Inat Kuća

Inat Kuća, usually translated as the House of Spite, stands at Velika Alifakovac 1 on the bank of the Miljacka river in Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its story is one of the best-known anecdotes of the city: when the Austro-Hungarian authorities built the City Hall (Vijećnica) in the 1890s, the owner of the house that stood on the site is said to have refused to sell unless the building was moved piece by piece to the opposite bank and rebuilt exactly as it was. The house now operates as a restaurant serving traditional Bosnian food, and the setting is as much of an attraction as the menu. Cuisine is home-style and rooted in Ottoman-era cooking. Signature dishes include sogan-dolma, onions stuffed with spiced minced meat, at about BAM 14, and bosanski lonac, the slow-cooked Bosnian pot of meat and vegetables, at about BAM 18. The menu also features other classics such as stuffed vegetables, grilled meats and traditional sweets. The dining rooms are decorated in a folk style with carpets, copper vessels and wooden furniture, and the terrace looks across the Miljacka toward the old town. The atmosphere is calm and traditional, popular with tour groups at lunch and with couples and small parties in the evening. There is no strict dress code. Drinks include Bosnian coffee, local fruit brandies, beer and a short list of regional wines. Reservations are recommended for dinner, particularly in the summer season and at weekends, and larger groups should book ahead. The restaurant is open daily from about 11:00 to 23:00. Its position, a short walk from the city hall, the Latin Bridge and Baščaršija, makes it a natural stop on a historical walking route through central Sarajevo.