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The stereotype of chain smoking, hard liquor and red meat may still apply to Serbian 🇷🇸 pub culture, but since our first visit in 2013 much has changed. You will find a far more diverse offering, from the humble Pivnica with its honest charms to cutting edge craft beer bars collaborating with world famous breweries. You’ll find repurposed industrial space, and the full gamut of the alternative scene from hidden bars with community activities to quirky twee cafés to see-and-be-seen courtyards and galleries. This adds a much needed splash of colour to Belgrade’s skyline.

There is a lot to get stuck into if you’re prepared to explore Belgrade. Colossal gilded temples, Brutalist monoliths, ‘urban exploring’, an ancient fortress and the sense that, warts-and-all, this is a significant place.

You’ll find the main groupings of bars in Downtown, Savamala near the river to the west and Cetinjska, a brewery complex in the old town which has been turned into a sprawling centre of activity. However, you should also look for the brewpubs of Dorćol and neighbourhood bars and alternative spots in Vračar.

We have tried to devise a route that exhibits a good range of what Belgrade has to offer. Ready to get started?

The Route Map:

Stop #1 is World Traveller’s Club 🇷🇸

Bulevar despota Stefana 7

Founded in 1999, acquiring the nickname ‘Grandma’s house’, this hidden bar and cultural centre is one of Serbia’s most famous bars. Decades later, it maintains the original sense of place and purpose with vintage furniture, friendly service and a deliberately international, collegiate atmosphere hosting cultural events and exchanges, live music and talks, and generally being a set of good people. Despite the basement location (trust the address and walk through the unmarked hallway – it is there) there is a leafy atrium if you fancy some fresh air (or what counts for that in central Belgrade) and even after one visit you come away feeling like if you lived here, you’d be in this place a lot. That’s as good a compliment as you can pay a bar. The other good thing about it is it opens early but down there it genuinely feels like it could be any time of day or night.

Upon leaving, turn right at the exit and around the corner to Skadarska, the main street of central Belgrade’s historic cultural centre Skadarlija with cobbled streets, ‘old’ taverns, tamburica players and famous (irritating) rose sellers. Craft beer fans, or anyone seeking a backup may wish to look into Kafe Sikarica 🇷🇸 for Dogma beer brewed in Belgrade. But the plan is to wander around to the end of Skadarska, turn right, then look for an industrial complex. If you see anything like this, you’ve arrived:

Wander through ‘Graffiti Alley’, that dark bit past the BBQ joint, the rock climbing place and several car parks lightly decorated with miscellany and you’ll emerge to a courtyard where you’re surrounded by bars and restaurants. This is Cetinjska, a repurposed brewery complex, and a good evening can be had all on its own by hanging around here. Other bars such as chic and artsy Polet 🇷🇸 are worth a look, but our next stop is….

Stop #2 is Bluz i pivo 🇷🇸

Cetinjska 15

At the focal point (which is unfortunately still partly a working car park) you’ll find Bluz i pivo, a roadhouse type frontage with vivid interior and live gigs which kicks off Belgrade’s city centre nightlife. Still a little bit ad hoc, funky and fairly unpretentious in its open informality and a key part of the ruin-bar-a-like experience of Cetinjska, particularly when things get going in the evening.

A stop on Skadarska itself would be appropriate – we are on holiday after all, right? Now for a change of dynamic.

Stop #3 is Riddle Bar 🇷🇸

The concept of Riddle that you won’t know quite what you’ve ordered. The staff begin a conversation about what cocktails you like and try to pare it down so the waiter can mix you a bespoke drink. This naturally leads to varied results – even if what’s produced doesn’t match your needs, people tend to enjoy it anyway. The cocktails are made to a good standard and a reasonable price overall, The bar itself is on the 1st floor. Not really hidden, but requiring ringing a bell and staff to escort you upstairs. You’ll find the bar an engaging, atmospheric place with curtains and sweeping curved lines reminiscent of a cinema bar or some backstage private event. It’s all put together pretty effectively and adds variety, flair and colour to your evening.

