Restaurant in Belgrade, Serbia
Farm-sourced Serbian cooking at budget prices.
A Michelin Plate-recognised Serbian restaurant at Tošin bunar 179, Bela Reka earns the trip outside central Belgrade with dry-aged lamb shoulder, farm-sourced ewe's milk cheese from the Homolje Mountains, and hearty traditional cooking that outperforms its € price point. Rated 4.6 across nearly 12,000 Google reviews, it is the most compelling value case for traditional Serbian cuisine in the city.
Yes — and the distance is the point. Bela Reka sits at Tošin bunar 179, well outside Belgrade's central restaurant corridor, and that separation is what makes it work. This is a kitchen committed to Serbian culinary tradition in a way that few city-centre venues can sustain: supply chains are shorter, produce is more tightly controlled, and the cooking reflects it. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm what the 4.6 rating across nearly 12,000 Google reviews suggests — this is not a neighbourhood fallback, it is a destination restaurant that happens to be priced at €.
If you have been once, you already know the broad shape of the experience: generous portions, hearty Serbian cooking, ingredients sourced with unusual rigour. The question on a return visit is how to build the meal with more intention. The shoulder of lamb, matured in dry-aging cases, is the anchor dish and worth ordering every time. The slow process concentrates the meat's flavour in a way that distinguishes it clearly from standard roasted lamb , this is not a rustic shortcut but a deliberate technique applied to a traditional cut. Order it as the centrepiece and build around it.
The house-made Serbian bread is listed among the kitchen's specialties, and it earns that status: it arrives at the table carrying the faint, yeasty warmth of a working kitchen, the kind of scent that signals bread made on-site rather than delivered. Use it. The ewe's milk cheese deserves equal attention , much of it comes directly from the restaurant's own farm in the Homolje Mountains, a supply relationship that gives the kitchen a level of ingredient consistency that most Belgrade restaurants cannot replicate. On a return visit, if the cheese features as a standalone course or a starter component, prioritise it over something you have already tried.
The architecture of a meal here follows a traditional Serbian rhythm rather than a contemporary tasting-menu format. There is no prescribed progression of small courses building toward a climax , instead, the meal moves through bold, sustaining dishes that reflect regional cooking at its most direct. For a returning diner, the leading approach is to treat the meal as a deliberate sequence: begin with the bread and cheese, let the lamb anchor the main course, and resist the temptation to over-order. The portions are generous enough that restraint at the ordering stage leads to a better overall experience than arriving with an ambitious list.
Homolje Mountain farm connection is worth keeping in mind seasonally. Autumn and winter are when aged lamb and cured dairy products are at their most developed, making those months the stronger window for a visit focused on the kitchen's signature proteins and cheeses. If you are visiting Belgrade in late spring or summer, the experience is still sound, but the cold-weather menu is where Bela Reka's sourcing philosophy pays off most visibly on the plate.
Booking at Bela Reka is direct. The Michelin recognition and volume of Google reviews suggest steady demand, but at the € price point and with a location that requires a deliberate journey from the city centre, the reservation window is shorter than you might expect for a Michelin-listed venue. A few days' notice is typically sufficient; a week out gives you comfortable choice of timing. No phone number or online booking link is listed in current venue data, so arrival approach and current reservation method should be confirmed locally or through a hotel concierge.
Getting there requires a car or taxi. Public transport options exist to the Zemun area, but Tošin Bunar is not a walkable destination from central Belgrade. Budget 20 to 30 minutes from the city centre depending on traffic, and factor that into your reservation timing , this is not a venue you want to arrive at rushed.
Quick reference: € price range, Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025, Google 4.6/5 (11,841 reviews), car or taxi required, booking lead time 3 to 7 days.
See the full comparison section below for peer context across Belgrade's dining options.
If Bela Reka's farm-to-table approach to Serbian tradition appeals, there are comparable venues across Europe applying the same philosophy at different price points. Fleur de Sel in Novi Slankamen offers another angle on regional Serbian dining. Further afield, Auberge Grand'Maison in Mûr-de-Bretagne and Cave à Vin & à Manger in Narbonne sit in the same traditional cuisine category with Michelin recognition. For Iberian comparisons, Ola Martín Berasategui in Bilbao, El Ermitaño in Benavente, and Auga in Gijón each represent traditional cuisine executed with serious technique. Coto de Quevedo Evolución in Torre de Juan Abad and Zonda Cocina de Paisaje in Mendoza extend the category into wine-country territory where sourcing and locality drive the menu in the same way they do at Bela Reka.
