Don’t misunderstand. We are well aware of the fact that Palena, Harry’s Tap Room, Sonoma and many others in the D.C. area sling a pretty good hamburger. But when the Bosnians do it, the burger is elevated from mere junk-food/pub food status to an ethnic cuisine epiphany.

Cosmopolitan—a Bosnian carryout in a shopping center on N. Kings Highway in Alexandria—serves a terrific pljeskavica, or "Bosnian Burger." An enormous slab of mildly spiced beef is sandwiched between a halved bun of proprietary bread—soft and spongy in the middle, grilled and crunchy on the outside. The burger is then topped with a liberal scoop of sour cream and is accompanied by ajvar (pronounced “eye-var”), a mild sweet red pepper sauce that is best used in copious amounts with the meat and bread. An odd, but appreciated, extra is a mound of raw, sliced white onions, which mix nicely with the contrasting sauces and the tender beef.

Another must-have at Cosmopolitan is the cevapi (pronounced “che-va-pee”), much spicier ground beef fashioned into small cylinders also accompanied by the pillowy bread and ajvar. We recommend tearing a corner of bread and making a makeshift hotdog with a sausage link, then dipping it mercilessly into the container of ajvar.

For diners who enjoy cheese in dangerous amounts, the cheese burek will prove to be the most heavenly of pastries. Homemade filo pastry—shaped into a creative pretzel-like design and baked until golden brown—is filled generously with a cheese that the proprietor described as a mix of feta, cottage cheese, sour cream, and probably a few other things that comprise a secret recipe. The proprietor stopped short of a full description, simply saying, “you know, a mix.”

Well, the mix results in a soft, creamy, slightly sour cheese (like the farmer’s cheese used in blintzes) that blends well with the moist, chewy pastry, and it comes with a dressing-less salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. One burek is enough for two to share. Maybe even three.

We washed this all down with the Slovenian soda Cockta, a bittersweet herbal beverage that tastes uncannily like black currant and features the silhouette of an adorable rooster-like creature on the label and bottle cap.

As we waited for our food, we noticed a case full of beautifully displayed desserts. The baklava looked like something out of a cookbook, and the signature cake, described as “chocolate, oranges, and walnuts blend together in a wonderful fudge” was beckoning us.

But we’ll wait for next time. Besides, we didn’t want to cloud the memory of our new favorite burger.

Cosmopolitan
5902A N. Kings Highway
Alexandria, Va.
(703) 329-3303

N.B. The sign out front still says "Abi II Carryout," the name of a Salvadorean place that used to be in that location. Don't be fooled when you see it. You've found the right restaurant.