Dan and I had a wonderful meal at LiLi HomeMade Food in Berat, Albania this summer. Highly recommend LiLi if you find yourself in Berat. This post shares our dining experience.
LiLi’s traditional sign.
Berat was Dan and my first stop on our Albania vacation this summer. This article provides some information on traveling to Berat, as I could not find much good information online prior to our visit.
Berat, Albania!
Berat, Albania is an Ottoman city in central Albania on the Osum River. Referred to as the “city of 1,000 windows,” Berat is located around a 1.5 hour drive from Albania’s capital, Tirana, and a 5 hour drive from Saranda. Berat is famous for its well preserved architecture influenced by the Ottomans and Byzantines, including both churches and mosques and those famous windowed buildings. Designated a UNSECO site in 2008, Berat is also famous for its hill top castle that is still inhabited to-date. I recommend spending at least 1 full day and 2 nights in Berat to see everything Berat has to offer, longer if you have more time or want to visit surrounding wineries.
Roadside in Berat pointing toward the Kala.
For tourist purposes, Berat is split into three areas: the Kala, the Mangalem, and the Gorica area. The Kala is at the verrrry top of Berat and is an inhabited old castle. The Mangalem the old part of Berat, and in my opinion the most important for tourists purposes. When you look at the 1000 Windows view, you are looking at the Mangalem. Gorcia is across the Osum River from the Managlem and is, from what I heard, a bit more modern. All are pretty close to each other and easy to walk between (except the Kala, which is up a steeeeeep hill).
Compact Berat can be quickly “done” in a day, or can occupy several relaxing days. Dan and I spent three nights and two full days in Berat. We felt like we had plenty of time to see and do everything, but we were not rushed. Here’s what we did, and a few things we missed.
1000 Windows view. The “1000 Windows” view is the postcard of Berat. Catching the view takes only a few minutes, but its worth catching at different times of the day. To see the famous view, cross the Old Bridge to the Gorica area. The best views, IMHO, are from both sides of the Old Bridge.
The famous view. Just as pretty in person.
The Kala (aka Castle of Berat). The Kala is Berat’s second most famous site (again, IMHO). Located a very steep walk (or short taxi ride) from Berat’s town center, the Kala is a somewhat intact citadel built in the 13th century, but apparently dating back centuries longer. Once at the Kala, you will notice that it’s still inhabited and a number of shops and restaurants operate for tourists.
Long way up to the Kala.
Almost at the top! Starts to look al little like Italy!
Views from Berat Castle.
Inside Berat Castle. Again, looks like Italy!
The Onufri Iconography Museum. This museum inside the Kala is dedicated to Byzantine art and iconography and is worth a 30 minute (or longer if you are interested in this area of art) visit. The Onufri Museum is actually inside the 18th-century St. Mary’s Church and holds some fantastic orthodox iconographic paintings, including by its namesake Onufri, a painting headmaster of the 16th century!
A highlight of the Onufri Iconography Museum.
Church of St. Mary of Vllaherna. Also in the Kala, the Church of St. Mary of Vllaherna is a bit of a walk from the Kala’s entrance. Due to this, and the 100 F weather, we skipped this church. That being said, its supposed to be well-preserved and I’m confident the views would be great. You can see it way up on on the hill from the Gorica area.
We didn’t walk up to the Church – this is a view from below.
The Ethnographic Museum. In addition to the Onufri Iconography Museum, the Ethnographic Museum gets high marks from visitors. We skipped this museum in favor of an air conditioned nap, but I heard it’s quite nice inside a traditional house.
The Bulevardi Republika. Bulevardi Republika is a pedestrian promenade at the bottom of Berat near the Ostuni river. The promenade is lined with cafes and makes for fantastic people watching in the late evening, especially on the weekends. We loved watching multigenerational families taking their evening promenade and enjoying the day. To do this, we simply set up with drinks and/or shisha at an outdoor table at one of the many cafes (Bar Bazar, with relatively decent cocktails and shisha, was our favorite). If you are more for a promenade yourself, street vendors set up in the evening (corn is particularly popular!) and dogs seemingly without masters will be joining you!
