ISTOK

Rating: 13.5
Author: Gault&Millau

Ulica Gospodar Jevremova 50, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia

13.5/20
Chef's Restaurant

2 PHOTOS

Chef: Nami Milivojević
Cooking: Asian | Asian | Modern | Vietnamese

Gault&Millau's review 2026

This famous restaurant on Dorćol perfectly suits the simple interior, which seems to say that here the flavors speak. The staff is discreet and attentive, ready to guide each guest through a culinary map of the Far East, with Vietnamese cuisine at its heart. The satay chicken skewers make for a compelling opening: luscious, carefully seasoned, and carrying a gentle heat that finds its counterpart in a rich peanut sauce. A salad of pickled cucumber, red onion, and pepper punctuates each bite with brightness and a pleasing sharpness. The JAEW steak arrives on its own terms. Finely roasted and elegantly sliced, the meat is accompanied by a deep tamarind sauce, while an aromatic mango salad offers fruity levity - with rice serving as the composed, neutral foundation that brings the plate into balance. The mango caramel dessert reveals the kitchen’s devotion to balance. Succulent mango rests on a layer of caramel cream, crowned with crisp green tea and caramel meringues that melt on the palate. The interplay of sweet, sour, and mildly salty quietly closes the meal, leaving space to quietly absorb the experience. Istok is a place where modesty and authenticity converge - where every plate tells an unhurried story about the flavors of the East.