Restaurants cuisine du monde Northern Macedonia

Founded in 1968, the "gras" restaurant (Ресторан Мрс) is renowned for its bell-cooked meats(sač) and recipes with Maleševo cheeses. It's good, well presented and not very expensive. The room is not very large and warm, and the service is fast. Still, we're a bit surprised to see that just getting wine poured into glasses is charged MKD 200. How petty! But we highly recommend this address, including the hearty and gourmet "Maleševo" breakfast menu. Some rooms available for rent.

The restaurant "Chez Mamie Tsana" (Кај Баба Цана) is an institution since 1921. It is one of the busiest addresses in the center of Kumanovo. It serves grilled meats, soups, salads and specialties of the Macedonian community cooked in ceramic pots: the very local mezel'k/мезел'к (simmered pork giblets), the house recipe of "Grandma Tsana's pot" (chicken and pork with onions) or the iconic national dish, tavče gravče (beans with bacon). Nice old-fashioned decor, terrace, small prices and warm atmosphere.

Placed on the banks of the Pčinja River, this restaurant (Eтно Cело Тимчевски) is famous for its grilled meats, fresh fish, traditional dishes and musical evenings on weekends. It attracts both families and companies that have meeting rooms here. The reception rooms (150 seats) are well decorated and the large terrace (250 seats) overlooks a pleasant green area with a playground for children. The establishment also has a space for 5 motor homes and 13 rooms. But the latter are poorly maintained.

This restaurant (Ресторан Квин) is pleasantly located in a valley above Ljubanci. It has large tanks where carp and trout are raised. These are served whole and fried, ideally for 2-3 people. Also on the menu: salads, desserts and good, melting grilled or bell-cooked(sač) meats. The place is usually quite crowded on weekends. The staff is then quickly overwhelmed and orders sometimes take more than an hour. So it's better to come during the week, it's nicer.

This restaurant is run by Borka and Pavle Lukanovski, nicknamed Baba and Dede (Баба и Деде). They are among the very few inhabitants to live in Galičnik year-round, completely isolated during the coldest six months. Helped by their children in summer, they offer good, purely local dishes, i.e. much the same as at Hotel Neda, but here it's more family-style (the cheese, lamb, eggs and rakija are homemade). You can sleep on site: the rooms are fairly modern and comfortable, with WiFi and good bathroom facilities.

This restaurant (Пепсито) is very pleasant with its small terrace on the cobblestones of the promenade along the Dragor, at the entrance to charchia. The menu goes to the essentials: grilled meats and salads. The food is good and the waiters are efficient and smiling. What we don't understand, however, is why there's only one restaurant along this promenade, despite it being the nicest place in town. There's just one other tiny terrace a little further along, that of the Ulaf Ste café (Улаф Сте, daily 8am-0am, Sunday until 6pm).

This traditional restaurant (Градска Кафеана Кај Џоле) is a little hard to find: on Maksim-Gorki Street coming from Macedonia Square with a street entrance (opposite the Swiss Embassy), then a corridor to the courtyard. But it's one of the few good addresses in the city center. It's an old kafana well known to Skopians for its wines, folk music groups and local and Balkan specialties: pork on the spit (reservations required, MKD 1,200/kg), fried zucchini, trout, salads..

Surrounded by a beautiful forest, this family-run restaurant (Ресторан Костенче) is located at the entrance to the Dame-Gruev Memorial Park, above the village of Smilevo. On the pretty little terrace are served traditional dishes from the region (including a very good pita), cheese accompanied by pitulici (small doughnuts), grilled meats and meat dishes, salads, rather good French fries and a few desserts including homemade candied fruit. Around the village, which houses the Smilevo Museum, you'll find several abandoned monasteries.

Located near Bit Pazar, this grill restaurant founded in 1952 (Ќебапчилница Космос, Qebaptore Kosmos) is Skopiotes' favorite in Stara Čarsija. But it's no-frills: ćevapi (MKD 240 per ten), homemade bread, roasted peppers, šopksa salad, tavče gravče (MKD 160) and that's about it. However, it's definitely more authentic and better than in the more touristy establishments in the southern part of the district. Tiny street terrace on sunny days and small room with minimalist decor.

We love this restaurant's terrace overlooking a large sandy beach on Lake Debar. The menu is also pretty good, with stewed Albanian dishes (very similar to Macedonian cuisine), farmed trout, grilled meats, squid, salads, oriental desserts and the famous Tirana-style trilece. After all that, you can go for a swim (the lake water is 23°C in summer... but 5°C in winter) or rent a canoe or small boat nearby. Perfect for a stopover on the road between Ohrid and Skopje.

This restaurant (Амбасадор) is reputed to be the best in Radoviš: it is said to be the place where distinguished guests of the town hall and ambassadors visiting the town come to eat. In any case, it serves good local specialties like stuffed wild rabbit(zajak), samun (a kind of pizza) and burek(banica). The latter is filled with leek, cheese and seasoned with the famous black salt with crushed poppy seeds. Also on the menu: grilled meats, salads, cheeses, etc. Pleasant terrace and large interior room.

