HoyMay P.

This is a super cute and clean café located in the Rose Garden Center plaza. . Staff are very sweet , friendly and extremely helpful. After reviewing the menu, we decided to get the Balkan kebab aka cevapi & chicken skewers, aka souvlaki. The kebab is a beef skinless sausage. The food arrived on metal trays with wax paper to protect the meal. There were small containers of onions, tzatziki & roasted pepper spread. We returned the onions. The meals were pretty good. The chicken was a tad dry yet still good flavoring. Loved the large pita bread it came with. The tzatziki and spread help moisten the chicken. The kebab was very plain tasting even though it was moist. Some spices and the spread would have helped. The bread that came with it looked homemade. It looked similar to a hamburger bun only fluffy and tasty. There is a small bakery up front and a tiny market in the rear. 4 stars for the chicken meal 3.5 stars for the beef kebab 5 for staff & cleanliness Shared parking.

Jeffrey M.

Just FLAWLESS food everytime I stop by here on Saturdays! My new tradition is coming before Piano Lessons and trying something new!! All their desserts are fresh and different than normal! Every dish carefully prepared with insane flavors!! Service is always friendly and quick, and the ambiance is like a local corner hangout with friendly family vibes! Highly recommend stopping here to try their menu

Helen H.

My friend was the one who suggested this place. When we arrived, it was packed. I think it was one big group with adults and kids. Thankfully, we managed to get a table. I went with something new- cevapi. It's considered a national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It consists of ground beef skinless sausage served on homemade pita bread and is served with ajvar (roasted bell pepper spread), kajmak (Balkan cream cheese), and chopped onions. The meat was flavorful. The pita bread was different from what I'm used to. It was crispy which I liked, and greasy which I didn't like. I also tried some of my friend's fries and they were nice and crispy. Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The staff were great too!

Vlad V.

If you can't tell by my name, I have Eastern European roots. While I was born in New York, my parents are from Romania. Upon moving to Phoenix in January, I was excited to find out that there are several Eastern European restaurants in town. Including Cafe Balkan. Eastern European food shouldn't be slept on as it's underrated (I'm not biased at all ;)). I stopped by for dinner with my mom on a Tuesday evening. Ambiance (3/5): Pretty much a no-frills, casual restaurant. Elegance isn't the name of the game here, but hey, I came for the food. Cafe Balkan is part restaurant, part grocery store. In one corner of the establishment, you'll find a small selection of Eastern European goods. And overall, it's a relatively small restaurant that can seat 20 people or so. Service (4.5/5): You order at the counter and then they bring your food out to you. We were missing a set of utensils and we could have used an extra small plate (which we asked for), but everything else was excellent. While service is not a large part of the experience, the owner and chef was kind enough to stop by and chat with us. I found out that she is from Montenegro and has been cooking for decades. Super sweet lady. Drinks (3/5): No alcohol so I went with an Eastern European soft drink I had never had before. It was so-so, but I was happy to try something new. It would be nice to have had some Eastern European beer or wine options. Food (4/5): My mom and I split the goulash and the cevapi (large order) with fries. The cuisine here is Hungarian and Serbian for the most part. In addition to hot food, they also have a nice selection of pastries and desserts to choose from. Cevapi, or minced sausage, is one of the most popular Serbian dishes. Pretty much every Eastern European country has their own version of it. These grilled minced sausages are absolutely delicious. Served with Eastern European bread, a white sauce, and fries, I was a happy camper. The fries were crisp and provided good balance to the sausage. The Hungarian goulash, another popular dish, was similarly tasty. The braised meat in a stew of sorts was flavorful and paired nicely with the mashed potatoes. The portion size of this dish was a little small, but outside of that, no complaints. If you've never had Eastern European food, add it to your list. Cafe Balkan is one of the best places to try this cuisine in Phoenix. And with an owner from Montenegro, the authenticity is there. Looking forward to my next visit!

Jennifer G.

