What to Eat and Where to Eat in Belgrade?

When planning your trip to Belgrade, I recommend that you consider that the food, beverage and nightlife are very colorful and lively, reservations are required for many places, and there are options for every budget. I went to Belgrade twice, in winter and summer. Places I have tried and recommended to me in these travels What to eat and where to eat in Belgrade I put it together in his article, I hope it gives you an idea.

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What to Eat in Belgrade?

Let me first start with the good news. Belgrade food culture is very close to us. Kebabs, pastries, various meat dishes form the main bone of the cuisine. Foods such as jam, pickles and olives are very similar to ours. Therefore, there is no way you can go to Belgrade and starve. You can find not only Serbian dishes but also many options from world cuisine in Belgrade, moreover, of the highest quality.

First, let's get to know the famous foods of Serbian cuisine, then we will continue with the places.

Pastries

You will see small shops called Pekara (Bakery-Fırın) on almost every street in Belgrade. Some of them do not have a place to sit, you can just take them and go, some have high tables where you can eat standing, but most of them do not have a suitable place to sit for a long time. In Pekaras, all kinds of pastries such as börek and pastry are fresh and delicious, and at affordable prices.

The cornbread and garlic bread that comes with the meals are the things I can't resist the most, the pastries are really good.

Dry Meat

As in almost all of the Balkan countries, dried meat is made and eaten a lot in Serbia. Even though I don't normally like bacon or anything, this dry meat thing takes me away. I eat it wherever I find it when I go to the Balkans and I take it with me on the way home. If you can find dried meats from the Užice region in Serbia, don't miss it. Its weight is around 37 Usd, I can't say it's very suitable. Of course, you don't have to gain a kilo, of course, you can find small packages like 100 gr in the markets.

Ayvar (Ajvar is written, Ayvar is pronounced)

If you like sauces spread on bread like acuka, I think you will love Ayvar. It is made from red pepper hot or non-spicy. Before meals, it usually comes with cream and garlic bread, you fill your stomach with it anyway.

Let me open a parenthesis here, cream in Serbia is a little saltier than ours and comes with almost every meal.

Serbian Meatballs – Kapakcic

You can meet the answer in many countries in the Balkans, there is also in Belgrade. You can think of it as a kind of kebab consisting of finger-sized meatballs. It is usually served with pita bread, cream and onions. I think the meatballs are understood, although it may seem a bit complicated because there are chickens on the plate in the photo above.

Pljeskavica Hamburger

I call it Serbian Burger because it has a difficult name to say. Cream is spread on a huge pita, and the meat in the form of minced meat is cooked and eaten with pleasure. Both cream and fatty meat can be a bit heavy, so I suggest you eat them at lunch instead of dinner.

Serbian Baklava

We ate a dessert called Serbian Baklava at Restaurant Velika Skadarlija. Its image is between Laz Böreği and Kurdish Böreği. But the taste is not exactly the same. To be honest, I didn't like it much. Walnuts wrapped in phyllo, some sherbet and powdered sugar on top. If you like sorbet dessert, maybe you want to try it.

Trilece

Another Balkan delicacy, Trileçe. I ate in several places in Belgrade and everything I ate was very tasty. Trileçe is one of my favourites, as I normally love milky and light desserts. If you come across it in Belgrade, don't say no.

What to Drink in Belgrade?

First of all, let me start by saying that everything is drinkable in Belgrade, but water is not very drinkable because unfortunately it is quite expensive compared to other drinks. When you want water in places, you pay 15-20 TL, it gets a little bored. Anyway, let's keep talking about the good stuff, keep reading!

Bira

Probably the most consumed drink in Belgrade is beer. There are many different brands of beer. Helen is the local brand I see the most in Serbia, and the beer brand I see the most after Helen is Zaječarsko (with the box in the photo). Both are easy-drinking beers, but I think I liked Helen a little more.

Brandy

Serbia's most famous drink, Rakija (liquor), is also found in many Balkan countries. Made from various fruits, this liqueur is somewhat hard and has the consistency of vodka. It is made from almost any fruit such as plum, quince, apricot. A little sweeter if you prefer the ones with honey. But I can't say I like it because it's too harsh on me. It is served in liquor glasses and is drunk slowly. When it's called rakija, people think it looks like raki, but it's not, I compare it to vodka.

Serbian Wines

In fact, Serbia is as famous for its wines as its rakija, but it is not well known. If you go outside of Belgrade, you can see vineyards and wine production facilities. There are many different local manufacturers. It is best to ask an expert to make a choice.

Where to Eat in Belgrade

Belgrade is home to many places where you can find both local dishes and tastes from international cuisine. There are different cuisine options such as Japanese and Mexican for those who are bored with Serbian food. Belgrade is a city where you may have trouble finding a place without a reservation due to both the tourist density and the locals filling the restaurants, so make sure to make reservations for the places you catch your eye, especially in the evenings and for dinner.

