Belgrade Street Food Tours

Key Takeaways

• Serbian street food is built around grilled meat, pastry, bread and dairy
• Dishes to try include ćevapi, pljeskavica, burek, ajvar, kajmak, čvarci and rakija
• Every tour here is guided and starts in Belgrade; there are no self-guided options
• Choose between small-group walking tours and private tours (market tasting, e-scooter or pub walk)
• Tours range from a 90-minute market tasting to a half-day culinary walk of about 3.5 hours

Why Explore Serbian Street Food with a Tour

Finding good street food on your own can be hard at first. Some menus are only in Serbian, sometimes in Cyrillic, and many dish names won’t mean anything to you. A guided tour takes the guesswork out of it and leads you straight to places locals already trust.

A good tour also explains what you’re eating. Your guide tells you why ćevapi are a big deal in the Balkans, how burek is eaten here and what goes with what. So you leave knowing how to order on your own for the rest of your trip.

It’s also an easy way to see the city. Most Belgrade street food tours combine tastings with a walk through the center, a lot like the Belgrade walking tours, just with more stops to eat. It feels like having a local friend show you around.

For solo travelers, the small-group tours are a simple way to meet people. Sharing a plate of warm ćevapi with others in the group often leads to good conversations. If you’d rather have a wider mix of food and drink experiences, including sit-down meals, the Belgrade food tours are another option.

Types of Street Food Tours in Belgrade

Small-group walking tours

This is the most common way to do a Belgrade street food tour. You walk with a guide and a small group between several tasting stops in the city center. The longest option is a culinary walk of about 3.5 hours that covers brunch, lunch and drinks. It goes from tastings at Bajloni Market to the old bohemian quarter of Skadarlija and the street art on Cetinjska Street. Shorter tasting tours focus more on the food itself and on how Serbian food culture works day to day.

Private farmers market tasting

If you only have a short window, there is a private 90-minute tasting at Kalenić, one of the markets locals use for their weekly shopping. You try burek, ajvar, kajmak, čvarci (pork cracklings), ćevapi and traditional sweets, then take a short walk around the neighborhood. It’s private, so the guide can go at your pace and answer all your questions.

Private e-scooter food tour

For more ground and less walking, there is a private half-day food tour on e-scooters. You ride between food stops instead of walking, which lets you cover more of the city in the same time. It’s a good fit if you’ve already seen the old town on foot or don’t want to walk for hours.

Private pub and tavern walk

One private half-day tour is more about drinks than street stalls. It takes you through Belgrade’s pub culture and traditional taverns (kafanas), with local guides who know where people in the city really drink. It suits travelers who care as much about the drinks as the snacks. For more private options beyond food, see the private tours in Serbia.

What You Might Taste on a Street Food Tour

Ćevapi

Ćevapi are small, finger-sized rolls of minced meat, grilled over charcoal and served in soft flatbread called lepinja. They usually come with chopped raw onion and a spoon of kajmak that melts a little from the heat. Smoky meat, creamy kajmak and fresh bread: that’s the whole idea.

Pljeskavica

Pljeskavica is often called the Serbian burger, but it’s bigger, flatter and spiced differently. The patty is made from a mix of minced meats and grilled over an open flame. It’s served in lepinja with salad, kajmak or ajvar. The best-known version comes from Leskovac in southern Serbia.

Burek

Burek is a pastry made from very thin layers of dough, filled with cheese or meat, and sometimes spinach. It’s crispy on top and soft inside. Locals eat it for breakfast, often with a cup of drinking yogurt. The best burek comes from small bakeries that make it fresh through the day, and you’ll often see people lining up in the morning.

Ajvar and kajmak

These are the two spreads you’ll see everywhere. Ajvar is made from roasted red peppers and tastes smoky and a little sweet. Kajmak is a rich, slightly salty dairy spread, somewhere between clotted cream and fresh cheese. They go on bread, grilled meat and almost anything else.

Čvarci

Čvarci are crispy pork cracklings, a classic snack at Serbian markets. They’re salty, crunchy and very rich, so a small handful is enough. You’ll find them on the market tasting tour.

Rakija

Rakija is a strong fruit brandy and a big part of Serbian hospitality. It’s often offered as a welcome drink. Plum rakija (šljivovica) is the most traditional, but you’ll also find quince, apricot and other fruit versions. It’s strong, so take small sips.

Sweet treats

Something sweet often closes a tour. Look for krofne (Serbian donuts) filled with jam or chocolate, and palačinke, thin crepes filled with anything from Nutella to fruit or walnuts. They’re a good break after all the meat and pastry.

Want the full list of local dishes and drinks before you go? Read the guide on what to eat in Serbia.

Where the Tours Take You in Belgrade

Markets

Markets are where Belgrade shops for food, and they’re a big part of these tours. Bajloni Market sits close to Skadarlija and is a stop on the longer walking tour. Kalenić, in the Vračar area, is the base for the private market tasting. Zeleni Venac, right in the center, is one of the city’s oldest markets and worth a look on your own, with stalls selling fresh produce, cheese and cured meats.

Skadarlija and the old town

The old bohemian street of Skadarlija is more about traditional kafanas than street stalls. But it’s where you can try classic grilled dishes in an old-town setting, often with live music in the evening. Bakeries (pekara) are on almost every street around the center, and many stay open late.

Cetinjska Street

Cetinjska is known for its street art and its bars, and the longer walking tour passes through it. It’s a good example of how food and drink stops on these tours mix with the city’s newer side, not just the old town.

Street food outside Belgrade

There are no street food tours outside Belgrade on this page, but the food changes as you travel. Novi Sad mixes Balkan food with Central European influences from its Austro-Hungarian past. Niš, in the south, is known for its burek and grilled meat, and the nearby town of Leskovac is famous for its pljeskavica. Food in southern Serbia tends to be heavier and often spicier. Farmers markets and local food festivals across the country are also a good chance to taste regional specialties. Festival dates change from year to year, so check before you go.

Tips for Your Street Food Tour

How to choose a tour

• Group or private: small-group walks are more social; the private tours let you set the pace and ask as many questions as you like.
• Time you have: the market tasting takes 90 minutes, while the culinary walk, the e-scooter tour and the pub walk each take up a half day.
• Walking or riding: most tours are on foot. If you don’t want to walk much, the e-scooter food tour is the alternative.
• Diet: Serbian street food is very meat-heavy. If you’re vegetarian, tell the operator when you book and ask if the tastings can be adjusted.
• Drinks: the culinary walk includes drinks and the pub walk is built around them. If beer is your main interest, look at the Belgrade brewery tours.

What to bring

• Comfortable shoes, since most tours are on foot and parts of the old town are cobblestone
• A water bottle, especially in summer
• Some cash in Serbian dinars if you want to buy extra snacks at the market
• An empty stomach: skip a big breakfast or lunch before the tour

When to go

Street food tours run all year. Spring and early autumn are the most comfortable for walking. Summer can be very hot in the afternoon, so a morning tour is easier, and markets are at their liveliest early in the day anyway. In winter, warm burek and grilled meat taste even better, just dress for the cold.

Frequently Asked Questions