Kafana

A kafana, in Belgrade, is the place where the evening goes long: wine, grilled meat, music a little too loud, and nobody in a hurry to leave. This Avenue C room takes the name seriously. It is small — a handful of tables, candles, Serbian songs on the speakers — and on a cold night it feels like a friend's apartment with a very good grill.

Start with prebranac, the slow-baked white beans, and a slab of cheese pie, then go to the grill: ćevapi with chopped onion and kajmak, the smoked pork loin called dimljena vešalica, chicken livers wrapped in bacon. The wine list leans deep into Serbia and the wider Balkans, bottles you will rarely see elsewhere in the city. Bring cash.