I've been back a couple times and am still a fan of its authenticity. Last night the woman who was working in the kitchen looked like a villager from a Frankenstein movie. Try the sausages (cyslik?). The half portion costs $6 and comes in a fresh pita with onions, a creamy cheese condiment and pureed peppers. Filling and delicious. read more

I can't say that I am too familiar with the culinary traditions of the Balkan peninsula, Ukus may rate off the charts to those of you more well versed. I however found the food to be somewhat average and not very flavorful. I've gotten a few different types of their Burek. The spinach one was quite good, the meat, not so much. The one thing I would highly recommend is the traditional Sarajevan soup. It's a meal within itself and definitely tasty. The service is gruff, but competent and the atmosphere is pleasant. Stop by here if you are in the mood for something new and interesting, but don't expect too much in the way of culinary delights. read more

Known for having the most flavorsome sirloin sausages (cevapi) and the fluffiest, most delicious and outrageously huge pastry pies (burek). The traditional bosnian chicken soup is ladled over a dollop of sour cream, and loaded with tender chicken, tender okra, carrots, and grains of rice. Traditional Yugoslavian food at extremely affordable prices. One of my favorite new places in the neighborhood! read more

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Came here with my boyfriend who is Albanian so he knows good Albanian food. The place is very small and it's meant to eat and leave. We had a salad with feta. It was the best feta cheese I ever had. The bf had these small beef sausages that were tasty. I had chicken skewer that was the juiciest and tastiest chicken skewer I had. For dessert we had a baklava type of dessert. That's the only thing I wasn't crazy about. Good service,good food, i will be back. read more

Ukus - Modern European Near Me - Astoria, New York

Amazing cevapi with kajmak sauce. Cheese burek is also really good! Service is ok, and food is usually done really fast. Im really impatient while I wait for my cevapi!! I usually order to go, I ate there only once. I wish they have delivery. Sometimes I'm really tired and hungry and don't wanna leave my apartment so have to order from somewhere else. Almost forgot, for dessert - baklava. You'll thank me later. read more

Went here for dinner after coming back from a trip to Croatia/Bosnia. Tried the cheese and the spinach bureks. The bureks here are huge. They were tasty, but they were also very heavy, greasy and not fresh. I was expecting a bit more light and flakey (as I had while I was in Croatia). One burek would have been enough for 2 people. I also had the yogurt and cucumber. I don't know if this was supposed to be a soup or not, but it came with a spoon and nothing else so that's how we ate it. It seemed like greek yogurt sauce and I felt like it should have been for dipping or as a condiment. The place was small and cosy and we were the only other people in there were some Bosnian (?) men watching TV. I'd say that the experience was good, although not spectacular. I'm sure there's better. read more

This is my first time writing a Yelp review and I can't think of a better place to "debut" with than Ukus. It was our first time visiting Astoria when my fiancee and I ate here last week. It was also our first time eating Bosnian food. The man working there was SO patient, pointing out items on the menu that we should try. The Bosnian traditional soup was AMAZING and the bread that went with it melted in your mouth. The small lump of sour cream they put in makes it heavenly. My fiancee got the beef sausage - cant remember the exact name - that came with bread, onions and some sauces. It was also amazing. The spinach pie melted in our mouths. So Ukus gets 5 starts for delicious, inexpensive food and stellar service! read more

Food: Excellent. Sopska salata, cvapcici, and cheese pie are all great. Decor: Ok, nice and clean Service: Who cares? Ok for Eastern European standards. Enjoy. read more

The food of my people. Love this place . Cevapi and bureke is literally what I'm eating right now as I'm writing the review. Made my day so much better. read more

I love the burek at this spot. My kids always want the burek with spinach, it is the best.

With all the good reviews of this place, I guess I missed out. I went here for lunch one day when I took off of work. I've never had a burek before so I definitely wanted to try it out. I ordered the spinach burek and nothing else. For a few dollars I walked out the door with a huge slice big enough for lunch. When I had my first bite, I was sorely disappointed. What should be a crunch puff pastry type of dough was a soggy and bland culinary nightmare. With all the good reviews, I'm wondering if I should go back and give them another chance, but that experience has really turned me off from this place. read more

First of all this place is ridiculously expensive for the for the type of food they serve! Second, food sucks!!!! bread they serve is never fresh, tastes like rubber. Food is simply NOT good. I got my food to go many many times and they never ever give you napkins/knives/forks/spoons. They always overcharge you!! There's mice everywhere! The girl that works there is beyond rude, barely speaks English and the SERVICE IS HORRIBLE ! Worst of all its way OVERPRICED! Do not waste your money here. All you will get is bad overpriced food and horrible service ! read more

