Zamir and Josi Jahić recently opened a second location of J’s Pitaria, following the success of their flagship in the Bevo neighborhood.
The new location isn’t just a carbon copy of the original, though. “I always say this is J’s Pitaria 2.0,” says Josi. “We’ve learned from our customers and experiences in Bevo. We are offering our customers different options here.”
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The South County location has more kitchen space and a large flat-top grill, which affords opportunities for different menu items. The dining room is also bigger, with comfortable seating for 40 guests.
“We wanted to make the interiors colorful and cozy,” Josi says. The space is flooded with natural light during the day. As he did at the Bevo location, Zamir handled the build-out, including making the custom slat box light fixtures, banquette seating, and cases holding mementos of travel, cities, and people they love and value.
“We’re not a Bosnian restaurant, although we are both from Sarajevo,” Josi says.
The menu features made-from-scratch Mediterranean dishes, including hummus, falafel, doner kabobs, salads, and flatbreads, with some different options than the original. New choices include pljeskavica, which “looks like an oversized burger served on somun bread with ajvar, lettuce, sliced tomato, and onion,” Josi explains.
The popular falafels are available as an appetizer or in a sandwich. There are also three new salads, including one with grilled chicken. “We are now making a chicken stack [vertical rotisserie] here, which we also use for doner kebabs and in the gyros,” says Josi.
The pita (sold by the pound in Bevo) is on the new menu as Mediterranean pie. “We make it in a long oval spiral, and it’s sold sold by the piece,” Josi says. The flaky phyllo pie fillings include classic meat, cheese, spinach and cheese, and zucchini variations. Flatbreads—stuffed with a tasty ground meat filling—resemble a calzone in shape but not in taste.
Other hot items of note include the house-made stews and stuffed flatbreads. The soups are served with somun bread. “Our stews are all made daily in the pressure cooker, not in a slow cooker,” Josi says. “They change up each day.” The most popular? The cabbage stew.
Drink options include house-made lemonade, ayran (a refreshing drink made from the restaurant’s house yogurt), and a wide variety of bottled European and American refreshments.
Desserts are prominently displayed at the counter. Consider the honeyed house-made baklava, apple pita, or cupavci (a filled sponge cake wrapped in chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut). For something a little different, order the upstipci, pillowy fried dough balls with a Nutella spread.
In addition to the menu items, the new location features a small market selling Bosnian coffees, teas, jams, condiments, seasonings, and more. “Our biggest seller by far is the ajvar,” Zamir Jahic says. “The kids like the little chocolates. I admit that I often give the children chocolates—they’re not the most profitable thing in the market,” Zamir says with a smile.
“Actually, the point is not only doing good financially,” Josi says. “The point is to do what you love, and these restaurants are Zamir’s dream. He’s the cook in the family—he always has been. He loves this.”
“I actually was not a cook,” Zamir admits. “I worked before the war in Bosnia as a bartender in an elite restaurant. That’s where I picked up my cooking experience. When I came here, I thought, ‘What could we share with our countryman, our Americans? What foods would they enjoy from our country?’”
The Jahićs seem to have hit the right notes.
“Bevo will always be my baby,” he says.
“South County is like our second child,” Josi adds.
