What to eat in Zlatibor
Pršuta and kajmak first, veal or lamb under the sač as the main course, trout for a change and baklava to finish.
- Veal under the sač
- €20.61
- Lamb under the sač
- €21.46
- Uštipci
- €4.43
Nobody comes to Zlatibor for a light lunch. The table here is mountain food, eaten slowly, with cheese, kajmak and pršuta first and meat under the sač as the main event. Most of the good eating is in Čajetina and in the village of Ljubiš, more than beside the lake.
Pršuta, cheese and kajmak
The pršuta comes from Mačkat, a village between Užice and Zlatibor, and it carries a protected designation of origin. It is dried in smoke from beech wood, and many households there make it from family recipes. The village holds the Pršutijada in winter. Going in: free.
At Kafana Ljubiš in Čajetina the starter arrives as warm cornbread, then cheese, kajmak, beef pršuta and mountain bacon, with homemade rakija from plums or wild pears on the side. The Pećinar, in the village of Ljubiš, serves Zlatibor cheese, kajmak and pršuta in the same spirit. Do not mix the two Ljubišes up, because one is a kafana in Čajetina and the other is a village. At Bela Reka, prženice with kajmak and ajvar cost €4.34.
3-star hotel, double room, per person per night
Uštipci and komplet lepinja
Uštipci, fried dough, arrive at Bela Reka with ajvar, kajmak and jam for €4.43. The komplet lepinja is served with kulen or beef pršuta and costs €5.02, and the pita of the day for breakfast costs €4.94. Zlatni bor has both uštipci and komplet lepinja on its menu too, so the same dish turns up in two places.
Meat under the sač
The sač is a metal lid piled with embers, and the meat bakes slowly beneath it. It is the dish to order when you have time, and it comes with a side such as potatoes or kajmak. Bela Reka lists veal under the sač at €20.61 and lamb at €21.46.
Elsewhere the choice is wider. Zlatni bor, in Čajetina, bakes lamb under the sač, and Restoran Grand on the main promenade serves veal with potatoes and kajmak. Kafana Ljubiš also has veal, and the Pećinar offers veal or lamb. Keep the pršuta and cheese for before it.
Trout
Trout is the change of pace, and the Pećinar has the most direct claim, since it keeps its fish in a tank behind the restaurant. Bela Reka grills it with chard and potatoes for €14.05. Kafana Ljubiš serves grilled trout with potato salad, and it lists veal under the sač as its other main.
Something sweet, rakija, coffee
Dessert is a matter of where you sit. Kafana Ljubiš has baklava with plums and doughnuts, Zlatni bor has sour cherry pie and homemade baklava, and Bela Reka serves pancakes with sour cherry preserve. Rakija from plums or wild pears comes with the starter, and a coffee costs €1.70–2.98.
Where to sit down
A standard restaurant main course, without drinks, costs €9.28–13.54. The dish prices on this page come from the menu of one place, Bela Reka, so treat them as one example and not as a rule for the mountain, and note that menus change.
The list is not a ranking: these are places that the Gault&Millau guide and the Zlatibor tourist office name for these dishes; menus change.
Where to next
The best time to visit Zlatibor
→Zlatibor has no single best month — winter belongs to Tornik and skiing, April to October to the cave, the waterfall and the gondola just for the view.
Sirogojno · 16 km
→An open-air museum, and the sweaters Vogue made catalogues for
How well does Zlatibor suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Zlatibor
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What does “under the sač” mean?
The meat, veal or lamb, bakes slowly under a metal lid with embers on top. Veal under the sač at Bela Reka costs €20.61.
How much does lunch cost on Zlatibor?
A main course in an everyday restaurant costs €9.28–13.54. Coffee on the side costs €1.70–2.98. Dishes under the sač have their own prices in the text above.
Where do you buy Zlatibor pršuta?
In Mačkat, from the producers, where the ham is what you pay for. The village itself: free. The winter Pršutijada is organised there by the association of cured-meat producers.
Ready for Zlatibor?
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