Montenegro Cafes and Restaurant Prices, Supermarkets and Grocery Stores

It’s hard to call Montenegro an expensive country. Especially when compared with the neighboring Croatia or other Europe countries, where the average bill in a restaurant may be 2-3 times higher.

The advantage of Montenegro is that it has something to offer no matter how much money you’re willing to spend. Here you can cook at home, or you can go to fast food restourant for 3-5 euro or get a complex meal for 4-5 euro per person.

There are some quite decent restaurants in the country, where you’ll get large portions and very tasty dinner. It costs about 10-20 € per person. We are not talking yet about the cuisine or something like that. The food is mainly simple and rural. But if you are ready to pay 30-50 € per person, they will serve tuna and truffles without any problems.

So let’s start our article about prices in Montenegro in 2022.

Food prices in Montenegro

If you compare food prices to other countries, they are approximately at the same level as in Eastern Europe (Poland, Serbia, Romania, etc). Something is cheaper, something is more expensive, but on average you will spend same money on dining out in cafe or restaurant.

If you compare with nearby counties (Croatia, Italy), prices will be lower by 20-40 percent.

It is important to remember that most products in Montenegro are imported from neighboring countries. So it’s hard to find some local brands, exept wine and beer.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for fresh sea food or fruits, you can’t get a better option: almost all fish is caught and cooked here, same for fruits and vegetables, they are local made. Only some specific fruits (like watermelons) and vegetables (potatoes) for this area can be imported.

Also there is a large price difference in restaurants in Montenegro. You can have equally good lunch for 3-5 euro or 30-40 euro per person. There are some elite restaurants with the best chefs, but there are not many so far.

What dishes are worth trying in Montenegro?

It’s hard to write about Montenegrin national dishes. The country is very small, most of the dishes are somehow borrowed from neighbouring countries: Serbia, Croatia, Italy.

To make it easier to with the new names, I offer a brief description of dishes with photos. The list does not pretend to be objective and accurate, as in different restaurants and regions of the country they cook in different ways.

1 Negushi and Durmitor steaks. These are beef dishes (sometimes of several types of meat), which are stuffed with cheese, kaymak and butter. Negushsi steak from Durmitor steak usually differs in cheeses and side dishes used for its cooking. The quality of the dish depends on the place in which you order it.

2 Pljeskavica. This is a national grilled dish of spiced meatpleskavitsa is cooked with a filling of butter or cheese. In cheaper establishments, they simply fry minced meat in the form of a disk without filling.

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Vesalica. This is a usual steak, which is fried on a grill. Depending on the restaurant, the vesalica can be stuffed with flavored cheese and prsut, or they can serve you just a piece of meat.

4 Prsut. One of the most recognizable national dishes. An analogue of Italian prosciutto or Spanish jamon, but a little more salty. It is usually cooked from Bosnian pork (there is no pork in Montenegro), which is first lightly smoked, and then dried in the wind. Served in thin slices.

There is no particular reason to order prsut in restaurants. Quite decent prsut can be bought in a supermarket sealed in vacuum packaging.

We bought prsut at the Mi Ania store in Budva. The quality is good, but in about 10% of cases, under the guise of beautiful meat they sell cunningly laid out pieces, that are very fat and rather looks like bacon than meat.

5 Ćevapi or Ćevapčići. These are small minced sausages with seasonings. Sometimes they are wrapped in bacon or prsut, sometimes not. This dish can be ordered in a restaurant, or you can take it with you in any meat shop, where it will be cooked right in front of you (they cost aproximately 1 euro for 3 sausages). Ćevapi served in the restaurant are usually tastier, but more expensive.

6 Razhnichi. This is a variant of the local pork fillet kebab, which is cooked on thin wooden skewers with pepper and spices. It can also be bought in Mesaras (meat shops) or ordered in a restaurant.

7 Sach lamb or simply sach. Quite an unusual national dish. The meat of a young lamb is cooked under a lid (sach) for more than 5 hours until it becomes incredibly soft and very fat. The dish has a rather unusual taste and is very nutritious.

8 Chorba. This is the local kind of soup or stew. Depending on the price, they serve as almost water with a couple of vegetables, or as a rich soup with a lot of meat, that is closer to goulash.

There are a lot of recipes for chorba here. It is cooked with meat, fish, vegetables, or even with mussels.

9 Priganice. These are donuts without filling. Usually they are served with honey or jam. This national snack can be ordered in some restaurants and cafes. You can order one portion for two as a dessert.

