Ottos rough guide to Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Its name translates to White city. Belgrade's long and storied history is suggested by its architecture, which varies from Byzantine and Ottoman to neoclassic and romantic buildings in the older neighbourhoods, and from Art Nouveau to brutalism and neo-Byzantine design in New Belgrade. The city's many theatres, museums, monuments and opera houses boast a deep and fissured cultural life while the beaches and rivers attract sunbathers, sports enthusiasts and partygoers on the popular floating river barges that serve as nightclubs. [updated July 2022]
For more information of tourist things to do visit "Visit Belgrade"
So here we go Otto's "baker’s dozen" of must visit pub's in the city of Belgrade;
Restoran Romantika, Savska 6, Belgrade.
Hours: 08:00-22:00
Owned by the Serbian Railways, this restaurant/brewpub brews one beer - Premijer. A pale lager, it’s hardly thrilling, and for 70 dinars for 0.33 (95 for 0.5 I think), possibly the cheapest draft beer in Belgrade? Inside it’s all typical slightly socialist-meets-polished-wood fare, from the architecture to the bartender’s outfits. The service is good with typical Serbian cuisine. There’s a bus (probably tram as well) stop directly in front of it, so you can take any bus going south from the train station for one stop if you’re too lazy to walk!
Samo Pivo, Balkanska 13, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 10-24, Fri-Sat 12-01
This place moved in the summer of 2014 from Milutina Bojica to its current location. They have about two to three times the space here, sort of hidden in an old and run down shopping centre. Inside there are a dozen or so large tables, bar stools all around the edge, plus a large patio with more tables. Good selection of Kabinet beers on tap, 100 different beers in bottle and on tap mostly local stuff and things from the UK and Germany. Service is quick. A place that is growing stronger alongside all of the brewers and distributors in the country who are helping to grow the craft beer scene here. I would put Samo Pivo right at the top, providing a venue for so many locals to explore good beer. A must do visit.
Zlatno Burence, Prizrenska 8, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Sat 09-24
Terrific cheap kafana (bistro) right in the centre. Old school interior, smoky and brown. Very friendly staff. A handful of local beers, with occasional changes and surprises, such as the rare beer from Vrsac (a city north of Belgrade) that everyone thought had ceased to exist. Definitely a great local spot for cheap food and beer, then stay for some nice music and a chilled atmosphere, in a good pub.
Miner’s Pub, Rige od Fere 16, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Thu 14-00, Fri-Sun 14-01
A comfortable pub in the far corner of the Dorcol city centre, near the Kalemegdan fortress. Easily accessible. A good selection of the growing list of available bottles in Serbia, plus a handful of draft Kabinet beers which are tasty and fresh. The ambiance is cool. The price’s are expensive by Serbian standards, but excellent value in comparison to western Europe. Music is sometimes a little too loud, though the tunes are excellent. Like everywhere in Serbia, smoking is allowed virtually throughout. No outside area. But good folks running the pub, good beer selection, and friendly and interesting vibe are all positive.
Pivopija Beershop, Bežanijska ulica 37, Zemun, Belgrade.
Hours: Sun-Mon 12pm-10pm; Tue-Thu 10am-11pm; Fri-Sat 10am-12pm
In a nice location in the Zemun part of town. It’s a fun place, perfectly sized bottle shop and taproom in a funny and very nice old street of old Zemun. Austro-Hungarian architecture and shops you havent seen in “real Belgrade” for years. Lovely vibe, nice service, clean, straightforward bottle availability lists. They’re always adding new and rare (previously unseen for this market) beers. Which must be good for business. Very common sitting setup for a bottle shop that pours its own drinks. Not magical but absolutely a nice place to discover some new beers, especially if you are a visitor. Well worth stopping in.
Passengers Bar, Simina 5, Belgrade.
Hours: 9 AM - 1 AM, Monday to Sunday
A nice more modern brewpub in the Dorcol neighbourhood. Most notable for being the home for the new Kas brewery. Also has Paulaner and other local beer on tap. The food is a relatively interesting selection by Belgrade bar standards, tasty enough pizza and snacks. Worth droping by for the nice garden in the summer or cosy bar in winter for the Kas biers.
