Sogan-dolma is the Bosnian stuffed onion, with whole onions cored and filled with minced beef and rice, then braised in a thin tomato-paprika sauce. A Sarajevo Ottoman-Bosnian summer classic.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
From the Ottoman 'dolma' (stuffed) family, the Bosnian stuffed-onion variant uses summer sweet onions instead of grape leaves or peppers, with Markale-market onions the canonical Sarajevo supply. Avlija and Dveri both work the Sarajevo recipe through summer, the tomato-paprika braising sauce kept thin to coat the onion without overwhelming the sweet allium core that defines the dish.
Tip from the editors. Pick sweet white onions in summer; storage onions can be too sharp.
Dveri off Saraci in Bascarsija is the Sarajevo Bosnian institution behind a wood-shuttered facade, with a flowered courtyard and hearty lonac at every table.
Tip: Reservations are essential; Dveri is cash only and the rear courtyard tables are the ones to ask for in summer.
Inat Kuca in Kovaci is the Sarajevo Spite House, an Ottoman house moved across the Miljacka in 1895 and now a Bosnian restaurant for sahan and lonac.
Tip: Reserve a riverside terrace table for dinner; ask for sarajevski sahan to taste five Bosnian dishes in one tray.
Avlija off Mehmeda Spahe is the Sarajevo Bosnian institution with a vine-shaded courtyard, roast lamb under sac and Yugoslav-era memorabilia inside.
Why locals love it: A vine-shaded Sarajevo courtyard off Mehmeda Spahe, this Bosnian institution cooks roast lamb under sac to a Yugoslav-era memorabilia interior.
Tip: Book the courtyard for warm-weather dinners; closed Sundays.
More cities are in research. Want sogan-dolma covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.