10 Cheese of Njegusi. This is a regular cheese made from sheep or goat milk. They say that they cook it according to an old and secret recipe, but I did not notice much difference with bryndza or feta cheese that you can buy in almost every Europe country.

It is recommended to eat Cheese of Njegusi as an aperitif or snack. It’s often served with olive oil or honey. Locals also actively use this cheese is in salads and national dish.

11Alcohol: There are not many own alcohol drinks in Montenegro. There is a Plantage company producing several variants of Vranac wine. The most famous, Vranac pro Corde (it have medical properties for the heart) is made on grape seeds and cost aproximately 6-8 euro per bottle.

There is only one national beer in Montenegro. It is called Niksicko, several varieties are produced. It tastes quite normal, but nothing special.

A lot of home-made products are offered: classic wines and wines made from fruits and berries, rakia (fruit brandy or vodka), etc. But here you have to be very careful, because they often sell fake products to tourists.

12 Lemonade. If you prefer soft drinks, it is worth trying lemonades. It’s just lemon or orange juice diluted with water. A glass costs 1-2 euro.

Food prices in restaurants and cafes

To be honest, the last few years we usually rent apartments in Montenegro with a kitchen, but we do not cook anything more complicated than morning tea or coffee with sandwiches. And it’s not even laziness. Cooking by yourself leads to a great loose of time, that you can spend more enjoyable.

There are restaurants in Montenegro with very different pricing strategies. We prefer establishments with average prices, when it is already tasty, but not very expensive. Once a week we go to expensive ones like Forsage Gastro Lounge. It’s expensive, but very tasty.

Portions vary by restaurant, but usually are quite large. You can even have one set of meal for two. Many tourists take one soup for two and one main course. Two girls even with such a dinner will not always cope. For men, however, it will not be enough.

What is a complex lunch in Montenegro and how to save money with it?

If you’re tight on budget, there is always an option of complex lunch.Spending only 4-10 euro per person you will get soup, main dish, bread and some salad. You can choose one of few options in almost every restaurant.

There is always information about such complex lunches on board menu: how much they cost, what is included and what time they are offered. If there is no information, ask the waiters.

The main advantage of a complex lunch is that they are really heavy and cost significantly less than a similar menu order. So you will save at least 50%. But on the other side they are usually not very tasty.

A selection of restaurants in Budva that we like

The selection included only restaurants in which we had been for the last couple of years. We do not really like to dine every time in a new place. All of the places listed below have been visited by us at least 5 times.

Here are the TOP 5 restaurants and cafes in Budva:

1 Grape Cafe. A fairly new institution with the European cuisine. The food is really good. This is the cheapest place in the selection.

2 Kuzina. Restaurant where you will find locals. If you want to try local cuisine here, this is the best place for it. There is a terrace with a nice view. Food is really well, prices are average.

3 Garden Cafe. A restaurant serving European and Italian cuisine with prices slightly above average. It is especially good with meat and pizza. Although people order burgers sometime.

4 Vivaldi. A restaurant serving Italian and Mediterranean cuisine with prices well above average. It features a beautiful serving of dishes, but in relatively small portions. We prefer to go here for breakfast.

5 Restaurant Lim. A beautiful restaurant by the sea, where you will find the best seafood in city. We go here to try squid, octopus, shrimp and fish.

Of course that is very subjective. There are many good places that for various reasons did not get into our TOP: somewhere we just never been, somewhere the waiter or the dish was bad. Remember, that when it comes to restaurants, we are by no means experts. We were maybe in 20 places out of approximately hundred establishments in Budva.

Fast Food in Montenegro: Hamburgers and Pizza

Fast food is also popular here. On almost every corner you can buy a hamburger. Here, in Montenegro, hamburgers are really big. Their size is equal to 2-3 of McDonald’s. By the way, a few years ago Mac was opened here, but it did not last long. It could not stand the competition with local fast food restaurants, that have cheaper price and bigger portions.

In a meat shop (mesara) or near the beach a big hamburger will cost 1.7-2 euro, at a restaurant — from 2.5 euro. The difference is that in the restaurant it is served with french fries. Another difference: a softer bun with sesame seeds, the filling is more beautifully laid out. But the option from mesara is more satisfying.

In almost every bakery (you can find them here on every corner) you can buy a slice of pizza. Depending on the filling, it will cost 1-2 euro. Slices are big, so if you want to feel full, two or three are enough.

