Eat at the Three Little Pigs’ house of straw in Kolašin, Montenegro

Well, okay. It’s not really the lazy little pig’s house of straw, but that’s what I told my four-year-old when we stopped to eat here while travelling in Montenegro. And it’s certainly a dead ringer for the version you see in illustrated children’s stories.

The restaurant, Savardak, is located less than 3 km from the ski resort of Kolašin, on the road leading from the town to the ski mountain.

What it is is a big straw structure – resembling a giant  haystack – with a chimney poking out from it. It’s the traditional structure once used by shepherds in the region. Today, it’s a restaurant serving up traditional, hearty Montenegrin fare.

The inside is adorable and atmospheric, but we were visiting on a warm summer day and chose to sit at the outdoor tables beside a picturesque, cool stream.

I know it was cool because, when we asked for our beers they fished them out of the frigid stream water and served them (naturally) ice cold.

We loved the kačamak here, a delicious and incredibly filling polenta-like mixture, made with cornmeal, mashed up potatoes, and cheese. The portion for two could have fed eight, but we did our best. Delicious – and incredibly filling.

So filling, in fact, that we decided to head up the road just a bit to the ski resort and hike up to the top and work off some of those calories.

It was a beautiful day, and the hike up was steep, but easy-going.

We hike a lot with our kids, so they’re used to it and enjoy it, but it also helped to have so many berries along the way – raspberries, wild strawberries, blackberries and blueberries – to provide a little added incentive.

Berries galore

The views were beautiful and there was a tent village at the top where you could rent tents and sleep out in nature. Looked idyllic, but we already had our hotel back in Kolašin – next time.

We had a great afternoon, hiking, admiring the beautiful views down below, filling our stomachs with berries, and watching the sheep as they grazed on the lush, green mountaintops. This would be a great place to return in the wintertime for skiing, too.

If you’re headed to the tiny, but interesting, Balkan country of Montenegro, be sure to look at my earlier posts on the coastal town of Perast, hiking in the picturesque Durmitor National Park, exploring the ruins of Stari Bar, swimming in Lake Skadar, the Balkans’ largest lake, and crossing into Kosovo to see the impressive monasteries.

There’s lots to do during your visit to Montenegro. Enjoy eating-and walking off-your kačamak on your next visit.