CBelgrade See Belgrade, City Guide, Belgrad, Serbia

Daily life of Belgradians revolves around coffee. The first one in the morning, one for lunch break or during your wandering through the city, one in the afternoon with friends. “Let’s go for coffee” is a favorite expressions, and often replaces the standard ”want to meet up?”

Keep in mind that most Serbs drink tea “only when ill’’ so think twice if you’re about to ask for cup of tea!
Turkish, homemade, espresso, nescafé– in a word, coffee! It is an irreplacable part of life in Belgrade.
And do not forget, whether it comes to coffee, or some other drink, watch, unlike most of their Western compatriots, Belgradians continue to pay each other a drink (tours). This means that if you go out for a drink, someone from the group will pay the entire bill. This is quite casual custom and it is considered an insult to not agree with somebody to pay your drink. Of course, in the future, you’ll be expected to pay for coffee or drinks.

Remember, one of the most common sentences in the slang of Belgrade’s bohemian life is “Ja castim” (It is my treat!). With or without cause, ”paying the bill” is the matter of respect of your guest and part of the culture.

Recommendation:
There are places in Belgrade, where you can still taste traditional home cooked coffee, Domaca (sometimes called “Turkish”), served with Turkish delight. We suggest you experience Domaca in one of the traditional cafés like Manjež or Kalenic.