Is there a children’s menu in the restaurants of Montenegro?

In some restaurants in Montenegro, a children’s menu is slowly starting to appear. I can’t say that it’s very common, but children will definitely not stay hungry.

The more expensive the place, the higher the possibility that there is a separate menu for children. Usually it has 5-10 dishes.

Where to buy food in Montenegro?

Markets in Montenegro are very expensive. This is primarily because there are no fixed prices. There is one price for tourists, and another for locals — about 3-5 times lower.

Small shops known for their unexpected prices. Some popular products (such as water) may be cheaper, while others are noticeably more expensive. We usually buy water and various little things in the shops near the house, mainly because we are too lazy to go to the supermarket.

Supermarkets have fixed prices, they are a bit cheaper than the markets. You can find several large grocery store chains here. The most expensive and popular — Maxi Market (shops can be find on every corner), the cheapest — IDEA. But choice here is worse, and it’s hard to find this stores. Personally, I like Voli the most, but there is only one such shop in Budva, located closer to the Old Town.

Bacery or meat worth buying in “Pekaras” (bakeries) and “Mesaras” (meat shops). We marked one of the best meat shops on the map, there was obviously more meat in hamburgers than nearby the beach. Also, steaks, minced meat and bacon rolls and other types of meat dishes are grilled there for free.

Fresh fruits are cheaper and tastier at the street fruit stalls. Especially if you move a little away from the popular tourist streets. In supermarkets fruits are not always fresh and tasty. In markets, on the other hand, they can be pricier that at fruit stalls. We recommend trying figs, they are really tasty here.

Supermarkets in Montenegro: prices, assortment and tips

In Montenegro, there are three popular grocery store chains.The more expensive the food, the better the choice. Also, there are more shops of this brand in the city. We arranged them order of price increase:

1Cheapest stores IDEA:
They have a relatively modest selection of goods. There are not so many shops of this grocery grocery chain and they are located in unpopular corners of the city. Recently, this retailer is actively developing and catching up in prices with Voli.

2Average priced stores Voli:
They have a good assortment and low prices, but it can be difficult to find them. There is only one such store in Budva. In most cases these are huge supermarkets outside the city, which is not too suitable for tourists.

3The most expensive grocery stores Maxi Market:
They are also the most popular among tourists. They have a good assortment, and this shops are closer to the tourist areas. Local people buy practically nothing here, but there is simply no end from tourists.

4 Small grocery stores:
It’s hard to say anything about prices here. Nearby the tourist streets, they can be noticeably overpriced, and in cozy courtyards — quite acceptable. We usually bought water and juice here only because this stores were located closest to our apartment.

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Of course, the list of Montenegrin supermarkets does not end here. Grocery store chains Aroma (small shops in tourist places), Franca, HDL365 (usually outside the city, suitable for large purchases once a week) are also popular.

I want to note right away that the list above does not pretend to be objective. Something cheaper in one supermarket, something in another.

If you will always buy at the lowest price, you can save around  10-15 euro for whole vacation, but you will spend a lot of time on this. I don’t think it’s worth it.

Bakery and meat shops: tasty and not expensive

On almost every corner you can see small bakers (“Pekaras”) selling fresh pastries and pizza. They offer fresh buns, delicious wheat and corn bread, cookies. Everything is fresher and tastier than in the supermarket.

“Mesaras” (meat shops) are a little less common, here you can buy both fresh and already pickled meat, sausages or minced meat patties, etc.

In most mesaras, they will cook grilled meat for free and pack it for you. This is good option if the budget for food is noticeably limited and time is tight — just buy ready-made meat, some fruits of vegetables to it, and you can save a little on restaurants.

By the way, that the most delicious hamburgers are sold in mesaras. One of the good ones I noted on the map.

Small stalls with fruits and vegetables

Along many tourist streets you can find stalls with fresh berries, fruits and vegetables. Usually prices here are higher than in supermarkets, but the fruits are fresher and with better taste.

If you compare the cost of fruits on the stalls with the prices on the market, then usually it turns out 20-30% cheaper.

It’s interesting: detailed article about the fruits of Montenegro. Prices and ripening seasons

Approximate prices for food in Montenegro

The prices listed below are quite approximate. They are relevant for 2022 for the average tourist town. But, to be fair, you’ll need to look around first, in expensive shops prices are higher.

