Balkan Coffee’s founder Spartak Salaj says that he always wanted to create a bakery that felt “like a family home”, writes Rebecca Pattni
A new Balkan-inspired bakery, with family at the heart of the business, has just opened on Chingford Mount Road.
Balkan Coffee’s founder Spartak Salaj told the Echo that he always wanted to create a café that felt “like a family home”.
Originally from Albania, Spartak explained that he moved to Greece at the age of 14 with his younger brother and worked there for 16 years.
Balkan Coffee, Spartak’s first café, was co-founded with his brother. Pointing to the modern and well designed interior, Spartak, a former labourer, proudly states: “We did the full refurbishment by ourselves – I always build everything from scratch.”
Spartak says he hopes to be able to spend more time with his family now that he has left his construction company behind and is focusing solely on the café with his brother.
Asked if family is at the heart of the business, Spartak replies: “It always has been.”
He adds that that idea for the bakery is to also provide the multicultural area of Chingford Mount with a taste of Spartak’s home.
The menu, which differs daily, includes a range of sweet and savoury food such as sandwiches, smoothies, coffee, iced drinks, juices, pastries and cakes. Traditional Balkan dishes like baklava and trileçe, are all freshly made inhouse.
All food on the menu is halal. Spartak says that this was a decision to create an inclusive environment so that “whoever wants to come in here” can.
The ingredients the bakery uses are imported from Albania and sourced locally because otherwise, it will not have “the same taste”, Spartak says.
Balkan Coffee is open from 6am until 9pm every day, with Spartak explaining that this early opening time is primarily taken advantage of by builders who “come for coffee and pies”.
Spartak describes himself as a hard worker and tells the Echo that he arrives at the bakery before 5am and often leaves later than 10pm
Balkan Coffee has already attracted regulars like Anil Solanki who describes the bakery as a “good place to relax” with a “variety of decently-priced food and friendly staff”.
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