Walking through Albany Park can be a disorienting affair for the uninitiated, and it would be wise to avoid the area if you suffer from xenoglossophobia (the fear of foreign languages). But for those seeking Bulgarian paprika and sujuk, the city's most diverse neighborhood is a must-stop destination, thanks to Balkan Flavor on Montrose.

Nestled between other nondescript storefronts, Balkan Flavor doesn't look like much and it's easy to miss. Have your Cyrillic alphabet decoder-watch close at hand if you aren't fluent in Bulgarian, because despite the English storefront sign outside, the Old World reigns supreme once you cross the threshold. The whole store could be more accurately described as an overgrown kitchen pantry, with barely enough space for one wall of shelves and an old rattling deli case.

You won't find fresh banitsa or other Balkan pastries here, but that's about all you can't get. Old Bulgarian VHS tapes? Mysterious spices and imported tea in unmarked paper packages? All that plus a startlingly wide array of dry goods and vegetable spreads from the Balkan states will be at your fingertips, not to mention hanging cevapcici and other dark cured meats in the deli case. Prices range from .99 cents for tea to $15 for some of the larger strings of sausage.

Centerstage Reviewer: James Litchfield