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All Serbia Belgrade Znak Pitanja (?)
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Znak Pitanja (?)

Belgrade’s oldest restaurant has a rather unusual name.

Belgrade, Serbia

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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The oldest restaurant in Belgrade: ?   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The oldest restaurant in Belgrade: ?   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Order the pljeskavica, cicvara and a bottle of Knjaz Milos.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A question mark greets visitors.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The interior hasn’t changed much over the years.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The oldest restaurant in Belgrade, a traditional tavern (kafana) built in 1823, feautures a warm hearth, wooden beams, hearty Balkan dishes such as podvarak and pljeskavica, live starogradska music, and a rather peculiar name: ?.

The “?,” or Znak Pitanja (“question mark”) as it is referred to as in Serbian, may seem like a modern publicity stunt, but it has borne this name for over a century now, since 1892 in fact.

At the time of its establishment, the tavern was named Tomina kafana after Prince Miloš I’s personal doctor who owned the place. Also known simply as the “Serbian kafana,” the tavern was renamed Kod pastira (“Shepherd’s”) in 1878.

In 1892, the new owner Ivan Pavlović attempted to rename it again after the nearby Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel, an idea which was met with a vehement protest from the Serbian Orthodox Church authorities.

Chagrined, Pavlović put up a sign that simply read “?” over the entrance, a temporary solution to the situation. It was not long before it caught on, and the tavern officially adopted it as its new name. Now a local landmark, the tavern has withstood the test of time and was designated as a Protected Monument of Culture by the government in 1981.

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The restaurant is located across the street from St. Michael's Cathedral.

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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

jlord7

  • jlord7

Published

March 20, 2024

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Znak Pitanja (?)
Kralja Petra 6
Belgrade, 11000
Serbia
44.817696, 20.452504
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