dorcol platz

In the last 10 years Belgrade seems to have become one of the most hipster cities in Europe. If you want to visit some of the city’s hip venues you can start from here. Or in case you can’t be bothered to discover its beauty on your own , you can book our hipster walking tour. 

SAVAMALA

The area is situated on the banks of the Sava river and focused around the Karadjordjeva street busy with heavy traffic. It shows a rich heritage of invaluable historical buildings from the 19th and the early 20th centuries and a number of relics from the Ottoman period.  Industrial heritage from the 20th century such as depots and warehouses  seem to have fallen into oblivion.

Up until the year 2008 with the onset of the bottom-up urban development followed the first stage of gentrification. In Brace Krsmanovica Street a brand new Cultural Centre Grad appeared inside 19th century warehouse, followed by Mikser House creative industries focal point and annual Mikser festival, and the club Mladost. So far Savamala has experienced few stages of gentrification followed by the latest caused by the Belgrade Waterfront project.

Venues: KC Grad, Mladost club, Gajba

DORCOLMALA

Since the last months of 2015 a new bar district emerged in the inner city area of Belgrade.  In the former BIP factory in  15a Cetinjska Street next to Bajloni market and BITEF alternative theatre, there it is well hidden in the yard behind the white fence.

Within walking distance but a little ‘up’ in that direction there is one we really like called Polet which is more like a mixture of a culture centre, gallery and a bar. Here you can get a feel of some retro music and literary nights to name but two and  grab a coffee during the day.

We also like Zaokret. This one is more like a pub, the place where you can catch some local DJs and drink beer and wine.

Let us not forget that bar Dvoristance moved from Savamala area right here in this district and it works during the day and in the evening.

 Prices seem to be rather affordable in all these places.

LOWER DORCOL 

Dorćol consists of two parts- Upper Dorćol and Lower Dorćol. Lower Dorćol is no longer multicultural neighborhood like it was in the past, but it’s becoming a very trendy neighborhood of Belgrade due to many hip venues that were opened recently. Let’s just say that Lower Dorćol  together with the new clubbing district in Cetinjska St. is becoming a new Savamala or how some locals like to call it Dorcolmala.

Find me info on Lower Dorcol’s venues here.

BARS 

 Tezga Bar

Popular warm up place near the Bajloni green market and Skadarska Bohemian quarter.  Good place to chill and drink rakija, wine or  beer. Also works as a restaurant during the day and offers a  variety of specialties at affordable prices. Tezga is one of the most popular places of Belgrade club goers.

Address: 82 Strahinjica bana St. 11000 Belgrade 

Lift

Lift is a place situated in the bar district of Cetinjska street, also known as Dorcolmala. It stands right across bar Dvoristance and it hosts local DJs starting from Vlada Russ to Banda Panda duo. It’s a nice place for having a beer and warming up before you go clubbing.

Address: 15 Cetinjska St. 11000 Belgrade 

Przionica coffee shop 

In the former industrial zone of Lower Dorćol stands Pržionica.  A micro-roaster and coffee bar with a completely new concept: a roaster, a shop and a coffee-shop all in one. The furniture is made of wood and steel. Pržionica offers freshly roasted high-quality coffee. Their intention is to take care of all the stages of the preparation of coffee, from the raw beans to the perfect cup of espresso. Guests can be a part of the whole process as everything is open and within easy reach. 

The specific method of medium roast frying gives more aroma and fuller flavor than the classic dark roast. In addition to preparing espresso, they also offer other types of coffee: French press, air press, drip coffee and others. All coffee styles can be purchased in the bar. 

Address: Dobračina 59b, 11 000, Belgrade

Druid

This is a secluded cocktail bar in a small street, just a minute away from the Belgrade Fortress. It resembles the American speak-easy concept, as there is no sign at the door that suggests that it is a cocktail bar, only the word “druid” written in lower case. But when you walk in and descend to the basement you’ll find yourself in an utterly fantastic cocktail bar. The bartenders are professionals who create miracles in your glass. All you have to do is choose the liquor base and the flavor you’d like, and leave the rest to them. When you open the door, with that lower–case inscription, just dash straight into the basement which houses this fantastic cocktail bar. They are exceptional at what they do. We recommend a sour cocktail with whiskey, Porto wine and white foam. The bar’s not really spacious, so in order to get a table, we suggest that you make a reservation before visiting.

Address: 1 Cincer Janka, 11000 Belgrad

RESTAURANTS 

Prolece 

Prolece is situated in Vuka Kradzica Street, in the very heart of the city next to famous park Palas where youngsters get together to have a drink or two in the park. Prolece is a typical local kafana with rather affordable food prices mainly serving Serbian specialties and local beer and wine.

Address: 11 Vuka Karadzica St. 11000 Belgrade 

Salon 5

Located in a converted apartment of a period building in Belgrade’s historical area of Zemun, Salon 5 has quickly gained reputation as one of the city’s superb  places to wine and dine in. The restaurant is run by two old friends, Nikola and Pavle. Nikola mastered the art of restaurant business, having worked as a sous chef in Italy for almost a decade, while Pavle is an avid art collector running a successful design studio. Together, they’ve opened Salon 5 as an alternative to Belgrade’s current restaurant scene, serving the finest Italian cuisine in an intimate and refined atmosphere.

Address: 5 Avijaticarski trg, 11080 Zemun 

Homa 

Location of the restaurant itself is quite unique. Industrial zone is just round the corner, but customers can feel as if they were sitting in the oasis of peace and tranquility. Specific menu, fusion cuisine, a mixture of flavors and tastes of local, European, South American and Asian cuisines are the expertise of the main chef.

