Origins in 2017. The venue provided hospitality and catering services for over 300 years (1650s–1960s) Predecessors of modern nightlife were the kafanas, oriental style
bistros. The very first one in Belgrade was opened during the
Ottoman period, in 1522, in Dorćol. Believed to be the oldest such venue in
Europe, it served only
Turkish coffee. This was only a year after the Ottoman conquest of Belgrade, and 33 years before the first kafana was opened in
Istanbul in 1555. There are no historical sources to why Belgrade was so important at the time to have such venue so early. Ottoman traveler
Evliya Çelebi visited Belgrade in 1661 and counted 21
khans and 6
caravanserais. The largest, Caravanserai of
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha had "160 chimneys", and some had harem sections. When
Austrians conquered Belgrade in 1718, among other reports to the imperial court in
Vienna, they sent a report on kafanas naming them: "Crni orao", "Crveni petao", "Pet ševa", "Tri zeca", "Divlji čovek", etc. They especially addressed the problematic "Kod dve bule", notorious favorite place of the "debauched"
Baron Franz von der Trenck. Austrian governor,
Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, was known for his love of the night life. He abolished all taxes on drink serving, and business blossomed. There were some 140 kafanas and pubs in the German section of the city, and over 200 in the Serbian sector. The former mostly served beer, and the latter wine and
rakia. In the 1717-1723 period, four breweries were opened in Belgrade. Duke also organized balls in his
palace. In the periods when the balls were organized, music in other parts of the city was forbidden. Common citizens were sometimes forcefully dragged to the balls. where they had to pay the entry fee of 17
kreuzers, which was too high. The aristocracy mostly used the commoners as a laughingstock at the balls, and those who refused to come or made problems at the balls, were jailed and whipped. A massive, lush dinners and feasts, known as , were organized. They included meals out of reach for the common people, like caviar, octopuses, salted herrings, fried pigeons, hot chocolate or imported wines. After the return of the Ottomans in 1739, this "baroque blitz" of Belgrade's nightlife ended. After the recapturing, at the corner of the modern Kralja Petra and Cara Dušana streets, kafana "Crni orao", the first such facility with the recorded word kafana in its name, survived. It served coffee and
nargile. The object was also important for other reasons. It was also the first brewery in Belgrade, and the first venue to work 24/7. On the floor above dwelled guardsmen, the crew of the fortress' Timișoara Gate. As their duty was 24/7, so were the kafana's working hours. The building survived until the
Interbellum.
White Bear Tavern was opened in the 18th century in the town of
Zemun. The building was constructed in the first half of the 17th century and served as caravanserai (
khan) at least since 1658. Popular venue stayed in business until the early 1960s. It is the oldest surviving building in urban Belgrade, beside the Belgrade Fortress walls. However, Zemun developed independently from Belgrade and for the most part during history two towns belonged to two different states. Zemun became part of the same administrative unit as Belgrade on 4 October 1929, lost a separate town status to Belgrade in 1934 and made a continuous built-up area with Belgrade only since the 1950s. Hence, the
House at 10 Cara Dušana Street in Dorćol is usually named as the oldest house in Belgrade, while the White Bear Tavern is titled as the oldest house in Zemun. The word kafana, introduced by the Ottomans (
qahve hane), was derived from the
Persian qahvah–khanah, meaning "coffee house". English version appeared for the first time in 1615, published by
George Sandys after his travels to
Constantinople. In time, the crumby-type kafanas mostly remained in suburbia. Kafanas became centers of city's social life, as the entire political and cultural pulse of the city radiated from them. Some historians described them as the "most important institutions" from the 19th century to
World War II. Prince
Mihailo Obrenović also codified them in 1863, and ordered that women were not allowed to own the kafana nor to work in the village and road ones, but one, or exceptionally two, could work in city kafanas. The venues diversified into various types: ,
bistro, ,
han,
saraj, ,
krčma, , and later also
restoran,
hotel, etc. Though all of them offered drinks, some were also offering food, rest and sleepover. Also, many had music. At the end of the 19th century, downtown Makedonska Street had 40 houses, of which 22 were kafanas. Kafanas were generally diversified: some served only coffee, other served only beer or offered only
bean soup. As hubs of the social life, kafanas soon diversified: "Esnafska kafana" (for craftsmen - bricklayers, masons, well diggers, carpenters, sawyers), "Makedonija" (farmers and traders), "
Kod Albanije" (leaseholders), etc. Depending on the political affiliation of the guests, some kafanas turned into the debate clubs of the
