Where To Eat In Skopje, North Macedonia

North Macedonia is a country located in the Balkans and it shares a border with Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bulgaria. And although this country is very young and basically didn’t exist as a separate country until recently, this part of the world has a long history. The current North Macedonian territory was always a part of something else: Bulgarian Kingdom, Serbia, Yugoslavia, and even the Roman Empire. A country with such a complicated history usually absorbs it into its culture, including the cuisine. So one of the must do things in any country is to try traditional dishes. For this I prepared a list of places to eat in Skopje including some great restaurants that serve North Macedonian food.

Old City House (Стара Кука)

Old city house is the oldest traditional restaurant in Skopje going back to the middle of the 19th century. It is located in a traditional house just 10 minutes from the center of the city. The house actually reminds me a bit of traditional Chinese hutong. It has a nice fountain and small garden inside, which makes you feel like you are sitting in a courtyard. 

The food they serve in the Old City House is great. During our stay in Skopje we even came back to this restaurant multiple times and I have tried many fantastic dishes. 

To start your meal I would recommend ordering Pindjur (70 denar) with bread sticks (seriously, get the bread sticks, they are incredible), fried eggplant or salad Shopska (traditional salad in the Balkans). For your main dish you should try a veal or lamb pot (490 denar, meat baked in a clay pot with onion and sauce) and try Tavche Gravche (bean stew, 250 denar). 

The menu at the Old City House is quite big, so you can find something to your liking for sure. And although this restaurant is considered to be one of the best in the city, the prices are quite fair (cheaper than anywhere in Ohrid old town for example).

Price Range:

Beer and Wine: $2-3

Salads and Spreads: $1.50-3

Main Dishes: $5-12

Address: Boulevard Phillip the Second of Macedon 14, Skopje 1000

Chardak 

Another great restaurant to try local food is Chardak. It is located in the Bohemian district of Skopje. You can get there by walking (20 minutes from the center of the city), or taking a taxi (a few US$).

The restaurant has a large selection of traditional dishes. It is also a wine shop where you can get some great North Macedonian wine. The shop sells wine at cost, but to drink it in the restaurant you will need to pay a corkage fee of 200 denars ($4). 

Inside, the restaurant has this village vibe and all the small details are brought together. It is quite a great place with delicious food, but remember that to have a good time and try local dishes you need to be hungry (North Macedonian, and Balkan in general, food is quite heavy).

Price Range:

Beer and Wine: $2-3

Salads and Spreads: $1.50-3 (I recommend the sharing platter for $13, which is really enough for 6 people to split, we split it between four and couldn’t finish everything).

Main Dishes: $6-14

Address: Gjorgji Peshkov, Skopje 1000

Turist

Another place to get some traditional food is the Old bazaar of Skopje. There are a few good restaurants here and one of them is a small restaurant called “Turist”. I know it sounds like they cater mostly to tourists, but that is not true. Many of the locals dine here. You do need to know that it is not some fancy place, but more like a street cafe.

At this restaurant they serve beer and you can get some delicious meat squares or shish kebab as a beer snack. 

Price Range:

Local Beer: $2

Grilled Meat: $3-4

Address: Skopje old bazaar

Destan

This is another place that is located in the Skopje old bazaar. I actually have mixed feelings about this restaurant. I loved the food we ordered, including the kebab and braised veal (the veal was fantastic), but the menu is really small so you don’t have a lot of choice.

However even with the small menu I can’t really complain because that veal was one of the best dishes I had over two weeks in North Macedonia.

Price Range:

Local Beer: $2.50

Kebab Plate: $4

Braised Veal: $6

Address: Казанџиска, Skopje 1000

Brewery “Old Town”

On the edge of Skopje old bazaar there is a small brewery that serves craft beer and some food. I would not recommend going here if you are specifically looking for traditional cuisine. The main point of this place is good craft beer. 

To be frank, we got tired of the one beer that they serve in every restaurant (Skopsko) and went to look for something different and more interesting. 

Brewery “Old town” definitely has its own special vibe. We ordered a tasting set that had 6 different craft beers and some nachos. The food was decent and the beer was great and that is exactly what I expected from this place. 

By the way, when you are there check both English and North Macedonian menu. Some of the things are missing from the English menu.

Price Range:

Craft Beer Flight (6 beers): $7

Beer Snacks: $3-5

Address: Samoilova, Skopje 1000

Amigo Bar & Restaurant

It may seem out of place, but I really do recommend this restaurant to get some amazing Mexican food in Skopje. We actually went there to eat because our friends recommended it as a really good place. The restaurant has a big selection of Mexican dishes. 

We ended up getting tacos, nachos, flautas and some frozen margaritas. And everything was quite good, especially the flautas and margaritas. This is the place to visit for those who have been travelling a long time in the Balkans and want a nice break, or those who crave Mexican food. 

Price Range:

Mains: $6-13

Delicious “Margs”: $5

Address: Macedonia 11, Skopje 1000

Where To Eat In Skopje, North Macedonia