Kafana

Home feel with delicious food
Serbian gem, very cozy restaurant. The branzino was delicious. Chocolate pancakes amazing will definitely be back.

This place is a gem. Prices are very good as is the quality. Nice atmosphere and great service. We shared the mixed grill, which is basically just a lot of meat with a little bit of lettuce. Delicious. This place is cash only, which was a bit inconvenient but that shouldn’t deter you. I highly recommend this place.

Delicious and authentic Serbian food! I came here with my in-​laws and my sister-​in-​law is Serbian so I came with high hopes. I absolutely recommend the cheese pita as an appetizer I also had the spicy pork sausages and the pork shoulder… Delish! Super hearty meals and can’t complain. I also highly recommend the crêpe dessert along with the Turkish coffee that comes with a delicious Turkish delight!

We hosted our rehearsal dinner at Kafana and we were treated like we were guests at their home. Vlad and his team are something to aspire to — their teamwork, their service and their attention to details were incredible. Our evening at Kafana will stay forever in memories of my family as the night full of love, music, wine, dancing and just pure joy. Thank you so much everyone at Kafana for treating us so well and helping us create such incredible memories. We are forever grateful!

Most authentic Serbian restaurant I’ve been to in NY!
Ćevapi are spot on with flavor and texture! Also had Sarma (cabbage rolls), Girice (picarel), the fish special Branzin, and of course Šopska salad and Kupus (cabbage) salad which were all authentic and spectacular in flavor. The Palačinke (crepes) were divine also, which I had with Nutella and Walnuts. so happy! Have gone back already a week later, &it will be the go to place for all the visitors who come to town.
The service is Great and the ambience is relaxed and cozy. Happy to have found this place!

Great food every time! Been there 5 times and cannot complain. The ingredients are always fresh and don’t feel plastic, preparation is super tasty and wines amazing. Of course the service is also great with a European touch.
Cash only is bummer though.

Reasonably priced and great authentic Serbian food. Would highly recommend my waitress was so helpful she even took the liberty of giving me a recipe for a popular dessert item. :)

My mom is Serbian so I grew up with the Serbian cuisine back in Sweden.
This place is almost as good as it gets. Obviously home cooked will always be better but this is almost as good.
I’ve been here around ten times now, the food I usually order is:
Gibanica — Cheese Pie (sometimes)
Lepinja sa Kajmakom with smoked ham (is a must every time)
Sopska salad (is a must every time)
Cevapi (is a must every time)
Pljeskavica (sometimes)
They have great brandy, plum brandy is my favorite. Wine list is good as well, or so my friends say as I don’t drink wine.
Definitely order Cevapi, Sopska and Lepinja sa Kajmakom and add smoked ham!
Service has always been good, I speak Serbian and they treat me and my friends very well.
Great atmosphere, small and cozy with authentic Serbian décor. It’s a cash only place, be prepared to bring cash.

I always appreciate authentic Serbian food (my sister-​in-​law is Serbian). If you dare, try the Serbian burger stuffed with ham and cheese. It will literally melt in your mouth and leave you feeling full and satiated for the rest of the day.
I would also recommend their house wine, which had an orange tint to its appearance. I’m not sure why, but it was something new to try for me.
And when the weather is warm, they open the entire side facing the street so you’re basically dining inside but outside!

It’s my husband’s and my first time trying out Serbian food. This place accepts CASH only. The decorations of this place is pretty unique.
There was complimentary bread with Red Pepper spread. The spread may be a little spicy for some, but we both loved the spicy kick it gives and that went well with the bread.
We ordered another appetizer, Zeljanica — which is the Spinach Pie. It’s a traditional phyllo pastry with spinach and feta cheese. Totally awesome!
Next, as main courses, my husband and I shared the Lamb & Spinach Stew (Jagnjeca Kapama) and the Mixed Grill (Mesano Meso). We were both surprised that the stew was served with sour cream on side. It was too salty for us, so we thought perhaps the right way to eat this stew is to add the sour cream to the soup. Despite adding it, it still is too salty! As for the mixed grill meat plate, it was such a huge portion, even for two. We couldn’t finish it that we had to have the pork chop to-​go! We totally loved the prunes wrapped with grilled bacon. However the rest of the other meats were rather salty. Since this place claims to offer authentic Serbian food and it has many good reviews, then I guess Serbian food is just a tad bit too salty for Asian tongues. I would’ve given this place a 4-​stars if the stew and mixed grill meat plate weren’t too salty.

