Why go: The checked tablecloths and paintings of coffee mugs make this Bosnian/German hybrid feel like a small-town breakfast cafe, but the heaping plates of schnitzel, sausage, and house-baked bread suggest rooted European cooking.
What to get: Whole trout and a large salad, all dressed with lemon juice and olive oil; cevapcici, garlicky sausages to be swaddled in hot bread with onion and sour cream; Bosnia burger, its meat tenderized with red-onion juice; chocolate-mousse cake with orange and walnuts.
Best for: Meat-and-potato types—there’s very little for vegetarians.
Insider tip: The generous portions can easily fill you up, but it’s worthwhile saving room for the sweets created by owner Ivan Svalina’s wife.
>> See all 2010 Cheap Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
