Tried this at West Fest, stepped outside my comfort zone and just tried it. Man, it was sooooo good! I could have eaten 5 more. Next time I'll get the large. The service was nice and the food was ready fast! read more

Ćevapčići Chicago - Specialty Food Near Me

Tried it at a local festival after looking on Yelp. Total let down. Overpriced, bland, and falls apart while you eat it Skip and save your money! read more

I think I could have eaten 10 of these! So good any time I see them at farmers markets or street fests! Love these and the burgers!

What are cevapcici, also known as cevapi? A Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian delicacy of lamb, beef and sometimes pork rolled into thumb-like sausages and then grilled to divine perfection. Usually served with lepinja or flatbread and chopped onions (see photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cevapcici_in_somun.JPG.jpg) Who is the cevapcici man? No one is for sure, but reports of him hanging at Katerina's on the northside often surface. His cryptic emails only include only a subject line of "cevapcici" and the location of their next appearance (i.e. "West Fest"). Once you get there, Cevapcici Man is absent, with only a foot soldier preparing the famed sausages. I think I may have danced with him in the rain at Croatian Fest 2007, but I can't be sure. He is also rumored to run in the same group as Soundgarden's "Spoonman", Keyser Soze and the elusive Tyler Durden. Darth Vader of the Balkans, show your face! read more

Ćevapčići Chicago - Specialty Food Near Me

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You can only get this at street fests, and it's worth the wait! EVERY time I see this stall, I've got this stuff in my mouf. Juicy ground meat sausage, with a piquant pepper sauce, and onions if desired (yes) on pita. Perfect street food, I love this stuff. read more

I don't eat beef. It does bad things to my gut and takes away my sexy. So, if I am going to risk it, it better be for a d@mn good reason. That reason is Cevapcici. I first had it had Summerfest 2009. I was a little leery of the multi-colored meat and... is that beef? "Oh no," I was assured, "this is all pork." Oh, okay. Well, if this is pork... "and a *little* lamb"... and and lamb, I'll risk it. Oh, wow! The flavor combo is stupid-good. Grilled meats that taste of smoke and spice, wrapped in a thick pita/flatbread and topped with onions and the best use of eggplant, red pepper, garlic, and chile that was ever created. I (and, as I found out later, many others) worked out a deal with the maven of this exotic concoction to keep his chalice overflowing with Guinness so I could keep a live connection to these addictive sandwiches. The next day... not so pretty in the Johnny T household... but I chalked that up to overeating. Soon after I found out, cevapcici has plenty of minced beef to satisfy the most picky steak-eater. Surprisingly, I didn't attack my tricker. For such a forbidden fruit, I'd gladly do my time on the penance throne. In fact, when I see/smell it at festivals, I d@mn the torpedos and snarf down, at least, one sandwich. It helps that Mr. Phil is one of the most engaging, fun guys you'd ever want to meet. Seriously. His chicanery led to me not being able to be around other humans for a weekend, and I still love the guy. That's an amazing sandwich. And, now you know way too much about my digestive health. read more

Any festival foodery that describes their wares with rebus pictographics and algebra gets a curious second look. A pronunciation guide? Chay-VAHP-chi-chi. Word. You get a first bite. And oh, how it's love at first bite. Beef, pork and lamb with garlic and other seasonings, charred to spicy sausagey perfection and topped with ajvar sauce - roasted red pepper and eggplant compote that's crazy thick and wildly addictive. Got fries? Ajvar. Frozen Snickers? Ajvar. Damning evidence? Ajvar (and a lawyer). Wrap the combo of two full links and that pumped shmear of red sauce up in a fluffy grilled pita and take my $7; I'm golden. And by golden, I mean stuffed full of farm animal and falling in to a food coma at Pitchfork. read more

I would make it 5 star, but it was kinda steep for $7. On the other hand, the meat was insanely delicious, with the Ajvar sauce which had just the right amount of spice. I regretted not putting more of the sauce the first time I tried it. Just a reminder that it's 2 sausages in flatbread. My stupidity kicked in and I forgot that it was 2 pieces and one of them fell to the ground. :( better hold on to it all the way. read more

