Skadarlija kafane, Beton Hala riverfront, the rebirth of Balkan dining
Belgrade eats at the seam of Ottoman and Central European traditions. Skadarlija's cobbled kafana row anchors the Serbian classic repertoire (cevapi, pljeskavica, Karadjordjeva snicla, sarma, gibanica) inside taverns that have hosted bohemians since the 1830s. The Beton Hala riverfront, a redeveloped freight warehouse along the Sava, runs a strip of modern restaurants including Toro Latin Gastrobar and Comunale. New Balkan Cuisine has been the project of the 2010s and 2020s: Langouste earned Belgrade's first Michelin Star in January 2025 on Kosancicev Venac, Iva carries a Bib Gourmand in Vracar, and the city joined the Michelin Guide in 2021 as the first Serbian city.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Belgrade, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Belgrade.
Cevapi are grilled finger-shaped minced beef-lamb skewers, the Serbian Balkan icon. Served in a half-lepinja bread with raw onion, kajmak cream cheese and ajvar relish.
Where: Walter Sarajevski Cevap Bulevar Mihajla Pupina, Walter Sarajevski Cevap Vojislava Ilica, Manufaktura, Tri Sesira
Pljeskavica is the Serbian burger-patty, a flat grilled disc of minced pork and beef the diameter of the lepinja bread it sits in. Topped with kajmak, raw onion and ajvar.
Where: Stara Hercegovina, Z Burger, Manufaktura, Walter Sarajevski Cevap Bulevar Mihajla Pupina
Karadjordjeva snicla is a Belgrade invention: a thin pork or veal cutlet rolled around kajmak, breaded and pan-fried until golden. Named for the Karadjordjevic royal house.
Where: Madera, Manufaktura, Sesir Moj, Stara Hercegovina
Sarma is the Serbian stuffed cabbage roll: minced pork, beef and rice rolled in a soured cabbage leaf, slow-cooked in tomato and paprika stock until the meat melts.
Where: Tri Sesira, Sesir Moj, Ima Dana, Stara Hercegovina
Gibanica is the Serbian filo-and-cheese pie. Layers of phyllo are folded around a custard of sirene cheese, eggs and yoghurt, baked until the top sheets blister.
Where: Pekara Trpkovic Slavija, Manufaktura, Stara Hercegovina, Tri Sesira
Burek is the Balkan filo spiral, baked in a wide circular tray. Belgrade and Serbia favor cheese (sa sirom), meat (sa mesom) and potato (sa krompirom) fillings.
Where: Pekara Trpkovic Slavija, Pekara Trpkovic Dusanovac, Pekara Trpkovic Zvezdara, Pekara Sava Petrovic Zemun
Kajmak is the Serbian fresh cream cheese, made by slow-skimming the cream from heated milk and folding the layers into a thick spread. Eaten with bread, cevapi or pljeskavica.
Where: Tri Sesira, Sesir Moj, Manufaktura, Mala fabrika ukusa
Ajvar is the Serbian roasted red pepper relish, blended with aubergine, garlic and oil into a thick spread. The autumn pepper harvest into a year-round Balkan pantry staple.
Where: Manufaktura, Stara Hercegovina, Walter Sarajevski Cevap Bulevar Mihajla Pupina, Kalenic Market
Sljivovica is the Serbian plum brandy, the national rakija. Twice-distilled from fresh plums, aged in oak, with a fruity edge that runs from clear to deep amber.
Where: Tri Sesira, Sesir Moj, Kafana Question Mark, Manufaktura
Prokupac is Serbia's flagship indigenous red grape, mostly from southern Serbia (Zupa and Toplica). Medium-bodied, sour cherry, herbal, increasingly the calling card of Serbian wine.
Where: Vinoteka Decanter, Vinoteka Plavinci Natural Wine Shop and Bar, Wine Art Podrum, Iva New Balkan Cuisine
Where to eat Prokupac (Serbian indigenous wine) in Belgrade →
Proja is Serbian cornbread, a slab of polenta-style yellow batter baked with cheese, yoghurt and eggs. The Serbian breakfast bread, served with kajmak or sirene cheese.
Where: Manufaktura, Iva New Balkan Cuisine, Stara Hercegovina, Saran
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Belgrade.
Salon 1905 sits in the Michelin Guide Belgrade Selection inside the Geozavod landmark. Surprise tasting menus in three, five or seven courses.
Signature: Tasting menu of Serbian seasons, Slow-cooked pork leg on beech
Iva carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand in Belgrade. Chef-owner Vanja Puskar refines Balkan recipes with local ingredients on Svetog Save in Vracar.
Signature: Refined Balkan grills, Seasonal Serbian breakfast
Langouste earned its Michelin Star in January 2025 on Kosancicev Venac. Chef Marko Deric runs a five-course fish, meat or combination menu in Stari Grad.
Signature: Lobster tasting, Five-course fish menu
Ambar reinvents Balkan cooking as a small-plate Unlimited Experience on Belgrade's Beton Hala riverfront. Lamb cevapi, beet salad, rakija pours.
Signature: Unlimited Balkan small plates, Lamb cevapi
Comunale was the first restaurant in Beton Hala. Italian and Mediterranean cooking off a Josper grill, riverfront tables along the Sava in Belgrade.
Signature: Josper grill steak, House-made pasta
Chef Richard Sandoval brought his Pan-Latin small plates to Beton Hala in Belgrade. Ceviche, anticuchos and cocktail bar on the Sava riverfront.
Signature: Latin small plates, Tableside guacamole
Belgrade's old town. Knez Mihailova pedestrian boulevard, Kalemegdan fortress, and the Skadarlija cobbled bohemian quarter with kafana row.
Best for: Kafane, Skadarlija nights, Traditional Serbian
Residential central district built around the Temple of Saint Sava. Kalenic market anchor, Krunska cafe row, the New Balkan scene at Iva.
Best for: Modern Serbian, Specialty coffee, Market food
Old town riverside district with Dobracina Street roastery row. Przionica, Smokvica brunch, and a dense cafe and bar grid.
Best for: Specialty coffee, Brunch, Cocktail bars
Riverfront redevelopment along the Sava. Beton Hala restaurants run the strip, Savamala creative warehouses behind, the Belgrade Waterfront tower line opposite.
Best for: Riverfront dining, Seafood, Cocktail terraces
Originally an Austro-Hungarian fishing settlement at the Danube confluence. Kej oslobodjenja waterfront, century-old Saran fish restaurant, Gardos tower view.
Best for: Danube fish, Family taverns, Riverfront walks
Modernist business district across the Sava. Usce shopping mall and waterfront, Belgrade Beer Fest at Usce Park, Aviator Coffee Gramsijeva.
Best for: Mall food courts, Riverfront cocktails, Festivals
Peak food season: May to early July and September to early November. Summer evenings move to Skadarlija terraces and Beton Hala; August can be very hot. Belgrade Beer Fest in late August fills Usce Park.
Local dining hours: Lunch from 13:00-16:00, dinner from 20:00 to midnight. Skadarlija kafane serve through the afternoon with live tamburica music in the evening. Cafes open from 08:00 in Dorcol and Vracar.
Tipping: 10 percent in sit-down restaurants is generous and welcome. Round up at cafes and burek counters. Service is rarely included on the bill in Belgrade.
Belgrade's signature dishes include Cevapi, Pljeskavica, Karadjordjeva snicla, Sarma, Gibanica. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Belgrade by district. Stari grad, Vracar, Dorcol, Savski venac are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Belgrade include Salon 1905, Langouste, Iva New Balkan Cuisine, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Belgrade, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Belgrade dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.