Kafana ? (Znak Pitanja)

Kafana ? (Znak Pitanja, the Question Mark) is widely described as the oldest surviving kafana in Belgrade, a small house from the early 19th century at Kralja Petra 6 in Stari Grad, directly opposite the Saborna (Cathedral) Church. The unusual name is a piece of local lore: the tavern is said to have stayed unnamed for years, and the punctuation mark stuck. The cuisine is plain, traditional Serbian cooking with no chef-driven or Michelin ambitions; the appeal is the building, the setting and an honest introduction to kafana food in Serbia. The menu centres on grill and oven dishes. Ćevapi, the small skinless minced-meat sausages served with onion and flatbread, are the standard order, alongside Karađorđeva šnicla (a rolled, breaded veal or pork cutlet filled with kajmak), sarma (cabbage rolls) and gibanica, the layered cheese pastry. Portions are generous and prices are moderate for central Belgrade, with a typical meal running about 1,500-2,800 RSD per person. The dining room is compact and low-ceilinged, with a few more tables on the pavement terrace facing the cathedral. Atmosphere is relaxed and conversational rather than formal; there is no dress code, and noise stays at a level of ordinary chatter rather than live-music volume. Beverages follow kafana convention: Serbian rakija (fruit brandy) as an aperitif, local beer, and house or bottled Serbian wines, with coffee and sweets to finish. There is no extended wine programme to speak of. Reservations are rarely a problem. Walk-in seating is usually possible at lunch, while a phone call to +381 11 263 5421 is sensible for dinner or groups, particularly in summer when the terrace fills first. The location suits a solo traveller on foot, midway between the pedestrian Knez Mihailova street and the Kalemegdan fortress, making it a natural first kafana meal in Belgrade, Serbia, before heading to the livelier but more touristy Skadarlija quarter.