Botako, Belgrade, Serbia – Spot Check
Yes, weird be the theme of the STMT X Serbia sourcing trip – but so was pizza. A calculated risk proved a major win – the questionable Airbnb booking was located next door to the best pizza in Belgrade! Are you M'THR F'IN KIDDING ME?! Crazy lady be damned. No amount of crazy-weird takes away from this total chance awesomeness. Pizza for breakfast, pizza for lunch, pizza all day long.
Walking into Botako was another Twilight Zone moment – I was transported to a magical place. One minute you're walking down a narrow street, swallowed by the gray and grime of Belgrade… the next minute you're walking through their door into a fairy-tale forest complete with fairies. Fairies that sprinkle pizza dust and serve up grubbin' pizza. But the BIGGEST piece of magic? Their omelets are served on a pizza! TRUE PIZZA LOVE.
My love of Botako ran deep – I ate as often as I could there, I had meetings with vendors there, I met new friends for breakfast. One day while waiting for my pizza, I walked around and took a closer look at the art on the walls, the faces and animals between the branches. I was drawn to a few so I asked my server if the art was available for purchase. Yes, yes it was. And just like that – I secured a bit of Serbian fairy-tale magic for the Rock and A Hard Piece Subscription. No matter where we be on the World Tour, it's true – pizza makes magic.
oxxo, Hen