UPDATE: One of the owners and/or managers called me and we had a very nice chat. She apologized for the breakdown in service, explained why things happened as they did and talked about a plan to fix the out-of-stock item issue. The folks at the restaurant seem very committed to giving their customers a positive experience and fixing problems as they arise. I'm impressed that they followed up so quickly, and since I loved the food so much, I'm changing my review to five stars. First things first: The food at Cafe Balkan is fantastic. But the service is not. I ordered three items online. When I got to the restaurant, they were sold out of one. Why does the website not list when things are sold out? Why does the payment system let you order things that are sold out? Why does a restaurant that has my phone number and email address not contact me immediately to tell me that something is sold out? I get to the restaurant and I'm told that the item I selected was sold out, and since the process for refunds is "tricky" or "complicated" (I forget which word was used), I would have to choose something else. Now, I didn't press the issue. But it's not my fault that you let me order something that was sold out, and it's not my fault that your system makes it difficult to refund money. But I foolishly thought that choosing something else would be easier. I chose a bowl of soup and a pastry. I believe that the woman at the register applied an employee discount to that would-be order. Then I realized that I had misjudged the cost of the soup (my fault) and asked for the pastry to be taken off. The soup was $1 more than the out-of-stock item, but instead of again applying the employee discount or doing a manual discount, I owed $.98. Now, I admit, I had the gall to order something $1 more than the out-of-stock item. But since they were willing to give an employee discount on a slightly more expensive total, I'm not sure why they didn't do it on this. I didn't say anything (although my tone was getting grumpy--sorry) but I went to the car to get my wallet. (I foolishly thought that I could leave my purse in the car since I, you know, ordered and paid online.) To top it all off, there were no napkins or plasticware in the packages, nor was I asked if I wanted any. This place has great reviews. I was really excited to try it, and I was looking forward to a great experience. Instead, I have no desire to return. I'm giving it three stars based on the strength of the food. But if you want to try it, maybe don't order online.

Ivo P.

Exceptional! Food was great. I love Bulgarian/Serbian cuisine so when I saw this place I knew I had to stop by. Wasn't disappointed. Will definitely be back!

Catherine H.

This is only four stars because I haven't had a whole meal here. I popped in for a treat on a hot afternoon and it was great! The owner was sweet and explained all the pastries to me since I wasn't familiar. She called one ingredient, "Plasma," which she then explained is "Plazma," which is hazelnut cream mixed with ground cookie bits. It was used in the Bajadera I had and I really enjoyed it. All the pastries were quite large, and looked delicious! The restaurant is tucked in a corner and very unassuming outside, but bright and well-layed out inside. I can't wait to go try a meal here!

Jeannie N.

Amazing pastries!!! They offer savory and sweet pastries, but my favorite are the savory. It was a bit overwhelming to order initially as we weren't familiar with the different types of pastries, but we asked the staff what to order and were pleased with everything suggested. Every pastry was so flavorful. Will definitely be back to try some entrees!

Patricia B.

We had a great experience at Cafe Balkan today. Jaime was superb! My friend and shared a few different things so we could try various dishes. I did like all of it. The bread that comes with the meals is absolutely delicious. The portion of soup is small in the pic because we did split to try it. Jaime was so friendly and accommodating. The dessert was fantastic. Fluffy, crispy and not overly sweet. Definitely a lovely place to become a regular and be treated like family. We loved the experience and we'll be back.

Sue H.

This is a light and bright restaurant with a counter order format. Cashier was less than enthusiastic, and I struggled with the prices before ordering. Sorry not a fan! Found the house salad to be plain and the field greens completely wilted and overwhelmed by the light dressing. The $5 single chicken skewer is tiny and overpriced, no wonder the cashier tried to get me to add two. But that would make this $10 side salad go up to $20 which is just too steep. Food was delivered to the table without silverware and napkins, the service was virtually non-existent. Friend had the pork gyro sandwich with fries ($15), which was fine and a big portion, but not something she desired to repeat. I have had dozens of good Med style meals in the valley and I guess Balkan is just not my thing. Perhaps the entrees are what is earning them five stars, but my lunch did not. Wishing you many successes with your established clientele, clearly a popular place.

Great authentic food! I have eaten here a couple of times and it's always been great!

Kat V.

They are busy on the weekend but the food came out fast. The service is great. Stuffed cabbage rolls are delicious and super tender. I felt like it melted in my mouse. The rolls went really well with creamy mashed potato. They have the juiciest and tastiest baklava. I am still dreaming about it. Cherry pita is also tasty, fruity juicy inside and crunchy outside.