Zanatlija

(Place, tavern, firm, Yugoslavia)

For the last hundred years or so there was a tavern with such name (or similar) in that place, under different forms of ownership and organization. It's in the back yard of an institution called Udruženje zanatlija (tradesmen'/artizans' union) or Udruženje samostalnih preduzetnika (union of standalone entrepreneurs) or someting in that sense.

The USP was a customer of DBA and I spent a lot of time there, never visiting the "library" as they called it in their slang, when someone asks for the president of the union. They couldn't just say "he's in the backyard bar, drinking himself silly".

Excellent cuisine; poor choice of beer after 2013 - "we carry the programme of ..." is the short for "the mafia pushes us to buy this, sorry, we don't have that german import anymore". Often some live music, the XIX to early XX century city traditional style, with just plucked strings (tambours of different sizes, double bass), clad in traditional local garb. There are several such bands, some of them Roma, some just older guys trying to make a buck. The former may line up uninvited around your table. Sometimes they create good mood, sometimes you just feel the pressure from them and can't talk. We actually reduced the tip when rasejani gathered here in 2013 because the music wasn't removed. We sat far enough from the others.

But that was outside. It's far worse inside, the ceiling is low and wooden and the music is heard much better. After 07-XI-2022. we never went there again. Nina left them a critique on some more prominent site, „if you're taking mother-in-law to dinner, take her to Zanatlija, you won't hear a word“. Later Boba went there and was remembered for being at our table, so a waiter grilled him, „was that you who left a comment about us on the net“, but nope, it wasn't him. And anyways it's better the people know this in advance, this is a tavern where the tambour bands come first and guests second, so those who like it may go ahead and those who don't may go around.

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Mentions: 03-VIII-2005., 13-VII-2013., 21-VII-2013., 28-VIII-2013., 01-VI-2014., 16-IV-2015., He came, 09-IX-2015., 03-X-2015., The big lunch, 12-VIII-2016., 26-V-2017., 05-VI-2018., 21-VI-2018., 22-VIII-2019., and the next two days, 17-IX-2019., Brandy course, 03-VI-2022., 14-IX-2022., 17-X-2022., 07-XI-2022., 13-I-2024., 28-X-2024., DBA, Dobrivoj Gunaroši (Boba), Milena Požarić, Nevena Sredljević (Nina), rasejani, in serbian

20-XI-2019 - 30-VI-2026