I came here last night.
What I Like About this Place:
–It’s SERBIAN FOOD… which I have never had!
–It is far enough out of the way that locals or people who know about this spot only come here so its not overly crowded.
–Dim lighting, great atmosphere and speedy service.
–Exposed brick walls… I’m a sucker what can I say?
What We Ate:
–Jagnjeca Kapama — Lamb & spinach stew– This is served hot with a side of sour cream, which might sound a little odd but its amazing!!! This was a surprise of tastiness.
— Stuffed Cabbage– this one was also tasty but I’ll stick to mine.
To Drink:
–Prokupac, Triada, Vino Budimir, Serbia 2007– I have never had a Serbian Red before. It was good!!!
I would go back!

Came here for a late weekday dinner around 830 and there were plenty of tables available for 2. Had the meat combo and the pita with labneh. That labneh cheese is the best thing I’ve discovered in a while, so light and tasty especially with warm pita straight out of the oven. The meat combo was an overwhelming platter of sausages, pork chop and other slices of meat. Meat is great but it was just TOO much meat with little other complementary sides to offset it. The quality and taste were just okay. It came with a little side of salad but it didn’t help make the dish any better. Love the pita with labneh but meat plate left much to be desired.

The fixed menu is a great idea for group/​birthday parties! All is served family-​style and you get to try just about everything including dessert, sausage, spinach pie, etc! Make sure to save room starting with appetizers because the meat comes out later. The Serbian beer is not bad (light, mellow)! It’s cash only (bring a lot)!

Food was quite good. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. More American-​Serbian than authentic Serbian honestly. Ajvar was good. Rakija was good. Had the meat platter for two — good portion and good value for money.
Service was good and quick. Atmosphere was nice as it was a Sunday evening. Reasonably priced. Would recommend.

*CASH ONLY*
This place has the ave c signature décor that The Wayland, Third Man, and Edi & The Wolf seem to share. Fun fact: Kafana means café.
If you’re a vegetarian this is not the spot for you. The menu is mostly heavy meats, mostly pork based. However, there are lamb and chicken options too.
I ordered the lamb shank that was cooked just enough and tender, which comes with mashed potatoes and a side salad ($ 20).

If all the world could taste Kafana’s sausages there would be no war. There would also be no hunger, because this meat will stay with you for days to come — like a heavy, comforting sausage brick. I’m getting sleepy just thinking about it.
Came to Kafana the other week with a real Serb (do that — the staff is all Serbian and it’s awesome to hear someone order in the language) and essentially devoured the menu. We ordered everything I couldn’t pronounce, from the feta salad to the spinach and feta pie to the bacon-​wrapped chicken liver dates to the sausage over traditional Serbian baked beans. And then we ordered these little sausages. Oh, the little sausages. I want to have a plate of those near me always.
A glass or two of Serbian wine and spirits later and I was euphoric. And comatose.
So if you’re looking for an authentic Serbian feast in an adorable hole-​in-​the-​wall candlelit restaurant, it doesn’t get much better than Kafana.

First off, I came here with a group of 6 for lunch. We’re always open to trying different kinds of foods, so that’s what we came here for. The restaurant itself is cute and cozy (pretty small). Upon sitting, one guy came up to us and rudely asked «what kinda water you want?», without welcoming us or anything. I told him tap with ice and lemon is fine. He only brought tap water.
We then waited about 10 mins and an extremely RUDE waitress/​owner came up to the table. Some people I was with don’t eat pork and others don’t eat meat at all. We had to ask her what each item contained and she seemed so annoyed and bothered to answer our questions. She acted like we interrupted whatever she was doing before we got there. We placed our appetizers and we tried telling her what we wanted for main course. She replied with, «I’m gonna come back for that because not everyone is ready». Majority of us are and what if we were ready? She left to place the appetizers. By then, I couldn’t deal with her nasty attitude. The entire group decided it was better if we left and that we could find much better service elsewhere. We literally just got up and left!
** I will never be going back there again! Learn to appreciate customers

I was strolling with a friend looking for somewhere to eat, saw Kafana and was immediately drawn in.
As soon as we were brought some wonderful, crusty bread with Ajvar (fantastic eggplant, roasted pepper spread) I knew we were in for a treat!
We then enjoyed a delicious plate of assorted thin-​sliced smoked meats and sausage with pickle.
This was followed by an incredible whole smoked fish, refreshing tart apple slaw, shredded beets, an amazing garlicky potato /​spinach dish and terrific grilled lamb sausages!
Please check this place out!!!

Great place for Balkan food. The menu contains many choices that cannot find anywhere else in the city, as this is the only Serbian restaurant in NYC.
Ordered the following:
Veal soup: very hearty with a hint of parsley. Contains celery roots.
Sautéed Swiss chard: nice balanced flavor.
Grilled stuff plum and chicken liver wrapped in bacon: very interesting combination, perfectly grilled.
Their dining room is kind of packed so it’s better to sit outside if possible.

Cute little Balkan restaurant.
Visit Friday night is a must, live music!
Great food !
Fun people working and visiting Kafana.