Ćevapčići Chicago - The smell is just agonizing! - Specialty Food Near Me

My husband, Mister Aurore L., has a couple of talents. Arguably - that's why I married him, right? It's at least what every woman on the verge of walking down the aisle should think about: "What does he do well?!?!" If it takes her more than 30 seconds to come up with something, my advice is to run away. Mister L. is a good kisser. He explains arcane banking secrets like no one else. He knows how to grow a beard in 2 days tops. He builds ponds in your garden like a pro. He makes plants grow when I kill them. He can tell a story in excruciating details, and make it last 2 hours if he wants to. And above all - he can cook. One of his specialties: lamb keftas. So, so, so good. Our friends keep asking for the recipe, and it quickly became his signature dish - the one he rocks every summer on the charcoals all around the city. But Phil has something on him. Pork. The cevapcici are so delicious that - opportunity been given - I might trade men and meats and go with the cevap instead of the kefta. This is just ridiculous. Such goodness shouldn't exist and be allowed to roam free on the city fests. This is serious business. Divorce inducing? Croatia surely wins the sausage battle in my books. But my Mister Aurore L. doesn't lose the war. Still love him bunch, as well as his grilling talents. read more

I am an avid cevapcici connoisseur as I have sampled this wonderful, skinless "Yugoslavian" sausage for decades, so my expertise in the field is quiet extensive. This Serbian, Croat and Bosnian treasure is finally making it's way to the local street fairs and it is rewarding to see it's acceptance on the American stage. However, I must disagree with the numerous glowing reports of Cevapcici Chicago. After having sampled their product at the last West Fest, I can conclude in no uncertain terms, this was the worst cevaps I ever had! Cevaps on a dried out pot holder of a stale piece of pita bread, ajvar sauce and three burnt cevaps... followed by three days of Montezuma's revenge to which I can distinctly attribute to eating here. The presentation was awful..... with ajvar sauce? ....Never in my 53 yrs did anyone put ajvar on a sandwich with cevaps, Not Croat, Bosnian or Serbian... Outlandish! If you crave these delicacies.... buy them at Lalich Deli on West Lawrence (Serbian) or Europa Market (Bosnian) on west Granville. Keep in mind, Bosnians type of cevap will be minus the pork as they are Muslims. But please folks, these cevaps would NEVER win first prize at the state fair in either Zagreb, Beograd or Sarajevo! These cevaps suck pus in the moonlight...! Way overrated for these dismal renditions of South Slavic fare. Cevaps are grilled to perfection served with authentic Yugoslavian bread, not pita! ...served with chopped raw onions. Garbagio here! Low level carnival fare, simply stated. read more

So, I was at Pitchfork deciding what to get for dinner (there were TONS of tasty-looking options) and my friends pushed me in the direction of the cevapcici stand. I've seen this stuff at pretty much every neighborhood/music festival since living in the city but for some reason never tried it. Well, clearly I've been missing out. Loved the fact that the pita was slightly crispy, the sausage itself was incredibly flavorful, and of course...the sauce (ajvar) was divine. I topped off my sandwich with what I believed to be a generous helping of ajvar and went back to where my friends were sitting. They were like "go back and put on about 3x more sauce than you already have." Good call, guys! I need to learn to make it on my own b/c I think it would be awesome as a dip or on burgers, chicken, falafel sandwiches... yum. I must admit, the reason I'm writing a review of cevapcici is because someone (I believe Jelena?) recognized the Yelp hoodie I was wearing that day and told me that, in fact, the cevapcici stand was "Yelp-able" :) read more

Every street fest, I look for the Cevapcici tent because it is the best BEST sausage. And I am a lover of all things meat. In fact, I've been known to use the term "meatalicious" to be a very good thing. So yes, I am a meatatarian, I love sausage, I eat it often, and know what tastes good. I had cevapcici for the first time probably three years ago at the annual fest in Andersonville and ever since have had a love for it (and this was before I knew how to pronouce it.) Served with a zesty, perfectly spicy and delicious red pepper sauce and a soft piece of bread, this perfectly spicy sausage will pair perfectly with your street beer and is easy to hold with one hand. Obviously, this is ideal for a street fest when you're often caught eating standing up. Psst, I'm talking to you, Mayfest with your two-handed plating of YOUR sausages and no tables. At $6, it is the best deal you can get at some of these festivals for very tasty and unique food. (Seriously, spoken from the girl who dished out $7 for a corndog...ugh, I am so ashamed.) P.S. If you're lucky, you might see the fabulous Jelena Z. hanging around...but only if you're really lucky. :) read more

