What to order in a Serbian kafana: a guide to Serbian food

How a kafana meal works

A meal usually follows an order: meze (cold starters) with rakija or another drink, then čorba (a thick soup), then a main — grilled meat or a slow-cooked dish — with salad, and finally coffee and something sweet. Portions are large and sharing across the table is completely normal.

Meze and starters

• Kajmak — a rich dairy spread somewhere between clotted cream and soft cheese, with warm bread.
• Ajvar — a roasted red pepper spread, mild or hot.
• Pršuta and cheese — dry-cured ham with young or aged cheeses.
• Proja — cornbread, often with cheese.

Čorba (thick soups)

Čorba differs from a clear soup — it's thicker and made with a roux. The most common are veal čorba and fish čorba, and many kafanas also serve pasulj, a hearty bean stew, as a dish of its own.

From the grill

• Ćevapi — small grilled minced-meat rolls, usually 5 or 10 pieces, served with onions.
• Pljeskavica — a large minced-meat patty; the "gurmanska" version is stuffed with kajmak and cheese.
• Karađorđeva šnicla — a rolled, breaded cutlet stuffed with kajmak, served with tartar sauce.
• Mixed grill — a sharing platter and a good choice for a first visit.

Slow-cooked dishes

Homestyle dishes that are often only available on certain days or until they run out:

• Sarma — sour cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice, especially in winter.
• Stuffed peppers — in summer and early autumn.
• Đuveč — vegetables with meat or fish, baked with rice.
• Prebranac — baked beans, a popular meat-free option.

Salads

Šopska salad (tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion and grated white cheese) and Serbian salad (the same without cheese) are classics with grilled meat. In winter, sauerkraut or pickled vegetables are common.

Desserts and coffee

Crêpes (palačinke), baklava, tufahija (poached stuffed apples) or vasina torta — and a traditional Turkish-style coffee to finish.

Tips for your first visit

• Order several dishes for the table and share — you'll taste more.
• Ask the server what's cooked today — the slow-cooked dishes change.
• Kafanas are often liveliest in the evening, with music; come earlier for a quiet lunch.
• A tip of around 10% is customary — more in our tipping guide by country.

Frequently asked questions