"No deep fryer, no mayonnaise, a 1901 listed building and a 170-label cellar — the only serious dinner in Novi Sad, book it for closing a regional deal."
Branislav Zakić put six years into a Salzburg dining room and twelve into a Moscow one before he came home to Vojvodina. The result lives on the upper floor of a protected 1901 townhouse at Narodnih heroja 3, above the more relaxed Kalem by Zak. Two levels, sixty seats, two designated quiet tables, a garden between the buildings, and a cellar with one hundred and seventy labels. The kitchen has one quiet rule that distinguishes it from every other room in the city: there is no deep fryer and no mayonnaise in the building. In Novi Sad — a city of grilled meat and tavern paprika — this is a thesis statement.
The Kitchen
Zakić's lineage is unusual for Serbia. He left Novi Sad in his twenties for Goldener Hirsch in Salzburg, a six-year stay through the kitchen of a five-star Austrian classic. He then moved to a private Moscow restaurant — twelve years of catering for diplomatic and oligarch dinners, where his repertoire widened from Central European to French and Mediterranean. He returned in 2006 with his partner Nebojša Vukasinović and opened the first iteration of Restoran Zak; the current Hotel Pupin site took the room to its current size around 2018.
The cooking is recognisably international rather than tied to one school. The signature opening course is a venison carpaccio with pickled wild garlic from Fruška Gora and a pine-nut emulsion. The duck with sour cherry — a Vojvodinian fruit, slow-reduced — is the dish that runs all year. Adriatic sea bass with samphire and a saffron broth is the warm-weather order; the rabbit terrine with green peppercorn and pistachio is the cold-weather one. The only breaded item on the menu is the fried camembert with cranberry, a deliberate wink at the kitchen's no-fryer rule (it's pan-fried). The cellar is led by Vojvodinian houses — Kovačević, Probus, Aleksandrović, Tonković — with Austrian and Italian fall-backs. Ask the sommelier for a half-half tasting; he will pour both with pleasure.
The Room
The 1901 building is listed as a cultural monument. The interior plays it straight: ornate ceiling work, original wood floors, two crystal chandeliers on the upper level, banquette seating along the walls, freestanding tables in the centre. Sound level is conversational — never quiet, never loud — and the two designated quiet tables sit at the far end of the upper floor. Lighting is low candlelight after dark. Dress is smart, not formal: a suit-and-no-tie or dress-and-blazer is the right register. Sixty seats inside; perhaps forty in the summer garden between the buildings. Service is fluent English and German; Russian on request. Closed Mondays; open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only, Sunday for lunch.
Best for Closing a Regional Deal
Three reasons it works for a closing dinner. First, it is the only Novi Sad room a Vienna-based or Belgrade-based counterpart will recognise as a real fine-dining venue — the cellar, the building, the service all read at the right register. Second, the upstairs corner table seats four with a clear sightline to the cellar's display rack — useful both as a conversation starter and as a visual signal of intent. Third, Zakić walks the upper floor most nights after twenty-one and will spend two minutes at any table that asks for him; few things land better at the end of a deal dinner than a chef who knows your wine choice and remembers your name. Book the upstairs corner; ask the sommelier for a Probus or a Kovačević Aurelius reserve.
Not for
Skip if you came to Novi Sad for the tavern tradition. Zak is the opposite of a kafana — no roasted suckling pig, no čvarci, no shared platters, no live tambura music. For that, book Salaš 137 in Čenej; for the modern fine-dining read, book this.
Frequently Asked
Is Zak Restoran worth it?
Yes, if you want the most-considered cooking in Novi Sad's dining scene and a wine cellar with 170 labels in a city of perhaps eight serious tables. Branislav Zakić's six years at a Salzburg house and twelve at an elite Moscow room show up on the plate; the no-deep-fryer, no-mayonnaise discipline is unique in Novi Sad and aimed at exactly the diner this guide is for.
How hard is it to book Zak Restoran?
Easier than it should be. Phone reservations on +381 66 8888 021 are taken up to four weeks out; a week's notice will get you a window table on Friday or Saturday. The two designated quiet tables — booked as "tihi sto" — are the ones to ask for. Sunday lunch books one to two days ahead.
What is the dress code at Zak Restoran?
Smart. The building is a listed 1901 townhouse; the room is ornate without being formal. Suit-and-no-tie for men, dress or a clean blazer for women. The Sunday lunch crowd dresses a notch down; the Saturday dinner crowd dresses a notch up.
What is the average meal price at Zak Restoran?
A three-course à la carte dinner with one bottle of Vojvodinian wine lands at around 8,500–11,000 RSD per person (roughly €75–€95); the chef's tasting runs 6,500 RSD without wine, 11,500 RSD with the pairing. This is the most expensive serious dinner in Novi Sad and remains a quarter of what the equivalent costs in Vienna.
Is Zak Restoran good for impressing clients?
Yes — it is the only Novi Sad table that does. The building is a designated cultural monument, the cellar is the most considered in the city, and the service speaks fluent English and German. Book the corner table on the upper floor for four; ask Branislav to walk the table at the end of the meal. He often does.
What should I order at Zak Restoran?
Start with the venison carpaccio and the fried Camembert with cranberry — the only breaded dish on the menu and a tongue-in-cheek nod to the kitchen's no-fryer rule. The duck with sour cherry and the Adriatic sea bass are the two reliable mains. The cellar is your friend: Probus, Kovačević, Aleksandrović all show up by the glass.