The best bars and cafés Albania

Here is an address for all those who have (already) the evil of the country! This site, which aims to recreate the atmosphere of a typical Parisian café, opened its doors in 2000. The head of the premises, a French woman who has been in Albania for over ten years, has successfully recreated a tea room on the ground floor and a bistro at the first. You will find fresh fresh bread, lightning, macaroons and other sweet delicacies, as well as good salads and bistrotiers dishes which will be an excellent lunch.

It is one of the three bars of the small chain in the country (other addresses in Tirana and Korça). Nice decor, cocktails, rakis, etc.

The "Grenade sauvage" bar-café offers fruit juices, cocktails and snacks. This pleasant place serves up some rather healthy and welcome drinks and snacks, such as bowls of yoghurt with fresh fruit or freshly squeezed fruit juices. Erjon, the owner, speaks passionately about local products and his region. He also owns a tourist agency (see website above) for activities to discover Shkodra and its surroundings: guided tours of the citadel, exploring the lake by bike, etc.

This raki bar is decorated with bric-a-brac from the communist period (hence the name Komiteti, "people's committees"). Here you'll find the richest collection of rakis in Albania: at least 25 different types, plus "arranged rakis" with herbs, fruit and a fearsome spicy raki (raki spec djeges). Snacks and a fine collection of infusions and mountain teas. Very pleasant during the day, with a small shady courtyard. Other addresses in Korça, Vlora, Gjirokastra, Dhërmi..

Located at the back of the national historic museum, this large, brand-new café impresses with its modern furnishings and the pleasant freshness of its large room. Pastries, coffees and fruit juices attract students from the private university located above. On the mezzanine, dozens of Internet posts allow you to view your emails comfortably. Summer terrace.

Thiscoworking space is ideal for mobile workers. Comfortable chairs, ergonomic (but shared) desks and high-speed Internet access are all available. The reception team is dynamic, and the coffee corner is pleasant. Monthly rates include access to printers, a locker and isolated phone rooms. Not the kind of address for those seeking idleness- idleness, we know. But more and more self-employed people are coming to work in Albania.

With its decor full of Buddhas and Asian elephants, this bar doesn't bother with the old clichés of Western colonialism. But since 2012, it has been preparing Blloku's finest cocktails. Here, you'll find old-fashioned classics like the Cosmopolitan, Rusty Nail, Mary Pickford and Kir Royal, as well as original creations like the Sunset Shkodra, Scutari Split and Colonial Hot Whiskey. Pleasant terrace, but tough bouncers.

Located on "party street", right in the heart of Blloku, this bar is one of Tirana's few gay-friendly venues. Beautifully decorated with retro furniture, graphic posters and an American cinema-style bar, it's a popular spot for its artistic evenings, concerts and cutting-edge DJs. We particularly recommend their excellent cocktails. We also appreciate the garden, the efficient waiters and its location in the Blloku district: an ideal place to spend a lively evening in Tirana!

Located south of Blloku, near the Lana and opposite the Swiss Embassy, this juice bar seats just six (plus a table on the terrace), but it's a good address for a "healthy" break. It offers all kinds of fresh juices, smoothies, sandwiches, vegetarian dishes and homemade cakes. Similar establishments can now be found all over Tirana, such as BioTeka (instagram.com/bioteka_juice), north-east of Blloku on Ibrahim-Rugova Street, open daily from 7am to 9pm.

It's been a staple of the Blloku district since 2012. This cocktail bar is one of the best in the country. Tirana's golden youth and Western tourists love the cheerfully variegated colors, slightly offbeat atmosphere, good music and weekend concerts. Behind the bar, Sofokli Cali and his team of bearded hipsters prepare a wide range of cocktails at reasonable prices. Among the house recipes, we recommend the English climber, made with gin (English) and mountain tea (Albanian).

Opened in 2009, this trendy bar in the Blloku district is renowned for its colorful decor, live music and DJs, terrace heated by stoves in winter, peanut shells, haughty waiters and cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We particularly recommend those based on local spirits: rakberry with raki and blackberry, ballkan collins with juniper raki and Albanian gin, kaipiraki with raki, grape juice and fig jam, and konjakito, a mojito but with Skënderbeu "cognac".

