COMUNALE: ITALIAN ON BELGRADE’S TRENDY NEW RESTAURANT ROW
The Cost -$23
The Atmosphere – Being the only Italian restaurant in a trendy area of the city with great views of the river, Comunale gets pretty busy. It’a a perfect place to hang out with friends or to celebrate a birthday but I wouldn’t recommend it for a date night or anniversary celebration.
I showed up in Belgrade, Serbia without having done sufficient food research and not having a dinner spot picked out for my first night in town. Shame on me. I rarely ask a hotel concierge for a recommendation but I did this time. He sent me to Comunale, an Italian restaurant on the river in a now chic area that was once just full of warehouses.
The Order - Zuppa di Pomodoro Piccante, Bruschette al peperone, and Gnocchi Tartufate as well as a glass of the Ivanovic Tamjanika wine.
The Great - The setting of the restaurant on the river with a nice view was the best part of the meal. The row of restaurants was a lively place full of a hip crowd of diners out to socialize and have a good time.
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The Good - My first experience drinking Serbian wine was a positive one. I enjoyed the Tamjanika, a national grape, and found the white wine to be fruit forward with a buttery texture. The bruschetta, prepared with goat cheese and paprika on top of grilled bread, was a bit different than typical Italian bruschetta but was a nice appetizer. The main course, gnocchi with truffle and brie didn’t blow me away but earned a good rating as well. I was a little hesitant to order it because I thought the cheese could be too strong of a flavor for the dish but it was a mild brie.
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The Okay - The Zucca di Pomodoro Piccante, a spicy tomato soup, had a nice tomato flavor but that was about it. The soup did have a bit of black pepper but was not spicy at all. Definitely a bit of a disappointment though the price, approximately $3.50, was reasonable.
The Verdict - I love a good hotel concierge but there are reasons I generally don’t ask them for food recommendations. Comunale is an example of why I don’t. While the view was nice, I don’t think the food was anything special. There are many other restaurants in Belgrade with better food at the same price, providing a better value.