The best Macedonian restaurants Northern Macedonia

This restaurant (Македонска Куќа), whose name means "Macedonian house", is worth a stop for its traditional dishes and rustic decor. The rooms spread over two floors are decorated with exposed dry stonework, handmade weavings and dried peppers. Specialties on the menu includeurnebes (a mixture of cottage cheese, sweet paprika, garlic and olive oil), pileški (chicken skewers stuffed with cheese and surrounded by bacon), makedonskla or Macedonian hamburger (minced steak stuffed with yellow cheese). Annexes in Skopje and Ohrid.

Dalga is one of the local population's most popular restaurants for its fish (grilled or baked trout or carp, cassolette of eel, etc.), traditional recipes and waterfront terrace. The walls of the dining room are covered with photos of celebrities who have dined here. In the evening, with a superb view over the lake, an orchestra accompanies the dinner for couples in love. Excellent service and cuisine. Alternatively, in a similar vein, you could go next door to Momir.

This small complex (Комплекс Лебедово Езеро) is set around a pond with trees, swans, geese, a water fountain, wooden bungalows and farmed fish. The restaurant is large and the terrace is nice, but the staff a little overwhelmed on weekends. Ideal for a hearty meal (grilled meat, trout, fried squid...) after a walk to the Smolari waterfall or a hike on Mount Beles. For information, in the village, there is also a small private museum dedicated to socialist Yugoslavia with more than a million objects (banknotes, photos, medals...).

This restaurant (Кај Местоно) is located opposite a pier and right next to Peštani beach. It has a pleasant terrace flush with the waves and serves good Ohrid trout, as well as Macedonian meats and specialties. The waiters are friendly. They translate the menu into English for foreign customers. You can also sip a drink on the deckchairs. Opposite, on the other side of the road, the Dac restaurant (Дац) is more popular and less expensive. It serves Ohrid trout, fish soup and grilled meats.

This upscale restaurant (Воденица Мулино) offers well-executed Italian specialties: homemade pasta, pizzas and more. And with good reason, chef Stojan Filiposki worked across the Adriatic for a long time. Also on the menu: salads, local hors d'oeuvres and plenty of local wines. In autumn, the main attraction is the grilled porcini mushrooms. In summer, you'll appreciate the garden, the little inland river and the mill that gives the place its name. Next door is another fine restaurant, Gostilnica Dukat. Bus 4a, 5 or 5a, "Fabrika Treska" stop.

In Debar Maalo, this restaurant opened in 1991 (Скопски Мерак) offers good traditional cuisine: mezzés(pindjur, ajvar, makalo), simmered dishes(tavče gravče, selsko meso...), "Macedonian pizza"(pastrmajlija), grilled or bell-cooked meats(sač), fish, fried zucchini, etc. English menu, wine and live music. Access: 300 m south of City Park. Bus 8 or 15a on Ilinden boulevard (stop "Gradski Park Fontana") and numerous lines on Partizanski-Odredi boulevard (stop "Gradezhen Fakultet").

This restaurant (Јавор Мрзенци) offers one of the best spit-roasted lambs in the Skopje region: melt-in-your-mouth yet crispy. Established in 2004, it is an annex of the highly regarded Javor Agapi in Gevgelija, in southern Povardaria, on the Greek border. In the pleasant little shaded courtyard, under a wooden arbour or in the simply decorated dining room, lamb chops, veal cooked under a bell, grilled pork, salads, vegetables, stuffed cabbage leaves, etc. are also served. English menu. Efficient waiters.

Within the same house here coexist two restaurants heir to the Idadija cafe (Идадија) founded in 1928. Both are "the soul" of Debar Maalo, the nicest neighborhood on the West Bank. In both, the clientele remains very local and the rates lower than the neighboring establishments. On one side, Idadija III has remained very popular, offering beer, wine, rakija, kebabs and a good tavče gravče (national dish of baked beans). On the other, Idadija M is a bit more modern with also grilled vegetables and meats.

This restaurant (Гостилница Дукат) is one of the best in the country, specializing in very good but not cheap grilled or baked meats (MKD 1,400-4,000/kg). Traditional soups and stews are much more affordable. We also like the white tablecloths, creative desserts and impeccable service in English. It's a pity that the wine list is unsurprisingly limited to bottles from large estates (Tikveš, Bovin...), some of which are not bad, but expensive. Bus: 4a, 5 or 5a (Fabrika Treska stop).

This restaurant (Ресторан Лира) is a little off-center: it's in the Karpoš district (bus 8 or 15a on Ilinden Boulevard, stop "Gimnaziјa Ortse Nikolov"). Romantic atmosphere: subdued lighting, candles, musicians, fireplace in winter and small terrace in summer. The traditional Macedonian cuisine served here is generally of good quality. Otherwise, on the same street, the Tribeca restaurant (facebook.com/tribecamk) is also very popular with Skopians: terrace, international cuisine and cocktails.

This restaurant (Софија Ја-Kи) is located in a wooden cottage by the main road. Warm atmosphere, local seasonal dishes (wild mushrooms, game...) and good traditional cuisine(tavče gravče, šopska salata...). The main source of "stinking water" is located nearby. Also in the hamlet, you can also eat at the restaurant Icic/Ициц (+389 70 809 888). Several guesthouses also offer meals to their guests, such as Villa Katerina (+389 71 25 18 56) or, a little further away, Villa Igor Linkov (+389 71 20 71 46).

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.

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.