We bumped into this place and it was lovely!! :D After 10 blocks of "show ponies" on 30th ave(the heart of Astoria as written on the banners), this was definitely a humble, simple eatery for the locals. Good for frugal eaters who hunt for good flavors. Not much of a Balkan Pen. food expert, but the soup mentioned in the previous review (the traditional one) is def the best of our orders. They cooked it right at order: chicken meat is tender with simple veggies and some rice con-gee, AND with that full dollop of sour cream and hot pita-bread like bread (much better than pita BTW), it was heart-warming!! Soup is filling and good enough for quite some people (and I bet they taste pretty good in the winter!). We also ordered a yogurt cucumber salad. It is yogurt (on the more liquid end of the varieties) that has hidden garlic flavor, with cucumber cubes soaked inside. Def. need acquired taste for some but it was also a hit for us! We also got the spinach burek (4.50 for a HUGE pie). Store owner was nice enough to cut it in two servings for us. The filling is flavorful, and got slightly diff. opinions with my sister on the crust: I think it is slightly hard to cut (perhaps a bit "aged" since the last time it was baked), but she insisted that is a positive point for the pie. Spinach is the popular flavor for their bureks, so it's up to you to try the meaty one or not. They also have a cheese one and I think that's a safe choice from the meat. We also saw some locals eating the stew dishes and they looked really, really yummy. Another thing we overheard from their phone ordering is their kebabs are quite popular. They have a veal kidney version so if you are brave by American standard or normal-and-should-do-so by our standard, try them. Overall: neighborhood, cheap, some good specialties and filling, don't expect fast service b/c there's only store owner and his wife on duty, but nice environment if you give those busy bees a smile. Lovely store and go with a leisure attitude! :D read more

Small and very interesting place with dishes from Balkan's. As a fast food place, very good, most of the things are above average... They could improve cheese and spinach amount in their pita's, otherwise, it's a place worth of stoping buy. read more

the best food but the waitress wears no mask, no gloves and talks to a co-worker while preparing your food.

Came here last night with a couple of friends (based on the recommendation of all you wonderful yelpers) and was not disappointed. First, the decor is simple and chill..seems very much like a neighborhood joint. One guy is running everything...turning and basting sausages, taking orders, making tea, handing out dessert...very impressive. So, understandably, the service is not the fastest, but considering it's just one guy, it wasn't too slow at all. The food was delicious! Everything we ordered was hearty and filling..I guess we opted for the meat and carb heavy options. No salad for us! I was particularly impressed with the stuffed cabbage. I always order it when I see it on a menu, and I tend to be always be underwhelmed. This one was perfect..just the right amount of flavor, and good proportion of rice to meat inside the cabbage. Nom nom nom. The beef goulash was also a favorite at our table, and had some really tasty mashed potato folded into it. Unfortunately, you can't get the mashed potato separately as a side..oh well. The cevapi, as everyone else on this page has said, is extraordinarily tasty, and goes really well with the cream cheese sorta thing and pepper sauceish thingey and onions that goes with it. We ordered a full portion first, and then another half portion since we are pigs. My least favorite part of the meal was actually the meat pie that we got (the Burek)..while not bad at all, the amount of meat was miniscule compared to the bread, so it ended up mostly tasting just like a large piece of bread. Which is not bad, but not really what we were looking for. On the other hand, the bread that comes free with the meal is wonderful..piping hot and tasty enough to eat without any sort of sauce (though it tastes delicious sopping all the gravy from other dishes). What was also nice was that everything is pretty cheap. The four of us were stuffed to capacity (and ordered some non-alcoholic drinks) and it came to 15 bucks per person (which included a 20% tip). read more

It's a small place but enough big to have your fast food though. The price was more expensive then other Mediterranean places around, but the quality is okay. read more

Truly amazing place! The sarma was to die for -- I think rivaling my mother's. The cevapi u lepinji made me feel like I was walking the streets of Zagreb again. The family is super nice and take pride in telling you that "Everything is homemade -- the bread, the dishes, the soup, the desserts!" Coming back for Christmas and regularly after that! Truly one of those NY finds. This is why we live here. read more

I was a first timer and unfamiliar with the food till a close friend brought me there to try the food. Since I left I have not stopped thinking about the food I've had. Portions are very gererous and the food was incredible. The atmosphere is simple yet clean, a mom and pop shop that puts the quality of food above all. Highly recommended. Dobro read more

Truly a neighborhood gem! Ukus is a small, low-key and long standing restaurant serving delicious, home cooked Balkan dishes. Their prices are also very reasonable for Astoria. I like to get an order of the cucumber and yogurt salad and cevapi, which is homemade minced meat sausage with bread, a red pepper dip and onions. I usually get the spinach or cabbage borek or pies to take home. They particularly give you half a pie, enough for two people to make a meal out of! I'm also a fan of their dessert that is a layered cake of butter cookies and a sweet cream filling. read more

