Street Food in Budva Montenegro

Budva has a lot to offer, including sandy beaches, blue waters, and an old town with a beautiful view. Reclining chairs with or without umbrellas are available for sitting along the beaches and numerous vendors offer drinks and cocktails to enjoy. Along the water visitors will find many restaurants with views that are priced at a fraction of those in neighboring Croatia. Summer also nightlife offers an impressive number of bars and clubs for such a relatively small town. Perhaps most importantly, I met some great locals at the hostel who offered some good recommendations. They also helped direct me to some of the best street food in Budva, Montenegro

I did, however, have a few criticisms after visiting Budva. Most of the restaurants on the water were betting on tourists dining for the view and didn’t seem to put much effort into the food. Most of the menus were the same among many of the restaurants. There were also so many clubs along the strip that they attempted to drown each other out by playing their music the loudest, resulting in a cacophony of Top 40 music from years past. While humorous at first, it got old pretty quickly in that are of the strip.

Still, Budva is a great little coastal town I recommend checking out.

After giving a few restaurants a try I decided to stick to street food for the rest of my time there. Fortunately, there were a lot of great deals to be found. Here are some of my favorites.

To learn more about this regions culinary options, I also put together an overview of Street Food Favorites in the Balkans.

Cevapi & Meat Kebab

Cevapi are the small, skinless sausages near the tongs in the photos above. They are usually made with beef or pork meat and are grilled. In Budva they are usually served on a plate with side dishes. They can also be ordered in a sandwich with raw onions and a red pepper spread.

Grilled pork chops, chicken, skewers and sausages are also available. Some kebab can be made into sandwiches or simply by themselves on a plate with or without side dishes. These meats are tasty and usually go for only a few dollars each. Make sure to give the local sausages a try!

Doner Kebab at BIS

Though they call themselves BIS Pizzeria, they have a big focus on doner kebab as well. With the largest vertical rotisseries around, they also make a ton of these delicious little sandwiches every day. Freshly roasted meat sliced to order in a fresh pita wrap with cabbage, thinly sliced tomatoes, onion, fresh fries, and chili powder all come together in one of the best doner kebabs I found across Europe.

For around $2, these kebabs are also one of the best deals for food in town. Ask for double meat for a little extra if you’re hungry. I stumbled across them at night when I saw the line and their rotisseries. They are open for both lunch and dinner. In addition, BIS has a restaurant with tables and chairs inside if you’d like to sit down and stay for a while. Whichever way you prefer to eat, the gyros are made the same way.

Burek

Make sure to try this tasty pastry common throughout the Balkans. Made of thin phylo dough and stuffed with cheese, spinach, meat, or a combination, it’s great on the go for breakfast or lunch. It is widely available at street vendors and bakeries throughout Budva. It’s also found at BIS Pizzeria.

If you’re ordering it from a street food vendor, check to see if they are baking it throughout the day in an oven. If not, they may only have what was made that morning. If it’s still early in the day the burek is probably still good, if not, it may be dry or stale.

Njeguška Pršuta

High in the mountains of Montenegro lies the village of Njeguska. It is here that prsuta, a dried ham similar to Italian prosciutto is produced.

Purchase some of this local delicacy from a street vendor or grocery store on its own or in sandwich form. Combined with some fresh, local bread and local sir (cheese) makes for a great meal on the go.

It’s possible to visit the village of Njeguska on your own or as part of a tour. The hostel I listed below will have some good recommendations for you!

Recap

If you want a mix of beaches, nightlife, and affordability, Budva is a great town to explore.

Add to that some of these street food options and I hope that you enjoy your time in Budva while saving money and enjoying local flavors.

Montenegro Hostel in Budva was a great place to stay. It is located in the old town area close to beaches, restaurants and several bars. The staff were exceptional (especially Sasa) and provided us with a number of ideas for what to do. They offered tour recommendations, their favorite restaurants and bars, and were overall just great people.

I’ve referred several friends and other travelers to stay there and they’ve always enjoyed their time. They book up ahead of time so make your reservation in advance.

For questions about food or travel within Montenegro or elsewhere in the Balkans, please feel free to contact me.

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Currently I’m in Chiang Mai, heading off for the night to enjoy some dim sum and steamed pork buns at the South Gate night market. As I look back through my notes and photos from the Balkans, it’s hard to believe several months have passed since I swam in the waters of Montenegro and walked the strip happily munching on kebab.

I’m still in touch with many of the people whom I traveled with through the Balkans. One I met up with here in Southeast Asia with and others I hope to see later this month in Australia.

If the Balkans aren’t on your travel list, they should be. I hope you enjoy my posts from this region. Soon to come, more on Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

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Zivjeli! (Cheers in Montenegrin)

– Cam