Serbian Progressive Party,
People's Radical Party or
Liberal Party. "Rajić" was the first kafana where modern
ćevapčići were prepared c.1860. Staple of the Serbian cuisine today, they were so popular that at one moment there were 300 (ćevapčići grill shops) in Belgrade. The first kafana which allowed guests to stay the entire night "
?", since the mid-19th century, originally only twice a year, after the Christmas and Easter liturgies. Located across the
Belgrade's Cathedral Church, it allowed the believers who remained long into the night in the churchyard to stay inside the kafana. On 6 February 1893 the first electrified streetlamp was lit in the city and some chroniclers accept this as the moment when "proper night life" began. In 1860 one of the best known kafanas, "Kod Albanije", was opened. A modern
Palace Albania was built in 1940 on its location. Some of the venues had jovial names, like "Kod pocepanih gaća" [Chez Torn Nickers] and "Sedam Švaba" [Seven
Swabians], or were named after the edifices they were close to ("Tri šešira" [Three Hats], because of the Dimović's hat store which occupied the house before and had three tin-made hats above the entrance; "Kod palidrvca" [Chez Matchstick], because of the nearby match factory). Kafana "Amerika" was known for
Turkish delight,
chickpeas and
čočeks, but also for introducing belly dancers and was notorious for prostitution. Hotel and restaurant "Balkan" on
Terazije was built in 1935 on the location of the former "Simina kafana" from 1860. Ranked as the highest category 1, it was a meeting place of the businesspeople, and was one of the few here women were allowed to work. "Zlatni krst", also in Terazije, advertised itself in 1862 as having "12 rooms and stable for 30 horses". A custom of unusual, exotic and funny names continued, often countering some neighboring or well established venue: "Pivni izvor" [Beer Spring], "Bosfor" [Bosporus] (next to "Dardaneli" [Dardanelles]), "Engleska kraljica" [Queen of England], "Zemljotres" [Earthquake], "Crna mačka" [Black Cat] (next to "Bela mačka" [White Cat]), "Žurka" [Party], "Kod tri seljaka" [Chez Three Peasants], "Astronomska kugla" [Astronomy Ball], "Kod bombardovanja Beograda" [Chez Bombing of Belgrade], "Gusarski brod" [Pirate Ship], "Dva panja" [Two Logs], "Jeftinoća" [Cheapness], "
Musa Kesedžija", "Radosan Srbin" [Joyful Serb], "Srpski vlakovođa" [Serbian Train Driver], "Crni Arapin" [Black Arab], One of the most distinguished venues was '"Srpska kruna", built in 1869 and adapted into the hotel. It originated in 1853 at the corner of
Knez Mihailova and Pariska streets. It was famous for its balls. Built by prince Alexander Karađorđević, it was sold to the Belgrade administration which moved in. The new building, located across the
Kalemegdan Park, today hosts the Belgrade City Library. It was part of the colloquially styled "Kalemegdan group of hotels", due to their location. The venues began to develop after 1867 and full withdrawal of the Ottomans from the city. The group included the "Nacional" inn, later also a hotel, built in 1868. "Srpska kruna" architecturally preserved the appearance of the khan - squared, central inner yard - but in modern style. It had only 12 rooms but was famous for its large ceremonial hall, used for the European-style balls and concerts, though every ball had to start with the Serbian folk
kolo Srbijanka. It was founded in 1855 by Arif Bey, the Turk. Ownership changed a lot, being owned by a Serbian woman Stojana in 1858, as she received it as a dowry. It had
billiard tables. Notable regular guests included
Vojislav Ilić, Branislav Nušić,
Antun Gustav Matoš,
Stevan Sremac,
Radoje Domanović,
Janko Veselinović,
Toša Jovanović,
Đura Jakšić, and
Milovan Glišić. It was affectionately called "people's university". When it was to be closed, regular guests organized "farewell ceremony" - some 70 people gathered, wearing
fedoras and
top hats, organized by the famous Bohemian actor Čiča
Ilija Stanojević, and performed a dignified farewell "with great sadness and sorrow". Even older "
Gospodarska Mehana", from 1820, was closed in 2013. It was situated close to the mouth of the
Topčiderka into the Sava. "Despotov Han" inn, predecessor of "Grčka Kraljica", holds the infamy as the first recorded
brothel in Belgrade, dating from the 1840s. As the prostitution was always illegal, the sex workers had to move to the streets, while the venue continued as regular kafana. The last "officially unofficial" brothel from this period was located in the ground-floor house in the Čika Ljubina Street, behind the modern
Instituto Cervantes building. The house was demolished much later, in the early 1990s. Prostitution was largely suppressed by the actions of the
Circle of Serbian Sisters, founded in 1903. At the turn of the 19th and the 20th century, Belgrade had one hospitality or catering venue per 50 inhabitants. Instead, restaurant "Park" was opened, with majority of the lot becoming restaurant's garden. It was later renamed to "Central Park", before it burned to the ground in December 2012. On 30 December 1927, Ministry of Finance of the
Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes banned night life after 23:00:
those who loiter and sit till the late hours, and it is past eleven, will be fined two dinars. Known as the "tax for nighttime sitting", it is considered the first official ban of night life in Serbia. Other important, now closed kafanas from this period included: • "Babuna"; in
Senjak, across the modern
Belgrade Fair, hosted the monument
Pobednik, one of the most recognizable symbols of Belgrade today, before it was erected on the
Belgrade Fortress. • "Čukareva kafana"; existed in the later 19th century at the present location of the
Sugar Refinery. A popular venue at the crossroad of the Obrenovac and
Šumadija roads, at the entrance into the city, it was named after its owner, Stojko Čukar. It gave name to the modern neighborhood and municipality Čukarica. • "Dva bela goluba"; founded by Jovan Kujundžić, a tailor (
terzija, cloth tailor). Originally a typical road meyhane, it became so famous that the entire neighborhood and the modern Svetogorska Street were named after it in 1872. In the late 1920s, the Artisan Guild purchased the house and the surrounding lot in order to build the
Home of the Artisans, which is today the building of the
Radio Belgrade. Kujundžić had one condition, that the name is to be preserved. Because of that, above the entrance into the building, the sculptural composition was carved. It shows two persons with an anvil (symbol of artisans), next to the anvil are scissors (symbol of tailors), with two white doves. The kafana moved to Skadarlija while the restaurant in the new building (finished in 1933) was named "Zanatski dom". • "Dva duda"; visited by Belgrade's
coachmen and
porters. It was located close to
Tašmajdan. • "London"; which gave name to the modern
surrounding neighborhood, at the crossroads of the
Kneza Miloša and Kralja Milana streets. Built between 1865 and 1873, with hotel rooms above it, kafana's original clientele were the deputies of the nearby National Assembly. Belgrade's first
korzo (promenade), formed next to it and down the Topčider Road (today Kneza Miloša). New building was constructed in 1962, but the modernized kafana survived until 1992, joined by the disco-club of the same name in the 1980s. Since 1992 it has been adapted into the branch of the
Ponzi scheme of Dafiment Bank, casino, wine club and a supermarket, which all kept the name London. , built in 1830, hosted
meyhane in the 19th century. The house survived as one of the rare edifices from that period in Belgrade and is protected by the state • "
Manakova kuća"; in the Bosanska (now 7 Gavrila Principa) Street in Savamala. The house was built for the local Turkish
agha and his harem.
Cincar merchant Manojlo Manak acquired the house and opened the meyhane and bakery on the ground floor, while he lived upstairs. His cousin Manak Mihailović inherited the house and named the venue after his first name. In the early 20th century he brought a Czech
capella, the first all-female music orchestra in Belgrade. • "Mostar"; originally "Tri ključa", it was named after the small bridge (
most) across the
Mokroluški potok, which emptied into the Sava nearby. The wooden bridge was regularly destroyed during the seasonal floods. Kafana gave its name to the modern
Mostar neighborhood and the large
interchange. • "Novi Beograd"; opened in 1924 by Petar Kokotović in the informal suburban settlement of
Tošin Bunar. The name was prophetic as the modern municipality
New Belgrade was named that way in 1948. • "Nica"; located on the sandy beach across the Sava, in the modern
Ušće in New Belgrade. It was one of the favorite vacation spots during Interbellum. People were transported from the city by the small boats. Originally only one in the entire string of kafanas along the unurbanized bank ("Ostend", "Zdravlje", "Abadžija", "Jadran", "Krf", "Dubrovnik", "Adrija", etc.), it was the only one that survived construction of the
King Alexander Bridge in the early 1930s. The beach was finally closed in 1938 when the construction of the embankment began. • "Pariz"; originally "Ćosina kafana", founded in the 1830s by Anđelko Alekić Ćosa, who began construction of the new building in 1868. Hotel and kafana were finished in 1870. It was situated between "Kasina" and "Takovo". Location of the first Serbian comedy theatre "Orfeum". First Serbian feature film
The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe, was partially filmed in the venue, and later shown in it. Later moved to Džordža Vašingtona Street. • "Slavija"; original hotel and kafana were built from 1882 to 1888. It had a big party hall and a spacious summer garden. It hosted recitals, theatrical shows and choirs performances. She established the venue around 1840 and operated it with her daughters. During Interbellum, the name Zeleni Venac spread to the entire neighborhood. • "Zlatna lađa"; was built by wealthy merchant
Miša Anastasijević. In business until the World War I, it was a meeting place of the merchants and prominent people during the reign of
Prince Miloš.
