows me nearly, shoulder to shoulder. When I walk back to the food counter, she looks surprised and says may I help you. I smile...and say yes...you can stop following people of color that come in your store and please give me a pound of your soup for my employer. Red faced...she says ohhhh...you know our food? Yes...however, I will buy from Restaurant Sarajevo from now on where I can get easy, quick, and polite service. As I paid for the food, two customers who saw the entire exchange actually apologized to me for what occurred, saying that their people are not always 'like THIS". While I warmly and sincerely accepted the sense of humanity, I will not spend any more of mine nor my employers money here. Surely I will miss that awesome soup, yet will not miss the horrific service! read more