One of the few really nice bars on the right bank, in the not very lively "Tirana 10" district. It's easily reached from the National History Museum by taking the main street of Durrës (rruga e Durrësit), then turning left into rue Kont-Urani. The place is tiny, but the jazzy atmosphere and smiling waiters make it a good address. Plenty of rum-based drinks and Hemingway photos. But the writer's favorite cocktail, the Daïquiri, is not on the menu. You'll have to ask for it.

We love the local "Old Mill" coffee chain for one simple reason: the coffee is ground on site, in each of the 12 Tirana establishments. Unsurprisingly, it's very good. The Albanians are great fans of true Italian-style coffee, strong but well-dosed and prepared at the right temperature. All kinds of coffees and hot drinks are available, as well as ice creams and snacks. Such is the success of this brand that it has opened establishments in Durrës, Vlora, Kosovo, and even in Northern Macedonia and Egypt.

Established in 2021, this microbrewery is located near the National Sport Park complex and produces three craft beers: Siringha (blonde), Vagabondi (India Pale Ale) and a raspberry porter (brown). There really is something for everyone! This address is not only a pub, but also a small production site that you can visit. A welcome change from Tirana's four industrial breweries: Birra Tirana, Birra Stela, Birra Kaon and Birra Elbar. A must for all beer lovers.

This shisha bar is one of the busiest in Tirana. The hookahs are Turkish models imported at a high price from Germany, and over 200 flavors are offered. Customers also appreciate the subdued atmosphere, the comfortable armchairs and sofas for smoking, the music and the junk food on the menu (sandwiches, fried chicken wings, etc.). We think it's a nice place, but the prices are high: hookahs start at 2,000 leks, some cocktails with alcohol cost more than 2,000 leks... Practically Parisian prices.

This panoramic bar is located at the top of a thirteen-storey building, on the corner of Rue de Dibra (Rruga e Dibrës) coming from Place Skanderbeg. It serves uninteresting wines, charcuterie plates and cocktails that are a little more expensive than elsewhere, but the place is especially worth a visit for its 360-degree views over the city. Okay, Tirana isn't beautiful. But sipping a daiquiri with a view of Mount Dajti at sunset is priceless!

We may be in one of Tirana's most upscale districts, but this corner of the city nevertheless cultivates a certain taste for alternative culture, with the country's first nightclub and burger joint opening right after the fall of the Communist regime. A stone's throw from the Republican Guard barracks and hidden in the greenery of the park, behind a hairdresser's shop, the Public House bar wisely maintains the underground spirit: dreadlocked waiters, techno and rock programming and low-priced drinks in a friendly atmosphere with a shaded terrace in summer.

This panoramic (and revolving) bar-restaurant is located on the top floor (the seventeenth) of one of the Block's towers. Needless to say, the view of the city and its surroundings is magnificent, both during the day and in the evening. The experience starts with the transparent elevator! As far as decoration is concerned, nothing spectacular, the address is worth it, once again, especially for what happens outside. Catering is available (international and Albanian dishes will not surprise you more than the view). We recommend that you go there for coffee and dessert.

Attention, chic café, or one that wants to be so. This is a very classic and clean café with theatrical masks on the walls and very well dressed waiters. The main reason to come here is its location and the view that goes with it on the Sheshi Skënderbej, the Skanderbeg square. That said, the espressos are not bad and one is also surprised, it is true, to observe the customers and the beautiful local society. And nothing forbids, if it's hot, to take a bottle of local beer, Korça or Tirana, to quench your thirst while watching the people pass by.

Near the crossing with Ibrahim Rugova street, here is an old neo-classical house with a cocktail bar and a very nice terrace. Still today, it is one of the most popular addresses in Blloku. Opened in 2012 right next to the Hôtel de Paris, the Pepper Lounge offers breakfast, an all-you-can-eat buffet at lunchtime (500 lek) and live evenings (jazz and DJ, in particular). So we can spend the whole day there. In the morning or in the afternoon, you can enjoy its pleasant wooden terraces where you can sit down for a while.