The booze and sugar should be working its magic at this point, so head up the hill to Republic Square and take in the rather austere sights of central Belgrade. Vienna this is not. Curve to the left down Terazije and you are in the dead centre at this point with big grey city buildings interspersed with the occasional neoclassical oddity like Hotel Moskva. The next stop has a superbly grim entrance. Feast your eyes on that:

As luck would have it, at the top of those stairs is the premiere craft beer bar in the whole of the Balkans.

Stop #4 is Samo Pivo 🇷🇸

Balkanska 13

You may be too terrified to walk up the broken steps past the broken escalator into the graffiti strewn surroundings covered in stagnant water and dirt, but if you want to come here, that’s where you’re going. Enter to find a repurposed retail unit with open plan room simply furnished and nicer, colourful terrace which comes alive later on. With 2 dozen taps cover a wide base of styles with the emphasis on local beers from independent brewers, and an otherwise competent set up and surroundings, you can’t look past Samo Pivo on your rounds across Belgrade.

After a fairly casual skirt around the first 4 venues, it’s time to put your walking boots on. This should provide a bit of a break from drink and allow for some sightseeing. The route takes you past the iconic Serbian Parliament building and church of Saint Mark, major landmarks in the city, and allows you take in some greenery in the Tashmajdan park.

The next venue of choice leaves behind some of the corporate trappings – here is a truly alternative evening venue.

Stop #5 is Kvaka 22 🇷🇸

Ruzveltova 39

The quest to find the true alternative scene in Belgrade led here: ‘Catch 22’, where cultural events covering exhibitions, formal dancing, live performances, community get-togethers and plain old hanging out overlap, coincide, and blend into one another. A loft space in an unmarked previously abandoned building, you enter via a ground floor door surrounded by a mural, tempted by the sounds of socialising and music coming from the top floor. This is one of the true seats of dynamic culture in the city as opposed to some of the more mainstream poseur venues in the centre. For variety, adventure’s sake and a sense of being in the zeitgeist, this is the place to go.

Stop #6 is Pivski Zabavnik 🇷🇸

Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 136 (off street in a small shopping arcade just east of the junction with Sinđelićeva street)

For my money, this little bar has what Samo Pivo lacks, a bit of heart and soul. The bar occupies the central courtyard of an old shopping arcade next to a laundrette and a massage parlour at the back. It’s a tiny little retail unit they’ve built a mezzanine area inside and put benches and barrels in the courtyard to expand it. Check opening times and don’t be deterred if you visit and you can’t find it – If the shutters are down, you will not see any signs for it except the benches and barrels. The execution of this bar is very good and attracts a local, friendly and social crowd. This is where you could easily meet new friends and make connections. It benefits from being just far enough outside the centre to feel like it isn’t trying to impress anyone externally. The beers are local, Serbian and craft in focus, meeting a high standard. All in all, if you enjoy beer without the hype and marketing b.s, this is an essential stop off in Belgrade.

Moving to our penultimate destination now, the road ahead may be becoming a little blurry, but remember to keep drinking water and take a break when you feel like it. It’s a manageable stroll, easy to navigate, an inverted L shape passing by a mini park with lots of pigeons.

Stop #7 is Monk’s Bar 🇷🇸

The area Monk’s is situated is about the first part of central Belgrade that begins to feel like the suburbs rather than another city street, and that atmosphere travels into the bar itself with a relaxed but happy, chatty atmosphere. Enter an alley to discover a beautiful lantern-lit courtyard with plants climbing all around you, and a 1st floor bar adjacent to it with musical theme decoration and good views outside. There’s an ease to the experience that makes it instantly likeable, particular in the late evenings. Maybe some of the finer details – better drinks, a few more touches to the decoration could be tweaked, but it all clicks when you’re there.

