Burek's Pizza

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA 🇧🇦

In New York City, it is not a surprise to find Bosnians and other Balkan peoples inside shops with the word "pizza" on the awning. For decades, immigrants from these countries have been running the city's slice joints. Sometimes they might add a burek, a popular phyllo dough pastry stuffed with various ingredients and normally baked in a circular pan similar to the shape of a pizza.

Here at Burek's Pizza in Ridgewood, the slices only come in the form of burek, with three varieties on offer and nothing else. You will find a stack of standard pizza boxes ready for use, but no pepperoni.

There is not much to the dining room, as the place has transitioned to, or maybe always has been, an almost exclusively takeout business. A couple tables are available though for customers who do not live nearby, although an old unused oven blocks what may have been the public bathroom so don't bring your business here. For entertainment, the TV over the counter is tuned to Televizija OBN, a broadcast network out of Sarajevo.

On any given day, you can purchase the pastry filled with either meat, cheese, or spinach. If there is one that you cannot live without, and do not have much time to spare, you may want to call ahead and make sure it is available. In between pies, there could be 15 to 20 minutes during preparation and cooking where a certain version is unavailable.

The meat burek ($4.50, above and below) is filled with ground beef and cooked thin. This version goes well with a cup of the homemade yogurt ($1.50), and was even better when leftovers were brought home and I could use the ajvar in the fridge.

The star of the place seems to be the cheese burek ($4.50, below), which all the customers were ordering while I was sitting here. This slice is a bit thicker and has a lot more moisture. The cheesiness is perfect, and no yogurt or anything is necessary.

As more pies were necessary, the woman running the place would disappear behind a wall and the thwap thwap of dough being pounded out on the table could be heard. Not more than a pie or two is in the oven at any time when they are not servicing large orders, so you know your slice is always going to be hot and fresh.

From the outside, the place does not seem like much, but the product is a very pleasant surprise.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens

68-57 Forest Avenue