Restaurant in Belgrade, Serbia
Michelin-credentialed Belgrade dining, mid-range prices.
Magellan holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and a 4.8 Google rating, making it the most credentialed fine dining option in Belgrade at a €€ price point. The kitchen blends Italian technique with Serbian produce across both a tasting menu and an extensive à la carte. Book dinner for the full tasting-menu experience; the value relative to comparable European fine dining is hard to argue with.
Magellan earns a Michelin Plate (2024) and a 4.8 Google rating from nearly 500 reviewers — that combination in Novi Beograd, the modernist district across the Sava from the old city, makes it the clearest answer to the question of where to eat seriously in Belgrade without paying Langouste prices. The €€ price point is the real story here: you are getting tasting-menu ambition and Italian-accented modern cooking at a fraction of what comparable European fine dining would cost. If you are a food-focused traveller building a Belgrade itinerary, this is where you should eat.
The dining room is anchored by a large aquarium — not a gimmick, but a genuine design statement that sets the register of the meal before a single dish arrives. The front-of-house team is consistently described as professional and well-paced, which matters at this level: a sharp floor crew is what separates a good tasting menu from a great one. Chef Aleksandar Ilić leads the kitchen, and the approach is internationally minded with a clear Italian current running through it , fresh pasta, risotto, and technique-forward proteins sit alongside Serbian produce that gives the menu a local grounding without leaning into folklore.
The Michelin inspectors noted a sea bass in herb crust with zabaglione and blanched fennel, and a dessert called "Autumn" built around seasonal textures , those are the kind of dishes that signal a kitchen operating with real discipline. Whether those specific dishes are on the current menu cannot be confirmed, but the culinary direction they represent is consistent with what reviewers describe across seasons. For food enthusiasts who want context: this cooking sits in the same broad register as Maison Lameloise in Chagny or Cracco in Galleria in Milan in its European fine-dining ambitions, though at a significantly lower price point and without those venues' multi-decade reputations.
Magellan offers both a tasting menu and an extensive à la carte selection, which means the lunch-versus-dinner calculus is worth thinking through carefully. At dinner, the tasting menu is the format that delivers the fullest expression of the kitchen's range , the sequenced courses, the Serbian produce woven through Italian technique, the dessert programme. If you are visiting Belgrade specifically for the food, dinner on the tasting menu is the version to book.
Lunch is a different proposition. The à la carte is extensive, and at €€ pricing, a midday meal here represents strong value for the quality on offer , closer to what you would pay at The Square but with a more refined kitchen behind it. For business travellers or visitors with a packed afternoon itinerary, lunch à la carte is a legitimate way to experience the cooking without committing to a full tasting-menu evening. That said, if you have to choose just one meal at Magellan, dinner wins on depth and atmosphere: the aquarium-lit room, the paced tasting menu, and the full front-of-house operation are built for an evening experience.
Compare this to how other modern-cuisine venues in Belgrade handle the split: Salon 1905 at €€€ leans more heavily into the evening fine-dining format, while Iva New Balkan Cuisine at € is built for casual any-time eating. Magellan sits between them in price and above both in formal ambition, making it the most versatile serious restaurant in the city for travellers who want one high-quality dinner and potentially a more relaxed lunch.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy , you do not need to plan weeks in advance to secure a table here, which is unusual for a Michelin-recognised restaurant. That said, weekend evenings in a room of this profile will fill, so booking 5–7 days out for Friday or Saturday dinner is sensible. The restaurant is in Novi Beograd at Jurija Gagarina 14ž, the modern part of the capital , reachable by taxi or rideshare from central Belgrade in under 15 minutes. If you are also exploring the broader Belgrade dining scene, see our full Belgrade restaurants guide, and for where to stay, our full Belgrade hotels guide has current options across all price tiers.
| Venue | Price | Cuisine | Booking Difficulty | Michelin Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magellan | €€ | Modern / Italian-accented | Easy | Plate (2024) |
| Langouste | €€€€ | Modern Cuisine | Harder | , |
| Salon 1905 | €€€ | Modern Cuisine | Moderate | , |
| The Square | €€ | Contemporary French / Modern | Easy | , |
| Iva New Balkan Cuisine | € | Modern / Balkan | Easy | , |
Magellan is the right call for food-focused travellers who want a genuinely serious restaurant without the top-tier price tag, couples planning a dinner that warrants the occasion, and first-time visitors to Belgrade who want one reliable fine-dining anchor in their trip. It is less suited to large groups looking for a convivial, sharing-plates environment , the format is formal and the experience is paced. For more relaxed eating in the city, GiG or Legat 1903 are worth considering. For wine-focused exploration around Serbia, Fleur de Sel in Novi Slankamen is the regional reference point worth a day trip. And if you want to place Magellan in a broader modern-cuisine context across Europe and beyond, the cooking here sits in the same conversation as Azafrán in Mendoza or Maçakızı in Bodrum , regionally rooted, internationally minded, priced to make you wonder why you spent more elsewhere.
