For some reason, and quite ironically if you ask me given the recent history of the country with the US government, the burger game in Serbia is strong. But then again, I suppose conflict is one of the most certain ways to ensure cultural interactions between two peoples. Most burgers we had there were, at worst, great. Most of the time? They were divine. Beef tastes amazing in this country, to be fair, all meats taste quite fine. Chicken too could often stand its ground. If you are into meat, you will not be disappointed in Serbia. After all, traditional Serbian food itself revolves around a more carnivorous theme too! Without further ado, and before I order a burger myself just to reminiscent those wonderful days of trying many different spots serving it in the capital of Serbia, let me go ahead and share with you some of the most delightful locations in which we enjoyed some proper burgers.
Smash Burgers. What can I say about Smash Burgers? It is already hard to write about food as a historian whose experience with writing is mostly limited to academic work but it becomes impossible to do so when you are dealing with such perfect burgers… As its name suggests, Smash Burgers specialize in smash burgers. Patties are smashed as they cook, bringing out all the aroma in them whilst also getting a perfect crisp on those thin but delicious discs of meat. These are then topped with the condiments that you ask for, depending on which of their three regular burgers and one temporary creation you pick. Mine was the “original,” and it tasted like a Big Mac, but a million times better. Its sauce was legendary, onions were sweet and crispy, cheese was on point and in a decent quantity, patties were extremely tasty. Should I really go on? Fries too were superb, perfectly fried and salted, and that truffle mayo, well you either love or hate truffle so make up your own mind about it because my mind struggled to understand how good it tasted, both with the burger and alongside the fries. The whole feast came to a decent 845 RSD. One of the worthier meals we have had in Belgrade, hands down.
Just a closer shot of the burger itself to prove an age-old saying, “never judge a book by its cover.” Sure, it will not win any awards for how good it looks, but I am sure that it would win many for how good it tastes, if it did not already.
One of the more renowned burger franchises in the city is known as Burger House Bros. They have a lot going on in their menus, often with quite amusing names. Imagine a vegan burger being called an “Adopted Bro” on a menu and you will understand what I mean. We got the “Local Bro” and in hindsight that turned out to be a mistake. Though the novelty of having a huge slap of salty fried local cheese on top of a burger patty was quite interesting, it made the whole burger a tad too salty for my taste. Bacons were not helping in that regard as well. However, the patty itself was just fine, and if we opted for a more orthodox burger, I am sure that the whole saltiness issue would not be much of a, well, issue. It was a nice experiment though.
They have some tasty sides as well in Burger House Bros. Sauces are plenty, and all seem to taste divine, whereas their onion rings caught me by surprise as it basically started slapping my taste buds the moment I popped one in my mouth. Fries were okay too, but onion rings would be my go-to for sure. The whole meal, with a lemonade on the side, came to a rather staggering 1400 RSD though, so do know that this is what I would consider to be an “anti-budget” meal. In all honesty, I would prefer eating at the Smash Burgers twice instead, or maybe even going for all the food mentioned in my budget spots article, since all of them combined still comes to a cheaper price than this behemoth of a bill right here, while still tasting amazing.
One of the finest additions to our dinners in Belgrade was the Intergalactic Diner in the city centre, an amazing establishment with the perfect “American diner” setting right in the middle of the Balkans. Though I have not been to an actual diner yet, it certainly looked like the real deal as we see it in movies and TV series. However, the decoration itself would not be enough for me to move my ass and eat somewhere, that is simply against my rules, but it had to be mentioned. Food wise, the Intergalactic Diner is doing a great job. Though sides could use some extra help, burgers were on point. Mine was a pulled pork sandwich, with brie cheese in it, and an excellent jam. Perfectly soft bun, decently filled burger, and complementary sides, what else can one expect from a burger joint?
If a burger is not up your alley, you should be happy to hear that fried chicken and fried foods of all sorts are readily available around the city as well, with an emphasis on nuggets for some reason unbeknownst to me. This here is a mixed box from Chicken Box, and at 630 RSD (with the extra cheese sauce on the side) it sure tasted quite amazing to me all the while being filling as heck. Even the mozzarella sticks, towards which I am usually quite impartial to, tasted good and were not too greasy. Sauces were what really carried this whole meal though so make sure to go there as a group and attempt to try as many of their twelve custom sauces as possible.
Aforementioned venues:
Smash Burgers – https://goo.gl/maps/3x6gwWMKUXdP8j3h9
Burger House Bros. – https://goo.gl/maps/EqHaaFuRqbRGqvd58
Intergalactic Diner – https://g.page/intergalactic-diner-centar?share
Chicken Box – https://goo.gl/maps/36SPHfxZ39qc1WW76
Familiar Signs, Unfamiliar Tastes
Though the local fast-food game is strong in Serbia, some of you may wonder if the staples are there as well, as a plan B if all goes south for some reason with both the Serbian food, and the Serbian made fast food. Suffice to say that McDonalds and KFC are already there, and they both taste amazing, though KFC is surely doing much better in that regard.
Halfway into our trip, after walking for almost thirty kilometres one day, I had to rest a while at home to gain some more energy for tomorrow’s “expedition” which ended up in us ordering some food through Wolt. Wolt is excellent, I wish they sponsored me to say this but even without a sponsorship one simply has to say it. You can see your driver as they near your home, you can translate the menus to English, most of their riders in Belgrade knows the language too, and the whole thing just works smoothly, with only a fair cost added on top for their operations. Our first Wolt order was from McDonalds, and to recreate the “old days” from that one semester I spent in Vancouver, I opted for a twenty-piece spicy nuggets box. Nuggets were okay, not the best I have had in a McDonalds but certainly tasted quite alright, and the sauces were doing a decent job. My friend went for a Big Tasty instead, likely to reminiscent his time studying in Russia. We were both satisfied with our meals, and generally speaking it was one of the better McDonalds experiences. Though it was a bit underwhelming to see that there were not that many special offerings for the region, just a few uninteresting ones. It also did not help that a box of nuggets came to a rather scary 1140 RSD.
KFC is a different story in Serbia, a much happier one for sure. They have a lot of specials for Serbia, or perhaps it is for the Balkans in general. The chicken itself was fried differently, looking drastically dissimilar than what I am used to. That hardly meant that it tasted poorly, on the contrary, the chicken was juicy, and the spicy seasoning was on point though was not spicy at all. Their specials are quite superb, alas I was too hungry to get decent photos of them so just take my word for it! The whole meal, with a wrap (filled with chicken, cheese, and sauce), five hot wings, some fries, a wonderful garlic sauce, and a drink came to a respectable 1150 RSD, not cheap by any means.
If you want to avoid the more adventurous meals during your time in Belgrade, you should be happy to know that American fast food that we all know and love is available in massive quantity, and excellent quality throughout the city. Though the more renowned brands are also there, given their comparatively lacking quality, yet quite extreme pricing, I would highly suggest going for the more local brands first, and enjoy some of the finest burgers out there at a decent price.