Bar Kino Bosna
Bar Kino Bosna at Alipasina 19 occupies the former lobby of the Kino Bosna cinema, and the space retains enough of its original character to make the setting feel accidental rather than designed. The bar counter sits where the ticket booth might have been. The seating spreads across what was once a waiting area, with the high ceiling creating an airiness that most Sarajevo bars lack. The crowd is one of the most genuinely mixed in the city: university students, NGO workers, journalists, musicians, artists, and the kind of people who've been regulars since the bar opened. Drinks are cheap even by Sarajevo standards, with domestic beer under 4 BAM and basic cocktails around 7-8 BAM. The music varies by night and mood, ranging from indie rock to electronic to whatever the bartender feels like playing. No dress code, no pretension, no table service. You order at the bar, find a seat if one exists, and let the evening develop.
What to Expect
A high-ceilinged former cinema lobby filled with people who look like they belong in an interesting documentary. The sound level allows conversation but the energy feels social and alive. Smoke drifts from the terrace.
Intellectual chaos. Part living room, part salon, entirely Sarajevo.
Indie rock, electronic, alternative, Balkan underground, vinyl DJ sets on themed nights
None. The more alternative your look, the more you'll blend in, but nobody is excluded.
Creative types, solo travelers wanting to meet locals, anyone tired of polished tourist-oriented bars
Cash preferred (BAM). Cards accepted reluctantly.
Price Range
Beer 3-5 BAM, cocktails 7-10 BAM, rakija 3 BAM, coffee 2 BAM
Beer ~EUR 1.50-2.50, cocktails ~EUR 3.50-5, rakija ~EUR 1.50
Hours
09:00-01:00 Mon-Thu, 09:00-03:00 Fri-Sat, 10:00-00:00 Sun
Insider Tip
Friday and Saturday after 10 PM is standing room only. Come earlier for a table or be prepared to hold your drink. The bathroom has some of the best graffiti in Sarajevo. The upstairs area (when open) is quieter.
Full Review
Bar Kino Bosna is the kind of place every city needs but few cities manage to sustain. It's genuinely democratic in its clientele, inexpensive without being run-down, and culturally alive without being pretentious. The former cinema setting gives it a visual identity that no design firm could have manufactured.
The high ceilings are the first thing you notice. Most Sarajevo bars are cramped, low-ceilinged spaces where intimacy is forced by architecture. Kino Bosna breathes. The space has room for conversation, for movement, for the kind of social mixing that happens when people aren't pressed against each other by necessity.
The crowd makes the bar. On any given evening, you might find a table of journalism students debating next to a group of older men drinking rakija next to a couple of tourists who stumbled in from Ferhadija. The common thread is that everyone chose this place over the slicker options nearby, which creates an implicit social contract: we're here for the conversation, not the selfies.
Prices are almost comically low. A beer costs less than EUR 2, and you could drink all evening for what a single cocktail costs in a Ljubljana or Zagreb bar. The staff matches the atmosphere: friendly, unhurried, and more interested in whether you're enjoying yourself than in turning tables. Kino Bosna is where Sarajevo goes to be itself, without performing for anyone.
The Neighborhood
Alipasina street runs parallel to Ferhadija, one block north. The area hosts several other bars and cultural spaces. The National Museum is a short walk south.
Getting There
From Ferhadija, walk north one block to Alipasina. The bar is at number 19, marked by a modest sign. From the tram stop at Drvenija, walk west for 3 minutes.
Address
Alipasina 19, Sarajevo
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