Editorial
The 8 best hidden gem bars in Belgrade hide behind unmarked doors, down Dorcol courtyards, and under the old town, the rooms locals keep for themselves. We read each by the bar first: how the cocktails get built, the spirit the room leans on, and the one drink to order. Belgrade rewards the wanderer who rings the bell and walks down the stairs. Start where the bartender builds the drink around your taste.
Four rooms hide behind doors and down stairs, the cocktail dens locals name before tourists find them.
The rest run from a craft taproom to the oldest kafana in the city, each a find in its own right.
For hidden gems in Belgrade, start at Prohibicija in Dorcol for a proper cocktail away from the river, then ring the bell at Riddle near Skadarlija for a drink built to your taste. Tube and Smokvica reward the wanderer, and Question Mark hands you a glass of rakija and two centuries of the city. Follow the bartender and let the night find its own way.
Priya Nair is barsforKings' senior cocktail editor and a former Punch contributor. She reads a bar by its menu first: how the list is built, the house spirits, and the one drink worth ordering.