Drina Daisy Bosnian Restaurant

I can’t wait to come back and have another satisfying meal

Best restaurant I’ve ever been to

02/​29/​2016:
Well, evidently Ylep has changed their rules to; If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Okay, hope this qualifies, here goes,
Wow, the «Drina Daisy»! What a wonderful place to go and to enjoy the cuisine!
Anything the food may lack in consistency, is surely compensated for by the owner’s apparent mood swings.
Her philosophy that anything worth doing is certainly worth taking your time and doing well (sometimes) is deeply embedded in her operational procedures.
I’ve been in Drina Daisy about six (6) times and it has always been hit or miss, Mostly a miss.
The food can be good one day and disgusting the next.
On some occasions, I’ve gone there hoping for a «good food» day and they weren’t even open.
When I tried to tell the owner about it she just ranted and told me if it is that bad, I should stay away.
Synopsis: Service = slow, Food = inconsistent, Reliability = off/​on.
Thank you
Sammicot
//(~__~)\\

Fabulous delicious old school recipe roast lamb for lunch. Great appetizers and Bosnian dry red. Will come here every time I’m in town. The dry smoked sausage and pickled items as well as the house red pepper spread give bread a new purpose in life! Of course baklava and another glass of red for dessert.

The food is delicious. The chef kindly sent out a sample of roasted lamb, as well as warm bread with a yummy red pepper spread. I ordered Sarma, which is cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice; my husband had beef goulash. Both dishes were excellent, and beautifully presented with fresh fruit. A warning to those who, like me, can’t stand the taste of cilantro: it was in both entrees, as well as our salads. I was able to pick it off my cabbage rolls. I suggest asking if the cilantro can be left out — I don’t see why it couldn’t. I would go back, but I’d ask for no cilantro.

I have to admit, I have never tried Bosnian food until tonight. Let me start by saying the service we received was some of the best service I have gotten anywhere in any restaurant. Our waiter had great suggestions, had a great table side manner and knew some good history on Bosnian food.
We had herbal tea, appetizers, salads, entrée and dessert. My husband had kafa, traditional Bosnian coffee after also. We shared everything and we both liked it all. They paired the roasted lamb shoulder with a very fruity Bosnian red wine. I have to admit, my favorite was the Bosnian baklava. Wayyyy different and wayyy better than any «traditional» baklava I’ve ever had. Citrus honey and walnuts. To die for. The stuffed cabbage with roasted beef was soooo home made and satisfying. My husband has a store in Warrington, we will be coming back here. They have won customers for life out of us.
Please consider trying this beautiful little place. Be patient and kind and have an open mind and palette. You won’t regret it. Definitely made with love!

Agree with the other reviews. Truly awesome. We had four meals and wine (~ 9 different wines from Croatia, Montenegro, etc.). All ver good. Portions are large but not ridiculously large. Wine plus are generous and provided with knowledge. Unfortunately, they were out of baclava. Sad day. Very clean, comfortable restaurant. Don’t miss it!

First time coming to Astoria and being amazed by this Bosnian restaurant. I am not a Fan of Mediterranean food but this place gets me! Very good food, nice service and nice environment. What can I say more!

Most Perfect Meal Ever! TWICE! For years, we have passed on eating here simply because we have children, the place is always crowded, and we didn’t want to disturb others trying to enjoy a nice meal. Little did we realize how casual this place actually was, especially for the lunch time crowd. Our first visit was on Valentine’s Weekend and it was just the two of us. Seriously… THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE… and I’ve eaten a few :-) We had the Bosnian Coffee, the Cabbage Rolls (sarma), the cured meat plate, and the meat and potato mix wrapped in phyllo dough (bourek)…it is a lot of food but honestly, when in Bosnia, the hospitality is such that you are always greeted with a plate of smoked meats and cheese and pickled peppers and bread… and it is this piece which completes the taste and experience of Drina Daisy. YOU MUST GET THE PLATE OF CURED MEATS… either one… both are amazing… and the small plate will be plenty for a small army! Drina has now become a destination restaurant every time we go through Astoria… and even a place to show off when we get visitors from out of state… it’s that good. Seriously… just go here… Meat Plate, Sarma, Bosnian Coffee= BEST MEAL EVER!

Large portions, great Eastern European beer, smoked meat and cheese platter was amazing, the cabbage rolls and beef stew were fantastic!

This place was a great stop on our way back to Seattle from Cannon Beach. Friendly service, generous portions, good beer, tasty all around. Also, definitely felt like we got our money’s worth — you won’t leave hungry!

This is my favorite restaurant when I visit Astoria. I am From the Balkans and they do a great job here with the food. It is a mom/​pop restaurant and their food had a home made quality. The wines are also great. Try the sudjuk, bourek and ajvar and also the sarma.