Knez Mihailova – Boutique Cafe Restaurant

One of the most touristic places is at the top of our list of where to eat in Belgrade. Knez Mihailova branch of the multi-branch Boutique Cafe Restaurant is very central, on the corner of the street before arriving in Kalemegdan. A place where you can watch all the action of the street when you sit outside. When we went in 2016, we ordered an interesting pizza, as in the photo, and it tasted pretty good.

Knez Mihailova – Cafe and Factory

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Cafe & Factory was one of the places I visited frequently on my first visit to Belgrade. It is both centrally located, again on Knez Mihailova Street, and is a nice option for coffee and similar drinks. The fact that there was a huge world map on the wall in 2016 may also have caused me to love this place.

Knez Mihailova – Manufactura

Manufactura is a place where you can eat traditional Serbian food, I didn't go, but it was among the suggestions I received. It is in one of the side streets of Knez Mihailova, close to Kalemegdan.

Head Question (?)

Kafana Question (?), the oldest tavern in the city, serves in a building dating from the Ottoman period. They said the meatballs were very good. I did not have the opportunity to eat, but if I go to Belgrade again, it is among the places I want to stop by.

Skadarjia District – Kafanalar

The street where Belgrade's famous taverns are located is called Skadarjia district. When you go to Belgrade, you should definitely experience the traditional Serbian night in this region. Sesir Moj (Old hat), Tri Sesira (Three Hats), Dva Jelena (Two Deer) are the most famous Kafanas in the region.

Restaurant Velika Skadarlija was in your head where we had our first dinner the last time we went. An elegant restaurant where you can dine with live traditional music. But I can't say the food was great, it was average.

Ada Ciganlija – Kafanica Na Adi Baccarat

There are many restaurants and beach businesses in the Ada Ciganlija area. Beach establishments also have kitchens and you can usually eat. If you are looking for a place with very delicious food in Ada Ciganlija, the place I would recommend is Kafanica Na Adi Bakara. We ate a lamb tandoori cooked in 8 hours, together with our fingers. The owner of the place loves Turkey very much, he comes on vacation every summer. That's why olive oil and olives from Ayvalık are also on the table. The trileçe I ate here was also very good, I didn't have time to take pictures. Say hi for me if you go.

Crna Ovca – Black Lamb

Belgrade's best ice cream shop! They have ice cream made of goat's milk. The ice cream you see in the photo was 180 Dinars. Prices vary depending on the size of the container you buy, and whether it is a cornet. There are also special ice creams for those who do not consume dairy products.

Eclectic 40 – Forty Stairs

If you want to hang out in a quiet street, have a nice coffee, and chat with the owners who came from Turkey and settled in Belgrade, this is the place. Eclectic 40 – Kirk Stairs, a real neighborhood cafe close to Student Square.

Lorenzo Kakalamba

Lorenzo Kakalamba is a place worth changing your way, even though it is a bit out of the city center. There is a crazy decoration inside. Colors, sculptures, decoration blow your mind. Restaurant and cafe sections are separate in themselves. If you say we just want a drink, they take it to a separate section. We sang trile by chance and it was very good.

Zemun District – Sharan Restaurant

Zemun is Belgrade's next-door neighbor. Since it was the territory of Austria for many years, it has a different structure and culture from the old city center. One of the most beautiful fish restaurants in Zemun Region, Şaran Restaurant, especially the octopus dishes were very good. During our first visit to Belgrade, we went because it was on Vedat Milor's suggestion list and we liked it very much.

Prava Pljeskavica

I told you about the Serbian Hamburger in the first episode. Prava Pljeskavica is one of the best places to eat that hamburger, completely traditional, but extremely shabby.

Concrete Still – Warehouse

If you go down from Kalemegdan to the point where the Sava and Danube rivers meet, the name of the area you will see is Beton Hala. There are many places side by side here. You can just have a drink or eat if you want. The view is very beautiful around sunset. Ambar, one of the venues in this region, was tested and approved by my friends. Boat tours depart from just across the street.

Sava Trowel

When you continue north from the Sava coast, this time you reach the Sava Mala region. Here, too, there is a wide coastline and restaurants by the river. I don't have a suggestion because I haven't tried a place here and it's not in the suggestions, but I can say that the view is beautiful. You can just sit on the stairs and watch the view, it's free.

Angry Monkey

I said there are important examples of world cuisine in Belgrade, Angry Monk is one of the most famous of them, a Japanese restaurant on the parallel street of Knez Mihailova Street. I can say that we ate very good sushi. An 8-pack of Sushi costs around 14-15 Usd. So it's not an economical option, I shared it for you to have an idea. Reservation is required.

Kucica Navodi

Having nothing to do with nightlife, let me suggest you an evening venue: Kucica Navodi. The place on the river bank or even in the river is very good as a place, but I drank a mojito, paid 770 Dinar (almost 8 usd) and it was like I drank ice water. Consider drinking something like beer instead of cocktails.

The above are only a few of the restaurants and cafes in Belgrade. There are many venues, especially on the river bank and on Knez Mihailova Street. Even though they are not on this list, I suggest you sit down and try a few that you catch your eye on.

If you have any suggestions, add them in the comments!