Serbian Street Food in Belgrade

Serbian street food is mostly grilled meat in warm bread, so the first things to try in Belgrade are Sarajevo-style ćevapi and pljeskavica in somun. After that come gyros, which the city has made its own, thin palačinke pancakes, savory or sweet, and grilled meat ordered by the kilo when you eat with friends. All of these are on the Havarija menu in Zvezdara, Vidikovac and New Belgrade, every day from 10 AM to 4 AM, in the restaurant or delivered to your door. Below is what each dish is, how locals eat it and what to order with us.

Ćevapi: the dish to try first

Ćevapi (say "cheh-vah-pee") are small grilled skinless sausages of minced meat. In Belgrade you will meet two styles. Leskovac style is spicier, the meat is often mixed and it comes in lepinja bread. Sarajevo style is made from beef, tastes milder and is served in somun, a soft flatbread that soaks up the juices from the grill.

We make Sarajevo style: our ćevapi are pure beef with no soy or additives, five pieces (180 g) in warm somun. You eat them with your hands, straight from the bread, and fries or a cold drink are the usual company. The difference between the two styles is explained on our page about Sarajevo ćevapi in Belgrade.

Pljeskavica: the Balkan burger

Pljeskavica (say "plyes-kah-vee-tsah") is a wide, flat patty of minced meat, grilled and eaten in bread. Visitors often call it the Balkan burger, but it is thinner and wider than a burger, and the meat matters more than the sauce. Ours is 100% beef and comes in somun: the large one is 200 g, the gourmet one is 250 g with kashkaval cheese, pancetta and crushed pepper, the stuffed one is 250 g with kashkaval and ham, and the XXL is 300 g.

From the same grill you can also order šiš ćevap, 150 g of beef, and stuffed šiš, 200 g with kashkaval and ham.

Grill by the kilo: how groups eat

When people in Serbia eat grilled meat together, they often order it by the kilo and put it in the middle of the table. With us you can order a kilo of mixed meat, which is 250 g each of ćevapi, chicken fillet, sausage and uštipci (small grilled meat patties), or a kilo of beef ćevapi, chicken breast, homemade smoked sausage or Austrian sausages. The weight on the menu is for raw meat. How much to order for 4, 6 or 10 people is on our grill by the kilo page.

Gyros: Greek, but very Belgrade

Gyros comes from Greece, but you will find it all over Belgrade, and it is a classic after a night out. Ours is chicken, made to an original Greek recipe with 14 spices, and it always comes in fresh pita with fries and three toppings of your choice. The size goes by the meat: 120 g for the standard, 150 g for the big and 180 g for the XXL. If you are really hungry, the gyros portion has 250 g of chicken gyros with tomato, red onion, tzatziki, fries and pita.

Palačinke: thin pancakes, savory or sweet

Palačinke are thin pancakes, closer to French crêpes than to American pancakes, and in Belgrade they are eaten at any hour. The savory ones come with ham, dry-cured pork neck, kulen (a spicy sausage) or pršuta (dry-cured ham), always with kashkaval cheese and sour cream. The sweet ones are filled with Nutella, Eurokrem, raspberry or chokeberry filling, or with creams inspired by well-known sweets, from Kinder Bueno to pistachio.

We make more than 30 kinds, including thicker American pancakes and the Dubai pancake with Dubai filling, pistachio cream and Nutella.

Pulled pork in somun

Drpano prase is our name for pulled pork: the meat is not sliced but pulled apart into strands, so it stays juicy. We serve it the Balkan way, in warm somun, in a 200 g or 300 g portion.

Sausages in somun

Grilled sausage is another simple Serbian street food. Our homemade smoked sausage is thin and lightly smoked, 170 g, and the Austrian sausages, with cheese, mildly spicy with cheese, beer sausage or spicy, are 170 g each and come in warm somun with sides of your choice.

If you only have time for one meal

• Alone and hungry: ćevapi in somun or a large pljeskavica, with fries.
• Two people who want to try more: a portion of ćevapi, one gyros and a sweet pancake to share.
• A group at home or in your apartment: a kilo or two of mixed meat from the grill by the kilo.
• Something sweet at 2 AM: a Nutella or Kinder Bueno pancake, delivered.

What about burek?

Burek, flaky pastry filled with meat or cheese, is the other famous Serbian street food, but it belongs to bakeries and most people have it for breakfast. It is not on our menu. Our kitchen is for lunch, dinner and everything after midnight.

Eating late, and getting it delivered

Belgrade eats late, and a lot of street food is ordered after a night out. Zvezdara, Vidikovac and New Belgrade are open and deliver every day until 4 AM, with the same menu as during the day. Average delivery time is 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the address and how busy we are. You can order online on our website, by phone at +381 63 700 70 88, or through Glovo and Mister D.

Where to find us

• Zvezdara: Dimitrija Tucovića 64, every day from 10 AM to 4 AM
• Vidikovac: our first restaurant, Ratka Mitrovića 164, every day from 10 AM to 4 AM
• New Belgrade: Bulevar Zorana Đinđića 12g, every day from 10 AM to 4 AM
• City center: Havarija Chicken House, Ruzveltova 14, for roast chicken, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM and on weekends from 8 AM to 6 PM

Prices are in Serbian dinars (RSD). Current prices for every dish are on the menu pages, and the grill dishes from this article are listed below. Still deciding? Our guide to the best fast food in Belgrade goes dish by dish and neighborhood by neighborhood.