Kabinet Pub & Bar, Ulica Milutina Bojića 2, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon - Thu: 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Fri - Sat: 12:00 pm - 1:00 am Sun: 12:00 pm - 12:00 am
The pub has taken over the former Samo Pivo space on Ul Milutina Bojica. Very close to the city centre, but also down a quiet street. This is a very nice alternative bar for trying all the new beers available in Serbia in a quieter setting than the always-crowded Samo Pivo. Great friendly English-speaking staff, Russian owner doesn’t speak much English but is charming and fun. They’re making efforts into getting their own imports, possibly some Russian craft beer? The Pub itself is simple but comfortable. Check it out if you want a little more quiet and less ’ in scene’ kind of bars?
Fat Cat Pub, Visoka 35, Zemun, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-12:00am; Fri-Sat 9am-1am; Sun 9am-12am
Set location is very beautiful at Gardos Tower, you can sit inside or on the patio, in the shadow of the tower, and take in the sweeping views of Belgrade and the rivers. That this small, old cafe is now a beer destination is remarkable and notable. Hurrah. Beers are unique for Belgrade and quite nice for the local palate, even if most European beer drinkers will find nothing new. A few beers that show up nowhere else on draft, and others that are almost unique to the venue. Overall is gorgeous, fun, happy and well serviced pub to visit.
Brodić, Beogradski Sajam / Reka Sava, Vračar, Belgrade.
Hours: 10:00-01:00
Kind of a “funky” place, it is really a handful of docked boats and platforms. Most tables are outside; some are on the various ships. Located on the Sava river inside the grounds of the Beogradski Sajam (Belgrade Fair). Rather hard to get to. It’s very friendly and efficient staff serve up good Pizzas. They have half a dozen beers here, mostly local, plus Paulaner. Nice quirky place.
The Black Turtle Pub III, Gospodar Jovanova 56, Belgrade.
Located in the Dorcol neighbourhood just below the main pedestrian zone and main square, it is a nice neighbourhood bar. Downstairs is a normal bar with stools and a few tables. But upstairs is a more popular chill space with some comfy chairs. Nice place to stop for a while, an oasis from the nearby pedestrian zone. Usually the same beer selection as all the rest of the Black Turtle bars. So, they offer light and dark beers, three fruit syrup mixes (for some unknown reason!), plus one seasonal. Good selection of blues music is usually playing in the background. Great vibe.
The other two bars are;
Kafana Zora (The Black Turtle), Makedonska 7.
The Black Turtle Pub II, Kosančićev Venac 30.
The Federal Association of Globe-Trotters (AUR), Bul. Despota Stefana 7/-1, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Fri 13:00-24:00, Sat-Sun 15:00-24:00.
Wow, Go there! An underground pub where bohemians used to meet to chat about the government. This place is super hard to find! (but way worth the effort) You have to go through a gate and down a passage, turn right, down a set of winding stairs and there you are! No signs of FAGT? It’s across the street from the Optimist’s Klub. Seems some streets here go by different names! A great funky interior, nice tables with a piano and infinite amount of knick knacks adorning the walls, there is also an outdoor garden with plants and water feature as well. Music is jazz playing in the background - perfect ambiance. Beers only get as exciting as Nikšićko Pivo and Tamno.
Majstor za Pivo Homebrewing i Beershop, Žorža Klemensoa 18, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Fri 09-22, Sat-Sun 12-22
A wonderful space with equal focus on the retail bottles and the wholesale to home brewers. The venue itself is nice and is set up to have a beer or two while touring or deciding, but not at all a place to plan a day out. Best in Belgrade selection actually, of the local new beers in particular. Majstor za Pivo often gets new Kabinet beers first. Absolutely worth checking out. But would not be the first beer destination in town to head to.
Restoran Dren, Tošin bunar 216, Belgrade.
Hours: Mon-Sun 9am-1am
Located a little ways from the city centre, or even the main places in New Belgrade you might be visiting, but still a pretty short cab ride. Wedding venue type building, and suitable decor (large tables, lattice, strange photos on wall). This is the only other place in town where you can find the house-brewed beer of Romantika on tap, also inexpensive glasses of the respectable Premijer beer. The food is traditional Serbian, and you can explore all the classic Serbian dishes here. For a small fee you can be serenaded while you dine, and you’re encouraged to join in as well, and most patrons did; but the musicians will not bother you if you don’t want to be bothered. This is very much a place for locals, not touristy at all, and very much worth a visit.
Hope you found this useful, obviously there are a lot more pubs in the city and you may like ones I have not included, remember beer is an adventure it does not matter when you start, just as long as you explore it!
Cheers to beers Otto
