☰
Authentic E. European cafe specializing in Serbian/Ukrainian cuisine for dining in and take-out. Operates full bar, screens European sports, and features live music some nights. Note that both the indoor and outdoor areas are smoker-friendly.
This restaurant was reviewed in the April 2017 LVA; some of the information contained in this review may no longer be accurate.
Here’s a place you wouldn’t have found on your own. In fact, it’s kind of hard to find even when you know you’re going there. Located on W. Flamingo just east of Rainbow, Café Restaurant Prince occupies a skinny dimly lit building bordering a small alleyway next to a dry cleaner and pet clinic. This, and the cadre of Balkan expats who like to hang out at the bar, has led some to label Prince “intimidating.” Trust us, it’s not. Rather, it’s a cool place to get some good Eastern European grub or grab a beer.
As is typical with this cuisine, sausages, beef, and chicken dominate. Take your pick or get the “house specialty” that feeds three ($34.99) to sample several. The sausages are good, but our favorites run in a different direction. Rarely do we pass on the sopska salad ($5.50), a mix of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers topped with a feta-like cheese. Sarma is Serbian stuffed-cabbage roll, and they really know how to make it here ($7.50). There’s also a fine homemade chicken soup for $4.99. But our real go-to is the fish filet, two plump lightly battered pieces of tilapia that match up with any fried-fish offering in town for just $10.99.
The dining room is spartan, but there’s a neat little outside patio, or you can order out and grab a beer while you wait—a bottle of Jelen (Serbian) is $5 and Karlovacka (Croatian) is $6. Prince opens at 8 am and is also a good late-night play, serving till 2 am.
