The best restaurants Southeast

Located in an elegant house near the Palace of Justice, between the Bratko and Medieval Art museums, this is Korça's most famous restaurant. Carefully prepared traditional cuisine, a few vegetarian dishes, a pleasant garden, live music at weekends, a warm atmosphere and plates of cold meats to enjoy with a rakia e pjekur (raki with cinnamon and honey). Not everything is perfect, however: service is sketchy, there are too many sauces and, above all, too many private parties. But if it's open, don't sulk.

Right in the heart of Përmet's restaurant district, this excellent restaurant is run by chef Urim Jaçe, who launched the slow food movement in Albania in the 2010s. In a slightly kitsch décor reminiscent of a Greek temple, you'll find traditional regional dishes such assalcë shakulli (sheep's belly stuffed with dried yoghurt) orkofshë qingji e mbushur (leg of lamb stuffed with almonds), as well as wild boar, rabbit and fish from the Vjosa... Well-presented plates, organic house wines and service sometimes in French.

Housed in the former summer residence of dictator Enver Hoxha, this restaurant enjoys an enchanting setting under the trees of Drilon Park. The menu offers a wide choice of fish (eel, trout from Lake Ohrid...) and salads. In summer, a few tables are set up in the garden. But the most coveted seats are on the Drilon River, in the little wooden boxes on stilts, in the shade of weeping willows and among the swans. There are also six pleasant guest rooms. Parking.

Located in a cobblestone quarter dating from the late ^19th century, this restaurant had its heyday during the Communist era, when foreign delegations would visit the French Lycée opposite, where Enver Hoxha was a student and later a teacher. Now out of fashion, this "lycée inn" is still a good address, just a stone's throw from Republika Boulevard. The cuisine is simple and quite decent (grills, soups, salads). You'll appreciate the rustic fireside setting in winter and the garden under the arbour in summer.

The "canard fumé" restaurant is famous for its... smoked duck. The birds come from the estate's own farm, which also produces fruit, vegetables, wine and more. The presentation is meticulous, the dining room pleasant, but the service not always attentive. Breasts and legs are baked or cooked in a plum sauce, served with local pasta(petka) or rice. There's even foie gras! The menu also includes Albanian classics, pork on the spit, lamb or beef cuts and Ohrid trout(koran).

Located in an alleyway off the main street, the "Trefoil" restaurant takes its name from the Greek name Përmet bore in ancient times. It offers some very good, purely local specialities: salcë shakulli (sheep's belly stuffed with dried yoghurt), kolloface (pork sausage), pulë me përshesh ("whole chicken" cooked with cornmeal crumble), kofshë qingji e mbushur (leg of lamb stuffed with almonds), shqeto përmeti (milk, flour, egg and lamb soup), and finally gliko (candied fruit or vegetables) for dessert.

Opened in 2017, this tavern has yet to disappoint. Far from it. In fact, it's become our favorite Korça address. Terrace right in the middle of the Old Bazaar, neat decor, homemade sausages, very good family specials (rarely on the menu elsewhere) and, upstairs, an open kitchen with a few tables. The team running the place is friendly and the prices very reasonable given the quality. Our only regret is that the red wine comes from Montenegro. But this could change, as there is an increasingly interesting production around Korça.

Përmet's Table" is the town's busiest restaurant. On the terrace along the main street or in the dining room, you'll find plenty of traditional Albanian dishes(tavë, dolma, fasule, paçe, pilaf, byrek...), local meats and cheeses, trout from the Vjosa, Italian-style pasta and, by reservation, whole chicken with walnuts or rice for 3 or 4 people. There are also plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans: tavë me perime (baked vegetable casserole), mbushura (peppers stuffed with rice), salads, etc.

Housed in a neoclassical villa, this is one of Korça's most popular restaurants. It serves good international cuisine: salads, pizzas, pastas, meats, fish and a wide selection of desserts. Outside mealtimes, Finfour is also a café and lounge bar, offering breakfast, hot drinks, fruit juices and a wide selection of alcoholic beverages. The different rooms are all very pleasant. For more privacy, reserve a table on the small balcony upstairs.

Located in the Old Korça district, this restaurant opened in 2023 and is run by Parisian chef Jean-Pierre Chavanon, who came through the Ardennes and has been based here since 2015. The menu mixes Albanian and French recipes: trout from Lake Ohrid with almonds, tave koci, boeuf bourguignon, vegetarian dishes... Seasonal menu, tidy and copious plates accompanied by local wines such as Mavrud and French wines. We also love the little terraces where you can enjoy breakfast with authentic croissants and pains au chocolat.

The "grenouilles crapauds" restaurant offers an extensive menu featuring salads, pizzas, grilled meats, sausages and qofte, pastas, risottos, seafood, cheeses and, as the name suggests, frogs, a specialty of southern Albania and northern Greece. Frog legs(kembe zhabe) are served fried here. You'll also find snails(kemill) sautéed in butter, garlic and white wine, or in a tomato and bell pepper sauce. Meticulously presented, with a modern, wood-panelled dining room and friendly, efficient staff.

With its garden shaded by tall trees, this elegant house with red walls is a salutary shelter when the sun hits. It is the former home of Themistokli Gërmënji, the man who in 1916 established the Republic of Korça with the French... before the French shot him. Traditional cuisine, concerts in the evenings, pleasant terrace for coffee during the day (excellent cappuccino). We only regret that the restaurant room is confined to the mezzanine. Accommodation comes with a very good breakfast.

This restaurant housed in an attractive restaurant located just behind the cathedral, is a good place to discover the Albanian specialties and suitable for the region of Korça. The salads are copious and the qofte and grilled meat is excellent.

5 km east of downtown, you will find it in the Drilon Park, on the right bank after the footbridge. In our opinion, it is probably one of the most pleasant restaurants in the city, located under the trees by the springs of the Drilon. Local specialties such as koran, a typical fish from Lake Ohrid, which is either fried or baked in a tavë (a terracotta dish) with a spicy sauce, are served here. The wine list gives pride of place to wines from Northern Macedonia (generally better than those from Albania).