Archives for “beer” tag

What I like most about the Idiot bar is that its summer terrace has a view over the Botanical garden. Sitting there feels like you’re in the Garden itself and a fresh smell of tree flowers is so present. Although there are more tables on the sidewalk in front of the house, you should try and get the table in the backyard. In the winter months, the bar moves to the basement.

Other than that, they have a good choice of beers (and three types of draft beer), coctails, juices and coffees, all for low prices. The place is an indie-type of bar, with live DJ&VJ sets in the range from punk, rock and new wave to electronica.

The clientèle is quite regular, from students to young artists and professionals. Friday and Saturday evenings are usually the most crowded but standing on the sidewalk having your drink is also absolutely fine.

If you get bored by a rather austere choice of indigenous beers in Belgrade (or in case you are a real beer lover – instantaneously), you should head for one of the places that pour Black Turtle beers.

I like their full-bodied stout the best, which together with the pleasantly bitter lager are two of their standard and best selling beers. When I get enough of them it is time to move on to their Indian Pale Ale, Rauchbier, Weissbier or the Belgian-style Amber Abbey. Though there is still place for improvement, the effort of launching a microbrewery and facing the competition of Serbian beer producing giants, finally allowing Belgrade beer drinkers a respite from the ubiquitous Jelen or Lav (the two most widely found brands), is praiseworthy. Take into consideration affordable prices and there is hardly a dilemma where to head for your pint. The only downside to the whole enterprise is that pubs occasionally run out of some of the special brews. On a positive side, this gives you a reason to visit them tomorrow as well.

The concept of Black Turtle Pubs is rather simple: mouthwatering beers, dimmed lights, background r’n'r plus relaxed atmosphere. If we disregard beer lovers of all ages, the majority of clientele is young and utterly unpretentious.

There are three more centrally located pubs owned by this small but budding company: at Kosančićev venac 30, Dečanska 23 and Gospodar Jovanova 56; additionally, several more venues serve their beers, so stay alert for the Black Turtle signs.

Crveni rak (“Red crab”) has everything that pubs are great for – it’s a small, cozy hideout filled with locals, offering a nice array of beers and occasionally live music. And there are not many place like that in Belgrade, and it might be the only one of that kind in Zemun.

It’s spotted by Zemun locals as a cool place to go out when colder weather comes, and you don’t need to go all the way to Belgrade center when you have a great pub in your neighborhood. However, it’s also attracting people from all around the city, because of its atmosphere and drinks offer – from local beers to known German and Belgian brands, and their rakija is also a sole reason to come.

Music is mostly mainstream rock and blues, and it gets better on various live performances. Wooden furniture and red walls filled with photos and memorabilia contribute to the comfy overall feel. There are some 6/7 tables there, so on Friday/Saturday nights you might have to make a reservation.

Another cool thing is the location, it’s kinda tucked in the small Zemun streets, but it’s still in the center of Belgrade’s city-within-a-city (that being Zemun).

So, when in Zemun, act as a local if you’re in need of a warm place with tea/coffee or beer, and check out Crveni rak. They also serve some small meze with beer for free. And from there you can go straight to Gardosh Tower, the park, quay or Zemun center.