Stari Mlin

Belgrade’s New Culinary Scene Embraces Serbian Traditions - AFAR

"Tucked into a leafy residential hillside and resembling a simple terra-cotta-roofed home, this low-known kafana serves market-driven, home-style Serbian cooking in a relaxed, convivial setting where meals stretch for hours. The grandfatherly owner forgoes a menu, plating crostini such as pašteta and urnebes, a creamy kaymak, a scalding prebranac of white beans with onions and leeks, and a melt-in-your-mouth ribič (slow-cooked beef shank). Guests sit outdoors under a walnut tree, sip potent homemade šlivovitz and other fruit brandies, enjoy lively traditional musicians (guitar and accordion), and often linger for multi-hour, boisterous celebrations; hearty local wines—such as cabernet blended with regional vranac—are recommended pairings." - Nicholas Schmidle