Stop #8 is Chillton Bar 🇷🇸

Katanićeva 7

The last stop is en route to Saint Sava’s Temple, one of the truly dazzling highlights of Eastern Europe. Be sure to take a peek in there at some point during your stay. As for this bar, it is situated in a previously derelict building taken over and repurposed across two floors with a clandestine loft bar and lower floor for hanging out, letting loose and worrying about appearances some other time. This is no basic dive bar though, as they stock Serbian craft beers from small independently owned brewers. As for activities, you’ll find books, a football table, and cultural events attracting a range of people. Ignore the cruddy name, here is one of a handful of genuinely alternative places in the centre of Belgrade. A must-visit for quiet afternoon lounging or -as here – towards the end of an evening. 

Should any of the above 8 venues be closed we have a series of recommended backup venues for you:

Other recommendations:

KC Grad 🇷🇸 – Established in 2009, this bar and cultural centre was part of an initiative to renovated the dilapidated Sava Mala neighbourhood, which is now something approaching hipster circa 2023. Not really alternative as such, more a mainstream co-opting of certain appearance and activity, but nevertheless a venue well worth a visit. With its lamplit courtyard among a ruin-bar scene of trees and dereliction, nightlife is buzzy and you feel at the centre of the action. Upstairs is an art gallery and performance space, while the downstairs is rather under-exploited given the amount of space. For variety and especially warm summer evenings, this should be on your Belgrade hit list.

Kafe Šupa 🇷🇸 – A welcoming, hippy, mis-fit café bar that does everything just that bit better than most. Truly alternative still, even in its twee way, it represents an audience that don’t have much else in this area. Whether it’s the colourful upstairs, slightly scuzzy downstairs or mini terrace, the ramshackle feel pervades, and you can enjoy it with anything from a home made fruit juice to a Serbian craft beer on tap to a shot of pelinkovac. It’s up to you. Distinctive and worth a shot if it sounds like your kinda thing

Docker Brewery Taproom 🇷🇸 – Huge warehouse turned brewpub in Dorćol with wide beer range, courtyard hangout and hipster environs.

Gvint Taproom 🇷🇸 – Brewpub in a former industrial complex now turned into a courtyard hangout. Focus on European styles.

Strogi Centar 🇷🇸 – Funky, if fairly mainstream apartment bar decorated with a sprawling jungle-like mural with funky little adornments on the tables. This 1st floor venue has plenty of rooms to explore though may feel a tad barren when quiet, it certainly compensates during the evenings. Anyone who still adheres to the concept of a Friday night should keep this in mind.

Verona 🇷🇸 – Somewhat of a throwback, this popular Pivnica focuses on the core values of pubgoing – a cosy sense of community and welcome in a natural social, communal space. As the pub says, the only thing Italian about it is the name, but that much is already clear from peering at the menu and the interior. A half-step basement with vaulted ceiling, beams and smokey environment, this is about beer, cigs and chat, with a few meals emerging now and then. It isn’t an intimidating ‘old man’ place and you’ll find a true range of people enjoying the unpretentious atmosphere. Several taps, albeit mainly middling selection.

The Black Turtle 🇷🇸 – Famous pubby, Belgrade backpackers bar, a convenient option near Kalmegdan fortress.

Gunners Pub 🇷🇸 – Beer fans will enjoy the wide selection at this quite full-on, smokey but fairly charmless venue.

Tri Kralja 🇷🇸 – Very good beer selection at this neighbourhood pub, Three Kings, which otherwise offers a straight bat conventional approach as a venue that, if you stripped away the Cyrillic could be found anywhere from Upper West Side to Bangkok.

Domaci Pub 🇷🇸 – Domestic Pub. Unshowy name and very unshowy bar, a little 2 floor Balkans café bar. Smokey and local, you won’t find this mentioned much even on the beer circuit, but it is owned by one of the original doyens of Belgrade’s craft beer movement, someone who can show you through their extensive range.

Alo Alo 🇷🇸 – While advertised as a pizza restaurant, the atmosphere in practise is much more that of a pub, with plenty of room for just socialising with a drink, among a most peculiar theme, the British comedy series Allo Allo. Yes, this is not a joke! Memorabilia festooned on every inch of wall space. Unless you’re in that particular category of people who just want to drink the best beer in any environment, this is well worth your time as a novelty and for sheer bizarreness.

Interested in more Serbian bars? Head over to our Serbia 🇷🇸 page!