Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, is a great city for lovers of Balkan cuisine. You can be sure that you will never have a hard time choosing a meal in Skopje, which has been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for many years.. If you are wondering what to eat and drink in Skopje, where delicious meat dishes and pastries are dominant, how about exploring together? If you are ready, we are embarking on a pleasant journey of taste in Skopje!
What to Eat in Skopje: Famous Tastes of Skopje
Skopje has become one of the most visited cities by Turks in recent years.. The fact that it is very close to Istanbul and that it is visa-free and only passport-free makes Skopje attractive.. In addition to all these, Macedonian cuisine offers flavors that we are very familiar with and appealing to our palate.
One of the most important factors that make a trip enjoyable is the cuisine of that country.. If you can travel without the stress of “what will I eat”, the taste of that trip is different.. Skopje is such a city. Since livestock is widespread throughout the country, meat dishes are indispensable for the tables.. I think that a separate parenthesis should be opened for their pastries and milk desserts, they are quite successful in this regard!
Food prices in Skopje I can say that it is on average in Istanbul. Until a few years ago, Skopje was one of the more suitable cities for us, but as our currency depreciated against the Euro, the prices of food and drink in Skopje increased a little.. While 1 MKD was 5.5 TL when we were in Skopje in November 2021, 1 MKD is 3.96 TL in February 2022.. When you eat in an average restaurant for two people in Skopje, you pay 180 TL, and when you have a drink in a luxury restaurant, you pay around 400 TL.
Famous Dishes of Skopje
- Cevapi (Meatballs)
- Pleskavitsa (Bosnian Meatballs)
- Macedonian Stew (Elbasan Pan)
- Tavce Gravce (Stewed Beans)
- Pastrmajlija (Macedonian pita bread)
- Burek (Born)
- Simitpogaça (Bread Pastry)
- Shopska (Cheese Salad)
- Kaymaçina (Skopje Dessert)
- Trileçe
- Sutlijash (rice pudding)
Skopje Venue Suggestions
I would like to share the places we visited and the flavors we tried during our three-day Skopje trip. Skopje is not limited to Balkan cuisine, of course.. Luxury restaurants where you can try different world cuisines are also waiting for you in Skopje.
*Prices in Skopje restaurants are as of November 2021.
Destan Meatballs
When you search “Where to eat meatballs in Skopje?”, you first come across Destan Meatballs exits. Destan is one of the oldest restaurants in Skopje. Although there are many positive / negative comments about this place, we wanted to try and decide for ourselves.. Good thing we did, we were very satisfied.
Skopje Destan Restaurant has two outstanding flavors: Cevapi, similar to our Tire meatballs, finger meatballs. The other is cooked beans in casserole called Tavce Gravche. We said Shopska salad with Answer. When you order one portion of answer, you get 10 meatballs. Roasted peppers and onions served on a separate plate. The warm bread that comes with the meal is the special bread of Skopje, we loved it.. It looks like our gobit breads.
Shopska salad is one of the flavors you should try in Skopje.. As a matter of fact, it is prepared with only tomatoes and cucumbers, and when the grated cheese meets with olive oil, a very delicious salad emerges.
Two 10’s in Destan Meatballs 500 MKD, shopska salad 180 MKD. We paid 680 MKD for two people. (1 MKD 3.96 TL, February 2022) Credit card accepted, there is an open area where you can sit both inside and outside. Employees understand Turkish. click for the location of Destan, located at the entrance of the Skopje Turkish Bazaar.
Tourist
On our second day in Skopje, we wanted to go to Turist Restaurant and taste Skopje dishes again.. This time, we ordered a mixed meat platter, casserole beans (tavce grache) and roasted red peppers with garlic sauce.. Of course, we didn’t forget the Shopska salad..
Mixed meat plate had dansi, sausage, chicken breast and meat skewers.. The casserole was delicious, but I can’t say the same for the cevapi.. Destan’s meatballs were much tastier.
Tavce gravche 100 MKD at Turist, mixed meat plate 450 MKD, salad 160 MKD, roasted red pepper strong>90 MKD. It is located in the Old Bazaar as a tourist location.
Where to Eat in Skopje: Pelister Restaurant
“Where to eat in Skopje eat?” For those who say , I have an extremely stylish and enjoyable place to recommend: Pelister. This is actually a hotel restaurant.. It serves on the ground floor of Pelister Hotel, located in the middle of Macedonia Square.. The menu of Pelister Restaurant, which we chose for our last evening in Skopje, is mainly Italian cuisine.
A bottle of Tikveş white wine accompanied by Margherita Pizza and Shopska salad is our choice at Pelister. If I talk about the prices in Pelister; Salads 130-300 MKD, large pizzas 410-650 MKD, medium 250-400 MKD, glass of wines 150 MK-250 MKD. If you want to open a bottle, prices start from 1020 MKD.
We paid 1487 MKD for a large Margherita pizza, shopska salad and a bottle of chardonnay Tikveş wine at Pelister. Credit card is valid in Pelister, they took us by checking the vaccination certificate when we entered.. We did not need a reservation as we went both in winter and on weekdays, but you may need to make a reservation for the garden part in summer.