When are you guys coming to Austin? Holy meatsplosion! Texans love meat in general and since this is a complicated equation of three different kinds, it's basically the perfect food. The che (cuban revolutionary) vap (like those vapid ladies that men are inevitably attracted to) chi chi (the teenage breast referencer) would go down like gangbusters. Beef, pork and lamb all married in a glorious combination with eggplant/red pepper smoosh, wrapped in a pita. This gorgeous salty feast can be found traveling festivals - so get those tickets handy. And the dudes behind the vendor tent? Nothing to thumb your nose at. Handsome and fun and funny and grillin up big old hunks of meat. Swoon. God bless che vap chi chi -- in its fabulous unpronounceable goodness. It's the only thing that saved me from the gut wrenching Heineken light served at Pitchfork. read more

I've grown to equate summertime street festivals with this delicious package of meat, onions, zesty/sweet red sauce (Ajvar) and pita. I've also grown to crave it throughout the warmer months at completely random times. The good news is these guys are at a ton of street festivals throughout the summer weekends- many times pulling double duty working two festivals at the same time. You might not know how to pronounce Cevapcici properly (ask them- they are really friendly dudes!), but you will eat it and love it, and like me- be back for another, and another... Now that summer is over with, and I don't see any more street festivals on the horizon- for the first time in my life I am sad to see my favorite season of the year come. I have my love affair with cevapcici to blame for that! read more

The Cevapcici Man rocks! His meats are perfection on a flatbread. Seek him out. Be sure to try the red sauce. read more

Cevapcici Man is funny, charming, and extraordinarily nice. His cevapcici is delicious! Honestly, this is the best sausage I have ever had. I can't wait to see Cevapcici Man again! :) read more

Cevapcici man's goods are worth the wait. On Croatian Day in Daley Plaza, I stopped by after doing some girly shopping. I waited patiently for nearly thirty minutes to taste his wonderful creations. I also endured the annoyance of a loud, boisterous man who couldn't shut up about the cevapcici. This same guy referred to cevapcici as "like gyros," "red sauce wasn't ketchup." By the end of the wait, I really knew that it wasn't ketchup as a condiment. He also referred to Croatia several times as "Russia" or other Eastern European countries. Despite the long wait and annoying man, I remained determined to get some cevapcici as my lunch since I wouldn't be in town this summer for Croatian Fest. With that first bite, the cevapcici owned me. The crisp, grilled meat coupled with the onions, flatbread, and sauce were amazing. There's something special about a sausage mixed with various meats and spices,then grilled to perfection. Cevapcici is one of those simple sandwiches where a few ingredients come together in perfect harmony. As Kellie K said, seek him out. It's so worth it. read more

I haven't sampled his meat yet, but I, too, can confirm that the man exists, and he is funny, charming, and as Jelena points out, easy on the eyes. I am saving a star until I get to sample the product....(I mean the Cevapcici, not the man). read more

I kept reading the blogs and tweets about how great their cevapi is that I had to try it! Unlike most people this little lady knows her Bosnian and food pretty well...what can I say I enjoy all food! Finally got to see what all the buzz was while at Wicker Park Fest. First, seven bucks for a cevapi...really?! Second, ajvar and onions only given on this bad boy, but wait they're optional....no sour cream or kaymak? Third, it is the size of a bratwurst sliced in half on a grilled pita...where is the rest of the mean?? Pretty pricey and pretty basic if you ask me. Well for seven bucks how did this bad boy taste.....I've had better to be honest. The meat was a little dry and lacked spice. Oh well at least I had beer to wash it down... read more

Had this at Andersonville fest... would be hooked if I could find it again! The sauce is what makes it so extra specially good, the perfect amount of tang. But really, as Brian has said, how can you go wrong with good grilled meat in good warm bread.... It was certainly more appetising than the deep fried hot dogs next door, and it was freshly coked by a friendly man with a spatula. In case you're not sure what it's made of, there's a picture of a cow, a sheep and a pig with their respective fractions aside them. I was amused anyway! read more

