Where to Eat in Skopje: Restaurants We Tried & What We Thought
Apart from being excited to explore a new city and everything it has to offer, we are always just as excited to discover its food. Skopje was no exception. Before our trip, we learned about the city’s strong Ottoman influence, so we already knew the Old Bazaar would be high on our list, especially since we love Turkish cuisine. From local Macedonian dishes to familiar Ottoman flavors, here are the restaurants we tried in Skopje, what we thought of the food, and the places we can recommend.
What Is the Food Scene Like in Skopje
Skopje is the kind of city where you can start the day with a strong coffee, grab a flaky pastry while wandering around, and end up at a table covered with grilled meat, fresh salads, warm bread, and dishes made for sharing. Macedonian food brings together Balkan, Mediterranean, and Ottoman influences, and you notice that mix even more once you waddle into the Old Bazaar, where Turkish flavors, kebabs, pide, baklava, and traditional coffee are easy to find. Portions are often generous, meals are relaxed, and café culture is a big part of everyday life. Don’t expect to rush through lunch or dinner here. Sitting down, ordering a few things for the table, and simply enjoying the food is part of the Skopje experience.
Restaurants We Tried in Skopje
Gallery 7
📍 Area: Old Bazaar
🍴 Cuisine: Turkish / Balkan
💰 Price: €
🌐 Website: link
Gallery 7 was actually the first restaurant we tried in Skopje, and finding it was part of the experience. It is tucked away inside the Old Bazaar, and you really have to turn off the main lanes, squeeze between the stalls, and waddle through an area where you might briefly wonder whether you are still going the right way. Keep going, because it is well worth finding. The restaurant is simple and unpretentious, with a tiny menu focused on just two main dishes: pide and lahmacun, so naturally, we ordered both. Everything is prepared by hand, and we also tried some of their homemade cookies. The food was fresh, flavorful, filling without being heavy, and easily one of our favorite discoveries in the Old Bazaar. Sometimes the places hidden down the least promising little lanes turn out to be the ones you remember most, and Gallery 7 was exactly that for us. We would absolutely return, and if we had to choose just one dish again, we’d pick the pide.
Nexho
📍 Area: Old Bazaar
🍴 Cuisine: Pastry & Traditional Sweets
💰 Price: €
🌐 Website: link
After wandering around the Old Bazaar and finishing a good meal, there was only one thing missing: something sweet. That is how we stumbled upon Nexho, a small pastry shop that quickly became one of those places we kept finding excuses to waddle back to before leaving Skopje. The display is packed with baklava and other traditional sweets, making it almost impossible to choose just one. The baklava was the star for us: sweet, nutty, syrupy, and easily some of the best we tried during our trip. Nexho is small, with just a few tables outside, so it feels more like a place where you grab a couple of pieces and continue exploring the bazaar, although you can sit down if you manage to catch a table. Prices were very reasonable, portions were just right for a sweet stop, and considering we returned more than once, our verdict is probably pretty obvious. Our Pick: the baklava.
Soul Kitchen: Macedonian Wine & Cuisine
📍 Area: Vardar Riverfront
🍴 Cuisine: Macedonian & International
💰 Price: €€
🌐 Website: link
Soul Kitchen gave us a great first impression. The moment we waddled in, we loved the decor, atmosphere, and overall vibe, and it felt like a place where we could happily spend an evening. The menu, however, was almost too extensive, with a huge variety of choices ranging from Macedonian cuisine to plenty of international dishes. Unfortunately, the experience did not quite live up to that first impression. We waited quite a while for a waiter to come to our table, and when the food eventually arrived, some of it was on the dry side. The fries were particularly disappointing and tasted as though they had been sitting around for far too long. It was a shame because we really loved the setting and vibe, but the slower service and food brought the overall experience down. With better service and fresher food, Soul Kitchen could have easily been one of our favorites in Skopje. We would probably give it another chance, but on this visit, the atmosphere was definitely the highlight.
Dropstop Gastrobar
📍 Area: Central Skopje
🍴 Cuisine: Steakhouse & Gastrobar
💰 Price: €€
🌐 Website: link
Dropstop Gastrobar was our favorite restaurant stop in Skopje, and we can easily recommend it. It sits a little away from the main square, so you have to waddle slightly beyond the most touristy part of the center, but it is not far and is absolutely worth finding. From the moment we waddled in, we loved the atmosphere. Everything felt modern, clean, and really well put together, with a vibe that makes you want to stay a while. They also have a great wine selection and plenty of meat dishes. We went for the flank steak and a burger, and both were exactly how we hoped: properly cooked, juicy, flavorful, and served with spot-on fries. After a couple of less impressive meals elsewhere, this was exactly what we needed. Great food, great atmosphere, and a place we would happily return to on our next trip to Skopje. Our Pick: the flank steak.