Bulevardi Republika.
Shisha on the Bulevardi Republika.
Loved the people watching here!
Drinks on Bulevardi Republika.
A statute at the end of the Boulevard of a girl playing a flute. She was apparently a heroine and member of the anti-nazi resistance during the second world war.
The Old and New Bridges. While not necessarily a “sight,” two bridges in Berat cross the Osum River, linking the Mangalem and Gorica districts. Both are worth a cross over if that interests you. While the Old Bridge is much prettier, the new one sways a tiny bit when you cross it.
The Old Bridge.
The new bridge.
Churches and Mosques. Berat is home to numerous churches and mosques that frame the small city’s skyline. Definitely photographable.
St. Demetrius Cathedral.
Albania wineries. Berat is right in the middle of Albania’s small “wine country.” Yes, like its neighbors Montenegro and Serbia, Albania also produces its own wine, mostly for domestic consumption. In fact, many restaurants will serve their own wine produced by family members. We visited two wineries within about 20 – 30 minutes via car from Berat: the Cobo Winery and Alpeta. We preferred Alpeta due to its stunning setting, but either or both are worth a visit.
Cobo Winery.
Alpeta winery in Berat.
We definitely did not miss out on good food in Albania. Berat is home to many restaurants, most serving traditional Berati fare – think meats, fresh vegetables, local wine, etc. Here are some of the places we ate – reservations probably not required except at Lili!
LiLi Homemade Food. LiLi Homemade Food is a restaurant actually inside Lili’s home in the Mangalem district of Berat serving local Berati food. And, true to its name, everything is homemade! We loved our meal at LiLi, and it was probably the best of the trip (certainly in Berat)! I’m going to write more on LiLi, but in sum, the food was fantastic, the service top notch, and the entirety of the below pictured table was only $26 USD. Make a reservation and eat here if you are in town.
$26 US meal at LiLi.
Restaurant Onufri. Located inside Hotel Onufri, we had our first Berati dinner here. Arriving late, we split a salad and the Vienz or “Berati Beef,” and it was the best Vienz that we had in Berat! The Vienz or Berati beef is actually not beef at all, but fried pork stuffed with cheese. Hotel Onufri’s was excellent. The salad was basically a Greek salad and was quite fresh. We would have dined at Restaurant Onufri again had we stayed more days in Berat.
Albanian version of a Greek salad.
The Vienz.
Eni Traditional Food. Our second dinner in Berat was in the Gorica area, across the Old Bridge from the Mangalem district. Receiving very high ratings on Trip Advisor, Eni serves a simple menu of traditional Berati food. We opted for the Vienz, stuffed peppers and eggplant, a dish of potatoes topped with a local sauce, and local Berati bread with olive oil and garlic. The food was good, but not fantastic as portrayed on Trip Advisor. The homemade red wine, however, was excellent. Our waiter, the owners’ son, also spoke great English.
Menu at Eni.
Piccolo Grande Amore. We had our first lunch at Piccolo Grande Amore based on its Trip Advisor reviews. Piccolo Grande Amore is located on the top floor of a building in the Mangolem very close to the Saint Demetrius Cathedral. After climbing about three flights of stairs, we reached the restaurant and were treated to phenomeal views of Berat, which was definitely the best part about Piccolo Grande Amore. In terms of food, my pizza was meh (and I got ham in lieu of mushrooms…), but Dan’s local lamb stewed in something like collared greens was quite good, especially with local garlic bread.
Stunning views from Piccolo Grande Amore.
My “mushroom pizza” at Piccolo Grande Amore…
Dan’s local dish. Very good!
Complimentary fruit for dessert. This was common almost everywhere we went.
Heaven Kitchen. We opted here for an early lunch before our wine tour based on the fact that I thought they were serving gyro style sandwiches. In any case, they were not serving same when we visited, but we did split a good sandwich with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, and french fries. I also ordered some fries topped with cheese and ham. Both dishes were terribly inexpensive, made to order right in front of us, and were pretty tasty. We came back a second day.
