The Twenty Two

Belgrade's Rooftop Dining Scene and Where The Twenty Two Sits Within It

Belgrade's dining hierarchy has been reshaping itself over the past decade, and the clearest sign of that shift is the emergence of rooftop and hotel venues that compete seriously with ground-level destination restaurants. The city's appetite for international cuisine at a consistent standard, combined with the drama of its skyline, has created a specific niche: venues where setting and plate are expected to carry equal weight. The Twenty Two, positioned on the rooftop of the Metropol Palace Hotel on Bulevar kralja Aleksandra, occupies that niche with consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, a signal that its kitchen is operating at a standard the guide considers worth flagging to travellers.

In Belgrade's current restaurant map, Michelin Plate recognition separates a smaller cohort from the broader mass of competent but unrecognised venues. For context, the city has a growing number of mid-range international tables, alongside options like The Square (Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine) at the same price tier. What the Michelin acknowledgement adds here is third-party confirmation that the kitchen is consistent, not simply that the setting is spectacular.

The View as Context, Not Compensation

Rooftop restaurants across European capitals face a persistent critical question: is the view doing the work the kitchen should be doing? In many cases, refined settings attract tourists and occasion diners who would tolerate weaker food for the spectacle. The Twenty Two's Michelin recognition in consecutive years suggests a different pattern, one where the setting and the food are pulling together rather than the former subsidising the latter.

The panorama from the rooftop takes in Belgrade's skyline and the silhouette of St. Mark's Church, one of the city's most photographed landmarks. The physical position on Bulevar kralja Aleksandra places the venue in central Belgrade, accessible by foot from the main hotel district and well within reach of the broader city centre. For visitors staying in the area, the location removes logistics from the equation entirely.

The atmosphere leans toward soft background music and cocktails alongside the food programme, making it suitable for both a drink and a full meal. This dual-use character is a deliberate feature of the format rather than an accident of layout, and it positions the restaurant differently from more formal dining rooms at the same recognition level. For comparison, Belgrade's higher-end modern cuisine rooms, such as Langouste (Modern Cuisine), operate within a more exclusively meal-focused format. The restaurant sits in a more sociable, flexible register.

The Menu and What the Recognition Actually Signals

The menu spans multiple culinary traditions rather than anchoring to a single nationality or technique. Within that range, the steaks are especially consistently highlighted element, with both the venue's own materials and visitor accounts pointing to them as the strongest order on the menu. The wine list works across Serbian and international labels, a pairing structure that reflects the broader Belgrade dining approach of placing domestic producers alongside European and global options rather than treating them as the lesser tier.

Michelin Plate designation, to be precise about what it means, is not a star. It is the guide's notation for restaurants where the food is good enough to deserve attention, without reaching the tier of the starred properties. In a market like Belgrade, where the Michelin guide is still in its relatively early mapping phase compared to Western European cities, Plate recognition carries genuine weight as an independent quality marker. Earning it in two consecutive years removes the possibility that the first recognition was a one-cycle anomaly. Two years of Plate recognition represents a meaningful value-to-quality ratio within the city's dining tiers.

Visitors who want to position the restaurant within a broader Belgrade dining itinerary should note that the city has distinct options at multiple quality levels. Bela Reka (Traditional Cuisine) operates at the € tier for those seeking Serbian traditional cooking, while Metropolitan and SkyLounge offer alternative perspectives on the city's premium dining and views segment. The restaurant's particular position, where Michelin acknowledgement meets an international menu at a mid-range price point, means it fills a gap that few Belgrade venues occupy simultaneously.

Planning a Visit

The restaurant sits within the Metropol Palace Hotel at Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 69, central Belgrade. At about $60 per person, the restaurant is accessible for the quality tier it occupies, and the dual function as both a dining and cocktail venue means a reservation for dinner is not the only way to experience the space. An early evening aperitif visit with the skyline in full light is a practical alternative for those whose itinerary does not accommodate a full meal.

For those building a longer stay in Serbia, Fleur de Sel in Novi Slankamen represents a worthwhile excursion outside the capital. And for international travellers comparing the Belgrade international dining scene with similar formats elsewhere in Europe, venues like Loumi in Berlin, Matthias in Berlin, Sahila - The Restaurant in Cologne, Sommerfeld in Frankfurt, Haubentaucher in Rottach-Egern, Marcel von Winckelmann in Passau, and SoulFood in Auerbach in der Oberpfalz provide useful reference points for how the international cuisine format performs across different European cities.

For a full picture of what Belgrade offers across dining, accommodation, bars, wineries, and experiences, the EP Club guides provide city-wide coverage: our full Belgrade restaurants guide, our full Belgrade hotels guide, our full Belgrade bars guide, our full Belgrade wineries guide, and our full Belgrade experiences guide.