Took me forever to find this Yelp page - I tried to google it, but couldn't remember for the life of me how to spell it! Google was all "there are no results for 'cavacaci chicago sausage." Luckily, googling "chicken pork lamb sausage garlic Chicago" did the trick! I just tried this at Oktoberfest and it was delicious. Like, oh my God. Hot off the grill in a soft flatbread, with their zesty red pepper sauce! Oh man, this was the business. That sace! Just spicy enough, a little smoky from the grill, juicy meat...I inhaled it. I want another one now and I'm not even hungry. If you see them at a street festival, do not pass them up! My friends and I pitied the one guy in our group who got schnitzel from some other vendor. We knew we made the right choice. read more

Heaven on a plate, Balkan style. Tender, delicious, beautiful, bountiful, flavorful, fantastic meat (a perfect harmony of beef, lamb and pork) saucily dressed with Ajvar. Absolute divinity. And I know how to pronounce it. (Sometimes) read more

These dudes need a permanent location IMMEDIATELY. I am an Albanian transplant from the east coast and when I saw the sign at Pitchfork yesterday, I almost had a Miss-My-Momma's-Cooking heart attack. This is the only deliciously authentic Balkan food I've had since I've moved here. Even if you didn't grow up eating it, I promise that you'll be a convert after your first bite. And Ajvar! Delicious Ajvar! Dang, now I'm craving it again. read more

I still can't pronounce "Cevapcici" the right way, but I can say "delicious". And I think I found my new favorite fest food! I finally got to try this great Balkan style meaty sausage at Retro on Roscoe. Thanks to fabulous Yelpers Jelena Z and Erika A for showing them some love and posting the Cevapcici guys fest schedule, me and the hubs were definitely looking forward to trying it and were not disappointed! I chatted with Cevapcici Phil at their stand--so friendly! I was supposed to come by and give him the "thumbs up" sign after I finished eating, but I got side-tracked by Mr. Blotto's tunes. Sorry Phil, I'm giving you the thumbs up sign right now! These meaty meat sausages are made of lamb, beef and pork, seasoned with pepper and garlic, grilled and served on fluffy pita bread and topped with onions and ajvar (spicy egglplant/red pepper sauce). Oh Wow, the flavors are amazing. Juicy and meaty and the ajvar gave it a nice spice. I didn't really like the pita bread--I found it kind of well, "flat". But the meat definitely made up for it. I could have just eaten the sausages dipped in that great red sauce. I love summers in Chicago because of all the great fests--I'm definitely going to look for these guys in the future. I'm loving my introduction to this tasty Balkan delight! read more

Oh god, it's so good. We were standing in the Big Bite Catering line like rubes at Pitchfork this year, right next to the cevapcici booth, and we thought aloud, "What is that?" Well, a gal in the cevapcici line told us simply, "Oh god, it's so good." So we decided to try it. And OH GOD, IT IS SO GOOD. I wasn't originally sold on it because I'm not much of an adventurous eater. I had a taste of the sauce on it's own, and not loving red peppers I thought it might be a little too much. But when you get the combination of delicious meat sausage and chewy pita with the sauce it is heaven. And really, 6 bucks for food at a festival ain't a bad price at all. Do not pass this place up for the usual festival fair. Try it. IT IS SO GOOD. read more

Not as "good as it gets" but pretty damn tasty. So I had seen all the reviews and scouted out this place for the Folk and Roots Festival right up the street. I got there just as they were putting the first ones out and have to say that the build up based upon reviews is spot on. I'm not an eggplant fan, so I was a tad leery of the sauce, but alas it was just delicious and spicy. Pita was hot and soft and the meat was perfect. I resisted temptation to get a second one which would have led to a third. Great festival find. read more

Deliciousness on a pita. Well worth the wait in line at Pitchfork. Double up on the Ajvar! One star off for no raw onions this year. read more

Hands down my favorite street meat! Don't worry if you can't pronounce it (I can't). Just order it. At $6 for a pretty hearty portion of sausage with the requisite chopped onion and spicy sauce served on a warm, delicious flatbread, cevapcici is where it's at when it comes to street fest food. So what is cevapcici? I'm told it's a combination of beef, pork and lamb. Whatever it is, it's oh so tender, juicy and just plan delicious. There's something magical that happens when you get your cevapcici at a fest. Maybe it's the outdoor grill? Maybe because it pairs oh so perfectly with PBR out of a keg? Could it be because it's pretty easy to eat standing up? I don't know, nor do I care. All I know is that I love it! I had my first (well, technically second) cevapcici of the season at Do Division over the weekend. While in line, no less than FOUR people asked me what cevapcici was and if they should order it. My response was as follows: "It's amazing sausage. And yes, you should order it. Immediately." And guess what? They did. And everyone looked pretty happy taking their first bites. Cevapcici accomplished! read more

