Fish on the Danube: the restaurants of the Zemun Quay

Fish soup and river fish by the Danube: how to eat on the Zemun Quay, from Venecija, open since 1913, to Šaran, Reka and Stara Carinarnica.

Zemun has always lived from the Danube. For generations its fishermen kept their boats below the old town and sold their catch on the riverbank, and the quay is still lined with restaurants where river fish is the reason to come. Order a bowl of riblja čorba, watch the swans and the passing barges, and you are eating the way Zemun has eaten for centuries.

Riblja čorba, the Danube fish soup

Riblja čorba is the dish of the river: a rich, red fish soup, coloured and warmed with paprika and made with river fish. In Zemun it is a point of pride, and in November 2024 the green market even held a fish soup competition, with eleven teams cooking in traditional kettles and the money raised going to a Belgrade children’s shelter. Start with a bowl, then move on to grilled or fried river fish, with bread and a salad to share.

Order a bowl of riblja čorba, watch the swans, and you are eating the way Zemun has eaten for centuries.

Venecija

A Zemun institution since 1913, Venecija sits at the start of the quay with a terrace built out over the water, a gondola moored outside and more than 120 swans gathered on the river in front. Its fish soup drew Belgrade’s writers and actors in the 20th century. Come for sunset.

Šaran

Šaran, named after the carp, is one of the classic fish restaurants of the quay, serving river fish in the tradition of Zemun’s old fishing families: fish soup first, then grilled river fish by the Danube. Note that it is closed on Mondays.

Reka

Reka, ‘the river’, is one of the liveliest restaurants on the quay, with Serbian food, river fish and live music in the evenings: the place for a classic Belgrade night out by the water. Book at weekends.

Stara Carinarnica

Named after Zemun’s old customs house, Stara Carinarnica serves grilled meat and river fish on a terrace by the water, from breakfast until midnight every day, an easy stop on a walk along the quay.

Our advice: walk the quay before you choose, starting at Venecija and heading upstream. Order fish soup to begin, ask what the river has given that day, and stay on until the lights come on along the water.