Znak Pitanja (?)

Znak Pitanja — the Question Mark — is believed to be the oldest restaurant in Belgrade, having operated on this site since 1823. The interior is a wood-panelled, low-ceilinged room that looks authentically old, and the menu is traditional Serbian: bean soup, grilled meats, roast lamb, burek, and a reliable house wine. The prices are moderate and the atmosphere is genuine rather than performed.

The location on Kralja Petra, just off Kalemegdan and steps from the Cathedral, makes it the natural lunch stop after a morning at the fortress. It fills up with locals at midday and early evening. The story of the name is told on a small plaque inside, and the owners take justifiable pride in the continuity — though the food has clearly evolved somewhat over the past two centuries.

eating out restaurant
A story
The restaurant's odd name comes from a bishop's protest. When it opened in 1823 as "The Cathedral Kafana" — in a building directly across from the newly constructed Cathedral of Saint Archangel Michael — the bishop objected so strenuously to a pub bearing the church's name that the owner removed all signage. Asked what he was supposed to call it, the bishop replied: "I don't know — a question mark?" The name stuck.