My epic road trip through Kosovo continued in the southeastern part of the country. There, I enjoyed some unreal Kosovo slow food, including veal neck and ribs, at Restaurant Adriani in Ferizaj, Kosovo!
My afternoon began with my boy Erjan from Travel Media EU in the center of the city. It’s about an hour’s drive from the capital, Pristina, and about 30 minutes from the border with North Macedonia. It is one of the southernmost cities in Kosovo.
In the center of the city is the main pedestrian boulevard. Along the boulevard are lots of shops playing traditional Albanian music, restaurants, cafés, and vendors. There are people selling knockoff goods, as well as residential buildings and commercial space. It was getting really cold there!
The clothing and electronics shops were all open, but there were also some that weren’t open. We crossed a small square and continued on toward Restaurant Adriani to have the best traditional slow food in Ferizaj, Kosovo! The restaurant is a traditional house that has a beautiful terrace outside, two indoor dining halls, and more. One of the dining halls is busier, but we were in the quieter, bar-like one.
We started with some smooth pear raki with very little sugar in it. We admired the local pottery on the table and saw that they offer lots of wines and even raki flights. The cooks were going to surprise us, so we didn’t know what we were going to have!
The owner, Adriani, told us that they were going to make something traditional for us. In the kitchen, we saw them making a traditional salad with olives and cucumbers and a cabbage salad with peppers, tomatoes, yogurt, and more. Everything looked super fresh!
Then, they cooked us some veal neck and veal ribs, as well as a pie called pite that looks like byrek, but it contains meat. The veal had been slow-cooked for 12 hours and looked phenomenal! Then, we headed down to the basement, where they were storing lots of cabbage and pickles. The pickle was delicious! The cabbage stays in the basement for 3 days and is then transferred into containers and made into a pickled dish called turshi!
Back in the dining hall, I started on my slow food feast in Ferizaj, Kosovo with a salad with spring onions, tomatoes, cheese, and red pepper; the turshi; yogurt, tomatoes, a bean-and-dried-meat tava, and more!
The turshi was crunchy, moist, and outstanding! Then, I had some amazing goat cheese with housemade extra virgin olive oil. I loved how dense it was! The tomatoes were huge and super juicy, and the spring onions were nice, crisp, and earthy!
We also had some dense, fluffy bread and some pepperoncino-like peppers. There was also a super spicy pepper! The mozzarella-like cow cheese was really nice as well, but I couldn’t wait to jump on the meat!
The bean-and-dried-meat tava was outstanding. It reminded me of fava beans I’d had in Asturias, Spain. I loved the combination! The beans were super tender and the dried meat was heavenly. The ribs, meanwhile, literally fell off the bone with one bite! Then, I tried some sarma, which is cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and meat. This kind is fermented and has a nice tomato sauce inside!
Next was the pite, which was a little different from byrek and felt like a stuffed pizza. The top was crispy and the bottom was doughy. It reminded me of a meat empanada! Then, I jumped onto the veal neck, which was so tender and juicy. The meat is buttery because the veal—the calf—has only had milk its entire life.
We toasted with some raki. The slow food at Restaurant Adriani in Ferizaj, Koso was incredible, but we were both stuffed! After lunch, we headed back to the city center. We only had a couple of hours until the sun would set. We saw the old train station. Next door, they’re building a shopping center!
Back on the main boulevard, we passed some bars and lounges. There were lots of people out and music playing. The people who left Kosovo during the war return during the summer but leave again in the winter! I bought an extra suitcase for all the alcohol I was taking back home. Then, a vendor outside gave me an Albanian flag and a Kosovo flag! The people here were so friendly! They love tourists and Americans!
We passed a yard in the center of town, which is home to both St. Uroś Cathedral and Madhe Mosque. They’re only a few meters apart, which symbolizes the harmony between the religions in Albania and Kosovo. The mosque is new! I took my shoes off and went inside. It’s quite beautiful with a large chandelier and bright carpets. There were people praying inside.
The cathedral and tower were closed, so we headed to my hotel, Rubis Hotel. It’s a boutique hotel and looks like a brick hotel in the mountains. They have 21 rooms and have a bar and restaurant. Before going to my room, I visited the 111 Suite, which has a beautiful bed, and office space, a couch, a gorgeous bathroom with a chic tub and sink, and more. Between it and my room was a seating area.
Then, I went to my junior suite, which was artsy and minimalistic. There was a nice TV, a couch, lots of seating, a king-sized bed, and some cool lights on the headboard. My bathroom was also really cool with a sleek, black backsplash. This is a true boutique hotel!
Behind the hotel is The Village, an outlet center with lots of shops. It’s modern, brand-new, and feels very different from the old town. It felt like a shopping outlet in America. We sat out on an outdoor terrace with about six restaurants around us. We enjoyed some smooth apple raki and people-watched. Most of the people there were young men between 25 and 35.
What an awesome way to end an afternoon in Ferizaj! I had such a great time having Kosovo slow food in Ferizaj, Kosovo. Huge thanks to my friends at Travel Media EU and Rental Car Albania for making this trip such a fun experience!
I hope you liked coming with me to have delicious slow food in Ferizaj, Kosovo! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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