Cevapcici man is a hottie. I agree with everything Lauren wrote. Cevapcici man is real, and he's got tender meat (that I have not tried yet). I've had cevapcici from other vendors, and I have to say that it is definitely the best sausage I've ever had (no jokes please). I'm giving this one to Lauren though. I'm on the hunt for Frittala man. read more

after just one bite my speech disorder disappeared. my wife left her lover and came back home for hours and hours of makeup sex. my lover left her girlfriend and came back to me for more hours and hours of makeup sex. my balding head grew a crown of hair. my kids all graduated HS early and got full paid scholarships to Harvard Truck Driving School. my vision improved to 20/10 and my insurance rates lowered by half over night! score! eat meat! yay! mmmmmmmmmmmmm;p read more

Ok, so maybe my ex wasn't hallucinating. I actually met this guy at West Fest, and devoured his wares. This is seriously the best sausage I've ever had. Hot Douglas should get on board, because Phil might put a dent in his business if he's not careful. read more

Why is there always a line? No other meat stand at West Fest had a line, but there was always a line like 10 deep for Cevapcici. The second reason I like to get it is because it's so fun to say. The first is cause it's so gooood. I'll only admit to watching one episode of Giuliana and Bill on Style for the purpose of this review. This silly couple was in Gepperth's Meat Market on Halsted making a case for city life by visiting the local butcher. Giulana asks Bill 'so, where is the Croatian sausage? ...since they have everything here'. Bill answers curtly, and with gusto 'because they don't have a platter big enough to hold the Croatian sausage in the case!'. If it wasn't for the friendly folks at Chicago Cevapcici this would seem like a totally stupid, macho, prickish thing to say. Whereas it was really just a little bit of sarcastic self-deprecation, and so I laughed (yes, out loud). read more

I got this stuff at Retro on Roscoe in between hitting on a ton of hot married white chicks. The sign is where it's at.

if you see these guys at a neighborhood fest... get it! a change from the usual gyros or brat... tasty sausage, yummy spicy eggplant sauce, alittle onion, grilled up into fresh deliciousness. my first one was free, via the super awesome cevapcici guy circa 2006, now i am hooked! read more

the one thing i look forward to the most (food-wise) during the summer fests is cevapcici! very flavorful, hot off the grill, multi-meat meal. the onions and ajvar sauce really make it. you can get cevapcici and ajvar sauce (like a red pepper sauce, tangy; we keep a jar handy to pour over everything) at some eastern european specialty stores. we had it for one of our bbqs and it was great (everyone wanted to try the mystery meat - maybe the more mysterious, the better?) read more

This place rocks. It really is as good as it gets when it comes to sausage. We got this earlier in the summer at Do Division for the first time. We were amazed, and have been hoping to see it at every other festival we went to throughout the season, but we never saw it at the random Fest's we attended. This past weekend we were so excited to find them at Harvest Festival! It was just as good as I had remembered in my head. The sausage if flavored so well, and the eggplant sauce is like nothing I've tasted before. We bought a jar of it, and I think we're gonna try making the Cevapcici at home ourselves. Wish they'd open a storefront! read more

I think these were better than the ones I had in Croatia. I'm going to be craving them all summer.

Consecutive Chicago events were a success with the Cevapcici vendors present...first at Pitchfork, then Wicker Park Fest...Never had tried the Croatian/Bosnian/etc treat before, but highly enjoyed it compared to the usual suspects at festivals. If you are forced into eating at a festival I highly recommend this choice... I will say it was better at PF than WP, plus for some reason I was served three instead of two and they tasted better...Personally I ask them for the more overdone charred ones as I like the taste more. Was $6 (overpriced, but so is everything at fests) served on a toasted pita, with two or three sausage-type links (as the sign says 1/2cow, 1/4goat, 1/4 pig), onions and then a red eggplant sauce that is delicious. read more

Best street meat in the Chicagoland. It's fresh without weird preservatives and the roasted eggplant sauce is unlike anything else. It's a true European delicacy. read more

I don't know what this is but I get it every time I see it at festivals... the meat and sauce are both great flavors. I wish there's was a permanent location! read more