During our four nights in Prizren, Kosovo, we ate out each evening as our hotel, the “Kaçinari”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/accommodation/203061-review-hotel-ka-inari didn’t serve evening meals. Happily, the hotel was well placed for bars and restaurants.
Ambient
Our driver recommended “Ambient”:http://www.ambient-ks.com/ which turned out to be a huge Italian restaurant, on the outskirts of the city, but still a manageable walk from the hotel. A number of tables were set with red and white gingham cloths under a veranda, but the main restaurant was up quite a steep hill. On the way up, were small tables for two positioned on the edge of the path, with superb views of the town. We perched on one of these and as it was just starting to get dark, it was lovely to see the city being lit up.
The waiter was ‘full on’ and offered recommendations. Whilst I find it hard to resist Italian food, we felt as it was our first night in Kosovo, we should go traditional. We started with a mix of spicy and non-spicy baked peppers in cream, accompanied by salad and bread. This was followed by a pie: huge succulent chunks of beef, baked in a clay dish with peppers, potatoes and carrots for 4 hours, before being topped with a pizza bread lid. Unfortunately, we’d already feasted on the fabulous flat bread with our peppers and didn’t touch the lid. Our half litre of house white wine was a little lost at the bottom of a huge, overly ornate decanter and it took up far too much space on the table. However, our bill came to a very reasonable €24, especially as we left clutching a plastic container with the chopped-up pizza bread lid and two maps of the city which the waiter offered having heard it was our first night.
Te Syla
Our second night saw us heading for the Bradt guidebook recommendation of “Te Syla”:http://www.tesyla.com/, a kebab restaurant. Although there were lots of tables next to the river which bisects the city, we picked one on the pavement just outside the restaurant. We chose a bottle of Kosovo Chardonnay €12 with sparkling water whilst looking at what was a simple menu. It wasn’t totally clear what some of the dishes were even with an English translation, but I did recognise ‘lungs’ priced at €4 which were avoided. We chose a couple of the cheaper options: five meatballs and a shish kebab. With hindsight we should have chosen a chicken dish as the flattened meatballs and shish kebab were the same minced beef, just in different shapes. However, with side orders of a mixed salad and chips and two huge complimentary flat bread cakes it was a delicious but filling meal. We could easily have shared a main course, as we might then not have left some of the bread and chips, which is a cardinal sin in my book. We decided to stay put for coffee and rakia, a 40% fruit brandy, which brought our bill to €29.
Hotel Tiffany
The nearby “Hotel Tiffany”:http://hoteltiffanyprizren.com/?lang=en was recommended by the guide who’d taken us to the “Adem Jashari Memorial Complex”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/203091-review-adem-jashari-memorial-complex. Whilst it didn’t warrant a mention in Bradt, it was a top choice in Lonely Planet. We chose to sit inside and we were the only diners, although it looked as though we had just missed a group. We opted for ‘dips’, bean salad and sarma, sour cabbage rolls. Bearing in mind our kebab feast the previous night, we chose a small portion of sarma, described as 4 pieces. The three dips on the plate were: spicy white cheese; carrot; and herb. With the complimentary flat bread, they were excellent. The beans, although quite firm, were tasty with an oil dressing and spring onions. The sarma, served to the plate by the waiter, were delicious soft cabbage leaves stuffed with beef mince, rice and spices, but they didn’t overfill us. We had a bottle of Kosovo Stone Castle wine, a great meal with friendly service for €25.
The Return to Ambient
For our final night, we returned to “Ambient”:http://www.ambient-ks.com/ Ambient and as it was a Saturday, we walked through a much busier city. This time, we chose one of the tables at the bottom of the hill and marvelled at how fit the waiters must be. A table was laid for a group of 12, and there was one other table in use. The waiter recognised us and we ordered a half litre of white wine (once again served in the ornate flat bottomed decanter) and sparkling water. This time I couldn’t resist Italian and opted for my ‘death row meal’, lasagne and a mixed salad containing a lovely variety of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, kidney beans, sweetcorn and olives. The lasagne, served with grated parmesan, was hot, bubbling and one of the best I’d had for some time. Meanwhile Roy enjoyed his simple pesto spaghetti. Our cheapest night of the evening at €20.
During our tour of “Albania”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/blog/destination-features-europe-albania/albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, we stayed in 13 different locations, but found eating and drinking in Prizren, one of our easiest and most enjoyable experiences with the riverside providing lots of al fresco options.