Veggie sandwich with frites.
Fries with cheese and pork; breakfast of champions.
Hotel Bar Kalaja. Hotel Bar Kalaja is a bar and casual restaurant located near to the entrance of the Kala with indoor and outdoor seating. We stopped here post exploring the castle for Birra Tirana, the national beer. The beer was cold and cheap, and the bar was pretty packed when we visited before noon!
Hotel Bar Kalaja.
My very first Tirana beer at Hotel Bar Kalaja.
Dan and I stayed at the homey Hotel Onfru in the Mangalem district of Berat. Hotel Onufri was very nice, especially for the price. Our room, while basic, included a King size bed, a toilet with a small but large enough shower, and excellent air conditioning and Wifi (both surprising). The total for our room was $45 USD/night and included a basic breakfast. A steal! The feel of hotel was old-school, almost like something out of the 70s that had not been updated. We had no complaints, however, and would stay here again. Wifi and air conditioning were fantastic.
The outside of Hotel Onufri.
Not our room, but a similar room in Hotel Onufri (our window was much smaller).
Selections from the breakfast buffet at Hotel Onufri.
For those looking for a place to stay in Berat, I recommend staying the Mangalem or Gorica districts. This will put you within walking distance of most of the town. Anything further out may require a car and staying at the castle is a far walk from most of Berat’s restaurants and bars.
For those spending two nights and one day in Berat, I recommend starting your full day with a walk or taxi ride up to the castle. Make your way first to the Church of St. Mary of Vllaherna then back to the the Onufri Iconography Museum. Stop for a snack and a beer before walking back down into town. On your way into town, if of interest, visit the Ethnographic Museum. In the late afternoon, cross the New Bridge and walk over to the Old Bridge, crossing back. You will get the famous 1000 Windows view on this week. In the evening, find a spot to people watch, or promenade yourself, down Bulevardi Republika. End your day with dinner at LiLi HomeMade Food. This is a packed day, especially if its hot, but gets in everything!
First, the entire town of Berat felt like it was under construction, and would be for years to come. I’m talking half built buildings, downed wires, very unstable walking paths, and the like. As such be sure to wear appropriate footwear and know that Berat is probably not the best destination for those with mobility issues. We walked and climbed a lot of stairs. It was treacherous.
On that note, take care walking around. The driving was a bit crazy from my point of view.
Carry cash in Albanian LEK. Many restaurants only accept cash. ATMs are easy to find in the tourist center of town.
There is a grocery store at the corner of the road leading up to the Kala (credit cards accepted). A good stop for edible souvenirs and food for rentals.
In terms of food, you can’t rely on Trip Advisor or Yelp for good recommendations. Neither are frequently used here.
Also in terms of food, there are lots of veggie options available. That being said, there can be translation issues. Be very specific about what you cannot eat if you have restrictions (maybe even bring it in writing in Albanian?). I ordered a mushroom pizza for lunch one day and received a pizza with ham and peppers…. Proceed accordingly.
There are a lot of dogs in Berat that seem to run around freely without masters. The dogs that we encountered were all friendly but this could be a problem for people afraid of dogs.
Hotel Onufri: Basic hotel right in the center of Berat. Excellent air conditioning and wifi (both up to US standards). Small breakfast buffet included. Credit card accepted. This is also the home of the Onufri Restaurant.
LiLi Homemade Food: Rruga Llambi Guxhumani, Berat, Albania. Reservations absolutely necessary. We made them by walking by 1 day in advance, which was a big gamble, but we could find a working number. Cash only. Excellent English spoken.
Eni Traditional Food: Rruga Nikolla Buhuri, 5001, Albania.
Piccolo Grande Amore: 1 minute walk from Saint Demetrius Cathedral on, Rruga Rilindja 5001, Berat, Albania. Pizza restaurant serving local fare, too. Many steps to reach the restaurant. No elevator.
Heaven Kitchen: No website. Very close to the Old Bridge. Open pretty much all day. Budget food.