Zemun As Zemun was a border town between Austria(-Hungary) and Turkey/Serbia, from 1730 to 1871 there was Kontumac, or the
quarantine hospital, on the location of the modern
City Park. As Zemun was an important trading post, Kontumac was also a duty-free zone. It contained residential quarters during stay in the zone. Having large number of people in one place, hospitality and catering services developed around the zone, and numerous kafanas were opened: "Kod zlatnog krsta", "Kod zlatnog točka", "Kod cara", "Kod zlatnog slona", "Kod zlatnog sunca", etc.
Modern period After World War II, night life dwindled. City was heavily damaged, population was cut by half, and it took a while to establish a proper public transportation grid to allow the commuting. Apart from the surviving "legends", new kafanas which became centers of night life in the 1950s-1960s were adjoined to the sports clubs and stadiums, like "Mladi Proleter", "Sinđelić", "Obilić" or "Stadion". Clientele often included footballers and other athletes. Another hub of night life included riverbank kafanas held by the fishermen, especially in Zemun. Popular entertainment and technological progress also hampered the importance of kafanas. Radio Belgrade began airing non-stop, including immensely popular comedy shows which emptied the streets, like the
Joyful Evening (). In 1958 the broadcast of the
Television Belgrade began. and the oldest "Džakarta", across the
Studentski Grad, better known by its original and present name "Tošin Bunar". As the first kafana on the boat, "Split" has historical importance as the precursor of splavovi. The restaurant was opened in 1970, but the ship was much older. On the orders of the Serbian Royal Navy Society, it was built in 1892 in
Regensburg, Germany, as the luxurious
paddle steamer, and originally named
Emperor Nicholas II. It was sent mostly on diplomatic missions, like
International Danube Commission. It was part of the ill-fated
Kladovo transport in World War II. After the war it was renamed
Split, docked under the
Branko's Bridge, and adapted into the restaurant. The
steerage was adapted into the private rooms and used for prostitution, so the police often raided the venue. The ship is since 1992 on the
dry dock in
Kladovo, being declared a cultural monument in 2006. In time kafanas evolved into the westernized restaurants, but many traditional ones survived, and remained part of Belgrade's tourist offer. Even today kafanas have been described as the "soul of Belgrade". Despite the development of the nightlife in modern sense in the 1960s, and diversification of the fun venues and their modernization to fit the younger population and foreign tourists, in the 2020s Skadarlija remains the second most visited attraction in Belgrade after the
Belgrade Fortress, contributing to one third of the city's foreign currency income.
Skadarlija (1938–1991), folk
chansonnier, one of the most popular Serbian
singer-songwriters, and a longtime performer in Skadarlija. Known for his personal bohemian lifestyle, he remained extremely popular with younger generations and his songs endured as the inevitable part of traditional nightlife Skadarlija partially preserved the ambience of the traditional urban architecture, including its archaic urban organization, and is known as the main
bohemian quarter of Belgrade, similar to Paris'
Montmartre. As similar Bohemian quarters, Skadarlija and Montmartre
twinned on 22 October 1977. It began to develop in 1830 with the settlement of
Gypsies in the abandoned trenches in front of the
ramparts, followed by the Serbs and the Turks after 1835. An aqueduct, essentially a wall through the center of the street, was later constructed to conduct the stream of Bibijin Potok underground. Soon after the aqueduct was built, the first khans, precursors of later kafanas, were built along the foothill of the wall. The renovation and restoration of Skadarlija began in 1968 in accordance with the designs made by the group of prominent artists. They managed to preserve its existing values and introduced modern facilities without interfering with its historical features. In the late 1960s, Skadarlija regained fame as the center of young and bohemian artists. Since 1993, the official opening of the summer season in Skadarlija (restaurants are open the entire year) has been marked by rising a "bohemian flag". There is a special code of conduct for the restaurants and their employees. It includes the types of dishes on the menus, types of uniforms, table clothes or music allowed, and the knowledge of foreign languages. Especially popular was
Sofka Nikolić. The first folk music star of newly formed Yugoslavia in the 1920s and 1930s, she published dozens of records, becoming one of the most commercial female singers in Europe. Musicians from Europe and United States were visiting her in Skadarlija, including
Josephine Baker, who befriended her. Called "Queen of Skadarlija", Nikolić withdrew in 1939 when her young daughter, her only child, died.
