Tiny Space With Galaxy of Choices

Food review:

If there  were a restaurant popularity contest in Belgrade based on every square meter of surface area, the winner would probably be the Intergalactic Diner.

The one and only American diner around town, this tiny eatery, which opened last April in Vračar neighborhood and is no no bigger than an ordinary living room,  has quickly become hugely popular.

Entering Intergalactic Diner, we had a feeling that we had already been there. It is an ambient well known from American movies and pop culture. Every detail looks as though it has  been carefully thought through in order to create a completely authentic appearance. From the refurbished vintage style furniture to the jukeboxes at every table and the typical 1950s retro colours, all the way to the music, menu and even the opening hours (24/7), everything fits the picture. Going to the bathroom you could picture yourself rubbing shoulders with John Travolta (or with a hungry B-movie alien).

Arriving at prime time, we had to wait for a table, but not for too long. The service was casual and friendly, the staff proud to explain the options on the menu.

Though based on just a couple of American trademark dishes, the menu is interesting enough– again a fine example of thinking through details, and certainly a reason to return.  In order to sell a burger in the pljeskavica kingdom of Serbia, you have to make it the best and add a twist. Here, in Intergalactic Diner, they are obviously aware of that. Hotdogs, chicken burgers and hamburgers form the basis of the menu, but are served in numerous creative variations and under catchy “intergalactic” names. There is also a vegetarian option, the “Eden burger”.

Everything is available in “M” or “L” size, the first being good as a snack and the latter a full restaurant portion. Extra options, such as double meat, double cheese, etc, are also written on the menu. Again, so American.

All the sandwiches are served with French fries and with fried onion rings, and both are also available as separate dishes.

We tried the “Big Bang” hamburger with iceberg, tomatoes, onions, red paprika, mozzarella, grilled bacon, mayonnaise and mustard – a real firework of colours and flavours, just as the name suggests. Space Club Chickburger with iceberg, tomatoes, avocado and Emental cheese was much more delicate on the palette, but just as good. Some “Alien fingers”, mozzarella sticks, deep fried in fermented dough and served with green, vinegar-based, paprika sauce, complemented our mains perfectly.

In the end, we could not skip the traditional thick “Cosmic pancakes” served with butter and maple syrup. They were not at their finest, or maybe we were not, after a prolonged wait to get them. We will give them another shot, come the day.

Aside the “Milky Way” shakes the menu contained a promising statement: “They do not cost 5$, but they are worth much more”. Still not Americanised enough to sip a shake with burger in Pulp Fiction style, we decided to try the chocolate shake as another dessert, and it really was a success.

Intergalactic Diner is relatively cheap and is open 24/7, which is both convenient and adds to the authentic diner atmosphere, attracting many different groups of patrons.

No matter whether you are into reading newspapers and sipping morning coffee with breakfast, or enjoying some more music from the jukebox after a long night out, this is a place where you can have a different experience along with good and affordable food. It’s well worth a visit. We hope they manage to expand their space and service capacities as their business growth.

Wine review:

It was way past midnight and I was heading back home - seriously! Just a couple of steps away from my flat, I suddenly heard sirens coming from around the corner. Before I’d even managed to turn my head, familiar voices in the quiet summer night were saying: ”Amigo, long time no see, what a great surprise; let’s go for a drink!”

The next moment we were cruising in the hood, looking for a place where we could have a nice glass of wine. Some of us were hungry as well, but that was maybe too much to ask. However, one by one, all our favorite bars were either closed or were about to close any minute. We were almost desperate when someone suggested a new place called ”Intergalactic”. I immediately turned on the Beastie Boys song and we were ready for the take-off to the hungry universe: ”Intergalactic planetary, planetary intergalactic; another dimension do it.”

With just two wines on offer, this was not a place for wine lovers (yet another), but it was worth a try. Served in a proper glass, Casa de Campo white Sauvignon Blanc and red Cabernet Sauvignon were a decent enough choice for house wines, which could go well with the offered food –either onion rings or hamburgers. I would add that there is a good quality/price ratio as well. But these were the only wines served, by the glass, with no bottles offered. It’s as if people who eat burgers don’t drink wine.

Nevertheless, Intergalactic is a cool 24/7 eatery with great music and pleasant service, where you’ll find yourself in a cosy atmosphere any time of the day or night. It’s a place for a road movie, and although I don’t have much recollection of similar places from my childhood, juke boxes always bring back emotions connected to times when eating out was easy. Perfect to share food with friends and for the last drink for the road. 

Intergalactic Diner

Internacionalnih brigada 22

Price guide:  700-1,000 dinar per person for three courses without wine