Hotel Bar Kalaja: Super casual bar/restaurant for a stop after visiting the castle. Inexpensive.
Cobo Winery: Ura Vajgurore, 1001, Albania. While we did see tourists walk up for a tasting, I recommend reaching out in advance to ensure Corbo is open and a spot is available for a tour and tasting.
When I planned my trip to Albania, I went back and forth on whether to stay in Saranda, the large beach city in Southern Albania, or Ksamil, a small town just south of Saranda with “the most beautiful beaches.” I elected for the latter based on the promise of the most beautiful beaches. After staying there, I am not confident that it indeed has the most beautiful beaches, but it was a relaxing stay for a few days with a gorgeous coastline. This article provides valuable information for those planning a trip to Ksamil. Side note – this information is from the July; Ksamil is different off season.
Ksamil (silent “K”) is a tiny beach town 12 kilometers south of Saranda, Albania. Located between the turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea and the mussel filled waters of Butrint Lagoon, with three idyllic islands within swimming distance of Ksamil, Ksamil is extremely popular with Albanian and foreign beachgoers in the summer. The fact that its directly across from Corfu, Greece and accessible by a 30 minute ferry adds to its charm.
Dan & I are big wine fans, and we love trying wine in less popular wine destinations. For example, we’ve done wine tours in South Africa, Montenegro, and Mendoza, to name a few. We spent a long weekend in Belgrade, Serbia last fall and upon researching for our trip, learned that Serbia has a wine country! Yes, Serbia has a wine country (actually multiple ones!) that is quite good, complete with its own indigenous grapes! As such, we promptly booked a wine tour.
Sparking wine tasting at Aleksandrović Vineyards!
Our tour, which we did with Private Serbia Tours, took us around the Šumadija wine region in central Serbia to three different wineries. It was actually supposed to have been four wineries, but one was unexpectedly closed due to a sewage issue… Our tour started early in the morning with a pick up at our hotel in Belgrade. We were the only two on the tour, so after the pick up, we drove about an hour outside of Belgrade to visit the first winery. The drive was on a modern highway, and our guide told us that we were only a six hour drive from Thessoloniki. Had I know that, I would have tried to squeeze in some Greece on this trip! Once we got off the highway, the countryside was quite different than Belgrade. Few modern cards; lots of tractors and horse drawn contraptions.
The Serbian countryside.
We reached Despotika Winery, our first stop on this tour, about an hour or so after our pickup! Despotika is a young and hip winery, making grapes with both traditional (i.e. French) grapes and indigenous Serbian grapes. Despotika’s theme is – “We’re still not the oldest, biggest and most famous, but we decided to be the best.” Love it, and also love that Despotika lived up to this theme! In addition to being the best, Despotika is designed to be really cool, and the owners have put a lot of work into this place. Lots of art and cool architecture. This would be a fabulous place for a wedding!
Welcome to Despotika (that’s Despotika in Serbian Cyrillic on the flags).
One of the cool art installations on the property.
Despotika’s vineyards.
Our tour of Despotika began with a walk through the property, which included sightings of grapes being harvested and the extensive wine cellar, and ended with a tasting – and by tasting I mean nearly a full glass – of seven wines. Yes, seven wines. The tasting was a mix between white and reds and well known grapes and local varieties. The entirety of the tour took about 1.5 hours, and Despotika ended up being our favorite stop on the tour! I think Despotika had the coolest grounds and the best wine (true to its slogan!).
Barrel room.
Despotika also has a really interesting wine museum with lots of Serbian wine artifacts that we visited as part of the tour and a decent gift shop. Very interesting. Pro tip – buy Despotika wine at the vineyard. Prices at the vineyard were wayyy better than at the airport.
A really cool glass grape piece from Despotika’s museum. Would love this for my house!
After drinking a lot of good wine at Despotika, our guide drove us to the capital of the Šumadija region, Topola, for a visit to the well-known King’s Winery. The King’s Winery is part Serbian wine museum and part small winery. The King’s Winery started years ago when the Serbian Royal Family grew grapes on the surrounding hills and produced Trijumf (the name is currently in use by winery Aleksandrović) wine. Production stopped due to the conflicts in the area in the late 1900s, but picked back up in the early 2000s. Today, the King’s Winery produces a limited amount of wine each year, which you can purchase on the property.
