In Belgrade you can go to high budget restaurants, but to be honest the great thing for visitors is trying national food in moderate restaurants. You'll get a much better idea of local flavours, customs and ambience, some of the national rustic dishes are truly delicious and beat high end dining. Also of course, if you go too high end, you eat in places similar to what you can find anywhere in Europe - so my tip is don't look for "best" in the usual understanding, look for popular & typical, you'll have a far better experience.



If you're happy with national food I'll offer my tips, just confrm.



As for parting and clubs, you'll miss the Ada outdoor season but there are some great splav clubs on Zemun Quay (Hotel Jugoslavia on New Belgrade side of the river) and some good ones on Sava Quay also New Belgrade side.



Also bars & clubs around the fortress and along our Silicone valley. That starts from Skadarlija and runs along a street to the fort. Skadarilja is an old street with national restaurants and music.



So you have two key areas for late nights, new belgrade side or old town.

late night bars & clubs are really the only reason for you to visit new belgrade, Zemun is worth a sighseeing stroll.



Here is some info and links: www.belgradeeye.com



Reseverations are not usually necessary you pat door entrance at some not othersm but you pay inflated pricec when inside. Prices though are much much lower than your home city.



All the clubs are different, different music scene etc. In old tow it's eay to find and choose what you like, follow locals. From Old town you'll need a taxi to Hotel Jugoslavia and all is in front of you - go late.



Tell me how long you're in townr and where staying, I'll then offer some restaurant tips.



Stoofer

huh, lets try. recently i usually go just for drinks with friends or on concerts.



so, in the center of the town there is pub called optimist, atmosphere there is always good and they have good beer. that can be start (ratebeer.com/Place/9382.htm)

check this site for hard partying am really of the path :)



http://www.belgradeeye.com/clubs.html

P.S. to above:



Sorry, by silicone valley (local name) I mean the street called Strahinjica Bana, on a map look to Skadarilja sq. it runs from there (off skadarska) to the fort. It's a fun area to explore at night.



Stoofer



& Edit P.S



Where is Milica?

Not seen her for a long time.

smallEdited: 9:44 am, September 14, 2010/small

A great hotel location!



Depends on how many days/nights but in this order would be my recs.



I'll list this with my favourites in a way I can refer others to later, saves me duplicating again, so a cross section of places I like and that are typical:



Evenings:



1, A meal in Skadarlija (on skadarska) a number of famous national restaurants where the focus is on traditional ambience, music and menues, slight downside is the food is not the best in the city it's the one area that could be classed as touristy but it's a must visit area for dinner. I'd choose, Three hats, My hat or Ima Dana. Just go into one that suits your eye. Ima Dana has a nice closed terrace, inside it's a bit modern so the other two would be best if has to be inside, old oak pannels etc. This is the one place that the food will be ok and possibly disappointing but go anyway, you'll enjoy the evening.



2. Kalemagdan Terrace restaurant, quite fine dining with live piano or classical music. Pre-dinner drinks in the garden below and above, with views out to Danube. Consistently good food and service, internatiional menu but excellent local specialities too, try things like Karadardeva snicla they do it great here and a good selection of serbian quality wines here..

This is one of the higher end restaurants but local national dishes are still modest price, some specialities and wines are more expensive.



3, Restaurant ? (question mark) For history and traditional good food.

Though it's been closed, hope is reopening soon.



The above a 10 min walk from hotel - 15 min to Kalemegdan.



4, Restaurant Frans, international and national. Popular with the local well to do. Taxi or tram 9. It's not far from St Sava church. Not far out.



AS well as this, go visit the splavs at night near hotel Jugoslavia (taxi), many to choose from, go for busy ones.



Long lunch or evening without music:



Go local traditional and take a tram, bus or taxi to Automkomanda, past Frans restaurant down towards the roundabout next to the two football stadiums.



5, Restauran Sport on the roundabout and



6, Avalica opposite Red Star stadium shop.



You'll be unlikely to see anyone but locals in these places, the food is excellent and they now have english menu, I was in Avalica last week, these are some of the last to have english menues now everywhere in the city. Heavenly food, truly authentic.



In local places, national food must trys are Sarma or paprika (stuffed cabbage or stuffed peppers and a selection of Rostill, bbq meats, precenje, spit roasted pork or lamb.



If you go somewhere like Avalica or Sport, ask for a Voz Rostilj meaning roast meat train literally, it's a feast selection of the different styles

of meat preperation. Especially in a group it's ideal.

Tell the waiter you want to try speciality sides, hot chilli, sweet chilly, red pepper sauce, other staples in every restaurant are pjeskavica and cevapcici. Basically a burger (best with kajmak cheese) or mince sausage, but good quality and local sausages are great - kobasica. All with side salads to suit and fantastic bread, fresh baked.



