Located at 172 Dartmouth Road, the new venue described by Dinkovski as a ‘kafana’ — a local tavern commonly found in former Yugoslav countries — will serve a variety of alcoholic drinks, coffee, and snacks. In a post on Instagram, she shared, “What’s next for Mystic Burek? 172 Dartmouth Road ‘KAFANA’, not a restaurant or a shop, but a new home, a base, a venue. Expect all of the above and so much more.”
Dinkovski plans to release a monthly schedule of events hosted at the venue, along with details about the food offerings, which are expected to include homemade cheeses, sausages, kebabs, and bakery items. She secured the keys to the location back in April, but access had been delayed due to issues with the previous tenant. Renovations are scheduled for next month, with an opening planned for December.
Recently, Dinkovski announced the closure of Mystic Burek, named after a Macedonian filo pie typically filled with ground meat and cheese. She expressed that her goal was never to operate a shop but to create a “base that didn’t come with the price tag of a commercial kitchen.” The Mystic Burek location at 227 Dartmouth Road will still host events until it can be sold. “Expect some fun events and heaps of Balkan food,” she mentioned, noting that she plans to host supper clubs around London and beyond, in addition to offering outside catering.
Dinkovski also shared her decision to take a brief break from the business. “After four years of pumping out thousands of pies, it’s needed, and there’s so much more that I do,” she remarked.
She reflected on the challenges of owning a small business, stating, “Owning a small business is one of the hardest things you can commit yourself to in this society. The great expectations that are laid out for us are built to feed the fat cats at the top, and we run ourselves into the ground just to line the pockets of the middlemen. It’s empowering to strip things back and realize you don’t want growth in the capitalist sense but growth as a person.” Dinkovski emphasized her desire to focus on her health, maintain her values, and embrace her Balkan-British community, inviting everyone to join her on this journey.