The King’s Winery.
At the King’s Winery, we did a self-tour of the historic wine cellar, which has wine making equipment from the early 1900s and an amazing wine cellar housing some really old bottles. The visiting was quite interesting, and shed some light on historic Serbian wine production.
Some of those really old bottles in the Kings Winery.
After our self-guided walk-through the cellar, we tried two tiny tastings of the King Winery’s wine. These wines were not nearly as good as Despotika. But I guess good wine is not really the point of the Royal Winery…
Tiny tasting of red at the King’s Winery.
We skipped buying a bottle the King’s Winery. I mean, we we were worried about running into serious luggage weight issues… Since our third stop, which was also our lunch stop, was closed, we ended up having an al fresco lunch in the town of Topola (name that I cannot pronounce in the pic below).
The restaurant where we lunched!
For lunch, I finally tried the national Jelen beer and Dan and I both ordered pasta. The meal was fine, but the al fresco seating was the real winner. The restaurant’s terrace was lovely! If you do eat here, the portions are enormous, definitely large enough to share.
The final winery that we visited on this tour was Aleksandrović Winery. Aleksandrović is one of the most well-branded Serbian wineries and one of the few that exports its wines outside of Serbia. Aleksandrović’s most famous wine is a line called Triump (i.e. Trijumf from the King’s Winery) and its all over Serbia.
Welcome to Aleksandrović!
At Aleksandrović, we watched a short video about the winery, took a tour of the barrel room, and then moved to the back deck for the wine tasting. Unlike Despotika, Aleksandrović requires patrons to purchase tastings by the wine, but its only a few dollars per taste (which is just smaller than a 1/2 glass). I think we tasted five wines for about $15 per person. The wine was good, but not as good as Despotika. The best things about Aleksandrović are its wine selection of wines and the gorgeous tasting setting. Of the three wineries that we visited, this would be the easiest to visit on your own.
One of the reds.
View from Aleksandrović’s tasting room.
Serbian Private Tours: We did the Royal Footprints Wine Tour for 219 Euro for both of us. The price included door to door transportation, all wine tastings, an English guide (also the driver), and a little gift at the end of the tour. For the entire day, I thought this was worth the price. That being said, it is expensive for Serbia.
Despotika Winery: 11423 Vlaski Do, Smederevska Palanka. T: +381 26 302 126
E: vinarija@vinarijadespotika.rs. You can do tastings on your own. I recommend calling or emailing in advance to set up a tour and tasting. Since its a young, working winery, I am not certain tours are offered daily.
King’s Winery: Zdužbina Kralja Petra I, Oplenac bb, 34310 Topola, Oplenac, Serbia. T:
+381 34 6811 280. You can just walk in for a tour and tasting, or to buy wine. Call to confirm hours, but it seems to be open daily in high season.
Aleksandrović Winery: Village of Vinca, Topola – Oplenac, 34310 Republic of Serbia. Individual visits: Dragana Srbljanin, curator, mob: +381 (0)62 262 277. Tamara Colic, curator, mob: +381 (0)62 262 186. Reservations recommended for individuals, mandatory for groups of ten and up. Open Monday – Saturday 8h – 19h, Sunday 10h – 18h. There is not a restaurant on premises.
Knezev Han: The restaurant where we ate lunch. Karadjordjeva 4, Topola Serbia. Right in the center of town. T: +381 34 812111. You probably do not need a reservation. Eat outside if you can.
Serbian wine is inexpensive, particularly for the general quality. If you are on a budget, save money and taste various Serbian wines in Belgrade. You can find Serbian wine in most restaurants in Belgrade.