Wow, this place is awesome! It is definitely leaning towards the eastern European side of things, which I am totally okay with, and it makes sense obviously. But there is a hint of the Mediterranean in there too. We had a great experience, the food, the service, the presentation of everything. This place is a MUST GO if you are in the area, you won’t be disappointed. The appetizer plate is unbelievable, To top off the evening is a Turkish style coffee (that’s my best way to describe it, apologize to Bosnians everywhere). Eat here and it will remind you of why you love experiencing different cultures and cuisines.

I really like the lamb here, but came in for lunch today and the obvious smell of cigarette smoke overwhelmed me. I asked the owner and he said that someone may have been smoking in the kitchen. Now I’m getting a headache from the smoke. I thought it was state law that No Smoking is allowed in public places. Evidently these owners don’t care. Too bad because the lamb is really good. I walked out. I won’t be back.

We’ve been here twice on vacations to Astoria and I can say that this is my absolute favor and place to eat — anywhere! Each visit leaves me looking forward to the next. Last times we were there we had the Lamb Platter, this time we both had the Cabbage Rolls. Our first visit we were served the cababge rolls as a starter. Never would I have thought to order these on my own, but they are perfect. I really appreciate the the love that goes into the food at Drina Daisy. The little gift appetizers are a really great way to experience new foods that you may not otherwise know about. And the wine… try the Foals Blood. Not complex or high end, but good and easy to drink for sure! I really can’t recommend this place highly enough. Of you’re even thinking about going here, just do it! You most definitely won’t regret it.

This has become our favorite dinner spot. Delicious and amazing food every time. Always a nice surprise starter thrown in from the chef. This brings comfort food to a new level. You can taste the love and dedication in the flavors of every dish. This restaurant is over 2 hours away for us, but we will make the trek to return again and again.

My husband and I were driving by this place and thought why not try Bosnian food? I’m so glad we did! My husband got the stuffed cabbage and I got the spinach pita, both were delicious but the stuffed cabbage was to die for with tender bits of beef. Will definitely come back when in Astoria again.

I loved this place. To begin with, my dad is from Slovenia… and my whole life I grew up with foods cooked by my mom, who learned from dad’s mom… plum dumplings, yummy meats… food loaded with FLAVOR. I have missed those.
In lil’ ol’ Astoria… is a restaurant with not only the foods, but the wine of my home, the coffee of my home, the desserts of my home. The chef is AMAZING.
The foods were amazing, and the appetizer plate was to die for. I would say more, but I’m salivating so much it is shorting out the keyboard. Go… go…

I was really excited to try Bosnian food because I’ve never had it before. I admit that the «spinach pita» made me think it’d be like a spanokopita so that was strangely exciting. The stuffed cabbage made me think it’d be like a Polish one so that excited me too. The entire idea of trying a new cuisine excited me, so we thought since we were driving through Astoria and didn’t want fast food, we’d try something different. I wish we hadn’t. If I could rewind back time, I’d undo this decision and voted for McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, anything but this.
The service was difficult to handle. There was one server for the entire restaurant. He was flustered because the place was packed. He was also quite huffy/​irritable but trying to hold it together. We felt badly for him but his attitude was a turn off.
The food was ridiculously salty. I thought I was in Scotland with the amount of salt we had in our food, but quickly remembered that there is no stuffed cabbage in Scotland. The food took FOREVER. I was really, really hungry and I thought maybe it was the hunger that made it feel like it was taking forever, but my partner told me it was taking as long as I thought. The stuffed cabbage was ridiculously salty. The pepsi and the water weren’t enough to get the saltiness to tame down. The stuffed cabbage was also FROZEN so the centre was room temperature/​luke warm at best. The spinach pita was more like a puff pastry filled with scrambled egg and the occasional piece of spinach — nothing spanokopita-​like at all (sorry to Greece for the temporary confusion on my part). The portions were also ridiculously small. I was hungry but couldn’t stomach more of the food here.
Also, the thing that absolutely pissed me off is $ 2 for pepsi. They serve it in a small glass with ice… so you’re paying $ 2 for less than half a can of pepsi.
The menu looked expansive. I will DEFINITELY try Bosnian food again but just not here. I think the food sounds really exciting and different and I’d like to try it somewhere that could do it justice… which isn’t here.

My husband and I love to frequent Astoria about 3 times a year. Several failed attempts to eat at Drina Daisy due to their limited hours at times has become ongoing joke between us. I’ve been wanting to eat here for years. I thought that maybe all the hype I’ve built up in my own head might be difficult for Drina Daisy to live up to. Not the case at all. This is a superb restaurant. We were so pleased with our entire meal, our service, and the atmosphere.
We tried the coffee, salad, smoked meats, beef cabbage roll, and the roasted lamb. All excellent. It’s simple, understated, and the flavors are amazing. You can taste the passion this woman has for her food.
We can not wait to eat at Drina Daisy again.