For more on eating and drinking in the city, see our full Belgrade bars guide, our full Belgrade wineries guide, and our full Belgrade experiences guide. For broader modern-cuisine reference points at a similar level, Trescha in Buenos Aires, FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai, and Frantzén in Stockholm show where the format goes at higher price tiers. Also worth exploring: Pinòt for wine-forward dining in Belgrade.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magellan | Located in the heart of New Belgrade, Magellan offers an extraordinary fine dining experience under the culinary direction of famous chef Aleksandar Ilić. The interior design takes inspiration from it...; Located in Novi Beograd, the modern part of the capital, the dining room of this restaurant is dominated by a striking aquarium. The veteran local-born chef is backed up by a slick, spot-on front-of-house team. Both the tasting menu and the extensive à la carte selection showcase original recipes and internationally inspired dishes with a zest of Italian flair (including pasta and risotto), complemented by cherry-picked Serbian produce. In keeping with the restaurant’s namesake, the chef takes guests on an adventurous gourmet journey full of surprises and exceptional quality.; This restaurant in Novi Beograd, the modern part of the capital, boasts a dining room dominated by a beautiful aquarium. Here, the new local chef, who has plenty of experience behind him, is ably assisted by a professional and attentive front-of-house team. Both the chef’s tasting menu and the extensive à la carte showcase original dishes with a hint of Italian inspiration, including fresh pasta dishes (fish and meat). We particularly enjoyed the excellent sea bass in a herb crust served with zabaglione and blanched fennel, and a highly memorable dessert (“Autumn”) inspired by the season with a mix of textures and just the right amount of sweetness.; Michelin Plate (2024) | €€ | — |
| Langouste | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| The Square | World's 50 Best | €€ | — |
| Salon 1905 | €€€ | — | |
| Iva New Balkan Cuisine | € | — | |
| Istok | € | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Magellan holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and sits in Novi Beograd, the modernist part of the city, at Jurija Gagarina 14ž. The dining room is anchored by a large aquarium, and the menu gives you a genuine choice: a chef's tasting menu or an extensive à la carte that includes Italian-inflected dishes alongside Serbian produce. At €€ pricing, it is the most credentialed fine dining option in its price bracket in Belgrade.
Booking difficulty here is rated Easy, which is unusual for a Michelin-recognised restaurant. You do not need to plan weeks ahead, but for weekend dinners or special occasions, a few days' notice is sensible. It is a notably low-friction reservation compared to equivalent restaurants in other European capitals.
The venue holds a Michelin Plate and operates as a serious fine dining room, so dress accordingly — think neat, put-together clothing rather than casual wear. The setting, with its statement aquarium and professional front-of-house, signals that guests are expected to match the room's register.
Salon 1905 is the closest comparison for heritage-inflected fine dining in a more central Belgrade location. Iva New Balkan Cuisine is the stronger pick if you want food that leans harder into Serbian and regional produce. Langouste is worth considering if seafood is the priority, while Istok and The Square suit those who want a less formal register at a similar price point.
Yes, clearly so at €€ pricing. A Michelin Plate, a professional front-of-house team, and a menu that spans both tasting and à la carte formats make this significantly better value than comparable Michelin-recognised restaurants in Paris, Vienna, or even Warsaw. If you want serious food in Belgrade without paying serious European capital prices, Magellan is the straightforward answer.
The tasting menu is the stronger format here if you want the full range of the kitchen's Italian-inflected, Serbian produce-driven cooking. That said, the à la carte is extensive enough that it is not a compromise — dishes like the sea bass in herb crust with zabaglione and blanched fennel have drawn specific praise in Michelin documentation. If this is your only meal at Magellan, the tasting menu is the better introduction to what chef Aleksandar Ilić is doing.
Yes. The aquarium dining room, professional service, tasting menu format, and Michelin Plate recognition give it the markers a special occasion dinner requires. At €€, it is also achievable without the anxiety of top-tier pricing. For couples or small groups marking a birthday, anniversary, or significant dinner in Belgrade, Magellan is the most credentialed option available at this price level.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