Dan and I spent a long weekend in Belgrade, Serbia earlier this year after our trip to Montenegro, as our Air Serbia flight connected in Belgrade to NYC and we thought, why not see a bit of Belgrade? Since we had limited time, basically 1 day in Belgrade proper, we decided to make the most of our time by taking a food tour through Belgrade, one of our favorite ways to explore a new city! Spoiler alert, we really like to eat and drink! There are a couple food tour options in Belgrade, but we went with the Food Tour Belgrade company based on a fellow traveler’s recommendation.
Interesting Belgrade.
The first stop and the start of our tour was at the Question Mark cafe, or simply “?,” a landmark in Belgrade. The Question Mark is the oldest operating cafe, or “kafana,” in Belgrade, and its associated with loads of Serbian history. Decorated in a traditional manner, ? showcases gorgeous furniture in its main room, as well as a large beer garden in the back. We were welcomed with the Jelen beer branded (a popular mass produced beer in Belgrade; its ok) swag all over ?!
We found it – the ?
To start our tour at ?, we tasted traditional Turkish coffee, which is very strong dark coffee prepared in a traditional Turkish (and Serbian) manner and served with a cube of sugar and a Turkish Delight, or a sweet candy. Turkish coffee is really popular in Belgrade, due to it being a part of the Ottoman Empire at one time. The coffee at ? was solid and the presentation was 100%. After we finished the coffee, our guide even showed us how to read our fortune (I won’t spoil the surprise!) More excitingly, we learned that the work Jelen (from the beer brand fame) is one of the most common female names, pronounced “Yellen,” like Helen according to our guide = )
Turkish coffee at ? in Belgrade.
After finish our coffee at ?, we took a short stroll through a popular and upscale area of Belgrade, before reaching our second destination, a “dumpling” shop.
A stroll through Belgrade. Could not resist a picture of the cute blue moto.
In contrast to ?, the second stop on our tour was super modern, and Instagramable, store called Ferdinand Knedle. Ferdinand Knedle only makes knedles, or Serbian dumplings, and they are served in sweet and savory flavors, with plum being the most famous flavor. Despite translating to dumpling, they are not the dumplings that I think of; instead, they are more like fried dough balls filled with a soft filling. Our guide described it as something you would eat after school.
Modern interior of Ferdinand Knedle.
Menu at Ferdinand Knedle.
Lots of knedles at Ferdinand.
At Ferdinand, Dan and I each got to pick our own knedle to try. We decided to split the two, opting for the plum knedle and the 4 cheese knedle. Both were delicious and I would love to return and try allll of the flavors. The knedle was quite filling, and I was super surprised to learn that its only a snack here!
Plum knedle from the outside.
Interior of the plum version.
Inside of the 4 cheese knedle.
After the knedles, we took another stroll, this time down a touristy street, and cut into a restaurant with an unexpected back courtyard. The restaurant felt fancy, with waiters in suits, but it was most certainly casual. First up, our choice of Serbian wine of the traditional liquor, Rakija. I had enough rakija in Montenegro, so I ordered red Serbian wine. Dan went with a flavored rakija. Both were sizeable pours and quite tasty.
Serbian red wine.
Dan’s rakija.
Shortly after ordering the wine, we were each brought a plate of traditional Serbian appetizers. Our plates included two types of Serbian cheese, two Serbian dried meats, a slice of tomato, an order of traditional sun-dried tomato spread, and the most delicious bean salad. My favorites were the bean salad and and the tomato spread. I really loved the bean salad! However, my favorite food on the plate was a prosciutto wrapped prune. OMG. Absolutely delicious. This type of plate is a popular appetizer plate in Serbia and you can find something similar at more traditional restaurants throughout the city. Pro tip, split one with your travel partner or order it as a meal.
Serbian appetizer.
After this meal, we stopped at one of Serbia’s most popular ice cream shops, Crna Ovca (or, the “Black Sheep”). Seriously, there was a line outside. I ordered white chocolate blueberry and straticella (my choice!), but there were so many flavors that I would have love to have tried, including Pear and Fennel. How cool does that sound?! The ice cream was excellent and a nice cap to our big appetizer.
Ice cream from the Black Sheep.
More ice cream at Crna Ovca!
