Balkan Treat Box, one of St. Louis’ most beloved restaurants, is marking a milestone week with a major operational expansion and a lineup of celebratory specials. Beginning Sunday, Feb. 15, the Webster Groves restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, a long-standing goal for the team behind the Balkan-inspired eatery.
The move comes as Balkan Treat Box celebrates its birthday this week, which owners are marking with a rotating slate of daily specials featuring both new dishes and returning favorites. The brick-and-mortar restaurant opened in February 2019, following the launch of the Balkan Treat Box food truck in late 2016. Since then, the restaurant has become a national standout, earning six consecutive James Beard Award semifinalist nods and advancing to the final round last year.
Chef-owner Loryn Nalic said the expansion reflects both demand and readiness. After years of offering lunch only, Balkan Treat Box introduced limited dinner service in 2024, which quickly grew. With that growth came a challenge: specials, which often sold out during lunch, were rarely available by dinner. Expanding to seven days a week and broadening dinner service creates more opportunities to introduce new dishes and ensure more guests get a chance to try them.
Nalic described the transition as both exciting and nerve-wracking, noting that the team is also using this week’s specials as a testing ground for potential dinner-only menu additions in the future.
The birthday celebration begins Tuesday, Feb. 10, with the following daily specials:
Tuesday
All day
• Braised Lamb Neck Fatteh: Fried somun, eggplant, chickpeas, lemon tahini yogurt
Wednesday
Lunch special
• Durum Beef Doner Kebab: NY strip, garlic herb sauce, red sauce, pickles, cabbage, tomato, feta, onion, herbs, fefferoni
Dinner special
• Sogan Dolma: Beef- and veal-filled onions, kajmak, fried shallot rings, chives
Thursday
All day
• Chicken Wings (Kanat): Spicy date, classic, or combo
Dinner Special
• ½ Smoked Chicken Feast: Somun, pickles, lemony Greek potatoes, charred tomato, spreads, herbs
Friday
All Day
• Langostino Buzara Pide: White wine–lemon brown butter, tomato, herbs, charred lemon
Dinner special
• Lamb Belly Shish: Garlic yogurt, red pepper, chili, pomegranate, mint
Saturday
All day
• Crispy Feta: Jufka, Urfa chili crisp, honey, oregano
• Ali Nazik: Smoky eggplant yogurt spread, spiced beef mince, herbs