Čubura Another neighborhood synonymous for bohemian life was Čubura. Like Skadarlija, it was once an outer village-turned-suburb, along the local stream, Čuburski Potok. Differences included the clientele as Skadarlija was considered to be a fancy and fashionable place while Čubura used to be a gathering place of common people, and decades long communal neglect of Čubura compared to constant renovations in Skadarlija, which gave Čubura a certain flavor. In 1941, on the short distance along the Makenzijeva Street there were 30 kafanas. Čubura was described as "one vast kafana, open all hours". "Orač" was originally opened in
Savinac. Though opened in 1949 on the location of former
broadcloth making shop, it was remembered as "being much older". The venue was famous for its grill menu. Public protests and petitions followed its closing in 1996, when it was relocated to another location in Čubura, where former Vltava used to be. It was closed in January 2015. "Mlava", at 52 Cara Nikolaja, was an iconic kafana, known for "having a soul". Never a fancy locale, it reached its heyday in the 1970s and got "frozen in the 1980s", with traditional interior. It hosted equally bohemian, artistic elite, local population and construction workers from the nearby sites. By the 2010s it regained iconic status of the small, pampered oasis with the younger clientele and foreign visitors, but still was closed on 1 March 2013 as one of the last remaining "true Belgrade kafanas". "Trandafilović" was founded in 1929, and demolished in 1961 when authorities planned to cut the old
plane tree in restaurants yard. After public protests, including poet who physically prevented workers from cutting the tree, authorities backed off. New building on the same location was finished in 1967 and the kafana moved in again. In the 21st century it was closed and turned into the
household chemicals shop. Unlike preserved Skadarlija, Čubura's bohemianism was completely extinguished by the 2020s. Kafanas were closed one by one and the "spirit of Čubura" disappeared. One of the last kafanas, "Kolubara", was transformed into the betting facility while the famed "Čuburska lipa" was demolished in early 2018. It was named after the linden tree, planted in 1924, brought from
Lipik spa. The tree was also cut. "Sokolac", at the corner of the Maksima Gorkog and Sazonova streets, was closed in 2017.
Other kafanas Other famed venues, outside of Skadarlija, include: • "
?"; opened in 1823, the oldest still operational kafana in Belgrade, with almost the same menu as 200 years ago. • "Golf"; built on top of
Košutnjak in c.1930 and designed by
Dragiša Brašovan as a rustic edifice with cellar, ground floor and a loft. The main, garden facing façade is made of 5 arched, glassed openings. The middle one serves as the door between the winter salon and summer garden. Main entrance is on the side of the building. It was named after the golf courses built in 1936, initiated by the regent,
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. There were 9
greens, considered by the foreign ambassadors "among the most beautiful in Europe". The building was restored in 1946. It was originally used as the children's vacation and recuperation facility. To prevent liquidation, it was taken over by the Hospitality Management Chamber which adapted it into the training facility for the Masters (from 1960 Catering) School in 1955. It was later annexed with several rooms and the great hall which continues into the terrace. The students were moved from the boarding rooms in
Zeleni Venac into the restaurant in 1975, but the school moved out from the restaurant completely in 1978, which continued as a hospitality venue of its own. It is known for its tradition of cooked meals. Located in the offices of, and operated by, the
Association of Writers of Serbia. Highly esteemed among the intellectual elite. Visited by numerous renowned writers, like
Lawrence Durrell,
Simone de Beauvoir,
Jean-Paul Sartre, and others. • "Madera"; at 43 Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, surrounded by the Tašmajdan Park. It was built in 1937, on the location of the former kafana "Smederevo". It was named after one of the guests brought high quality
Madeira wine. • "Mornar"; One of the best known "journalists" kafana. The first venue with the electronic
cash register in Belgrade (in the 1980s). • "Orašac"; in Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, at
