Best Restaurants in Belgrade, Serbia

Belgrade takes food seriously in a relaxed, unpretentious way. The city’s dining culture runs on kafanas — traditional taverns with heavy wooden furniture, grilled meat, live music on weekend evenings, and the expectation that you will stay for several hours. Alongside the kafana tradition, a strong neighbourhood grill house culture (every block has one) and a younger food scene centred on the Savamala arts district give the city more variety than many first-time visitors expect. All prices are approximate as of 2026; Serbia uses the Serbian dinar (RSD), but prices at most restaurants are also quoted in euros.

What to Eat in Belgrade

Pljeskavica

The Serbian burger and Belgrade’s most-eaten fast food. A large, flat patty of mixed pork and beef (sometimes veal) grilled over charcoal, served in a soft round lepinja flatbread with kajmak (clotted cream), ajvar (roasted pepper relish), raw onion, and lettuce. The pljeskavica sandwich from a street kiosk costs approximately EUR 2-3. Sit-down versions with extras are EUR 4-7. Punjena pljeskavica (stuffed pljeskavica with kajmak and mushrooms inside the patty) is worth the extra half-euro.

Karađorđeva Šnicla

Belgrade’s famous stuffed veal schnitzel: a thin escalope rolled around a generous filling of kajmak cream cheese, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. Served sliced, revealing the molten kajmak inside. Some versions add ham. Named after Prince Karađorđe, who had nothing to do with inventing it. Found at almost every kafana in the city. Approximately EUR 7-12 depending on the restaurant.

Roštilj (Mixed Grill)

The grilled meat plate is the backbone of Belgrade eating. A standard roštilj platter includes ćevapi, kobasice (spiced sausages), ražnjići (pork or chicken skewers), and a chop or two, served with lepinja bread, a wedge of raw onion, and ajvar. A full platter for one costs approximately EUR 8-14 at traditional grill houses. The quality gap between a great roštilj place and an average one is significant — smoky coals versus gas grill.

Prebranac

Slow-baked beans cooked for hours with onion, paprika, and sunflower oil in a clay pot until the surface is caramelised and the beans are completely soft. Eaten as a main, not a side. One of the great Serbian comfort foods and wildly cheap — approximately EUR 2-4 as a starter or side, EUR 4-6 as a main. Found at kafanas and Serbian home-cooking restaurants.

Kajmak

Clotted cream with a sharper, saltier taste than its western European equivalent. Comes alongside almost everything grilled in Belgrade. Also eaten spread on bread as a starter with prsut (smoked ham). It is the defining flavour of Belgrade’s grill culture.

Where to Eat — Skadarlija (Bohemian Quarter)

Tri Šešira (Skadarlija 29) — “Three Hats” is the oldest and most storied kafana on the cobbled Skadarlija street, operating since 1864. Evenings bring live Serbian music (tamburitza or more recently pop folk). The kitchen runs traditional Serbian: ćevapi, pljeskavica, roasted meats, prebranac, grilled fish. Expect to pay approximately EUR 12-18 per person for a full meal with drinks. The terrace fills up fast on summer evenings; arrive by 7pm or book ahead. The setting — dressed stone walls, candles, old photographs — is worth the slight tourist-area premium.

Dva Jelena (Skadarlija 32) — “Two Deer,” the second of Skadarlija’s famous trio of traditional kafanas. Slightly larger than Tri Šešira and with more live music on weekend nights. Food quality is comparable — grilled meats, stuffed peppers, paprika-heavy stews. Similar price range: EUR 10-16 per person. Popular with Belgraders celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, which gives it a genuinely local atmosphere even in high season.

Šešir Moj (Skadarlija 21) — The third of the Skadarlija kafanas. More relaxed atmosphere than the other two, slightly less famous, occasionally better value. Good spot if Tri Šešira and Dva Jelena are full. Mains approximately EUR 8-14.

Where to Eat — Neighbourhood Grill Houses

Kafana Šumatovac (Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 57, Vračar) — A no-frills neighbourhood kafana in the Vračar district, mostly serving locals from the surrounding streets. Exceptional roštilj and some of the best pljeskavica in the city. Mains approximately EUR 5-9. No music, no atmosphere beyond the smell of charcoal — exactly what a neighbourhood grill house should be. Lunch is busier than dinner here.

Sinđelić (Vojvode Stepe, Vračar) — Another Vračar favourite for grilled meat, small, cash-only at the door, always full at lunch. Ćevapi and roštilj are the things to order. Approximately EUR 5-8 per person. If you are staying in the Vračar or Zvezdara areas this is the kind of place you eat three times in a week.

Plac kod Kalemegdana — Not a single restaurant but the cluster of grilled-meat kiosks and small eateries around the Kalemegdan Fortress area. Good for a fast, cheap pljeskavica or ćevapi after walking the fortress walls. Street food quality varies; walk to the busiest stand with the most locals.

Where to Eat — Savamala (Modern Food Scene)

Little Bay (Dositejeva 9a, Dorćol) — A Serbian-run replica of a Victorian London theatre, complete with opera performances during dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. The food is solid European and Serbian: good steaks, pasta, and some local dishes. Better than the concept suggests. Approximately EUR 15-25 per person. The entertainment element makes it worth experiencing once, even if the menu is slightly more tourist-oriented.

Radost Fina Kuhinjica (Pariska 3, Dorćol) — Belgrade’s most established healthy-eating restaurant. Small, always busy, focused on fresh salads, vegetable-forward plates, and lighter Serbian dishes. A good option if you need a break from roštilj. Approximately EUR 8-14 per person.

Sinđelić Savamala (Karađorđeva 2-4, Savamala) — The Savamala outlet of the Sinđelić brand, positioned in the arts district. More modern interior than the original, same strong roštilj. Slightly higher prices than the neighbourhood original but still reasonable: EUR 8-14 per person. Good central option when exploring the Savamala riverside area.

Drinking with Food

Belgrade has no shortage of places to drink. Rakija (fruit brandy — šljivovica from plum, dunja from quince, kajsija from apricot) arrives before the meal and after it at traditional kafanas, often without being ordered. A small rakija costs approximately EUR 1.50-3. Beer is uniformly cheap: a 0.5L Lav or Jelen at a kafana costs approximately EUR 1.50-2.50. Wine is less prominent in Belgrade’s food culture than it is on the Croatian coast but improving — ask for local Serbian wines from the Fruška Gora or Negotin regions.

Practical Notes

Belgrade restaurants are generally open long: kafanas typically from noon to midnight or later, with the kitchen usually open until 11pm. Many traditional restaurants are cash-preferred, particularly the older kafanas on Skadarlija. Tipping 10% is standard practice. English is spoken at virtually every restaurant in the central areas; menus in English are common in Skadarlija and Savamala. Reservations are recommended for Tri Šešira and Dva Jelena on Friday and Saturday evenings.