The Best Restaurants in Pristina

Babaghanoush is a cozy vegetarian restaurant located near Bulevardi Mother Teresa, the main pedestrian street and the heart of Pristina. It’s not easy to find, because the restaurant is hidden and is very small, but once found be prepared to eat one of the best vegetarian Middle Eastern meals of your life. It is one of the coolest and best restaurants on the Balkan Peninsula, with a vegetarian menu made with the freshest seasonal ingredients. We strongly suggest you order the falafel bowl, a giant dish with falafel, hummus, tabbouleh and avocado rice.

Liburnia is the most famous restaurant in Pristina and Kosovo, the ideal place to taste typical Albanian cuisine. The menu has plenty of meat dishes as well as vegetarian options. The best item to eat here is the traditional tavë kosi, one of the best known Albanian dishes in the world – a casserole with lamb, yogurt sauce and rice cooked in the oven. For those who prefer vegetarian options, there is no reason to be worried: the fried kaçkavall cheese or one of the many vegetarian soups are excellent.

Soma is well known as the the coolest café in Pristina, but it is also a great place for a quick lunch when in town. Choose the beautifully cultivated garden for your lunchtime and order one of the specialties of the menu, where Mediterranean tastes meet Balkan vibes, such as beef carpaccio, grilled fish, steak and burgers.

A touch of French cuisine in the heart of the Balkans, Tartine is a French-inspired restaurant-café perfect for a quick lunch between sights. The place is very elegant and carefully curated with modern design elements as well as classy furnishings. Dishes are prepared with fresh local ingredients: don’t forget to order a homemade quiche and, for dessert, a tasty cream cheesecake and enjoy them in the small outdoor courtyard.

Traditional food is the key characteristic of this highly rated Pristina restaurant, located in the heart of the capital. Its quality makes Pishat an unmissable stop for all visitors wishing to discover the cuisine of Kosovo itself. Frequented by virtually everyone in the city, Pishat is an excellent all-season restaurant, with large open terraces in the summer. It’s also one of the few restaurants in Pristina that serves pork dishes. And it does not end there, as the varied menu also features tasty homemade bread, baked in a brick oven, local specialties such as isfligrilled vegetables and a must-try grilled cheese starter. It also serves the best local wines and Kosovan Peja beer.

Another great restaurant in Pristina is Tiffany, a spot mostly frequented by the city’s international community that offers traditional Kosovan dishes. The organic traditional menu here is very tasty and has several vegetarian options, such as excellent cooked seasonal vegetables, as well as fabulous grilled meats like chicken and veal cooked right in front of your eyes.

For South Asian flavors, head into Punjabi Kitchen, a recently opened Pakistani restaurant located next to Tartine. This colorful and beautifully designed cozy restaurant, run by a Pakistani family new to Kosovo, specializes in South Asian comfort food. Try some of the specialties of the house, such as the spiced chicken tikka masala, the palak aloo (spinach and potato curry), and the kheer, a creamy rice pudding with cardamom, coconut and raisins.