Restaurant Senigallia
📍 Area: Central Skopje
🍴 Cuisine: Macedonian & International
💰 Price: €€
🌐 Website: link
Since we were staying at Hotel Senigallia, we had to try at least something from the restaurant too. We stopped by for a relaxed evening with wine and beer, and we also ordered a cheese platter to share. The drink selection was good, and the cheese platter made for a nice light bite, but what we enjoyed most was the setting. The restaurant sits on the ship’s upper deck, with an open, terrace-like feel and views over the Vardar, making it a lovely place to sit with a glass of wine and watch Skopje go by. One small warning from our experience: choose the more open outdoor terrace if you can. We encountered an unbelievable number of mosquitoes when sitting in the more enclosed part of the terrace. Overall, we enjoyed our little taste of Restaurant Senigallia and would happily return for the atmosphere alone. Our Pick: the cheese platter with a glass of wine.
Eating in Skopje’s Old Bazaar
If there is one place in Skopje where you should arrive hungry, it is the Old Bazaar. The food here reflects the area’s strong Ottoman influence, so keep an eye out for pide, lahmacun, kebabs, grilled meats, börek, and other freshly baked pastries. Definitely leave room for something sweet too. Baklava comes in more varieties than you might expect, usually packed with nuts and soaked in syrup, alongside plenty of other traditional sweets. We loved the pide and lahmacun at Gallery 7, while Nexho became our go-to baklava stop and was so good that we waddled back more than once. And don’t rush straight from one food stop to another. Find one of the traditional cafés, order a Turkish-style coffee, sit outside, and watch the Old Bazaar go by. This is one part of Skopje where eating is just as much of an experience as sightseeing.
Where to Grab a Drink in Skopje
We are usually not the type to spend much of a city break simply sitting somewhere for drinks. There is normally too much waddling to do! Somehow, Skopje changed that, and we found several spots where we happily stopped for a coffee, cocktail, beer, or glass of wine and enjoyed the atmosphere. These are the four places we tried for drinks in Skopje that stood out and that we would happily recommend.
Craft Beer
We ended up at Craft Beer by accident, and sometimes those are the best stops. It sits opposite Kaçamaku Skopje, not far from Skopje Fortress, and we stumbled across it just as the rain started absolutely pouring. With sightseeing temporarily off the table, we waddled inside to hide and have a beer. It was still early, so we were the only ones there, but thankfully they were open. What started as an escape from the rain turned into a really pleasant stop. They had a good selection of craft beers, and the service made the experience even better. We ended up chatting with the waiter, who was incredibly friendly and made a real effort to talk with us despite the language barrier. He even told us that he danced in a Macedonian national folk ensemble, which turned our random beer stop into one of those little travel encounters you remember. If you are exploring the Old Bazaar or Skopje Fortress and fancy a craft beer along the way, this is an easy place to add to your waddle.
Cuban Cocktail Bar
We visited Cuban Cocktail Bar twice during our stay in Skopje, because it was just a short waddle from Hotel Senigallia, but mostly because we really liked the place. The moment you waddle inside, it somehow feels like you have left Skopje behind and landed somewhere in Cuba instead. The decor, music, and whole atmosphere lean fully into the Cuban theme, making it a fun spot to spend an evening. They also have a great selection of drinks and cocktails, so there is plenty to choose from. Since we came back for a second round before leaving the city, that probably says it all. If you are looking for a lively place to grab a drink in central Skopje, Cuban Bar is definitely one we can recommend.
MicroPub Skopje
If you love beer, MicroPub Skopje is one place we would definitely recommend adding to your list. It is tucked away in a more local part of the city you probably wouldn’t otherwise wander into, yet it is still only a short walk from the main city center. The pub itself is small, cozy, and wonderfully homey, with the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel like you have discovered a proper neighborhood spot rather than somewhere aimed at tourists. They have a great selection of craft beer, the service is friendly, and the owner speaks excellent English, so we ended up chatting with him too. It was also pretty full when we visited, which only added to that lively, local feeling. If craft beer is your thing, this one is definitely worth the extra waddle.
Old Town Brewery
Old Town Brewery was another spontaneous rain-shower stop in Skopje. We only stayed for one drink, and while the beer wasn’t one of our favorites and the service was a little slow, we still enjoyed the stop. Our waitress spoke very little English, but she was incredibly sweet. The moment she spotted Miško, she brought over some ice cubes to help cool down, which obviously earned her some extra points. The brewery has a relaxed atmosphere, and judging by how busy it looked on other days when we walked past, it seems to be a popular spot. We probably wouldn’t put it at the top of our Skopje beer list, but if you are exploring the Old Bazaar and want to stop for a quick local beer, it is worth a visit.
