What to eat in Skopje

In Skopje the day is eaten in three shapes, and each has its hour. Burek comes at breakfast, kebapi at lunch, and in the evening there are beans baked in an earthenware pot, so the dish is chosen by the clock and the menu mostly follows. Salad and rakija arrive around them, and the beer is local.

Burek is the first meal of the day, and the bakeries of the bazaar are where visitors find it. The usual choices are cheese, plain, or with a side of yogurt, and one portion is enough to carry you towards lunch. Price per portion: €1.30–2.43.

Pair it with a coffee, and the whole breakfast stays cheap. Coffee: €1.30–2.43. Bunjakovec, the green market, is the stop for a walk between breakfast and lunch, and anyone who wants a seat and a plate will find it later in the day, at the restaurants of the bazaar.

Kebapi in the bazaar

Kebapi are small finger-shaped sausages of minced meat, served in a flatbread as street food or on a plate beside the other dishes. Destan in the bazaar sells them in portions of ten, and the price is €4.05–4.87. Choose Destan for lunch, because the bazaar is where the morning walk ends anyway. Eaten in a flatbread the kebapi are a quick stop, and on a plate they are a proper sit-down lunch.

Tavče gravče and shopska salad

Tavče gravče is considered the national dish, and it is a plain thing, beans baked in an earthenware pot. One portion costs €4.05–5.68, and it is the dish around which the evening menus of the city are built.

Shopska salad goes beside it, at €2.43–4.05 a portion. Old House, near the centre, serves the beans, and Čardak is the name to know for grilled meat on the board. Take the beans at Old House on the first night and leave the grill for another evening.

Ajvar, rakija and beer

Ajvar is a spread of roasted pepper that arrives with bread, and pindjur is a different thing, made with garlic, aubergine and pepper. Rakija is distilled from grapes at 40 percent, and komovica is its pomace cousin, best taken after the meal and not before it. Rakija Bar Kaldrma in the bazaar is the place to try both, ideally after a meal at the Old House or the Čardak, since the rakija comes last. Skopsko, the best-selling beer, was founded in 1922. A beer in the centre costs €2.27–4.87. A tip of 5 to 10 percent is usual in restaurants. For something sweet, the pastry shop Caramelo is the place, and its cakes suit the end of an evening that began with beans.

Where to sit down in the evening

Evenings have three directions. The bazaar suits kebapi and a table in the lane, Debar Maalo suits a kafana with music, and the area above Macedonia Square holds the places with international menus. The table below gives the main courses in euros, so the choice can be made before the walk begins. A meal in a modest restaurant costs €4.05–8.11 (main course), and the table below shows how far that spreads from place to place. Dukat on the outskirts is the pick for lamb and soup, and Pelister, above Macedonia Square, for Italian and international dishes. Both cost more than the bazaar, so they suit a long dinner and not a quick stop. Kafana Debar Maalo offers regional dishes with live music, which makes it the place to end a day that began with burek.

Main-course prices are a range converted to euros; places change their menus.

BudgetWhat a day of burek, a bus ticket and a bed adds up to.What Skopje costs →

3 daysA three-day plan that puts each of these meals at the right hour.Skopje in 3 days →

Where to stayWhich district to sleep in if the evenings are for eating.Where to stay in Skopje →

Getting aroundHow to get from the table to the next stop by bus, taxi or on foot.Getting around Skopje →

When to goWhich seasons suit a table in the lane and which send you indoors.The best time to visit Skopje →

Day tripsWhat to eat on the road to Matka and the other day trips.Day trips from Skopje →

Hidden gemsQuieter places in the city beyond the main squares.Skopje off the usual route: Nerezi, Debar Maalo and the clock stuck at 5:17 →

MistakesThe ordering mistakes that cost visitors money at the table.Mistakes everyone makes in Skopje →