Time for Tea in Sarajevo

As you meander up and down the fascinating cobblestone streets of Sarajevo, you will find various shops, cafes, bakeries, and art galleries. Then, a small gem will appear if you are paying attention. Čajdžinica Džirlo, a quaint tea room located in Old Town, provides an ambiance of a world from long ago.

This cozy tea destination has two floors with a stairway as narrow as the shop is small connecting the two levels. The interior is subtly decorated with antique furniture, special family photos, and a sitting area where you can relax and have a long conversation with a dear friend or a colleague as you sip tea in Sarajevo.

Served in wooden tea pots and cups, the tea is as flavorful as it is aromatic. The flavor, superb. The atmosphere, priceless.

Continue your meandering through the city, and you will end up in the center. Just behind the Katedrala Srca Isusova, (Sacred Heart Cathedral) on another narrow street, you will come upon Franz and Sophie, a classic tea room. As you walk in you find a wall full of a variety of organic imported teas: herbal, black, green, white and fruit infused.  Served in white tea pots over tea-lit burners, the tea is offered with real sugar crystals, providing a mild sweetness that does not overwhelm the tea’s organic flavor. Small and quaint, Franz and Sophie is owned by Adnan Smajić, a medical doctor by trade who delights in greeting his returning customers, and making sure he meets his new ones. His passion is to bring the unique flavors of tea from around the world to his beloved Sarajevo.

Both tea rooms are unique in their own way. They each provide an atmosphere of their own, an experience well worth the walk through town– especially with a good friend, a good book, or even work that must get done. Next time you visit the capital, make sure you take a few moments to relax at one of these shops and enjoy a cup or two of tea in Sarajevo. Try them on two different occasions, or even on the same day. You won’t be disappointed.

Tea anyone?