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# Traditional goodies for hearty appetites
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/traditional-goodies-for-hearty-appetites/
- Published: 2008-08-09T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:39:25.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

WHEN YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE IN TOWN, you’ve got something special. As far as I can tell, The Aroma Café is the only Bosnian restaurant anywhere around Los Angeles. I just came back from a trip to that part of the world, so it was nice to compare.

WHERE: 2530 Overland Ave., West L.A., 90064; (310) 836-2919\. WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

BEST DISHES: The Pljeskavica is probably the specialty of the house and the most authentic. It’s like an oversized ground beef patty on particularly good bread. By and large stick with the beef dishes. The goulash and the beef stew are interesting because hard to find elsewhere. The sausage dishes are tasty. The bread is even better. There’s a nice dessert selection, but you can’t go wrong with the Baklava.

BEST FEATURE: This is a chance to try something different, where you try new dishes from a lesser known part of the world. And you can eat well for about $15 a person. Bring your appetite or, if you have a friend that’s a professional football player, bring him. There’s plenty to eat.

WORST FEATURES: It’s a small restaurant, and hard to park. I would pass on the overly breaded cheese Borek. Don’t try to figure out what the words on the menu mean (neither the English words nor the Yugoslavian words): Just ask.

SPECIAL FEATURE: There is a deli counter where you can buy specialty products. I don’t know what all of them are, and I can’t spell many of them, but I did recognize a great looking goat cheese round, some fine looking sausages, and large pieces of smoked beef, which I’m eager to try sometime.

WHAT TO DRINK: I drink water with the meal, and Turkish coffee afterwards. But you could try the yougurt “Kefir”if you want to stay authentic.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a transplanted “Yugoslavian” restaurant with a number of dishes that you can’t find elsewhere. It’s not for the gourmand, but it’s for people with a healthy appetite for good solid food like grandma used to make in the old country.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080908.pdf?ref=smdp.com)