Panda Cafe Belgrade — Restaurant in City of Belgrade

I really tried to like this place because of the anime theme, but every visit has felt awkward even as a solo foreign traveler who genuinely enjoys Belgrade and anime culture. Unfortunately, the vibe is brought down by the service. The staff comes across as unfriendly and distant, making even simple questions about prices or drink recommendations feel like a chore. Any attempt at conversation turns awkward, and it leaves you feeling more welcome in an old Western saloon with every eye on you than in a themed café that should feel inviting.

The drinks are hit-or-miss at best. The themed shakes are sometimes room temperature, while other themed drinks seem like basic store-bought juices mixed with ice and given an anime character’s name. The merchandise is also overpriced and feels like a scam, most of the figurines and trinkets can be found online (Temu, AliExpress…) for a fraction of the cost and if you’ve bought a figurine from Temu you will definitely know the quality. Here, the markups make Akihabara stores look like a discount store in comparison.

The café itself, while it has its charms, the top part feels a bit claustrophobic. The music isn’t always on theme, and there’s not much to do besides sit and drink and question your life decisions for being an anime fan over 30. There’s only a small manga selection to browse in Serbian and Japanese, and you can only watch anime if there’s a special event. For a fandom space, that’s ultimately disappointing. You would feel like you could have a discussion with the staff or visitors about anime and manga, but all you are left with counting the minutes until you leave as you feel utterly unwelcome. The one genuinely bright spot is the resident dog, easily the most welcoming and cutest thing in the whole café.

All in all, the vibe feels awkward and uninviting for non-regulars. Avoid it if you are planning on going solo or you are a foreigner. It’s a great idea with poor execution. For a niche fandom café, you’d expect warmth, creativity, and community, but instead you’re left with a cold atmosphere, and...

Okay, let's make this clear, you're not going to be visiting this place expecting some sort of amazing service. It's okay, nothing to write home about to be honest. Sadly, I wanted to order one type of shake, but they didn't have the ingredients, so I had to order a different one. My companions and I agree that they were just sort of okay. So, the service and menu are just kinda...fine I guess. To be fair though, the names of drinks are pretty much in the spirit of anime. Now, the selling point is, of course, that it's an anime-themed café, and it truly delivers in that regard. On the ground floor, you can purchase a plethora of anime goodies, as well as stuff from other fandoms, like Hazbin Hotel and Adventure time. Figurines, badges, stickers, plushies, you name it, they probably got it. On the first floor, you have the tables, of which are decorated with scenes from specific anime and/or manga scenes. More goodies, a timeline of the releases of popular manga, anime decor, chimes on the ceiling, board games, card games, this place is a certified paradise for geeks (guilty as charged). I will be coming back here, but not for the menu, NGL. Extra info: inexpensive and they do accept...

An absolutely fantastic place to visit and spend time in! They've got everything one could think of, great drinks, great atmosphere, lovely employees, thoughtful decorations, shelf full of manga which you can read during your stay, a table full of games you can play with friends/family and even drawing equipment! Other than that there's a fabulous merch shop which also serves anything you could think of, and each piece of merch is so good! Some of it is even handmade and it's so dreamy! The creators deserve a round of applause for all their great...