After a day of sightseeing or shopping in Skopje, our Republic of Macedonia Restaurant Guide will tell you all you need to know to find the best places to dine or eat at. You can also see what the local restaurant scenes of Skopje and Ohrid are like. Relax and experience the delicious traditional food and cuisine of Macedonia.

Food & Cuisine in the Republic of Macedonia 

For a country as small as the Republic of Macedonia, the range of products grown here is awesome. The fertile soil and the best of Mediterranean and Central European climates have combined to make the land yield a wide range of farm produce right from citrus fruits, grapes, hazelnuts to tobacco, rice and mountain tea. The country has maintained its stature as an agricultural cauldron in the face of rapid urbanisation.

Dairy Products

The country produces a range of dairy products. Apart from the various varieties of cheese, the country produces yoghurt and milk, which varies in taste and is unique to every village. It produces a soft white cheese, similar to the Greek feta, which is known as sirenje. Another variety, yellow in colour, is similar to the Italian Locatello Romano and is known as the kashkaval.

Local Delicacies

The cuisine is a combination of Balkan and Mediterranean recipes, an influence of the long Ottoman rule. Bread, soups, stew, lamb kebabs, meat balls, stuffed vegetables, moussaka, etc. are some of the common local foods. Traditional specialities such as taratur (sour yoghurt with slices of cucumber and garlic) which is like the Greek tzatziki and is served as a cold soup, pindzur (cream salad containing peppers and eggplant) and the baklava are also famous as mouth watering Balkan delights.

Grilled meat made in the Turkish way is extremely appetising. The grilled beef kebabs are a gourmet's delight. Another popular and ubiquitous speciality is the burek, a flaky pie stuffed with ham, spinach, beef paste, cheese, etc.

While on holiday, a new place is not just about the history, culture, architecture and natural beauty. It is also about knowing the flavour of the land. So while here, experiment with the local food. Drive your gastric juices into over drive with baked beans known as tavce gravce, the shopska salata, a sliced tomato, cucumber, onion salad with grated soft white cheese on top, the selsko meso, a dish of pork chops and mushrooms in a gravy that is rich and brown, and the pastrmajlija, a type of pizza topped with meat or egg. The ajvar, made from roasted sweet red pepper and tomatoes, is a multipurpose sauce that is ever present at locals dining table.

The landlocked country has no access to sea fish. However, the  lakes, particularly the Ohrid, provide fresh water fish. The Ohrid trout is a local delicacy but is an endangered fish and it is best not to eat it.

General

If you are travelling on a tight budget, avoid the upmarket waterfront joints that have a tendency to run sizeable bills. Try the skara or grill places that are reasonable and offer a good and tasty variety of local dishes.

As is typical of the southern Balkans, the food also means huge amounts of grilled meat or skara. Side dishes, if needed, have to be ordered in addition.

Drinking

Food without drink is not complete and in this respect the local wineries and vintners produce wines and brandy comparable to the best in the world. High quality grapes are used in the big wineries and boutique outlets to produce both red and white wines such as Vranec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which are as good as French, Italian or Californian wines. Brandy produced here is fiery and is extremely popular with the locals and tourists. Mastica, an anise flavoured liqueur, and rakija, a strong grape brandy, are idolised as national beverages.

The Tikveš (Tikvesh) winery in Kavadarci is the second largest brewery in the Balkans. While in the region try out the ‘T'ga za Jug', the country's favourite red wine made from the locally available Vranec grapes.