I would like to share an important note about Skopje venues. Smoking inside Skopje venues. For this reason, we have always preferred places with outside seating.. Pelister also has a sitting area inside, but since the electric heater works outside, we never got cold even though it was cold.
Pelister has been my favorite place in Skopje with its service quality, taste of food and ambiance.. If you are looking for a place for an elegant dinner in Skopje, I recommend Pelister without hesitation.. click for Pelister location.
Nexho
We are continuing our Skopje food and beverage suggestions at full speed, next there is a place that invites you to a feast of taste with its desserts. : Nexho. Nexho in the Turkish Bazaar in Skopje is also known as Mado Prom, but he uses the name Nexho because there is a disagreement with our Mado about the naming rights.
When you come to Skopje, do not leave without trying their delicious desserts, you will be sorry. Nexho is one of the best addresses for dessert in Skopje. Here we tasted both trileçe and sutlijash, namely rice pudding as we know it.. Both were delicious.
Trileçe Although it is a Mexican dessert, it has recently become very popular in the Balkans.. Trileçe, which means three milks in Spanish, is prepared with cow, goat and sheep milk.
When you sit down in Nexho, you can drink your tea from Laçi Çay Ocağı located right across the street. you can drink. A deliciously brewed tea and sweet is enough to take all your travel tiredness away from you, let me tell you..
Although Nexho is famous for its trileçe, there are many other sorbet desserts that you can try.. It is possible to feel yourself in an Anatolian city with baklava, sugarpare and tulumba dessert.. :)) We paid 120 MKD for two desserts at Nexho.
click for Nexho location.
Bakery Special
burrito in Skopje we didn’t want to go back without eating and while we were walking on Macedonia Street, we suddenly found ourselves inside with the smell of freshly baked pastry.. Bakery Special is a bakery that sells both bread and pastries. There is also a small section where you can sit inside and eat.. We wanted one serving of spinach walnut quiche and cheese pie. Ayran next to it.
Ayran in Skopje is known as yogurt , it has a thicker consistency than ours. If I come to the pastries, the spinach walnut quiche was almost falling apart in the mouth.. I almost said another slice. Two burrito cost 150 MKD in total. Bakery Special has different locations on Google, we went to the one at the end of Macedonia Street. It is located beyond the Mother Teresa House.
Kolektiv Bar
Our choice for an evening drink in Skopje was Kolektiv Bar. Kolektiv, located in Macedonia Square, starts to fill up in the evening.. We chose to sit on the bar stools outside as smoking is allowed inside.
The prices of drinks at Kolektiv Bar are as follows; 33 beers 110-210 MKD, 50 draft beers 120-190 MKD. Tikveş Alexandria small bottle of wine 180 MKD, 0.75 wine 600 MKD. Cocktails are between 200-250 MKD. If you want to sit inside the Kolektiv Bar, you have to show your vaccination card.
Click click for Kolektiv bar location.
I would like to include places that are on my Skopje eating and drinking list but could not go because I could not find the time.. Those who have the opportunity can also try these places:
- Pastries and pastries: Silbo
- Desserts with milk: Ohrid Patisserie
- Answer: Kosmos
- Local Skopje dishes: Pivnica An, Shopski Merak
- Beer: Old Town Brewery
- Rakija: Lifting
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Skopje Food and Drink Notes:
- North Macedonia is one of the prominent countries in wine production. I especially recommend you to try Tikveş wines.. It’s very light to drink, it doesn’t cause a headache the next day.
- The drink prices in North Macedonia are quite affordable compared to our country.. If you want to buy a drink before returning from Skopje, I recommend you to go to the Ramstore on the lower floor of the Ramstore AVM.. (15 minutes walking distance from Macedonia Square) Here is a bottle of Tikveş rose wine 85 MKD. A bottle of Alexandria white wine of the Tikveş brand is 225 MKD.
- If you want to buy a souvenir of Skopje to drink on your special days, I recommend Imperator red wine.
- The famous beer of Skopje, Skopsko. It is sold in the market for 45 MKD, only 0.73 Euros.
- 1.5 liters of water is 20 MKD in the market.
- Rakija (plum raki), known as Balkan raki, is among the drinks you can try in Skopje.. It is served in a shot glass because of its high alcohol content.
- Ajvar sauce with roasted eggplant, tomato and red pepper, which is frequently consumed for breakfast in Balkan countries, is one of the famous tastes of Skopje.
- Most places in Skopje accept credit cards, but I recommend bringing cash with you anyway.. Some places also accept payment in Euros.
- When you want Turkish coffee and tea, there are many places to drink in Skopje Turkish Bazaar.. With this aspect, Skopje is a city that you will never be a stranger to.
- There are stylish places where you can both eat and have a drink in the evening on the banks of the Vardar River of Macedonia Square. If you want to do it from, remember that the prices are much higher than the city center.. Wine sold for 3 Euros in the Ramstore market was 6.90 Euros at Skopje Airport.
You can find more detailed information about Skopje on my Instagram @seyahatimgeldi account, you can follow me for more travel suggestions.
If you are planning a trip to Skopje, you can find below I also recommend you to take a look at my articles:
- Places to Visit in Skopje
- Things to Know Before Traveling to Skopje
- Where to Stay in Skopje
- Matka Canyon Trek
- Places to Visit in Ohrid
