Mediterranean cuisine restaurants Northern Macedonia

The "Couscous" restaurant (Кус Кус) owes its name - which sounds very exotic here - to a French woman who founded it in 2003. She left, but the name stuck. Today, it's the address most often recommended by locals. No longer serving couscous, it still serves tabbouleh (French-style), good pizzas, pastrmajlija (the local version of pizza), falafel and meat dishes. We're not a big fan of the menu, but it's still more varied and polished than most of Bitola's other restaurants.

This bar-restaurant (Пелистер) is a must-visit with its large terrace on Macedonia Square. A former state-run establishment founded in 1961, it takes its name from the Pelister massif near Bitola. Nothing gourmet (pasta, risottos, salads, meats, desserts, hearty breakfasts), but the wood-fired pizzas are good. Otherwise, it's also a superbly located hotel: six rooms and apartments (from €60 for two with breakfast) with a breathtaking view of... the square's ugly monuments.

This Italian restaurant is located on the second floor of the Gradski Trgovski Centar. Founded by Tuscan chef Gino Guacini in 1997, it is renowned for its wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes (lasagne, ravioli, etc.). On sunny days, it boasts a pleasant terrace overlooking the Parc de la Combattante. The menu also includes local dishes and fish, but these are of little interest. Recently, the chef changed the recipe for his pizza dough, which has become extremely thin and crispy, somewhat confusing regulars.

This restaurant (Ресторан Уранија) is especially noteworthy for its location, in the center of City Park. It is in fact the restaurant of the Jug tennis club, whose clay courts are located on either side. The menu is very Italian (no pizza) with pastas, salads, risottos, osso buco, mozzarella meats... All the dishes are rarely available, but on the whole it's pretty decent. And if you're just looking for a place to take a break while strolling through the park, Café Jug is right next door.

This is the restaurant of the Marriott hotel. Not really our cup of tea, but it's the best table around Macedonia Square. The "Mediterranean" menu includes pizzas, foie gras, houmos, pasta, risotto, burgers, salmon and brochettes served with Macedonian ajvar. Everything is rather well done. We also appreciate the bar that serves cocktails inspired by Slavic mythology. This adds a little local touch to this place where everything seems to feel like any other Marriott in the world.

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.