How Much Does It Cost to Eat in Skopje
One thing we noticed in Skopje was just how affordable eating out can be, compared with many other European capitals. You can grab a pastry or burek for breakfast for around €1–€2, while a coffee usually costs roughly €1.30–€2.50. A casual lunch or something quick in the Old Bazaar can easily stay around €5–€10 per person, while even a proper sit-down dinner does not necessarily break the budget. A mid-range three-course meal for two averages around €25–€30 before drinks.
Drinks were another pleasant surprise. A local beer is commonly around €2–€3, while even stopping for craft beer or a cocktail felt reasonable compared with what we are used to paying back home. And then there is baklava, which became a dangerous little habit for us in the Old Bazaar. Individual pieces can cost around €0.50–€1, so there’s little financial motivation to say no to another one. Overall, Skopje was one of those cities where we rarely had to think twice about sitting down for another meal, coffee, or drink. The portions were generally generous, prices felt fair, and our food budget went noticeably further than it normally does in Bratislava.
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Our Favorite Bites in Skopje
Choosing one favorite is difficult because some places won us over for completely different reasons. For a proper meal, Dropstop Gastrobar was our overall winner, especially the perfectly cooked flank steak. But Skopje also gave us simpler food memories we loved just as much, from freshly baked pide in the Old Bazaar to returning for yet another piece of baklava. So, if we had to hand out our Lifeguin food awards, this is how they would look:
🥇 Best Overall Dish: Flank steak at Dropstop Gastrobar
🥈 Best Old Bazaar Bite: Pide at Gallery 7
🍰 Best Sweet: Baklava at Nexho
🍷 Best Place for Dinner: Dropstop Gastrobar
💰 Best Value: Gallery 7
🐧 Lifeguin Pick: Dropstop Gastrobar, the one restaurant we would make sure to revisit next time we waddle into Skopje.
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What to Know Before Eating Out in Skopje
- Cash vs. Card: Cards are widely accepted in central Skopje, but we would still keep some Macedonian denars with you. Smaller bakeries, cafés, and places around the Old Bazaar may prefer cash.
- Tipping: Tipping isn’t compulsory, but rounding up or leaving around 5–10% for good service is common.
- Portion Sizes: Portions can be generous, especially with grilled meats, salads, bread, and sides. If you want to try more things, sharing a few dishes is a good way to go.
- Don’t Rush Your Meal: Eating out feels pretty relaxed in Skopje. Service can sometimes be slower than you might be used to, so don’t plan a restaurant meal when you only have 30 minutes before your next stop.
- Smoking: This was probably one of the biggest things we noticed. Smoking is common, particularly on terraces and in outdoor or partially enclosed spaces. If cigarette smoke bothers you, choose your table carefully.
- Reservations: We generally managed without reservations, especially for casual lunches and Old Bazaar stops. For a popular restaurant on a Friday or Saturday evening, booking ahead is still a good idea.
- Dinner Can Be Late: Don’t worry if you are used to eating later. Restaurants stay lively into the evening, and there is no need to rush out for an early dinner.
- English: We managed perfectly well most of the time, especially in central restaurants and tourist areas. In smaller local places, English can be more limited, but we never found it to be a major problem.
- Outdoor Seating: Skopje has plenty of terraces, and we loved sitting outside when the weather cooperated. Just remember the combination of smoking and mosquitoes can sometimes make choosing an indoor table the better option.
- Bread & Extras: Bread and small extras may arrive at the table without you specifically ordering them. Don’t assume they are complimentary, as they may show up on your bill.
- Try the Smaller Places: Don’t judge a restaurant by its location or entrance. Some of our favorite food experiences were tucked away down little streets and between stalls in the Old Bazaar.
- Our Biggest Tip: Don’t overplan every meal. Some of our favorite Skopje food memories came from simply wandering, getting hungry, spotting somewhere interesting, and waddling inside.
Our Skopje Restaurant Map
We arrived in Skopje expecting statues, bridges, the Old Bazaar, and a city unlike anywhere we had visited before, but food somehow became one of the things we remember most. And yes, we absolutely loved how much flavor you get for surprisingly little money. Eating out in Skopje felt refreshingly affordable compared with what we are used to back home, which made it very easy to justify just one more meal, beer, or piece of baklava. From hunting down hidden pide in the Old Bazaar and returning for more sweets to discovering our favorite steak of the trip and accidentally finding cozy pubs while escaping the rain, food became part of the adventure. Not every meal was perfect, but that is also part of traveling and trying places for yourself. And despite all the restaurants we squeezed into our trip, our list of places we wanted to try was still longer when we left. Apparently, we have some unfinished eating to do in Skopje, which sounds like a pretty good excuse to waddle back.
Travel Bold. Eat Well. Waddle Wild.
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