Vukov Spomenik. Established in the late 19th century. Despite ups and downs, it is highly esteemed among the Belgrade bohemians, with some chroniclers suggesting it deserves to be declared a cultural monument. It is described as having the "best grill under the sun". City plans in 2001 included demolition of the venue, but it survived. In 2021, the plans were revived. • "Polet"; fish restaurant, located in
Cvetni Trg, famous for its fried
girice. It was founded in 1952, closed in 2014 and reopened in 2017. It was predated by the venue of the same name which was opened after World War I, itself built on the location of the military
mess hall demolished after the
1903 May Coup. • "Poslednja Šansa"; situated in
Tašmajdan Park, the first proper kafana in Belgrade which was officially opened 24/7. Opened in the 1950s as the "Kafe Tašmajdan", it was renamed in the 1960s. It was notorious for fighting and incidents almost every night. • "Proleće"; located in Topličin Venac, across the
Park Vojvoda Vuk (known also as Park Proleće, after the venue), it was opened in the 1950s, on the location of its predecessor from the 1920s. it was reopened under the old name in December 2019. • "Stara Hercegovina"; "gastronomical Mecca" in
Stari Grad, named "Skoplje" until 1991. • "Zlatno burence"; opened in 1866 in Prizrenska Street. Became gathering point of the
Komite, members of the
Serbian Chetnik Organization, and the recruitment center for the volunteers in the
Serbian-Turkish and
Balkan Wars. Original building was demolished in the early 1930s when the modern highrise was built on the location. Kafana is today situated close to its original location at the corner, where the stone barrel was placed as a symbol of the venue. Popular but probably false anecdote is that
Winston Churchill, while working as a journalist and writing bad reports on Serbs, was beaten up in the kafana. The bohemian clientele included city's best known artists, writers, actors, journalists, musicians and city luminaries, like
Momo Kapor,
Pavle Vuisić,
Mika Antić, ,
Minimaks,
Bata Živojinović,
Ivo Andrić,
Zoran Radmilović,
Olivera Marković, ,
Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz, ,
Zuko Džumhur,
Bogdan Tirnanić. The name emerged in the 1960s, as many writers and journalists would "disappear" between three kafanas, sometimes for several days. The name was popularized in the early 1980s by the journalist Radmila Jovović. Journalists of the nearby
Politika gathered in "Grmeč", of the Radio Belgrade in "Pod Lipom", while "Šumatovac" was a neutral, joint territory. The venues were also known for one of the symbols of the old-style Serbian kafanas: red-white checkered tablecloths. When Knez Mihailova Street was turned into the pedestrian zone in 1987, journalists asked the same for the Makedonska Street (where five additional kafanas formed "Octagon" with the Bermuda Triangle), but the motion wasn't adopted. • "Grmeč"; original venue, a
beer hall "Kod Muse", was opened by the Lazić family in the mid-1930s, as the 25th kafana in the street. During the yard works, in order to arrange the pub's garden, a Roman sarcophagus with the body of a centurion, and pieces of sacral jewelry were discovered. They were all exhibited in the venue. As German occupational forces commandeered the building of the
First Belgrade Gymnasium, the students attended classes here. After the war it was renamed after the
Grmeč mountain. It was closed after the fire in June 2011 but was reopened in June 2018. • "Šumatovac"; at No. 33. A home to journalists, writers, opera singers, actors, athletes and professional gamblers. Atina's popularity was especially boosted in the 1970s and the 1980s, when it was adapted into the "express restaurant" (hot food bar) and became the first
pizzeria in Belgrade. • "Kasina"; established in 1858 in a house on Terazije, later upgraded to a hotel. As some gambling was organized in it, it was named after Italian word
casino. It was a "headquarter" of the members of the Progressive party. In 1918 it temporarily hosted the
National Assembly and 1920-1921 the
National Theatre. Present building was finished in 1922. Hotel survived until today, but not he restaurant, famous for its fast food-type sold
Wiener schnitzels. • "Lion"; at the corner of Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Miloša Zečevića. It gave its name to the entire
neighborhood. It was opened during Interbellum and named after the French city of
Lyon. Clientele included state clerks, military officers, teachers and writers. After World War II it became a "typical socialist kafana", popular among the families for Sunday lunch, but also visited by the municipal clerks. In the 1990s turned into the restaurant and then brewery, before being closed by the end of the decade. The venue was later turned into the grocery store. • "Mihajlovac"; the best known kafana in
