Enjoying yourself Kosovo
Timetable Kosovo
Restaurants in Kosovo are generally open every day and have very long opening hours, often between 8am and 11pm. However, meals are served at about the same times as in France: between noon and 2pm for lunch and between 7pm and 9pm for dinner. However, it is possible to eat outside of these hours, although the choice of dishes may be more limited. Some restaurants may be closed on certain days or at certain times of the day out of season.
Budget & Tips Kosovo
Restaurant prices are quite low. Count less than 5 €/person in a fast-food restaurant like qebaptore and less than 10 € for a classic restaurant. In high-end establishments, the bill (excluding alcohol) is between 15 and 25 €/person.
A traditional meal usually starts with a soup, often chicken. In almost all restaurants, the menu includes soups, salads, more traditional dishes, pasta, pizza and risotto. Be careful, this last one is not a risotto in the Italian sense. It is generally rice with a side dish. It is not uncommon, even frequent, to order something that is not on the menu. The practice is widespread and does not pose any problem.
What costs extra Kosovo
Tipping is not mandatory, but it is very welcome as waiters' salaries are generally very low
The local way Kosovo
It is impossible to walk in a city in Kosovo without passing a qebaptore, the traditional Albanian fast food. The inhabitants are very fond of it, and this from the first hours of the day. The patties(qofte or pleskavica depending on the size) or small sausages(qebap) of minced meat are cooked on the grill with small spicy yellow peppers. The whole thing is usually served with pita bread, yogurt, cabbage and chopped onions. A very economical and friendly way to discover the local gastronomy, a meal in a qebaptore costs only a few euros.
Another specialty inherited from the Byzantines: the burek (called byrek by the Albanians, but it is pronounced the same) has become the snack of almost all populations of the Mediterranean basin. The recipe: a large puff pastry pie filled with spinach, cheese or meat. This tiny stall is famous, as the dough is still homemade. The good thing is that you can taste it as soon as it comes out of the oven. Try Byrektore Dini in Pristina. Another good byrektore is Picadilly, opposite the unfinished Cathedral of Christ the Savior, at 223 Agim-Ramadani Street (daily except Sunday 7am-3pm).
Kosovo is not a country with a sweet tradition. However, there are some desserts borrowed from Italy (tiramisù, trileqe - local version of trilece, three-milk cake) or from the Orient (baklava)
To be avoided Kosovo
Just avoid arriving without a reservation at popular expatriate venues, such as the Pinocchio Hotel and Restaurant in Pristina.
Smokers Kosovo
Smoking is prohibited inside restaurants and cafés.
Tourist traps Kosovo
There is nothing special to report except to have the same reflexes as everywhere else: the establishments with touts, in the tourist areas, are not necessarily the best..
Take a break Kosovo
Timetable Kosovo
Cafes and bars in Kosovo are generally open every day from 8am to 11pm or midnight.
What's very local Kosovo
Although the country is populated mostly by Muslims, alcohol consumption is widespread in the society. Among the local productions, there are the interesting wines of the Dečani monastery, produced in the Serbian enclave of Velika Hoča/Hoca i Madhe (southern Kosovo). This wine region also produces the best rakija (brandy) in the country. As for beer, the cities of Prizren and Peja/Peć each have their own brand and production plant: Birra Prizreni and Birra Peja. We also note the recent creation of four microbreweries: Sabaja in the suburbs of Pristina, Pivdžan in Gračanica/Graçanica, Manastirsko Banjsko near Mitrovica and Shok e Shoqe in Gjilan/Gnjilane,
Smokers Kosovo
Kosovo is particularly affected by smoking. In 2013, 44% of women in Kosovo smoked (the second highest rate of female smokers in the world) and almost one in two young people under the age of 18 smoked. Since then, the country has signed a tobacco control law to reduce tobacco consumption. Kosovo has adopted strong measures such as a complete ban on smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces, transportation, as well as in some outdoor public places.
