Restaurant „Old House“ — Restaurant in Municipality of Centar

I’d never have found this restaurant if it wasn’t for the online reviews and recommendations, and feel the need to add my own since it’s a superb place and one of the highlights of my trip to the city. It’s not in the immediate centre so it’s unlikely you’d wander past, but it’s an easy walk from any of the main locations.

The interior is incredible. Feeling really authentic and traditional, with a water feature in the centre, it’s both comfortable and memorable.Arriving late afternoon I had free choice of almost any table but each of them are large and there’s not going to be a case of feeling cramped here.

The member of staff allocated to my table was incredible. While remaining friendly and professional he recommended both super wine options and meal dishes, each of which was perfect. I was surprised to get the bottle of wine decanted through an aerator into my glass and was kept topped up proactively throughout the meal.

The menu has a great range of items, but by using the QR code on the table you can also see photos of each dish, in case there’s any confusion; there’s free wifi offered to do this. Food portions were large and arrived quickly and gosh, what wonderful dishes they were! The veal carpaccio starter was really tasty with loads of salad and shavings of cheese. But the winning dish had to be the pork ribs, which smelt divine and is easily the best pork I’ve ever had.

Unfortunately my schedule didn’t let me visit again, which was a shame as I’d love to return with it being easily the best meal I had in the city! A must...

Been to 51 countries - I’m never one to leave a review but I had to here because this place was beyond disgusting.

I’m a solo traveler and usually will make reservations but on this evening I didn’t have one.

I tried walking in to this restaurant to get a table - they were beyond disgusting and dismissive. Told me it was a 2 hour wait but there were definitely empty tables here and there. I told the guy I’m happy to wait and put myself on the list and come back later and another rude worker came up to me and said we’re gonna close the kitchen in two hours. Basically a way of saying we’re not gonna serve you.

Not sure if this was because I’m American but I wouldn’t go here if I were a tourist. Try skopski instead - the food is amazing there and service is outstanding.

EDIT:

I came back the next night as I was passing by anyways. They gave me the same answer that there was no room without a reservation but ended up making space for me as I was just one person.

The food was bad and I should’ve realized that getting turned down the first time was a sign. I got two local dips - both of which were mediocre as I’ve had way better versions of these dips in the Middle East and even from grocery stores in the US. The breadsticks were the best thing - decently warm and good texture. The local veal and chicken stew was awful - it was lukewarm, the chicken and veal were drier than the weather in Macedonia and the vegetables/sauce were both pretty bland.

Do yourself a favor and skip...

Restaurant was not very busy on a Friday night. We were told they only had 1 table available for 6 adults and a toddler, even though most tables stayed empty. No matter, we liked the table. They brought a highchair for my toddler after asking for one. We ordered a few different appetizers. They were all good. We then ordered a few main courses, which were also delicious. Only 1 vegetarian option, but it is quite tasty. We had a few drinks as well. Their house wine is surprisingly good. No beer on draft, only bottles. Service was prompt whenever we pressed the button on the table (pretty cool concept). There was a bit of misunderstanding with one order but nothing major. We did not have dessert but they had a few good options. Upon getting the bill, I tried to scan it for the tax back (optional for Macedonians), and the receipt had already been scanned. That was not cool, as that is not their right, but the customers’. It was a decent amount too, so quite upset over it, hence not a 5 star review. I understand not a lot of people scan their receipts for the tax back, but the customer should be given the option and if they don’t, then the servers can do whatever they please. If I do come back, I would definitely make sure to mention that before asking...