Restaurant An
OVERVIEW
A historic restaurant in a 15th-century caravanserai, offering a quiet courtyard and Ottoman-era dishes.
It is Housed in a 15th-Century Silk Road Inn
The restaurant is located inside Kapan An, one of the three surviving Ottoman caravanserais (roadside inns) in Skopje. Built in the mid-15th century by Isa-Beg (a prominent Ottoman general), the building originally served as a safe haven for merchants, travelers, and their beasts of burden traveling along the trade routes between Europe and Asia.
The Name Kapan Has a Commercial History
The word An means inn in Turkish, but the prefix Kapan comes from the Arabic word kabban, which refers to a large public scale used for weighing goods. In the Ottoman era, merchants arriving at the inn had to have their goods (mostly wood, wool, and honey) weighed here to determine their taxes.
It’s an Architectural Survivor
The building housing the restaurant is made of thick stone and brick walls, designed to withstand both bandits and natural disasters. It survived the Great Fire of Skopje in 1689 and the devastating 1963 earthquake, which destroyed 80% of the city. Eating at Restaurant An allows you to sit under wooden galleries and arches that have stood for over 500 years.
It Offers an Oasis of Calm in a Bustling Bazaar
Skopje’s Old Bazaar is a chaotic, vibrant maze of gold shops, tea houses, and market stalls. However, when you step through the arched wooden gates of Kapan An into the restaurant’s courtyard, the noise of the city instantly vanishes. The courtyard, shaded by old trees, offers a quiet, cool sanctuary, especially during the hot Macedonian summer.
It is a Pivnica (Beerhouse) with Deep Roots
While it operates as a fine-dining restaurant today, locals still affectionately call it Pivnica An (An Brewery). In the late 20th century, it was a legendary bohemian gathering spot where local artists, writers, and musicians would gather to drink draft beer, eat kebapi, and debate politics late into the night. Today, it still boasts an excellent selection of local Macedonian wines and craft beers.
It Retains the Original Two-Story Layout
When you visit, take a look at the architecture. The restaurant utilizes the ground floor, which historically housed the stables for horses and storage rooms for heavy merchandise. The second floor, accessible by wooden stairs, contained 44 rooms where the travelers slept. Today, these upper rooms are used for private dining, offices, and shops.
Visiting Tip:
If you go, try to get a table in the cobblestone courtyard during the evening. The soft yellow lanterns hanging from the wooden balconies create one of the most romantic and atmospheric dining settings in the entire Balkan region.
WHAT'S ON MENU
- lunch
- dinner
- coffee
- dessert
- beer
- wine
- vegetarian
TAGS
NEARBY IN Skopje
- CAFEF/OCUS$41.99°, 21.43°North Macedonia · Skopje
Sobranie Bistro.
★ 4.8 64A refined parliament-side cafe offering upscale dining with views of the historic national assembly.
LAPTOP FRIENDLY WIFI POWER COFFEE ALCOHOLVIEW ENTRY - RESTAURANTF/EED$$42.00°, 21.42°North Macedonia · Skopje
Matto Napoletano.
★ 4.7 3,876An acclaimed bohemian-district pizzeria ranked among Europe's best for its authentic Neapolitan pies.
COFFEE ALCOHOL DESSERTS BREAKFAST LUNCHVIEW ENTRY - RESTAURANTF/EED$$42.00°, 21.43°North Macedonia · Skopje
Pelister.
★ 4.4 3,871An iconic square restaurant offering a terrace with the best view of a colossal warrior statue.
COFFEE ALCOHOL DESSERTS BREAKFAST LUNCHVIEW ENTRY
◆ have a find?
Send me a place
Send the address and a 2-sentence note on why it's worth it. No PR, no comp — if it's good, it goes on the map.
f/_
New guides, what broke, which visa expired, which border I won't cross again. One email. Every week.
Skopje
Madrid