Outside of Skopje you will find that the menu in most restaurants is quite standard.

In Skopje it is possible to eat in restaurants equivalent to those you will find in most Western European countries.

Although even in Skopje in every hotel we have stayed in, breakfast has been a disappointment, maybe we should re-evaluate our expectations.

As we are situated in the east of North Macedonian I will concentrate my experiences on this area.

Of course everyone has different experiences and expectations which is what makes travelling and discovering other cultures so much fun!

The general rule is:
The restaurants serve what they have in stock regardless of what it says on the menu. 

Starters.

The menus offer little variation and offers usually for starters a mixed salad which is raw grated red and white cabbage, carrot, cucumber, tomato and white sheep cheese. A small salad is enough to feed a small village.

Or more traditionally you can order a  Shopska Salata which is cucumber, tomato with grated sheep cheese.

The sheep cheese is quite salty, but considering the Macedonian cuisine has a love of salt it does not prevent the chef adding a bit more salt to the salad. Somehow it works and is usually enough to ruin your appetite for a main course.

In some of the more upmarket restaurants you will find a Cesare salad, or a salad with for example figs or any fruit depending what is in season.

Macedonia is still quite a traditional country in some aspects although there is very little gender discrimination on the work floor and women are treated with respect and seen as equals. That aside, Rakija is the preferred drink to accompany the salad and will be given to the men with a glass of water and is often served as par for the course. This Rakija is 40% volume, should you ever be offered a shot of homemade Rakija you will experience what it feels like to lose the use of your legs when you unwittingly stand up. Do not try to match the local’s glass for glass, they have hollow legs.

Bread will not be served with the salad unless ordered. Macedonian bread is white and tasteless. Fortunately most chefs realise this and will serve the bread fried with herbs or extra salt. If you order bread rolls they will be soft and sweet. Ordering side dishes does not mean that you will get the dish at the required time.

Another favourite for starters is a mixed platter of breaded food. This mixed platter consists of deep fried everything you can imagine, from feta cheese, to cheese soufflés, aubergine, mushrooms, chicken, pancakes and more cheese of any variety. Its hard to resist and can actually be ordered as a main course as the portions usually ensure that your stomach is stretched to its limits and you won’t need to eat for another week.

 

The mixed platter is usually served with a portion of mayonnaise alongside another Macedonian favourite Ajvar this is a delicious relish made of roasted red bell peppers. Yum!

Main course.

You will find in most restaurants the main course consists of mixed grill. Often it is not clear what will be served in the mixed grill, although it is common to find chicken, pork filets, and cevapi, small kebab like sausages which are truly delicious. It is not common to find beef or steak on the menu although occasionally it will be available.

Food is often served cold. In fact more often than not! 
Once at a wedding we waited until gone 10 o'clock at night for our main meal, which was a full roast. It was cold. 

I have no answers to your questions people! 

Main courses do not usually include frites, rice or salads and it is always worthwhile ordering this with your main course, when you get the side dish remains to be seen but at least you’ve ordered it.

Another traditional dish is the Macedonian style pizza known as Pastrmajlija. The dough is shaped like an oval and filled with slated and dried meat of lamb, sheep or pork and topped with egg and hot peppers. Although this is seen as ‘winter food’ and when ordering in the middle of summer it may be unavailable.

Restaurants often serve pizza’s, made in the traditional Italian manner, sometimes they offer pasta dishes, the creamy sauces are very rich and the tomato based sauces are often just tomato sauce as the adding of herbs and spices is an art that still needs to be refined.

Desserts

Desserts are becoming more popular in Macedonia, the Lava Cake has well and truly made its appearance and ice cream is popular with all. Generally desserts are only available in more upmarket restaurants.

Coffee

When ordering coffee you have 3 possibilities.

1. Turkish coffee
2. Nescafe instant – regularly served cold.
3. Coffee as the Lord designed it to be drunk.

Good luck with that!

Service

The biggest challenge in eating in a restaurant is getting food served in the right order, it is not unthinkable that the bread, ordered as a side dish arrives halfway through the main course, usually when you have totally forgotten that you ordered it.

It is not compulsory to leave a tip, and if you do want to tip do this with cash and do not add it to the bill. Paying with cash is still very common and often the preferred method of payment.