Sarajevo Nightlife

When we came it was still quite early on Saturday night but the place was almost full by 10 pm. It seems they mostly reserve tables before they come out... and all were reserved already (and/or full). The lights are red, the music goes very loud in the second storey, some people are standing and dancing a bit, mostly just talking and drinking.
They played light rock. Place to see what is fashionable with capital folk. Toilet busy with ladies - everyone puts make up.
Staff is okay, beer is sold at normal price. Now the walls are all movie style decoration with film tape and film stars, those real ones of BW times. This used to be cinema, now it's popular place to go out for night and everyone know where it is.
It seems most people come out with the company of friends. Maybe they are mostly student age. First storey is little empty but when you get to second one through the typical cinema stairs the picture is all different. Staff will give you direction where you can sit... all must be well planned for them :) Space is precious. Although the place is large, there are tables on balcony as well - and on the stage. Maybe altogether 500 people can sit here altogether.

I bet the concerts here must be really good here as it's also concert venue. But now it was just 'ordinary' saturday night.

Dress Code: Take your dancing shoes and your shortest miniskirt, haha... No, that's not necessary, but girls here all seem to wear their best clothes, same goes for man. But if you look casual, nobody will say anything, probably they won't even care and notice.

We randomly entered a few bars and places in very Bascarsija quarters which were open late, and remained opened until very late, don't know when they were to close - we left at four in the morning but people still hanged out, maybe because it was weekend.

What a great two nights out :)

Local young and older men and women, they know how to relax and the communication never was problem. How good, they are great in black humor and if you enter some places where they play local pop music you will hear many youngsters singing along, then of course- some might gonna go to dance on the tables with many beers around. A strange to me though, why would you wear dark sunglasses when the place itself is dark already? Maybe it's just a fashion, but it is interesting ... one corner occupied by a young lad, smoking shisha - a water pipe, with taste of banana and strawberry, the thing my mum liked when she tried. I only saw my glass of beer gone into another hands couple of times, but okay, I didn't mind either. In general great to be out with Bosnians, they know hot have fun and they make for great atmosphere, in a Balkan way.

There are many small pubs/bars/cafes around and all are rather tiny... and they get crowded, yes - even really crowded and bartender will be all busy; some will have tables outside, some only inside.

Nice little place with good rock and alternative music was Balkan Cafe where we spend few hours before going to sleep, good place to meet local and foreigner here and the music is not really too loud, but not really usual Bosnian melos either.

Popular Sloga is altogether different story again, something I might gonna review later.

By the way, smoking in the bars has not yet been prohibited in Bosnia - just in case you want to know. Some places provide shisha which you can smoke right there.

Popular beer is Sarajevsko - local one from Sarajevo. Most often sold and served in small bottles, but they also have canned one in shops.

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Sarajevo isn't prudish. Several nightclubs are open in the night and play loud music. Girls in bikinis are dancing on the table. This was not what I expected to see in a partly muslim city.
The serb population in Sarajevo are more pagan, I heard...

The center of the Old Turkish Quarter has lots of pubs , cafes and bars. People roam around through the narrow streets poping into whichever establishment catches their eye!! There are some interesting spots...with a real turkish flair..

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MALE DAIRE is an amazing cafe ....it is just beautiful, the people there,delicious tea and coffee, decorations, music, ...it is a place where you will enjoy every minute and I will absolutely visit it every time I visit Sarajevo...

Dress Code: as you like it

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Just to show Irish bars are more prevalent than McDonalds. The Guinness bar is just at end of the old town and start of the new town, tucked away down a little side street (but you can not miss it there is a big yellow sign). It’s decorated as all Irish bars are like a traditional Irish boozer. It is a nice spot for a drink either outside or tucked in a corner indoors.

When we were there they had run out of Guinness!!

Dress Code: no dress code

My friend and I visited Baron Cafe Bar for a few beers one evening during our stay in Sarajevo in May 2007.

This small cafe bar is located on the side street of Muvekita, just off the main street of Ferhadija, in the heart of the Turkish Bascarsija region of the city.

After a while spent wandering the streets of Bascarsija, we noticed that many of the more prominent bars and cafes (for example the large cafes and bars on Ferhadija with outdoor seating areas) had closed for the evening, some time between 11pm and midnight. By contrast, we noticed that the places which were still open at this hour tended to be small bars on quiet side streets.

We passed a few such bars before deciding to stop off at Baron.

We sat at one of the three small tables out front on the pavement on a mild spring evening and attracted the attention of the waiter. We whiled away the rest of the evening drinking bottles of the local Sarajevska beer (3KM / 1 GBP per bottle) and listening to the local music which was filtering out from the bar's interior.

The inside of the bar looked quite classy, with just a handful of tables downstairs and on an upper terrace, and a handful of smart looking young locals making up the clientele on the evening of our visit.

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I visited the Guinness Pub one evening during a visit to Sarajevo in May 2007.

My friend and I had just arrived in the city on a wet spring evening and we immediately set out to find somewhere in Bascarsija for food and drink. From our accommodation near Pigeon Square, we headed down the main street, Ferhadija, and before too long we spotted the bright neon sign for the Guinness Pub. We didn't expect to find an Irish bar in the heart of this old Turkish quarter of the city but, with many places already closed, we decided to pop in.

Unfortunately, we were too late for food (the kitchens had already closed for the night), but we had time for a couple of draught Sarajevska beers (4KM (1.30 GBP) for 500ml).

If you visit earlier in the evening, the food menu consists of a variety of light meals such as:

- omelettes
- french fries
- spaghetti
- chicken wings
- fish strips
- steak
- salads

You can see the online menu with prices here (although it may well be out of date):

FOOD

Similarly, you can see the large range of beers, spirits, non-alcoholic drinks and hot beverages here:

DRINKS

The bar area was cosy, with cushioned benches, wooden tables and a warm, dim light. The bar staff were friendly and spoke English extremely well.

A friendly Irish pub in the heart of Sarajevo's old town!