The best restaurants Tirana

Chic fish restaurant in the lively street of Kavaja. It's a branch of a well-known Durrës establishment. Everything is fresh and well presented. Specializing in raw assortments served on ice, including rare Adriatic sea urchins and a squid ceviche with Peruvian lemon and green anise, but also whole grilled fish, small fried dishes, octopus, lobster, Butrint mussels, oysters, Italian-style pasta, authentic mozzarella di buffala... Only the service is a little disappointing. Reservations recommended.

This slightly old-fashioned restaurant is housed in a building reminiscent of medieval castles. It was one of Ismail Kadaré's favorite addresses. It's easy to see why: it's surrounded by the trees of the Grand Parc. On the menu: fresh, inexpensive salads, beautiful and expensive cuts of beef, Italian-style pasta or risotto and very good wood-fired pizzas. We love this place in the morning for a quiet coffee or during the day. Don't hesitate to bring the whole family - children will love the playground! Another address in Blloku.

Located in a beautiful setting at the foot of Mount Dajti, this restaurant is named after its owner, Ceren Ismet Shehu, a renowned chef who offers traditional Albanian cuisine using natural farm produce. The set menu changes with the seasons, with plenty of starters, cheeses, desserts and a meat dish to choose from. It's fresh, hearty and the lamb is very good. It's such a success that Ceren has opened another restaurant of the same name in the center of town, at "Tirana Castle", but this one is disappointing.

This vegan/vegetarian restaurant offers all kinds of sandwiches(quesadillas, falafels, burritos, pitas...), fishless makis, soy steak burgers, soups, Italian-style pastas, Chinese noodles and ramen. We like the sweet potato fries, but the guacamole isn't always homemade. Drinks: smoothies, fruit juices and a little alcohol. Other similar addresses: Falafel House (Rruga Ibrahim Rugova 4, in Blloku) and Chakra Indian Fusion (Rruga Murat Toptani, right bank).

This is the restaurant of the Hôtel Élysée, 80 m away on rue Themistokli-Gërmenji. It's not really a garden, but rather a shady courtyard with plants and a fountain, as well as a plainly decorated interior room. The welcome is friendly and there's even a very exotic French menu (mimosa eggs, filet mignon, pain perdu...). Otherwise, the menu features mainly Albanian and Italian specialties: meatballs with tomato, tavë dheu, fasule, various types of risottos and pasta. Suitable and reasonably priced.

The "Goût du Village" restaurant is located in a basement. And it's aptly named, since most of the vegetables come from the owner's hamlet, Mandi, near Petrela. But it's one of the few good, inexpensive restaurants around Skanderbeg square. On the menu: tavë kosi (the national dish, rice and lamb baked in the oven), fërgesë verore (vegetables and cheese baked in the oven)outavë dheu (the same thing but with calf's liver), Berat wines, craft beer from Pogradec (Birra e Gjyshit)... A good authentic restaurant.

In a small room nicely decorated with traditional costumes and objects, you will taste Albanian specialties from the Korça region. The dishes are copious and nicely presented, and we particularly recommend the village pie. The warm welcome adds to the charm of this address located in a very quiet area. The staff is very nice and the service is excellent. Beyond the dishes, it is especially for the atmosphere, the live music, the family environment and the general good mood that one comes here.

This traditional restaurant shares its name with the country's most famous establishment, in the Lezha region: Mrizi i Zanave ("The Shadow of the Fairies"), in reference to a collection of poems by Gjergj Fishta published in 1913. This restaurant is less well known, but still very good, with northern specialties such as flia (layers of pancakes with sour cheese), stewed dishes, Adriatic fish, kallmet wine (red grape variety), but also well-executed Italian recipes and desserts. A good address in a pleasant setting.

This is undoubtedly the best-known restaurant for tourists visiting the Albanian capital. It's true that it's a pleasant place, in the friendly Pazari i Ri district, with its pretty, shady courtyard and traditional ^19th-century Albanian house decor. It serves specialties from all over the country: tavë kosi, kukurec (skewered offal), harapash (polenta), baked lamb and more. The diners are often entertained by musicians. But the establishment is a victim of its own success, so book well in advance.

This restaurant, very popular with locals, is worth a visit for its atmosphere on summer evenings. Situated on a noisy street close to Boulevard Zhan d'Ark, just off the Tanneurs Bridge, it boasts a large, shady terrace where families flock at all hours of the day for a drink or a bite to eat. On certain evenings, a singer covering international classics adds to the popular atmosphere. When it comes to cuisine, there's a wide choice of pasta, pizza, Turkish and Greek dishes.

Since 2018, this gourmet restaurant has been housed in a 1940s Italian villa. Chef Dritan Piti worked for many years in Greece and Switzerland. He prepares his own foie gras, which he serves as a starter with polenta or fish, or with a superb rack of lamb. Italian and French-inspired, his cuisine is refined, with an emphasis on seafood: smoked shrimp with pancetta, octopus with brie and peppers, sea bass with lemongrass and olives. Excellent wine list.

Under a porch in front of the Edith Durham School, this popular restaurant has a pleasant, quiet room. It serves modern cuisine (quinoa with truffles, vegan dishes, steamed food, etc.) as well as slightly revisited traditional specialities. Good local products and magnificent extra-virgin olive oil. You will find a professional service and a neat decor. For your information (or to go further), the management has also opened a second restaurant called À la Santé Zoo in the zoo area, opposite the lake

In the traditional street of fish restaurants, this is now the most prominent. You can choose from a selection of 30 different fish from the Adriatic, Aegean and Atlantic. Small sardines and squid are deep-fried, while sea bass is cooked in a salt crust. There are also shrimps and mussel soup, as well as, in the more expensive categories, langoustines and the slightly more expensive wild toothfish. And also: some meats, desserts, Albanian, Italian and French wines.