I found this hidden gem off Steinway because the old cevabi place I used to go recently closed down. I went there with my family on a busy night. We tried everything on the menu from the cevabis to boreks. The owner and his wife cooks and serve the food so be patient. Make sure to bring your wallet because youre paying lots of pennies and nickels for some boreks and cevabis. One night we went there and the owner came to our table and asked how everything was and told us how he started in the restaurant business. Originally his father owned a restaurant in Bosnia, so he took the same magical recipes and brought it to NY and it is THE BEST cevabis you will ever eat in NY. read more

Very tasty, fresh homemade food. We had meat and cabbage pies which had nice crispy pastry. Also has the grilled sausage which came with fresh hot bread. My first time having Bosnian food. read more

Ive only tried the burek. Pretty good, not the best but decent. It is astoria so do expect a price mark-up. The seating is limited but they have a couple tables and chairs. They do sell a lot more balkan style food and you can buy some things in bulk. read more

If you would like to try Albanian/ Yugoslavian food this is the number 1 place to try it small spot in Astoria queens the owners are great people price is very reasonable read more

Best burek in town! Great cevapi too!!Cheap!

Nice little Balkan place. I am not sure exactly which ethnicity it is representing, but I suppose that doesn't matter. We got the Bosnian soup, spinach pie, and the sausages inside a buttery pita. The soup was pretty standard Eastern European fare, which is a good thing. The spinach pie was pretty good. It continued to be quite good as it cooled down as well. The sausages in the big round bread were excellent (perhaps a bit salty, but what is to be expected). They were served with roasted red pepper, onion, and creamy cheese. We also got some Slovenian sodas, which was pretty groovy. The service was not all that attentive, but I really don't care. I came for the food, and it came quickly. I would go again to try some of their other menu options. My girlfriend picked up some baklava to go read more

Though the restaurant itself it's a bit small, the food is overall amazing. I drive all the way from Staten Island just to have my cebapa's and my burek at Ukus. The salad is also delicious. read more

No frills service but staff is friendly, knowledgable about food and extremely efficient. I've been here several times to have the burek (the cheese burek is the best IMO), cevapi and chicken soup. All three dishes are simple but executed perfectly - consistently delicious and that rare homemade taste. My boyfriend and I always intend to try the other items on the menu but we just can't get enough of our three main staples. read more

The best authentic Baltic food in Astoria and probably anywhere. I love the quality and home style food they make.

Ukus makes the most delicious burek ever! Everything is fresh and flavorful and made right there. It gets busy so account for that if you are in a rush but no matter how long it takes the food is SO worth it. read more

The food at Ukus is great! They really do a good job in preparing the food and it is superb to other Balkanian restaurants. The business is a family tradition that the owners brought with them from Kosovo. CONS: The ladies (the brunette and the blonde) that work there are very rude. They act like robots and generally refuse to address any type of special request from customers. The only reason they still work there are because they are in the family that owns the place. The bad customer experience my friends and I had (on separate ocassions) accounts for 3 stars taken off from my review. Luckily, the same cannot be said about the men who work their because they provide superb service and do their utmost to accommodate any special requests (want the food cooked more? need to change the condiments that came with? NO PROBLEM). read more

This place is excellent. Very traditional. The only thing is that sometimes it's hard to find a seat if it's busy. I would say it's more of a place to go get amazing food rather than "relax". The staff is always super nice and very helpful. Everything you get on the menu is really amazing ! read more

Something special about this place. I don't know if it's the more than friendly environment or the fresh made delicious food. Definitely have to say that they didn't disappoint. read more

My Greek boyfriend bought me a cabbage pie from this place & I absolutely love it! Since then, I've been coming back to Ukus every weekend just to buy that. read more

I enjoy the food here alot. It is Balkan food and they service great pie w/either cheese or meat inside. I tasted the soup which was ok but overall the food here is pretty tasty and affordable plus it is close to my house. read more

It was 2007 when I ate here so my memory has faded but I remember really enjoying our food! We had a delicious sausage soup and borek.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this casual small cafe out one night because we had never eaten Balkan food before. We were immediately seated and greeted with a smile by the owner. The place was filled with the locals from Bosnia and they were all watching basketball. We decided to try the traditional Bosnian soup, which I think is actually the chicken soup on the menu. What a wonderful treat! The chicken soup is better than most homemade soups Ive tried and comes in a big enough bowl for two people..along with fresh baguette for dipping. For $4.50 you can have a great comfort meal that really fills you up! I highly recommend this place. We will be going back to try their stuffed pastries next! read more

My Bosnian friend suggested me to go there. At first, the place was empty and the decor was very ordinary. It has very nice Bosnian or Balkan cosine(you get no pork in this place or alcohol). the portion of the food were big. very cheap and the food was very nice. what to order: their bureks is really nice. cevapi (looks like grilled sausage) are very tasty as well. read more

Good pies, grilled meats r ok, cheap eat for sure.

Best kebabs and sausages ever! Even the bread they serve is awesome! And I tried one of their desserts....unfortunately I don't remember the name offhand but it was like a snowball...and it was great! read more