Banovo Brdo. It was demolished in 2017 to make way for the massive, new building. • "Tri lista duvana"; "one of the most famous Belgrade kafanas ever" was founded in 1882 at the corner of the Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and the Kneza Miloša Street. The first phone line in Serbia, long, was conducted here in 1883. The building was demolished in 1989 to make way for the Hilton Hotel which was never built. • "Zora"; located in the
Balkan Cinema building, on the Makedonska Street side, it succeeded the pre-World War II kafana "Ruska lira". Pilots of the 6th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which defended the capital Belgrade, waited here for the orders in the wake of the
German attack in 1941. A bit after the midnight on 6 April 1941 they were summoned and were transported to the airport in
Tošin Bunar by the taxis which also waited all day in front of the building. In 2002 it was closed and the casino was opened instead. In 2012 another kafana was opened on the same location but was reported as "face-lifted for new customers" and as such "changed to unrecognizability and therefore repulsive to many". Others: "Marš na Drinu" (Dorćol, known for the secretive
Serbian New Year celebrations during Communism), "Beli grad" (Zeleni Venac), "Morava", "Plitvice" (
Šumice), "Složna braća" (demolished to make way for the Hotel Park), "Vardar" (
Cvetni trg), "Tabor" (Vračar), "Mala Astronomija", "Velika astronomija" (both in
Savinac), "Arilje", "Zona Zamfirova" (Cvetni trg, opened in 1937, demolished in 2011), "Prešernova klet" (Dečanska Street, since 1952, first slot club, then Black Turtle pub), "Dušanov grad" (Terazije), "Kragujevac", "Bosna", "Rad", "Starac Vujadin", "Stara varoš" (Zeleni venac).
Cultural and historical significance , gathering place of the
Young Bosnia revolutionaries in the 1910s Historian
Dubravka Stojanović singles out kafanas from other institutions of the
civil society (salons, clubs, associations), as the first institute of the new society, both in terms of chronology and importance. She described it as the first democratic space for which no "invitation" (literacy, membership card, party discipline) was needed. Due to the volatile history in the Balkans, various kafanas served as gathering places and recruitment centers for numerous wars and rebellions: "Crni Konj" (Zadarska Street; for individual fighters in the
Serbian-Ottoman Wars), "Kragujevac" (Karađorđeva Street); Garibalidians, Italian volunteers in the
Serbian-Turkish Wars of 1876–1878, "Zlatni Krst" (Serbian volunteers for the same conflict), etc. • 1881 - Serbian Journalists Association founded in "Građanska kasina". • 1896 - first public motion picture show in Serbia held in "Zlatni krst", on Terazije, on 6 June 1896, with
Lumière brothers personally showing the film. King
Aleksandar Obrenović was in the audience. The tickets were pricey and the films were screened for the next six months. The Lumière brothers' camera remained in Belgrade and is kept at
Yugoslav Film Archive. • 1896 - first intercity phone line established from "Kolarac" to the city of
Niš. On the Belgrade side there was a concert of the vocal ensemble "Stanković", while on the Niš side it was a singers' society "Branko". • 1900s - "Kolarac" was a regular meeting place of young officers headed by
Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis, who here plotted the
1903 May Coup, which ended with the deaths of king Alexander and queen
Draga, and termination of the
Obrenović dynasty in 1903. Also, the first book fair in the city was held here. • 1910s - members of the revolutionary movement
Young Bosnia, including
Gavrilo Princip, gathered in the "
Zlatna Moruna" and planned their actions, including the
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, used by
Austro-Hungary as the pretext for
World War I. • in time, various neighborhoods of Belgrade or important buildings, were named after the kafanas:
Zeleni Venac,
London,
Lipov Lad,
Mostar,
Lion,
Čukarica,
Cvetko,
Golf,
Gospodarska Mehana,
Dva Bela Goluba,
Palace Albanija,
Ruski Car, Mihajlovac, Žagubica, Park "Tri ključa", etc. As of 2023, on the administrative territory of Belgrade, there were 18 former or still operational catering and tourist facilities which were declared cultural monuments: , built in 1926 in the main commercial and pedestrian zone, the
Knez Mihailova Street. A
cultural monument since 1987 == Modern nightlife ==