Renaissance: Pristina’s Best-Kept Secret

Go ahead and google ‘what to see in Pristina’. Or even better, ‘what to eat in Pristina’.

I’ve done it. I’m always on the hunt for interesting food places, local places, and best of all, budget-friendly awesomeness.

I’m about to tell you about a place in Pristina that fits all of these, and perhaps best of all, nobody knows it exists.

Well, not nobody, because obviously, they’re still in business and the place filled up when I was there.

And I’m telling you all the secret…so please don’t ruin it…

But this place is worth traveling to Kosovo for.

Pristina was ok.

But renaissance made my trip. It made me want to go back to Pristina, only to eat here again.

Ready to hear more? It fits all the hallmarks of an amazing place.

It’s hard to find

I had an address to go on. But nobody I asked had heard of it. The website leads only to a Facebook page, (which the owner is very responsive on.)

There’s no sign.

There’s no directions.

There’s nothing to tell you that this place is different from their neighbours.

It’s hidden. And it’s awesome.

You need to go down this desolate back alley that I probably wouldn’t have gone down, if it were dark, and I wasn’t absolutely intent on finding this gem.

You access the restaurant through a non-descript back alley garage door. You don’t even know it’s a restaurant until you push open the door and see the beautifully set tables and sparkling fairy lights.

There is one seating

The restaurant opens at 18:00. If you have a reservation, you can show up anytime that’s convenient for you. Running late? No big seal. The table is only for you.

There is only room for about 18 dinners at the most. All the tables are outside under a canopy of trees and magic (ok…just trees 😝).

The restaurant space

There is no menu

Here’s what sold me on this place. (Well, among everything else I’ll mention…)

There is no menu. Like I told my tables when I was a server: ‘it’s all special’. Except here, it’s true (😝).

There’s no need to pick and choose, no need to worry about what’s fresh.

Every day, the chef picks an array of local I gradients to make whatever local dishes strike his fancy.

Every dish is a highlight of his country.

Every dish is made directly from what is available that day.

But I can’t afford to eat here!

Yes. You can. The entire meal, plus all the wine, rakija, and bottled water you can drink is served for only 15€ per person. It’s actually unlimited. I finished my meal, paid, and then continued to sit there, enjoying the atmosphere for over an hour. Every time I finished my wine and my water, they brought me more. Opened up a fresh bottle of water, brought over more wine.

Maybe a tad on the expensive side for Kosovo, but really. Where else can you get a 5-course meal of unique, local dishes, for that price?

Each dish is presented perfectly, and explained by the serving staff.

Need to know details

It’s a family-run business, and they take most of the month of August off for holidays. If you need to visit, best to do so in another month.

Make a reservation. The place was full, and there were no walk ins that I noticed. Be safe, not sorry, and reserve your table via their Facebook page messenger.

Their address is 35 Musine Kokalari in Pristina, Kosovo. As I mentioned, it’s down a back alley and there is only the address on the garage door. It doesn’t look like a restaurant; but there is absolutely magic behind that simple door!

I’ve had some truly spectacular dining experiences. I actively seek them out. But this is one that I will absolutely be repeating.