Coffee and community in Belgrade

Cappucino on the patio at the Villa Allegra hotel

There is a lot of coffee in this neighborhood, more within a mile radius than I could possibly survey in a three weeks' stay. It is served at restaurants and bars, and a plenteous variety of small shops. (Starbucks looms near the primo shopping areas, but we need not speak of them.)

I've had to learn about cappucino and espresso, because coffee here rarely comes in the vats I've been drinking in the States. Locals call what I drink "drip" or "filtered" coffee, usually with the sort of tone that accompanies talk of narwhals. (They don't have those here, either.) And don't even ask about free refills, though at these prices...

Coffee menu at Topolska 18

...you would be far more churlish than the average reader of this blog if you did. Coffee is served with large glasses of water, or for additional charge your choice of juice, soda, beer, or the potent local liquor rakija.

Prices and offerings vary little outside the city center, but it's good to know what kind of food you can get: croissants, sweet rolls, cake, sandwiches, salads, or none of the above might be found, sometimes not until you're seated.

Local favorites

La-La Kafe, Cara Nikolaja II 83. Small shop on a main drag that doesn't show up on the map, but well worth the stop. The first time I came here Andrej the barista was playing the piano and chatting (in English) with two visitors, including a singer from Sicily. I sat in the window seat, and easily joined in, and then a woman tried to give me an order (in Serbian) through the window. The second time I had to wait a little for my croissant, but it came hot and delicious fresh from the oven. Decor is LPs, 45s and album covers, with a preference for 1960s/70s R & B. Good mix of baked offerings and coffee concoctions. Cedar Rapids comp: Kismet, for the personal stamp the owners put on the place.

Topolska 18, Topolska 18. Signs on the street direct you to the interior of the block, where this shop serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches in a lovely courtyard. This was the first place I went where I didn't take away, and the staff gently schooled me in the local customs of ordering at the table not the counter, and paying when you leave. Good to know. Snack items tend toward the very rich; for my birthday I tried the vocna torta (fruit cake), which was very good. One room in the cafe is the deciji kutak, or "children's corner." Cedar Rapids comp: Cafe St. Pio, which has neither outdoor seating nor deciji kutak, but is certainly child-friendly and has the same attention to aesthetic.

Chains

Kafeterija Cubura, Makenzijeva 81. Kafeterija shops are found all over Belgrade but concentrated south of downtown. This was the first place I found "filtered" coffee, so of course I got some, but at $7.35 for 500 ml (about 17 ounces) it was a one-time treat and a rare example of a higher price in Serbia than in the U.S. Extensive outdoor seating is exceedingly pleasant though the shop is on an important intersection one block from Cuburski Park. Car noise is buffered by parked cars, trees, and the surrounding conversation. Wide variety of food offerings. Cedar Rapids comp: Brewhemia, also at a busy intersection but without the buffer.

Caffe Soul, Cara Nikolaja II 67. This is a small chain, with one other location near downtown. Outdoor seating at their Vracar site is buffered from the busy thoroughfare with this wooden latticework, yet it's open enough that it enabled me to watch the city come to life on a quiet Sunday morning. Interior has more of a bar feel, with beer signs, English-language cutesy coffee signs, and cigarette smoke.

Pekara Lulu, Maksima Gorkog 4b. Local chain of bakeries that serve coffee. The nearest one to here is an outpost with takeaway only. Not bad, not particularly memorable, except that the first time I went there I ordered what looked like a baguette but had a hot dog enclosed. The Serbian name means "hot dog roll." Every day is an adventure in another language! Cedar Rapids comp: Lightworks, which is currently takeout only, although I can't promise they'll have hot dog rolls.

Other Finds

Bozidaric Cafe, Radoslava Grujica 3. In the back of a building, off a street filled with children going to school. They seem to attract plenty of "regulars." No food, though. Cedar Rapids comp: Uptown or Veritas, both of which are carved out of spaces with other primary uses.

Kafe Posejdon, Maksima Gorkog 47. A tiny shop with no food and only three tables; the other two were occupied by locals in vigorous conversation. The hostess didn't speak English, but we managed. It felt like the real Serbia. But as you can see from the picture, shortly after I visited they were shut down for non-payment of taxes! Cedar Rapids comp: Coffee Emporium, for the shop size and loyal clientele, but which does regularly pay all applicable federal and state tax obligations.

029, Gracanicka 3. This handsome shop is located between Cuburski Park and the iconic St. Sava Temple. Nice but not excessively so, and the prices are the same as everyone else's. Cedar Rapids comp: Dash Coffee Roasters.

Away from home

Costa Coffee, Kneza Mihailova 40. This way station on the pedestrian walkway turns out to belong to a British-based chain. Oh well. I found a New York City-themed coffeehouse, with a dwindling supply of baked goods by the time I got there late in the morning. Signs advertising WiFi and palacinke (Serbian pancakes) but no way of getting either.

Padrini Gardos, Njegoseva 51, Zemun. The class stopped here on a trip to Zemun. Plenty of cappucino and a pleasant outdoor seating area between the Danube River and the Gardos Tower, though without a view of either. An Orthodox church, Hram Svetog Oca Nikolaja, is nearby, too. Their Instagram page shows a variety of food offerings, but those of us who ate on this trip got ice cream from Tio Gelato across the street.

SEE ALSO:

"Letter from Washington (V): Coffee on Capitol Hill," 2 April 2018

"Coffee in Cedar Rapids," Before Holy Mountain (2011)

Addison del Maestro, "Coffee Shop Kind of Day," Deleted Scenes, 24 May 2022

Alex Fitzpatrick, "Now Sailing: Your Morning Brew," Axios, 25 May 2022