Belgrade has never lacked architectural tension: neoclassical façades, Yugoslav brutalism, socialist-era futurism and everyday urban grit all coexist, which makes the arrival of a new eclectic hybrid entertainment venue feel oddly at home.
Esthetic Joys Embassy (EJE) inhabits a 1927 villa in Dorćol, originally built for Edvard and Danica Vlajić Zamboni, a prominent and intellectual couple of the time, and designed by Serbian architect Branislav Kojić, with interiors by his wife, Danica Kojić. The building later served as the Kap mleka milk dispensary and, in the 1960s and 1970s, as Iran’s diplomatic mission in Belgrade. Today, it houses Pavilion Hotel and EJE Belgrade: a hotel, dining room, bar and discotheque under one roof.
Wallpaper* dines at Esthetic Joys Embassy, Belgrade
The mood: Yugoslav kiosk meets Japanese listening bar
Dreamt up by local studio Supaform, EJE emulates late-1950s and early-1960s Yugoslav modernism, when optimism arrived in aerodynamic forms and modular civic structures. The key source of inspiration is industrial architect Saša Mächtig’s 1966 K67 kiosk: a rounded, portable, if not slightly utopian, shape-shifting system of modular fibreglass structures mass-produced until 1999.
Inside, the room flirts with that tension of endless possibilities. A warm, deep yellow runs through the space, while oval ceiling lights cast a nostalgic glow and a Dulton Double Face Japanese station clock ticks and tocks near the DJ booth. The banquet sofas that skirt the darkly hued wooden walls are upholstered in the final run of Misha Black’s District line moquette, sourced from the London mill before the pattern was discontinued.
The otherworldly spatial picture is complete with vintage JBL 4435 studio monitors and a dug-up vinyl collection, staying true to Japanese listening-bar culture. Guests can settle at the bar, linger at the sound module, dance, or lose track of time in one of the six ichiran-style booths, where curtains close, headphones go on, and food can be ordered contactlessly.
The food: everyday dishes with an Asian pulse
Chef Andrey Balakhnov describes EJE’s food as ‘modern, vibrant, and easy to understand’: familiar dishes given depth through Asian techniques, spices, sauces and ingredients. He recommends starting with the rich and comforting pork ramen and finishing with the inventive sake tiramisu. Elsewhere, the drinks menu disguises itself as a stock exchange fantasy, with signature cocktails inspired by world currencies. The Chinese Yuan pairs vodka, sake, kombu and miso into an umami-led serve; the Japanese Yen brings yuzu and sparkling wine together, while the Korean Won mixes gin, strawberry soju, coconut and citrus.
Esthetic Joys Embassy is located at Dobračina 39, Beograd 11000, Serbia