Stara Hercegovina ★ 4.4
Stara Hercegovina hosts Belgrade artists from a Carigradska street room. Three halls (Travunia, Zahumlje and main) plus a 130-seat summer garden.
Signature: Herzegovinian lamb, Mixed Serbian grill
History
Pljeskavica codified in 20th-century Yugoslavia as the Serbian alternative to Bosnian cevapi: same Ottoman-grilled-meat lineage but pressed into a disc. The Leskovacka pljeskavica from southern Serbia is the canonical regional anchor. The Belgrade Burger Festival at Kalemegdan elevates the contemporary version each May.
Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g minced pork shoulder (20% fat)
- 300g minced beef chuck
- 1 medium white onion, finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 lepinja flatbreads
- 150g kajmak
- Ajvar for serving
Method
- Combine pork, beef, grated onion, garlic, baking soda, salt and paprika in a bowl. Mix by hand for 5 minutes.
- Rest the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat a charcoal grill or heavy cast-iron pan to high heat.
- Divide the mince into 4 equal portions and press each into a disc the diameter of the lepinja bread.
- Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side; the centre should be just cooked, with crusted edges.
- Warm the lepinja on the grill, split open and spread with kajmak.
- Place the pljeskavica inside, top with raw onion and ajvar. Serve immediately.
Tip from the editors. Grate the onion (don't chop) so the liquid melts into the mince; this is what separates a pljeskavica from a hamburger.
Where to eat pljeskavica
Pljeskavica in Belgrade
Z Burger ★ 4.6
Z Burger on Cetinjska is the Belgrade Burger Festival winner four years (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025). Dry-aged premium beef under 1,100 dinars per burger.
Try: Smash burger
Manufaktura ★ 4.7
Manufaktura on Kralja Petra plates traditional Serbian with regional cheeses, Mangalica meats and cherry iced tea in Belgrade. Large garden seating.
Signature: Cevapcici, Mangalica platter, Homemade cherry iced tea
Walter Sarajevski Cevap Bulevar Mihajla Pupina ★ 4.4
Walter Sarajevski Cevap on Bulevar Mihajla Pupina anchors Novi Beograd's Sarajevski cevapi chain. Grilled minced beef-lamb, lepinja bread, kajmak side.
Try: Sarajevski cevapi grilled minced beef-lamb
More cities are in research. Want pljeskavica covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.