Located in Sermeninski/Серменин (8 inhabitants, 580 m above sea level), this restaurant serves 100% local cuisine: vegetables from the garden, deer or wild boar depending on the hunt, cheese, sausages, raki, ajvar and homemade desserts, crispy pork belly... You can also sleep on the spot, in five very simple rooms but with Wi-Fi and good bathrooms. You can enjoy the hamlet with its beautiful landscapes at the foot of the Dvete Uši mountain (1,720 m above sea level, in the west), its waterfall (Vodopad Vera) and its hiking trails along the very wild Sermeninska river.

In Debar Maalo, 300 m south of City Park, this family-run restaurant (Камин Чамо) has been an institution since 1989. A dozen tables, rustic decor and a small pine-covered fireplace that gives the establishment its name. Not much choice on the menu (in English), but authentic dishes: Albanian kukurec (lamb guts and offal on a spit), veal tongue fritters, tripe soup and drob sarma, a kind of moussaka with lamb liver, rice and spices. Bus: 8 or 15a on Ilinden Boulevard, "Gradski Park Fontana" stop.

"À l'ombre des noyers" (Ореов Лад) is Skopje's oldest restaurant. Located in Saraj/Сарај, it was founded in 1880 and enjoys a superb garden... in the shade of walnut trees. Still run by the same family, it's a nice stopover on the way to Matka Canyon. It serves good quality traditional cuisine. But when the weather's fine, the place is often full at weekends. Four comfortable rooms are also available (facebook.com/KonakNestor, €29/34 for two with breakfast). Bus 2, 12, 56 or 60, "Rekreativen Tsentar Saraј" stop.

Located in a beautiful building dating back to 1836, the "old house" restaurant (Стара Куќа) is popular with expats and tourists alike for its wood-panelled decor and live folk music. On the menu are numerous Macedonian specialties, including meats and vegetables cooked in an earthen pan à l'étouffée. Be careful not to pay in euros, otherwise it's 10-20% more expensive. Access via Place Mère-Teresa, between the Philharmonic and the Opera.

The "Caravanserai Brasserie" (Пивница Ан) is an honest, quiet tourist restaurant located in Stara Čarsija, in the Kapan Caravanserai. The vaulted hall is magnificent and the terrace, very pleasant in fine weather. Here you'll find most of the great classics of Macedonian and Balkan cuisine: ajvar, pindjur, šopska salad, moussaka, tavče gravče, makalo, mućkalica... No worries: the menu is in English and everything is explained. It's pretty good and the waiters are pros. Fish: 1,200/2,000 MKD/kg. Breakfast until 1pm.

This "ranch" (Етно Ресторан Ранч) is a 7-hectare complex that includes, in addition to a good "ethnic" (understand "traditional") restaurant, a lake, a farm, an animal park, but also an accommodation part with an outdoor pool. The rooms are modern (Wifi, air conditioning...) and some of them are real apartments with kitchen. This is not a luxury, as the breakfast is really very optional: it depends on the time the staff arrives... But it is a good address for families with children who will appreciate the animals and the playground.

The restaurant "the little break" (Мал Oдмор) dates from the socialist period and enjoys a beautiful vaulted room as well as a large shaded terrace. The menu is long, but few dishes are usually available. In any case, one can try here the štipska pastrmajlija (штипска пастрмајлија), the local version of the "Macedonian pizza" which resembles the one in Kratovo (pork, peppers, chili), but without egg. No worries either about ordering typical stewed dishes, salads and some grilled meats. Aquatic center right next door.

This restaurant (Етноресторан Св. Петка) is one of the best in the region. It serves well-executed traditional Macedonian cuisine. On the menu: cheese pie(pleskavica), plenty of dishes cooked in earthenware vessels (including tavče gravče), assorted mezes, stuffed bread, whole piglet (to order), formage, burek, salads, meats, decent wines and cherry rakija. The owner's son, Viktor, speaks good English.

This cozy restaurant (Софра Вељанов) serves the traditional dishes of the country: turli tava (stew), tavče gravče (lingot beans with peppers), sausages, grilled meats, soups with meat or giblets(skembe čorba), etc. You can also try the homemade wine and the negotinska pita, the "Negotino pizza", all lengthy and topped with pork and cheese. In the morning, a solid breakfast with typical local doughnuts, pishii. On the parallel street, the restaurant Čardak (Чардак) offers much the same specialties.

This restaurant (Ресторан Билјанини Извори) is appreciated for its setting and the freshness of the Biljana "springs". According to legend, it was here that a young girl named Biljana once came to wash her clothes and, forgetting to turn off the water, gave birth overnight to Lake Ohrid. The establishment boasts a large shaded terrace lined with water and play areas. It serves good traditional cuisine. The same owner also owns the Belvedere restaurant, on the Makedonjia promenade near the port (same opening hours, menu and prices).

