Pinot: the New Belgrade bistro where wine and the seasons lead

Some restaurants announce themselves. Pinot simply opens the door, pours you something wonderful and lets the evening unfold. On the corner of a residential block in West 65, New Belgrade's most elegant new neighbourhood, this small, warm bistro has quietly become one of the most rewarding tables in the city.

The name says it all. Pinot, a word that will always mean wine, was the obvious choice for a restaurant dreamed up by two friends, Miloš Perović and sommelier Vuk Vuletić. They opened in April 2022 with modest capacity and a big ambition: to give every guest genuine, old-fashioned hospitality.

A room made for long evenings

Step inside and you understand the mood immediately. A copper-clad bar glows under pendant lights, rows of polished glasses wait for the next bottle, and long tables of reclaimed oak invite you to stay for one more course. It feels intimate without ever being formal — the kind of place where a weekday lunch can easily turn into an afternoon.

The kitchen: short menu, big flavour

Chef Luka Miletić and his team cook a short, carefully edited menu that changes every three months. The rule is simple: the ingredient leads. Produce is domestic, often from small craft producers, and chosen fresh every day so that what reaches the plate is exactly what is at its best right now.

Pinot is a bistro at heart, and the plates are designed to be shared family-style, so the whole table can taste as much as possible. Expect silky foie gras, a beautifully seasoned beef tartare, lamb chops with a crisp herb crust on bright pumpkin purée, and golden breaded fish with lemon and a fresh herb mayonnaise. Leave room for dessert — it is never an afterthought here.

The wine: a sommelier at the top of his game

Vuk Vuletić has worked in hospitality since he was nineteen, starting as a cook while studying gastronomy in Novi Sad, then behind the bar and on the floor before turning to wine in 2014. He sharpened his craft at Steak&Wine, the Square Nine hotel and Podrum Novi Wine Art, and later ran sales for one of Serbia's leading fine-wine importers.

• Best Sommelier of Serbia for sparkling wines, 2016
• Best Sommelier of Serbia, 2017
• Best Sommelier of the Balkans, 2018
• Wine Personality of the Year, Vino&Fino, 2018
• World semi-finalist, 19th sommelier in the world, 2019
• Sommelier of the Year in Serbia, Gault&Millau, 2022

His list is a joy to read. Serbian classics from well-known winemakers sit beside undiscovered gems from tiny cellars flying under the radar, while the Old World is represented in depth: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Tuscany, Ribera del Duero, Wachau and Pfalz. Every bottle is served at the right temperature, in the right Riedel glass. Vuk also teaches new sommeliers for the Serbian Sommelier Association, and that generosity shows at the table: ask a question and you will get a story.

“Carefully chosen ingredients, fresh every day, exactly the ones in season.”

From breakfast to a hedonistic dinner

Pinot works at every hour. Mornings start with a proper breakfast and Illy espresso. At lunch, the dish of the day comes with a glass chosen to match it — perfect for business meetings. In the evening, the room slows down for multi-course dinners paired with some of the finest wines in the city.

Featured placePinotA warm, wine-led bistro in West 65: seasonal plates made for sharing and one of the most thoughtful wine lists in Belgrade.

Why Pinot belongs on your list

• Rated 14.5/20 by Gault&Millau
• A seasonal menu that rewards coming back every few months
• Sharing plates that make dinner a conversation
• One of the most decorated sommeliers in the Balkans pouring your wine
• Warm, unhurried, genuinely personal service