Back in Belgrade, if you are building a broader dining itinerary, Langouste, The Square, Comunale Caffè e Cucina, Corso, and Cveće Zla each cover different formats and price tiers. The full Belgrade restaurants guide covers the broader picture, and if you are planning a longer stay, the Belgrade hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide are useful starting points.
Bela Reka is a Michelin Plate-recognised Serbian restaurant at the € price point, located outside the city centre in the Zemun district. You need a car or taxi to get here. The kitchen focuses on traditional Serbian cuisine with serious sourcing , the ewe's milk cheese comes from the restaurant's own farm in the Homolje Mountains, and the dry-aged lamb shoulder is the dish to order. Portions are generous, so do not over-order on a first visit. For contemporary Belgrade dining at a similar price, Iva New Balkan Cuisine is the closer city-centre alternative, but Bela Reka's sourcing depth is in a different category.
Three to seven days ahead is generally sufficient. Bela Reka holds Michelin Plate recognition and has nearly 12,000 Google reviews, which signals consistent demand, but its out-of-centre location and € price point keep the booking window more accessible than you would expect from a Michelin-listed venue. Weekends may require slightly more lead time. No online booking link is currently listed in venue data, so confirm the reservation method via your hotel concierge or on arrival inquiry.
Nothing in the current venue data specifies group capacity or a private dining room. Given the restaurant's physical scale and its positioning as a traditional Serbian restaurant with a farm supply operation, it is reasonable to expect space for larger tables , but confirm directly before booking a group of six or more. At the € price point, Bela Reka is one of the more cost-effective options in Belgrade for a group meal at Michelin-recognised quality. For groups wanting a fully city-centre option, The Square at €€ is an easier logistical call.
Yes, with the right expectations. The setting is not a formal city-centre dining room, and the style is hearty and traditional rather than refined and composed. But the Michelin Plate, the farm-sourced ingredients, and the dry-aged lamb make for a meal with genuine distinction , the kind of occasion that feels considered rather than default. If the occasion calls for a grander room and more service polish, Salon 1905 at €€€ or Langouste at €€€€ are the appropriate alternatives. But for a celebration where the food is the point and price is a factor, Bela Reka at € delivers a level of quality that makes the occasion feel earned.
At the € price tier, Bela Reka is one of the stronger value propositions among Michelin-recognised restaurants in Belgrade. The dry-aged lamb and farm-sourced cheese represent an ingredient investment that rarely appears at this price point. Compared to Iva New Balkan Cuisine, which also sits at €, Bela Reka has the awards recognition and the sourcing story to back up its reputation. The journey from the city centre adds a small cost in time and transport, but the cooking justifies it. If you are comparing on pure value per krone, this is the answer.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bela Reka | Traditional Cuisine | € | Easy |
| Langouste | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| The Square | Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown |
| Salon 1905 | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown |
| Iva New Balkan Cuisine | Modern Cuisine | € | Unknown |
| Istok | Vietnamese | € | Unknown |
How Bela Reka stacks up against the competition.
Go for the shoulder of lamb and the house-made Serbian bread — both are Michelin-noted specialties. The restaurant is at Tošin bunar 179, which is a deliberate trip outside central Belgrade, so plan transport in advance. Portions are hearty and prices sit at the € level, meaning you will eat well without stretching a budget. The cooking draws on produce sourced directly from the restaurant's own farm in the Homolje Mountains, including ewe's milk cheese.
Booking at least a few days ahead is sensible given the Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, which drives steady demand. Weekend evenings are the safest to reserve in advance. The € price point keeps the volume of diners high, so last-minute walk-ins are a risk worth avoiding if your visit is time-sensitive.
Nothing in the available venue data specifies private dining or dedicated group spaces, so check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity. The hearty, generous portion style and traditional Serbian format suits communal dining well, and the out-of-centre location at Tošin bunar 179 typically means more physical space than central city restaurants.
It works well for a low-key celebration where the food is the main event rather than the setting or formality. The Michelin Plate (2025) gives it genuine culinary credibility, and the farm-sourced ingredients — including cheese from the restaurant's own Homolje Mountains farm — make it a more considered choice than a standard Belgrade dinner. If you need a formal fine-dining atmosphere, look at Salon 1905 instead.
At the € price range with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025), it delivers strong value by any measure. You are getting farm-sourced Serbian produce, including ingredients from the restaurant's own farm, at a price point that undercuts most comparable quality in European cities. The journey to Tošin bunar 179 is the only real cost, and the quality of the dry-aged lamb alone justifies the trip.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
