Sept. 22, 2022

While she’s still working two other jobs, Zaklina Becic has realized her dream of owning a restaurant.

Becic and her husband, Midhat, Bosnian refugees who moved to Sioux Falls two decades ago, opened MB Coffee and Grill, this spring on North Minnesota Avenue in the former Whiffer’s Sandwiches location.

Midhat Becic, who retired from his maintenance job at Memorial Middle School, keeps the restaurant and coffee shop going while she’s working in the kitchen at Sanford USD Medical Center and Hy-Vee.

“My dream, actually all my life, it’s my dream to open something like this,” said Becic, who worked as a cook and baker at restaurants in Bosnia.

They started slowly with a limited menu, closed temporarily for two months this summer when Midhat traveled to Bosnia after his brother died and continue to deal with the major reconstruction of Minnesota Avenue in front of the restaurant.

Now, they have introduced their full menu, which features traditional Balkan foods and Becic’s signature desserts, including baklava.

“Our most popular dish will probably be cevapi, which is a beef sausage,” said Mia Becic, the couple’s daughter. “It comes with lepinja, which is a homemade bread, and then the condiments with that they’re usually served would be sour cream, onion and something called ajvar, which is a red sauce that has a little bit of spice to it if you want.”

Another popular dish is pita, which is different from the Mediterranean bread.

“When she makes it, it’s spread out really thin across like a really big table, and you put the ingredients in there and then you roll it,” Mia Becic said.

It comes in three varieties: cheese, spinach and cheese, and ground beef.

Another customer favorite is sarma, which is a ground beef and rice mixture wrapped in either cabbage leaves or collard greens.

They’re planning to add a new sandwich with ground beef and fresh toppings. “People really like sandwiches here,” Becic said.

As colder weather arrives, Becic will begin making soups and hearty stews.

The coffee part of MB Coffee and Grill includes Bosnian and Turkish coffees and Italian espresso.

Hours at the restaurant at 1133 N. Minnesota Ave. are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.