Visit to Valjevo Brewery and the restaurant “Kod Bore”
As part of their tour of last year’s laureates, jury members for the “Taste Awards”—a national award for quality in the field of food—visited Valjevo on Wednesday, 14 June. This city is home to not one but two recipients of this prestigious recognition from 2024.
The first stop on the visit was Valjevo Brewery, whose “Valjevsko 0.33 unfiltered beer” won in the “industrial beers” category. Siniša Krzman, director of Valjevo Brewery, introduced the guests to the factory’s rich and turbulent history and guided them to the production facilities. Valjevo Brewery was founded back in 1860 by local merchant Dimitrije Mitrović. The company was originally established as a craft workshop for producing wooden barrels and handmade goods. It expanded and developed thanks to investment from other merchants as partners. Continuous growth led to its transformation into a joint-stock company in 1891. A turning point came in 1910 with introducing a steam engine, marking the start of industrial beer production. The brewery operated as a joint-stock company until World War II. After 1945, it became state-owned and later functioned as a socially owned enterprise. Following several ownership changes, the Belgrade-based Brauerei Group became the owner of Valjevo Brewery in 2019. At the end of the visit, guests could taste freshly unpasteurised beer straight from the production line.
True quality stands the test of time—whether brewed, grilled, or passed down through generations
Not far from the brewery, in the same Birčaninova Street in Valjevo, is the restaurant “Kod Bore”, winner of the 2024 “Taste Awards” in the “national cuisine restaurant” category. This tavern has been around for fifty years and has maintained the same simple concept: high-quality, always fresh meat prepared properly. Such consistent quality is not always a given in Serbian hospitality. The fact that the tavern is now run by the third generation of the same family speaks volumes. Grandpa Bora, father Raša, and now son Marko—who welcomed the guests—have all followed the same business approach without introducing unnecessary changes. They know what they do best and stick to it. The “Živa pljeskavica”, the “Lawyer’s pljeskavica”, and the homemade sausage are just a few of the specialities you shouldn’t miss when visiting this restaurant.
