The best restaurants Southwest

A very good pizzeria in a large room without chichi, a tavern. Efficient and friendly service, a wide choice of pizza baked pizzas, but also salads and seafood fritures. All-Vlora has been there as winter. Attention, days of arrival, it is sometimes difficult to park.

This address may not look like much from the road, but it's well known to Albanians traveling south. You come here to take a refreshing break in the backyard, where a huge waterfall(ujëvara in Albanian) flows: a real treat! So, even if the service is slow, the menu a little pretentious and the waterfall inevitably a little noisy (it's not Niagara either), we really enjoyed the place. What's more, the owner knows almost all the rooms in Borsh. Handy if you've nowhere to sleep.

The bay of Porto Palermo has only two restaurants (the second, the Panorama, is located south of the bay). This very rustic but superbly located one offers fish and shellfish that come directly from the fishing port or the fish farm, both located opposite: oysters (gocë deti, 2,400 lek/kg), red mullet (barbuni, 3,600 lek/kg) and other fish (from 700 lek/piece). It also serves salads, pasta and risottos and solid breakfasts. Best to book in the middle of summer.

We recommend this restaurant only for one thing: its pleasant shaded terrace which offers a splendid view on the lauze roofs of the old town. For the rest, it is an address for tourists. But for patient tourists (the service is slow) and not too much in search of an amazing culinary experience, because the cuisine is decent, without more (grills, salads). However, with a small glass of local wine (not bad at all by the way) and a ray of sunshine, one spends a good moment here. And if it's just for a coffee break, then it will be perfect.

This restaurant opened in 2002 offers the most beautiful view of the Gulf of Saranda, the lagoon of Butrint and the island of Corfu with magnificent sunsets. Side kitchen is something else, because it's a little too expensive. And we don't even talk about the quality of the dishes, the service as slow as it is approximate or the completely fanciful opening times. In short, you may not eat here, but you will take full advantage of the mirettes!

Nestled at the bottom of a narrow street and a staircase, the restaurant "la mouette" is not easy to find. However, it is clearly worth the detour. You can find very good fresh fish (a bit expensive compared to local standards), an interesting 10-course menu, Italian cuisine as on the other side of the Straits of Otranto (linguini with prawns and dried ink, squid with tomato sauce cooked in the oven, successful panna cotta, etc.), neat presentation. Professional service, but sometimes a long wait.

This Italian restaurant has Vlora's most popular terrace, whether for dinner or a drink. The à la carte menu includes pizzas, antipasti, pasta and fried dishes. Located on a ledge just above the tunnel to Radhima and next to the Albanian state residence, it boasts a magnificent view over the bay. The hotel also boasts seven comfortable, well-equipped rooms facing the sea. The only problem is that it can be noisy at night.

This restaurant is located on the shores of the small (700^m2) artificial lake of Mursi and the mainly Orthodox village of Mursi. It is run by a Swiss couple and a Konispol resident. It serves an astonishing array of international cuisine: toasted sesame feta and Greek-style tzatziki, Italian-style bruschetti and involtini, Spanish-style gazpacho and paella, Albanian-style fish tavë and qofte, baklava with a hundred layers of phyllo pastry, and more. A little pricey, but all very good. We also appreciate the small camping area.

For a gourmet or refreshing break, this place offers several ambiances and also a quality service with fresh fruit juices or cocktails with or without alcohol. You will find wines from the world as well as the famous kallmette, organic products, sandwiches from regional products. Jazz and French music.

Piazza is a charming restaurant, best appreciated for its terrace overlooking Spile beach. The à la carte menu features Greek specialties such as saganki: shrimp or seafood cooked in an earthenware dish with cheese and vegetables. The fresh fish, which you choose yourself from the sparkling kitchen, is perfectly grilled. Professional service. The owner also offers three cosy rooms in a beautiful neighboring house with a sea view, the Guesthouse 1932, which is the oldest hotel in town.

This small restaurant does not pay any mine with its room in basement and its mini-terrace installed in front of the carpark of the main square. Athina and her husband, however, offer very good family cuisine, i.e. gourmet, cheap and authentic. Some Greek-Turkish recipes (stuffed vegetables, Greek salad, etc.), but also Gjirokastra specialities such as qahi (sweet cheese tart) and qifqi (rice balls with eggs and mint) or vegetable soups, grilled vegetables, accompanied by the owners' merlot

This is the restaurant at Hotel Jaroal. It offers mainly Albanian cuisine. Our Italian friends do not recommend pizzas, but fresh fish are unanimous. The service is slow but cordial.

The restaurant, which looks like a tourist attraction, serves authentic local cuisine based on grilled meat and fish, with the main dishes being spit-roasted mutton/lamb and a very good kokorec (pronounced "kokorets", mutton/lamb offal also cooked on the spit). Good signs: the place is open all year round, even in winter, and is very popular with the local clientele. Pleasant shaded terrace along the road but facing the beach. Sanitary facilities summary but clean. Possibility of accommodation. Staff speaking some English and Italian.

This restaurant-pizzeria is a landmark in the country's history, since it was in this beautiful stone-vaulted house that the "Gjirokastra Assembly" was held on July 23, 1880, which saw Albania's nationalists lend their support to the insurgents of the Prizren League in Kosovo. On the plate, you'll find homemade pizzas from the wood-fired oven. The owners are warm and welcoming, the service attentive and the location pleasant, at the entrance to the old bazaar. Recommended, even just for a coffee.