Set in a stone house, this pizzeria (Пицерија Ангела) is well placed with a terrace along the Black Drin promenade. It serves not only good pizzas, but also rather successful Italian-style pastas as well as a few local dishes: wild mushrooms sautéed in cream, spicy meat bowls(souflaka) and furnagiska, a variant of pastmalija (the national and traditional version of pizza) topped with pork or chicken. The pizza oven is also used to bake homemade bread. There are occasional evening concerts.

Here you can enjoy grilled fish and meat, pizzas and rolls baked in a wood-fired oven. The restaurant is especially worth a visit for its shaded terrace offering a breathtaking view of Lake Debar. Right next door, between the power station and the restaurant, there's a weir on the lake shore. This is a huge water discharge pipe, installed here to relieve the dam in the event of flooding. Built vertically, this type of system gives the impression of a huge hole in the surface of the lake as soon as the water levels rise.

This restaurant (Мерак) is set along the Treska River, at the entrance to the village of Popolžani/Пополжани (approx. 110 Macedonian inhabitants). Some tables are set directly on the water's edge, while others are spread between sheds and the main wooden building built in the čardak style. The cuisine here is traditional: grilled meats of all kinds, casseroles, mushrooms, cheeses and salads. On the whole, it's not bad. But it's above all for the setting that we recommend this address.

This restaurant offers simple and tasty cuisine made with "love"(agapi in Greek), to be enjoyed in the shade of a "maple tree"(javor in Slavic): beautiful juicy tomatoes, garden salad, fresh sheep's cheese, homemade sausages, stuffed vegetables, carp from Lake Dojran, lamb on the spit, and, the specialty of the establishment, melting veal cooked under a cast-iron bell(jagnjetina ispod sača). Opened in 1984 and now run by sisters Biljana and Marija Mitrova, Javor Agapi/Јавор Агапи is an institution in Northern Macedonia.

Cheaper but just as well placed as the Letna Bavča Kaneo restaurant, this establishment (Кај Каневче/Kaj Kanevče) has a beautiful terrace between the small beaches of Kaneo and Potpeš. It offers popular and traditional cuisine. The menu ranges from Ohrid trout and carp to dishes prepared in earthenware dishes(tavče gravče, ohridski čomlek, turli tava...). The wine list is decent, without more. But vegetarians will appreciate the wide choice of salads (we stopped counting beyond ten).

This bar-restaurant in Stara Čaršija (Ракија Бар Калдрма) is located straight past the footbridge spanning Goce-Delčev Boulevard. It serves some fifty rakijas from North Macedonia and the Balkans, with plum, apricot, herbs, nuts, honey and more. The best and most expensive is from the Serbian Vučija distillery in Subotica: 800 MKD for 4 cl. All this can be accompanied by cheeses, mezzés or dishes like a tavče gravče. The atmosphere is nice and musicians come to play every evening.

Founded in 1977 by local singer Jovan "Šape" Zdraveski, this restaurant (Ресторан Шапе) is Kruševo's most famous address. Still run by the Zdraveski family, the establishment offers plenty of grills, stews and local specialties like kruševska pita (spinach, greens, cheese). It also serves pizzas, salads, breakfasts and sandwiches. A guitar and photos of the musician's ancestor are part of the warm decor. Large terrace overlooking the street on the second floor. Ski rental in winter.

Founded in 1960, this restaurant (Ресторанот Острово) enjoys a superb setting, on one of the islands of the small Lake Ostrovo, right next to the St. Naum monastery. Fish specialties from Lake Ohrid and a whole range of typical local dishes are served here. Our tip in summer: arrive early or make a reservation to enjoy one of the tables set up on the pontoons. The hotel offers boat trips on Lake Ostrovo and modern, well-equipped apartments at Villa Risteski in Ljubaništa ([email protected]).

Set beneath Mount Galičica, this restaurant (Домаќинска Куќа) has a terrace with a grand view of Lake Ohrid, the town and Mount Jablanica. It serves good, rustic home cooking: burek, shopska salad, sausages, tavče gravče, Ohrid trout, grilled vegetables, cheeses... You can also have a solid breakfast here (omelette or scrambled eggs with vegetables) or simply a drink between courses. It's simple, inexpensive and the staff are friendly. Otherwise, another "classier" option, in Velestovo: the Bravo restaurant (Браво).

This traditional restaurant (Етно Вила Весница) is pleasant in summer with its garden, children's playground and tables set in wooden sheds. The traditional menu is expensive by local standards, but it is very hearty and prepared with fresh produce from Skopska Crna Gora: homemade bread and pita, ajvar or pindjur, six different small salads, cheese, two simmering meat dishes and a dessert. The staff encourages you to take one menu per person. This is too much. If there are two of you, take one, plus an a la carte dish.