After 19 successful years in business, the famous Serbian bakery in the Chicago suburb of La Grange has unveiled a refreshed, redesigned space and a brand-new menu that combines Balkan classics—ajvar, kulen, and kajmak—with modern favorites such as gourmet sandwiches, salads, and grain bowls.
Balkan Bakery, a Serbian-Balkan bakery and pastry shop with a 19-year tradition, will introduce a selection of new specialty menu items at the beginning of September.
Following the recent renovation of its storefront, this marks the next step in the bakery’s mission to delight customers with refined tastes.
The new interior and exterior have transformed the bakery into a European-style gathering place, featuring new indoor and outdoor seating, updated display cases, and a refreshed visual identity highlighted by an elegant stork motif and light blue floral accents.
The new slogan—“Bakery. Pastry Shop. Specialty Market.”—reflects the three identities the bakery has proudly carried under one roof since its founding.
The redesign was completed in collaboration with Nataša Dubak, Director of Interior Design at IMX Group LLC, who led the project from concept to completion, creating a space and terrace that exude luxury, elegance, and sophistication.
The French atmosphere throughout the bakery reflects owner Marija Pejković’s personal love for Paris, its architecture, elegance, and distinctive café culture.
Drawing on her experience in the fashion industry, she brought a refined sense of aesthetics to the redesign. The transformation perfectly blends French sophistication with Balkan tradition, reflecting the owner herself—a woman inspired by two cultures and deeply passionate about design.
The goal was simple—to give guests a brief escape from everyday life and make them feel as though they had stepped into the heart of Europe.
The bakery’s new symbol—the stork—carries a special meaning. In the hometowns of Marija and her husband, Svojnovo and Babin Most, storks are a familiar sight, returning every spring to the same roadside utility poles as symbols of home and family.
Throughout the Balkans, the stork has long symbolized new beginnings and a return to one’s roots, making it the perfect emblem for the bakery’s new chapter.
The new menu, created by owner Marija Pejković, combines beloved Balkan flavors with contemporary sandwiches, salads, and light meals.
The new panini and toasted sandwich selection includes the “Balkan Melt,” featuring toasted bread with mozzarella, homemade mild ajvar, beef prosciutto (dried beef), caramelized onions, and arugula. The “Spicy Kulen Grilled Cheese Melt” combines traditional pork kulen with urnebes spread in a grilled cheese sandwich. The “Pistachio Salmon” features salmon, cucumber, pickles, and pistachios served on ciabatta bread.
The new salads and grain bowls include the “Lighthouse Salad,” a hearty combination of figs, prosciutto, arugula, walnuts, and balsamic dressing, alongside “Midnight Citrus Oats” and the “Lemon Sunrise Parfait.”
The bakery is also introducing beer and wine by the glass, including Lav Beer, Jelen Beer, a rotating red and white wine of the week, Pasqua Prosecco Brut, and Pasqua Prosecco Rosé.
Its signature Illy coffee selection—espresso, latte, cappuccino, flat white, Americano, and macchiato—is now available both hot and iced.
“Our bakery has always been a little piece of the Balkans in the middle of Chicago,” says Marija Pejković. “But I have always loved Paris as well—the way its cafés encourage you to make even an ordinary morning feel special. With this renovation, we brought those two worlds together. We created a place where you can enjoy a glass of prosecco or an iced coffee on the terrace, escape everyday life for a while, and experience true European charm.”
“The new menu came from one simple question: what happens when you combine ajvar, kulen, and kajmak with the modern sandwiches and salads people already love?” Marija Pejković adds. “We didn’t want to choose between tradition and modern eating habits. Our goal was to weave them together so that both styles complement each other perfectly.”
Through every change, the heart of Balkan Bakery remains exactly where it has always been. Bojan is still the master baker behind the bakery’s famous burek—the same burek that has attracted customers from across the Chicago area for the past nineteen years. Pralines and Bajadera chocolates are still made using the same recipe that has remained unchanged for nearly two decades. Jaffa Cake and Kinder Cake continue to sell out, while imported Serbian favorites—including Plazma, Argeta, and Najlepše Želje—still fill the shelves.
The stork featured on the new menus, boxes, and packaging symbolizes a new beginning—not a new identity. The new specialties, Parisian atmosphere, and prosecco on the terrace are simply new branches growing from the same roots, just as Serbian villages continue to thrive around the utility poles where storks return year after year.
The most important thing—the reason people have loved Balkan Bakery all these years—has remained exactly the same. There is simply more room now to enjoy it.
Balkan Bakery: Tradition, quality, and soon nationwide delivery across America
Founded in 2007, Balkan Bakery combines Serbian tradition with American innovation, offering handcrafted pastries, custom cakes, imported Balkan products, and premium coffee at its La Grange location. Later this year, through its sister company The Gourmet Vault, nationwide shipping of its products will become available throughout the United States.
For more information and to join the waiting list, visit www.the-gourmet-vault.com, and follow updates on Instagram @thegourmetvault_official.
Instagram: @balkanbakerylg
Website: www.balkan-bakery.com
Note: High-resolution photographs of the new food and beverage offerings will be available in early September. Printed copies of the new menu are already available for media and partners upon request.
Media Contact: Marija Pejković, Balkan Bakery (marija@balkan-bakery.com | 708-828-5155 | www.balkan-bakery.com)
Business Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., Sunday 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (La Grange, IL)
Stop by for your favorite homemade Balkan specialty and a refreshing glass of prosecco in the newly redesigned Balkan Bakery!
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Source: : PR Serbian Times Foto: Balkan Bakery @Kellyfreedmanphotography