Zaokret
Zaokret occupies a corner position at the entry point of Strahinjica Bana's nightlife strip, serving as the default meeting point for groups assembling before a night out. The name means 'turn' or 'twist' in Serbian, referencing its corner location where the street bends. The terrace wraps around the building and fills with a pre-game crowd from early evening. Inside, the space is straightforward: a bar, seating, and enough room for standing when the terrace overflows. The drink menu covers the basics without pretension, with beer at RSD 280-380 and cocktails around RSD 600-850. The crowd is mixed in age and intention, from after-work regulars who stop in every day to groups of friends about to hit the strip for a big night. Zaokret doesn't try to compete with the cocktail precision of Salon 5 or the themed atmosphere of Komunalac. What it offers instead is reliability and accessibility, the bar you go to when you don't need anything specific except a cold drink and a place to gather. That role is unglamorous but important in any nightlife ecosystem, and Zaokret fills it well.
What to Expect
A no-frills corner bar that serves as the gateway to Strahinjica Bana. The atmosphere is casual and social. People use it as a launching pad for the evening rather than a destination in itself, which creates a transient but friendly energy.
Casual, transient, and social. The entry point to Strahinjica Bana's evening energy.
Pop and commercial at background levels
Casual to smart casual. As the strip's most informal venue, the dress expectations are lower.
Groups meeting up before a night out. Solo travelers looking for an easy entry point to the strip's social scene. Anyone wanting a cheap, straightforward drink.
Cash (RSD) and cards accepted
Price Range
Beer RSD 280-380, cocktails RSD 600-850, rakija RSD 180-300
≈ EUR 2.40-7.25 / USD 2.60-7.90
Hours
Daily 8 AM to 1 AM, weekends until 2 AM
Insider Tip
Use Zaokret as a meeting point. Its corner location at the start of the strip makes it the easiest place to find. The terrace fills by 9 PM on weekends, so arrive early if you want to sit.
Full Review
Zaokret doesn't try to be special, and that honest simplicity is what makes it useful. The corner location at the strip's entrance means it catches the foot traffic first. Groups that haven't decided where to go end up here by default. People waiting for friends who are running late naturally gravitate to Zaokret's terrace. The venue benefits from being the obvious first stop, which creates a constantly rotating crowd that's social, open to interaction, and still in the optimistic early-evening mood.
The bar itself is functional and unpretentious. Drinks are made competently if not memorably. The beer is cold, the rakija is honest Serbian sljivovica, and the cocktails are straightforward without ambition. Prices sit at the lower end of the strip's range, which keeps the casual drinkers happy and doesn't punish you for having a drink while you wait for your evening to take shape. The staff are friendly, quick, and don't pretend the bar is anything other than what it is.
The terrace is the main attraction because of its position rather than its design. The corner gives sightlines in both directions along the street, which is ideal for people-watching on a strip where people-watching is half the entertainment. Tables are close together and conversations cross boundaries easily and often. The crowd is diverse: regulars who treat it as their local, tourists who stumbled onto the strip and need orientation, and groups of Belgraders about to embark on a night that will take them to three or four more venues before dawn.
Zaokret's value is in its role rather than its product. It's the handshake at the beginning of a Strahinjica Bana evening. You come here to orient yourself, have a drink, make a plan, and move on. Some nights the plan changes and you stay longer than expected, which is also fine. The staff don't mind lingerers, and the atmosphere supports whatever pace you set. It closes by 1-2 AM, which is earlier than some strip venues, reinforcing its identity as a starting point rather than a finish line.
The Neighborhood
Zaokret marks the eastern entrance to the Strahinjica Bana nightlife strip. From here, the rest of the strip extends westward, with Bar Central, Tilt, Komunalac, Blaznavac, and other venues within a two-minute walk.
Getting There
Located at the corner of Strahinjica Bana 2, where the street intersects with the approach from Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra. It's the first venue you reach walking from Slavija Square. Car:Go drops you at the corner.
Address
Strahinjica Bana 2
Other Venues in Strahinjica Bana
Bar Central
A staple cocktail bar on Belgrade's most famous nightlife strip. The long bar counter and terrace seating make it a natural gathering point where conversations flow between groups as the night builds.
Blaznavac
An upscale lounge bar that packs Belgrade's fashionable crowd onto its terrace most weekends. DJ sets from 11 PM onward shift the atmosphere from after-dinner drinks to a proper late-night venue.
Komunalac
A retro-themed bar with communist-era decor and a sense of irony that captures Belgrade's complicated relationship with its past. The cocktail menu is short but well-executed, and the crowd skews creative.
Salon 5
A refined cocktail lounge a few steps off the main strip, known for well-crafted drinks and a slightly older, more polished clientele than the street-facing terrace bars.
Tilt
A craft beer and cocktail bar that draws a younger crowd with rotating taps, creative mixed drinks, and a terrace that fills early on warm evenings.