Our next stop was a quick one, more meats and cheese at a local meat and cheese shop! Good think Serbia does great meats and cheese. Here, were tried 4 dried meats, a sausage, two pieces of Serbian cheese, and breads dipped in Serbian olive oil, more of that tasty tomato paste, and a sweet Serbian jelly. We also tried some fried pork fat, which was absolutely amazing!! By far my favorite dish. I wish I had purchased some to eat later.
Meats at the meat shop – delish!
Fried pork fat, even more delish!
Our meats plate!
Moving along, our next stop was just down the road at homemade Serbian liquor store with a woman very reminiscent of the Amsterdam hostel woman in Eurotrip… In any case, and as you may have gathered, rakija is very popular in the Balkans, including Serbia. We had already tried a bunch on this trip; I hate it, and Dan loves it. Here, we tried an herbal rakija that ended up coming home with us in a bottle too big for our wine bags, some cherry wine, and a few other liquors. Most were too strong for my taste, but the shop was pretty interesting. The owner, a/k/a the Amsterdam hostel owner, was also really sweet and hospitable. Definitely look this shop up if you are into Serbian liquors.
Some of the liquers.
Cherry liquer.
En route leaving the shop, we swung by a little market to pick up some raspberries – one of Serbia’s most famous exports. Who knew?! Aside from buying raspberries, the market was super cute and would make a fun stop for tourists!
Said raspberries.
Our very final destination was the bohemian district of Skadarlija, which is often compared to Paris’ Montmartre. I didn’t really get that comparison, but really nothing compares to my beloved Paris! Skadarlija is home to cute restaurants, cafes, and shops, many catering to tourists. We walked around Skadarlija for a few minutes and ended at an upscale sit down restaurant for another meal of classic Serbian foods. Yes, truly another complete meal.
Skadarlija.
Dan and me in Skadarlija.
I cannot recall the name of the restaurant; it is right on the corner next to direction sign in the above picture. I recommend a reservation. For our last meal of the tour, we started with Serbian red wine and Serbian grilled cheese. A perfect combo! Serbian wine is actually quite good and has a long history (which I will write about in another post, stay tuned!) and the cheese was fantastic. Our cheese and wine was paired with a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and Balkan cheese (like the ones we had in Montenegro!) called sopska salad, and cabbage salad. The tomato, cucumber, and cheese salad reminded me so much of a classic Greek salad – incredibly tasty!
Grilled cheese salad.
Serbian salad.
Cabbage salad.
After, we each were served a plate of cevapi – Serbian grilled meat in a tube form – served on traditional Serbian bread in sandwich type format. The cevapi was very, very good, especially on the pita bread. During our meal, our guide answered all of our questions about Serbia – its history, conflicts, growing up in the Balkans (she grew up as a Serb in Bosnia), and modern day Serbia. Our conversation was really interesting, and reading up on Balkan history will definitely make your visit and a conversation such as this much more interesting. Our tour was over after this meal, and Dan and I set off to see Belgrade’s Church of Saint Sava.
The delicious cevapi.
Looking back, this food tour was an excellent way to explore Belgrade; we saw a lot of the city and tasted many foods that we would not have been able to try on our own. For those thinking of visiting Belgrade or the Balkans, Belgrade is quite safe these days, despite its outdated reputation of being a war torn country. There is still conflict in the Balkans, but tourists won’t see that on a visit to Belgrade. Today, Belgrade is hip, charming, and a great value to budget minded travelers. Plus, many people speak English due to growing up on US television shows. Belgrade is definitely worth visiting, and is an easy pair with more popular Balkan destinations, such as Croatia and Montenegro, especially from the East Coast of the US due to Air Serbia’s daily nonstop flight from JFK to Belgrade (which I took, it was a fine flight). Feel free to email or comment with any questions about Belgrade!
Belgrade’s famous Church of Saint Sava.
Food Tour Belgrade: We did the Serbia On Your Plate Tour at 56 euro per person, which included an English Speaking guide and all food and drink mentioned in this article. The food was more than enough for a meal. This company offers a few other tours, but the one we took is billed as their “most popular.”
