Berat
In the pretty village-like cobbled streets of the kalaja (fortress), Onufri is the closest you'll get to a homestyle Albanian feast without actually…
Must-see restaurants in Albania
Tirana
With its lace window-curtains and tubs of flowering plants, this might look like a simple French bistrot and indeed, the food leans heavily on Gallic…
Tirana
Uka Farm was founded in 1996 by former Minister of Agriculture Rexhep Uka, who started organic cultivation of agricultural products on a small plot of…
Tirana
One of the great classics of Tirana dining. This tiny place which consists of nothing but a small smoky grill, does one thing and one thing only – qofta …
Saranda
This sleek restaurant immediately feels different to the others along the seafront: here there's elegant decor that wouldn't look out of place in a major…
Albania
Set on a sprawling farm in a remote village of the lush Lezhë District, 65km north of Tirana, this restaurant, which is owned by Altin and Anton Prenga,…
Albania
Alfred Marku, chef and owner of Lezhë-based Rapsodia, is one of the founders of Albania’s Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance. He builds his daily ‘Kilometre Zero’…
Tirana
This local institution serves traditional Albanian and Italian fare in the heart of Blloku. The inventive menu includes oven-baked veal and eggs, stuffed…
Berat
This charming family home deep in the Mangalem Quarter below the castle is the setting for one of Berat's best restaurants. Lili speaks English and will…
Shkodra
Respected and smart restaurant with an emphasis on imaginative recreations of classic Albanian and Italian dishes. The slow-cooked pork served in an…
Shkodra
Casually dressed waiters with tattoos, dried tree-branches dressed with herbs, and artworks made from wine corks all help to make this one of the more…
Gjirokastra
Cooking up a storm since 1937, Odaja is a small and cute 1st-floor restaurant serving good, honest home-cooked Albanian mountain dishes. Tuck into the oh…
The Albanian Riviera
At the far southern end of Dhërmi beach, this offshoot of a well-loved Tirana restaurant is a hugely popular place come the summer months. Its dining room…
Tirana
Around the corner from the chic cafes of the Blloku neighbourhood, chef Bledar Kola’s Albanian food metamorphosis is hidden behind a row of grain mills…
Durrës
This standout restaurant serves playfully presented seafood with a modern Italian flourish. Think scallop compote served in the shell and slow-baked fish…
Central Albania
Housed within the fancy Life Gallery Hotel, Avenue 55 is made up of a superpopular outdoor eating-and-drinking area, which is easily the most fashionable…
Tirana
Despite its rather pretentious name, this place is all understatement, with a restrained decor and passionate staff who effortlessly translate the daily…
Tirana
This beach-shack-like place on the edge of the New Market square looks decidedly out of place, but then the food it serves is also utterly different to…
Central Albania
On a quiet side street, Korça's most consistently popular restaurant in almost no way resembles a tavern; instead it's housed in a local home, with a…
Berat
The restaurant of the excellent Hotel Mangalemi is the most upmarket place in town for traditional Albanian cooking, and summer nights on its breezy…
Gjirokastra
Authentic Albanian home cooking is served at this tiny place on the main street of the Old Town. Everything is cooked at the counter on a small gas stove…
Central Albania
The town's best restaurant is well named. As you tuck into your meal, you can admire the stellar views over the city towards the castle. The food is a mix…
Shkodra
This countryside cottage style place on a pleasant piazza in the centre of town is all white tablecloths, potted flowers, timber floors and smart design…
Tirana
Enough Albanian traditional artefacts to shame an ethnographic museum bedeck the walls of this charming Blloku place. There's an excellent selection of…
Tirana
A super popular seafood and sushi restaurant merged with a lounge bar that attracts all of Tirana's beautiful people. Service is on the mark and the food,…
Tirana
Downstairs from the small eponymous hotel, the Green House boasts an enviable terrace and a classy atmosphere that hums with the buzz of the local Blloku…
The Albanian Riviera
In a town that's rich in delicious seafood, Lefteri stands out for the care put into the presentation and the quality of the fish and shellfish served…
The Albanian Riviera
With a winning view out over the vast Butrint lagoon and fronting the famed mussel beds, this laid-back, beach-shack-like restaurant a kilometre or so…
Central Albania
Set on the beachfront promenade, with thick wooden tables and benches and a warm and inviting atmosphere, this is a lovely place to tuck into delicious…
Tirana
The seafood is fresh here and forms the centre of the menu, but there's also a large range of pastas, risotti and grilled meats on offer, and all are…
Gjirokastra
Despite existing for over a century, this friendly family-run restaurant just above the Old Town's main square has a surprisingly modern selection of…
Gjirokastra
This laid-back outdoor restaurant, run by the Dumi family, is an excellent choice. Try the delicious trofte (fried trout; 400 lekë), the midhje (fried…
Tirana
A mannequin in traditional Albanian dress will greet you with a stony smile as you enter this tourist favourite. The pantomime continues inside and the…
Gjirokastra
Just beyond Gjirokastra's old mosque, this largely outdoor terrace restaurant has a wonderful location and a menu full of delicious Albanian cooking,…
Saranda
One of Saranda's original restaurants, 'The Crab' is a long-standing taverna that only has fish and seafood on the menu, and locals will tell you with…
Berat
This decent Gorica restaurant serves high-class versions of classic Albanian farmer dishes and is always crowded with locals. The food is really tasty,…
Tirana
The Spanish owner here was a finalist on Masterchef Albania and he went on to found this restaurant as a hobby, and, as the name suggests, he'll normally…
Tirana
This Tirana classic is where to come for a great burger, Tex-Mex and voluminous, great-value breakfasts. Run by Christian missionaries to Albania who do…
Shkodra
Right in the middle of the busy petonalja (pedestrianised Rr Kolë Idromeno), with tables on the street as well as a cosy upstairs dining room, this…
Tirana
This fairly unassuming Blloku establishment actually has a range of excellent traditional Albanian dishes on the menu, including veal escalope with wine…