Try to enjoy serbian style, have a sliva before food, local wine with it. etc.



Further out:



Ada Safari for fish soup and fish or traditional dishes, on a restaurant on legs over a small lake, unusal, not fine food but nice ambience. Requires Taxi or train bus to Ada Ciganlija. The waiter here wil look after you.



The splavs near Hotel Jugoslavia (taxi required) have some nice floating restaurants. It's best to take your pick but follow the ones that are busy.

All different styles.



By morning and day, try burek sa mesom from bakeries , if you want fast food. burgers and the like serbian style, go to Slavia gold grill (on Slavia itself) on the roundabout or (opposite restaurant Sport I recommended earlier) is a place called Duff. Here they have a bar, take a beer and order from the grill.



If you are really brave, go behind Duff and you'll see a small kafana in a dirty side street. Opposite is a BBQ and butchers shop, looks run down. You order the meat you like the look of, pay and it's grilled while you wait, you can eat it in the Kafana or take away - very cheap - excellent quality but it's full of older locals with not much englisdh spoken, so be very respectful and not in anyway on a high through beer etc. It's the only place I'd say that. Oh and up the hill just past Restauran Sport is Balkan Grill, fast food - also good.



There are many similar places in the city, these are just places I happen to like and go regularly myself. On Knezmihilova there is an excellent national restaurant but it's name escapes me, I've not been for a while, I'll think of it later.



Final tip for luinch another butcher but easier for tourists. Just past the theatre is a shop calle Big Bull, just ask someone. Go in the shop, downstairs is a restaurant using the meat from above. Excellent and low cost.



Now I'm hungry!



Stoofer

smallEdited: 11:59 am, September 14, 2010/small

If you go to Optimist as Milica suggests, you are just across the street from Skadarlija, walk down there to Straninjica Bana as I suggested in earlier post. From here and along this street you will see the 'pretty young things', lots of pre-party cocktails etc. Then follow the local groups towards the fort where they'll be hitting several clubs.



Stoofer

P,S.

Forgot one of my regular stops and a local character waiter, near the Park, a run down looking place 'Park Restauran'. It's opposite the entrance to the park (funny enough). Go at lunch on a nice day, to sit in the tatty garden. The food is great - a kobasica and beer lunch with salad an ideal stop off when sightseeing. Their Pleca and cevap is good too.



As with all recs. here, even fast food, the meat is from organic small producers, highest quality and taste. And by going a bit 'underground' like here, Big Bull shop, Autokomanda you are eating what locals eat at the right price.



One final thing worth noting , outside of Skadarlija, Belgrade is not really a place where restaurants will try and rip you off. The standards are pretty set, some mediocre but I don't know any rank places to be avoided and I don't know any rip-offs. Therefore if you see a place that appeals to you, don't be afraid to go in.



Stoofer

smallEdited: 12:51 pm, September 14, 2010/small

Hi,

I'm Ivan and I'm the owner of the first concierge agency in Belgrade and in Balkan region as well. I can make full program for you and your friends for your budget. It will include accommodation, transport, and night life.

Send me an email on ivan@belgrade-vip.com and check out my web site www.belgrade-vip.com



See you in Belgrade!

here i am stoofer, and i ll try to add some info although you covered almost everything.

area which is great for nice dinner is zemun, also one of very popular clubs/restaurant called "Reka" is on zemun key. try not to miss that place, usually it is packed and you should have a reservation, but the good time is guaranteed. place itself is restaurant, but to be honest, food is not their main thing. live music and good atmosphere ensures packed place almost every night. so, i dont know how long you are staying, but try to get there. also, on zemun key there are couple of good restaurants, different kind, fish, national, international. just visit the one you like and you cant make a mistake.

than, one thing you should know about belgrade, best kafanas (traditional restaurants) with good traditional food are usually located near markets. for example, skadarlija is near bajloni market. next best market is kalenic market and of course you have an old kafana called kalenic. that area of the city is called cubura and it is located after slavija (ask in your hotel, am sure you ll get instructions how to get there).

also, there is one really good kafana called cubura, there you ll get really good ajvar ("pate" made of red peppers, extremely tasteful). than dont miss Serbian favourite unhealthy food : kajmak, you can get it in any good kafana.



my suggestion would be to go to some smaller kafanas, like the one i mentioned near kalenic or question mark kafana (that one is at the end of the knez mihailova street near the church).

for best fast food in the center, try to find place called cica, you ll taste best cevapi in town. cevapi are mainly bosnian thing so this is a touch of sarajevo in belgrade. cica is placed in vuk karadzic street. it is one of the streets crossing the pedestrian knez mihailova, ask around am sure you ll find it easily.



regarding hard partying am little bit of the path these days, but in belgrade you can find whatever you want. it depends what kind of clubs you prefer, tell me and maybe i can guide you a bit.