National dishes

• Prshut — 1.60 euro per 100 gram.
• Kaymak (creamy dairy product) — 1.5 euro per 250 gram.

Most popular products

• Water — approximately 1.20 euro per 1.5 L bottle. As soon as summer ends, water prices drop significantly.
• Coca-Cola — approximately 1.50 euro per 2.0 L bottle
• Sausages — 3 euro per kg.
• Pork meat — 3.50-4 euro.
• Beef — 7-9 euro per kg.
• Chicken — 4-5 euro.
• Bread from bakery — 0.60 euro for a large loaf.
• Bread from supermarket — 0.40 euro.
• Freshwater fish — around 5-10 euro per kg.
• Cheese — from 3.50 to 8 euro per kg.
• Premium cheese — 20-25 euro.
• Pasta and spaghetti — 0.50 — 2 euro per 0.5 kg pack.

Fruits and berries

• Bananas— from 1.40 euro.
• Peaches — 1-1.20 euro.
• Grapes (worth looking in August or September) —  from 1.70 euro per kg.
• Apples — 1.30-1.50 euro.
• Strawberry — 1.75-2 euro per kg.
• Figs — 3 euro per kg (highly recommend to try).
• Watermelons — 0.25-0.30 euro per kg. They are often sold in half or even a quarter.
• Kiwi — 3-4 euro per kg.

Vegetables

• Potatoes — 0.50 euro.
• Tomatoes — 0.70-1 euro.
• Cucumbers — 0.50 euro.
• Cabbage — 0.25-0.30 euro.
• Carrot — 0.75 euro.

Porridge

• Oatmeal — 1.30-1.50 euro. 0.5 kg pack.
• Rice — 2-2.50 euro per 1 kg pack.
• Muesli — 3-7 euro depending on size and content.

The cost of alcohol: wine, beer, rakia

• Ordinary wine Vranac plantaze 1 L —  3-4 euro.
• Premium wine Vranac Pro Corde 0.7 L —  6-8 euro.
• Local beer Niksicko 0.5 L —  1 euro.
• Rakia (analogue of fruit vodka or brandy) — from 9 euro per 0.75 L bottle.

What determines the prices of food in Montenegro?

National currency here — euros. So, if you’re from EU, it will be easy for you — no need to exchange currency. If not, we recommend you to buy money at home and not spend valuable vacation time on currency exchange.

There are no fixed prices in Montenegro. They change dramatically depending on the season, city and place where you will buy food.

Price increase in Montenegro depending on season?

Obviously, during the season prices will be higher. This applies to stores, restaurants and markets.

The peak of the season is August. At this time, the price tags are at their maximum. All prices on the website are indicated just for August. If you plan a vacation in May, June or September, you can save a little.

People who live in Montenegro permanently say that in winter you can spend a whole month on the money that is spent in the summer in just a few days. Prices going down for everything: apartment rental, car rental, food, souvenirs and clothes.

If we talk about inflation, then it is not noticeable. Subjectively, over the past 5 years, prices have increased by only 10-15%. Something, like excursions or car rental became cheaper.

Which Montenegro resorts are cheaper and which are more expensive?

In large tourist cities prices will be higher. Now Becici (due to its good beaches) and Kotor (many tourists come via cruise ships) is considered the most expensive resorts in the country. There are places where it’s even more expensive, but these are usually small villages like Pržno or luxury resorts like Aman Sveti Stefan.

In recent years, Budva has become more or less democratic in prices. Now both budget travelers and people who value comfort can relax here. but it is filled with Russian tourists. Tivat is also actively developing, but personally, I would hardly stay there — there is no sea, no special attractions.

Locals often go shopping in the capital Podgorica, but for tourists there is no sense to do the same. You will find there no sea, no good apartments and no sights and attractions.

Nationality — higher market prices for tourists

Montenegrins shows very high national consciousness. You can clearly see this in price policy. If you’ll go to the market, prices for local will be several times lower than for tourists. In stores and shops prices are fixed.

If we talk about the Zelena Pjaca market in Budva, then this is a purely tourist attraction. Yes, you can buy good fruits there, but they will cost much more than in supermarkets. The sellers, of course, assure that all food is local grown, but I would not completely trust them. Guides say, there are a lot of imported goods from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Map of grocery stores in Budva

Of course, we did not put on map all the shops and restaurants. We chose only those where we were in the last 2-3 years and which we will visit if we go to Budva again in 2020.