Passengers Bar: More Than Just Beer and Sausages

Passengers Bar is a great place to have a cup of coffee by day. | Photo courtesy of Passengers Bar

The message on the sign and logo above the entrance of Passengers Bar makes it pretty clear what this place is all about – “Beer & Food”.

That just about sums up this new bar located in the heart of Dorcol district, though it’s far from the “dive” or “local watering hole,” that some might expect from the short and succinct description of the bar’s services emblazoned on the sign.

Considering that the main appeal of the bar centres on beer and sausages, it is much nicer and classier than one might anticipate.

The bar is located right below the Studentski Park in upper Dorcol, in the space that was once home to a short-lived Lebanese restaurant called Beirut, which locals might recall.

The interior of the bar is striking. Simplistic and very pub-centric, it manages to look comfy and traditional while maintaining a sophisticated and modern edge. Dark woods make up most of the furnishings, and the central aspect is obviously the large bar and the larger variety of beers on tap than you would usually find in a Belgrade bar.

However, in the summer season, Passengers is all about the garden area, which is equally impressive, if not more so.

White is the predominant colour in the courtyard, helping to provide the patrons with an atmosphere conducive to cooling down on a hot summer night. It’s also a great place to have a cup of coffee by day, with white umbrellas and canopies proving a healthy amount of shade for the entire yard to enjoy.

A courtyard provides enough space to turn the spot into a viable nightlife destination for dancing. | Photo courtesy of Passengers Bar

As you enter the courtyard, the entire area is lined with wooden chairs, tables and benches with white umbrellas surrounding all of them, and there is enough space to turn the spot into a viable nightlife destination for dancing and the like.

At the back of the yard is an enclosure that serves as sort of a VIP lounge for the bar, with an attractive white brick wall defining the area and a brick bar in the corner.

This spot was one of the most popular places to catch football games during the European Championships as a huge, movie theatre-like screen and projector were set up there for watching the matches.

If you are visiting Passengers Bar at night, especially during the weekend, you are going to hear some live music. Most groups that play there are acoustic guitar duos or small bands that play popular music, Serbian and foreign. The selection of tunes is not cutting edge, but it’s definitely not offensive. It’s good background music if you aren’t really there to listen to music, and it’s good enough to sing and dance along to if that’s what you want to do.

Then of course, at the end, there’s the beer and the food. As far as beer goes, Passengers Bar has 12 beers on tap, which is a definite rarity in Belgrade, where not many bars have more than three or four varieties on tap at the same time.

Passengers offers staples like Heineken and Amstel, domestic stalwarts Lav and Jelen, neighbourly favourites Nikšicko and Staropramen, and then a couple more exotic German beers like Erdinger, Bavaria, Paulaner and Leikeim in both their regular and weiβbier varieties.

Over 15 types of bottle beers are available as well, and some of the more exotic brands by Belgrade’s standards include Leikeim Schwarzbier, Kilkenny, Sol and Guinness.

What about the food? The kitchen offers nothing glamorous, but there is enough to satisfy any hungry customer. The breakfast menu offers omelettes, toast and sandwiches. There are also appetizers that go well with beer like smoked ham dishes and a variety of domestic cheeses.

Passengers, however, prides itself most on the real “bar food”, like homemade sausages with roasted potatoes, chicken wings, veal and pork ribs, and a variety of other meat-based snacks. The bar’s kitchen also offers soups and stews, salads, and desserts, including ice cream dishes, banana splits and fruit salads.

So if you are looking for the full package, it’s hard to go wrong with Passengers Bar. Whether you are looking to drink some non-traditional beers, listen to some live music, watch a football game in good company and on a huge screen, or have a bite to eat, this Dorcol bar is the spot to do any and all of the above.