Reservations +381 63 259  156 what’s up/viber/sms 

Address: 19 Žorža Klemansoa (Corner Senjanina Ive and Dositej street), 11000 Belgrade

Endorphin 

Welcome to Dorcol’s new and modern gastropub Endorfin, cosseted away in 3 Brace Jugovica St. Endorfin is a multi-purpose space operating as a bar, beer shop, and a restaurant with a pretty wide gastronomic offer.

This place can boast a somewhat unique concept and design compared to the other bars and restaurants around Belgrade. The interior and the atmosphere are simple but yet enjoyable. The place offers a variety of flavors of craft beer accompanied by food specialties. Endorfin is closely linked to the beer brand Kabinet, one of the finest Serbia’s microbreweries.

When it comes to breakfast and brunch you can try homemade ustipci with kajmak and sweet of strawberries, poached eggs with avocado and a mix of green salads or just a crispy brain burger with a smoothie.

Address: 3 Brace Jugovica St. Stari Grad, 11000 Belgrade

Miamiam

Warm-up yourself with a glass of Mateus Rosé from Portugal, one Roasted beetroot, avocado and mango salad and Veggie fritters with chickpea and Blueberry sauce, and then decided to choose from some of the unconventional main courses such as the Almond-dried apricot stuffed chicken.

The Interior is very unpretentious. Tiny, but very pleasant and cozy. In fact, it’s perfect for a romantic date or a small group celebration, in case you want to rent an entire place. The ingredients are a blend of local, international, and even Indian ones. Therefore, we can freely say that Miamiam offers a fusion of flavors, not in a current show-off style, but more as an authentic local ‘food porn’ version.

Address: 39 Kursulina St. 11000 Belgrade

Wok Republic 

Wok republic is a new Asian fast food joint where you can sit inside, order Asian specialties from your home or takeaway. The new food joint is situated in Francuska street, near the National square. You can watch Asian chefs prepare your food through the glass kitchen. Specialties are to die for, ranging from general Tso’s chicken, Bombay chicken, Spicy noodles to Bejing Pork and vegetarian options.

Address: 5 Francuska St. 11000 Belgrade 

belgrade hipster guide

CLUBS

   20/44 boat 

 This popular Belgrade splav (raft) is located on the banks of the Sava river. Mercifully it works all year round, regardless of the weather conditions. This is my favorite place to go clubbing, especially in the summer season when the dance madness kicks off on the boat deck. The raft offers a good music selection ranging from Detroit techno and soulful to disco, funky, house and dub step. 20/44 hosts one of the best clubbing nights in Belgrade, called Disco not Disco featuring  local stars DJ Brka, Toshke, Schwabe and other special guests. During the summer months the splav offers a wonderful view of the old city and bridge at night, when all the lights are on. In the morning hours you can catch one of Belgrade’s breath taking sunrises. Over the winter, parties are held under the deck, where it’s warm and cosy no matter how cold it is outside. The atmosphere is always super sexy:  red lights, a few screens and lots of smoke. Splav 20/44 hosts the best local DJs and also world famous stars such as Baris K and trendsetter Peggy Gou. The crowd is friendly and relaxed. The entrance fee is between 2 and 8 euros, and drinks are quite affordable.

  Location: Savski kej BB, 11070, New Belgrade

     Open Thu-Sat 21-05 am

Drugstore

The “new” Drugstore found its place in the former industrial quarter of Palilula municipality. After the great success this underground club had in Beko building in downtown, they started a new concept in this new riveting venue which is a far cry from Berghain Berlin though, dark, raw and rough around the edges, situated in what used to be a  slaughter house. Space is big (600 m2), it can accommodate up to  1000 people and it includes wide cathedral like room and corridors. The owners, some local guys, usually host big names from underground electronic music scene and throw  parties on two stages. Brace yourselves up  for techno, underground house and alternative bands from local and international scene.  Let me drop a few names: Molly Nillson, Dasha Rush, Xanax, Trax, Elektrabel, Jor, Dimi Angelis and many more. Drugstore is  an independent club, supports artists and local DJs as Filip Xavi, Tijana T, Grof, Banda Panda etc. It’s open on Fridays and Saturdays.

Location: Bulevar Despota Stefana 115 – Poenkareova, 11000 Belgrade

Not far from Drugstore club in Palilula, a group of young enthusiast established Kvaka 22 in 2015. This empty and neglected space was accidentally discovered by one of the guys from the group. After the squatters who lived there left 22 door handles (Kvaka) were missing from the doors and that fact triggered the idea for the name of the space. Kvaka’s programme includes art exhibitions, Kvaka 22 museum with exhibits from the period of former SFR Yugoslavia, concerts, DJ gigs and live performances.

CINEMA 

Zvezda was one of the first cinemas in Belgrade, however with economic crisis that followed in the 90s and privatizations after the 2000s the cinema was sold to a private enterprise and left abandoned and neglected literally in the heart of the city. However a group of enthusiasts literally decided to squat in the old dilapidated and seemingly long forgotten cinema and now they are screening movies and holding debates on the rooftop and in the indoor hall. Admission fee is dirt-cheap, so you just need to look for the programme and make a pick. Watching legendary old and new film achievements in a hidden roof top location cossetted away amongst the Belgrade lofts is truly an extraordinary experience.

jane-doe-design-store

SHOPS

Jane Doe vintage & new design shop

Yugovinyl record store 

Leila record store & bar 

Crna ovca artisan ice cream shop