Where to Eat in Tirana: 16 Personal Favourites (2025)

There is some really good food and places to eat in Tirana, and it’s not expensive. There’s even amazing brunches in Tirana!

I did a lot of research about what food to try in Tirana – where to go, what locals love and hidden gems off the beaten path. I also ate at random places that looked good, or busy.

Not every restaurant I ate at made this list (like the one I found a hair in my not so fresh salad). These are the places I thought were really good; the ones I had on repeat when living in Tirana as a digital nomad.

Where to Eat in Tirana

Tirana is not that big, and most of these restaurants are central. There’s a couple that are in more local neighbourhoods, but you can walk to them. Try to eat at a few even if you are only in Tirana for a couple of days.

1. Era Picera

plates of stuffed eggplant and leek pie with yogurt dressing at Era Piceri in Tirana — Patellxhane te mbushur (stuffed eggplant) and pispili me presh (leek and feta pie) at Era Piceri

This is one of the most recommended restaurants in Tirana for traditional Albanian food. Of course I had to check it out. The restaurant gets busy, so if you’re going on the weekend either go early, or be prepared to wait.

I tried 3 regional favourites: beet and carrot salad, stuffed eggplant and leek, cornmeal and feta pie. Everything was good, but the cornmeal, leek and feta pie (pispili me presh) was one of the best things I’ve eaten in the Balkans.

2. Oda Restaurant

plates of japrak, vegetable salad and fasule on white paper tablecloth at Oda Restaurant in Tirana — Oda Restaurant has a lot of vegetarian options (japrak, fasule pllaqi and salad)

Put Oda at the top of your list. It’s one of best restaurants where you can eat traditional food in Tirana. They have all the regional favourites, i.e. plenty of meat, but also lots of Albanian vegetarian foods.

The food is great, the restaurant and terrace are really nice, service friendly and efficient.

Do not confuse Oda Restaurant with Oda’s Garden – they are different restaurants, and both in the same neighbourhood. Personally, I think Oda Restaurant is better.

3. Detari Fish

plates of seafood pasta, kalamari, salad and bread on white paper table cloth in Tirana — There are no menus at Detari Fish – you pick out your seafood and they cook it for you

I discovered this fish house walking past, seeing how busy it was, and smelling the delicious cooking. The next day I went back for lunch and loved it.

It’s a fantastic restaurant, where locals go to eat seafood in Tirana. The fish shop is attached, so it’s super fresh. You pick out the seafood you want (they had many different fish and shellfish when I was there), and they cook it for you.

There’s no menus or list of prices. You pay by weight. The meal above came to 2050 lek ($23 USD).

Cheat sheet on my favourite places to eat in Tirana

Best traditional food: Oda Restaurant
Best fish house: Detari Fish
Best pastry and sandwiches: Le Bon
Best breakfast: Tony’s Coffee Shop and Restaurant
Most friendly host and wonderful food: Restorant Metropol

4. Restorant Metropol

plate of shrimp risotto, bowl of salad, and suffed zuchini on red and white checked table cloth at Restorant Metropol — Dining at Restorant Metropol feels like you are being welcomed into someone’s home

Of all the restaurants in Tirana, this is the most special. It’s a cozy place where Eddy the owner is the cook, host and server (his wife helps when it’s busy).

The meal above, shrimp risotto, salad, bread, stuffed zucchini, and a heaping glass of wine, came to $29.50 USD. And a complimentary shot of plum raki!

Plus, it was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in Tirana.

Eddy is such a welcoming guy, I felt like I was in someone’s home. He makes amazing Albanian and Italian food.

5. Tony’s Coffee Shop and Restaurant

two dark plates of hash browns and eggs on toast on outdoor table at Tony's in Tirana — This was the best breakfast I had in Tirana

I think this is the best place to eat breakfast anywhere in Tirana. For American style food – you’ve got to come here! And they open at 8:00 am.

Tony’s has waffles, pancakes, eggs benedict, breakfast sandwiches, omelets, mimosas and the most amazing homemade hash browns. They serve great hamburgers and Mexican food too.

Out of all the breakfasts I ate in Tirana, this was my favourite. There’s two locations, and one is right beside the Pyramid.

6. Tymi

big wooden bowlof mixed salad and round dish of tave dheu with spoon from overhead at Tymi restaurant in Tirana — Tave dheu (not the liver version) and the house salad at Tymi

Tymi is a popular restaurant with tourists and has a quirky decor and vibe. The restaurant doesn’t feel Albanian, but that may be exactly what you are looking for!

The menu however is almost entirely Albanian food, mostly meat. The server told me the tave dheu was the house specialty (beef in a yogurt and ricotta cheese sauce), and it was excellent. Prices are very reasonable.

7. Oda’s Garden

earthenware pot of tave kosi and white plates with leek pie and suffed grape leaves at Oda's Garden in Tirana — My traditional Albanian lunch at Oda’s Garden (japrak, tave kosi, and leek and cornmeal pie)

This is another popular restaurant where visitors like to eat in Tirana. Do not confuse it with Oda Restaurant.

If you want to try traditional Albanian food, this is a good choice. There’s plenty of vegetarian options also. What I really like about Oda’s Garden is the homemade corn bread that comes with the meal.

Oda’s Garden can be hard to find. Look for the painted mural of Albania’s double headed eagle. It’s on that lane.

8. Fish Grill Hidri

white plate with split grilled whole fish and piece of lemon at Fish Grill Hidri, Tirana — Grilled sea bass – don’t get them to split it before grilling, it dries it out and is harder to debone

Tirana is full of fish restaurants. This one was close to where I was staying and turned out to be a local gem.

It’s one of those places where one side is the fish store, and the other a restaurant. You know it’s going to be fresh when you see that.

It had been a while since I’d had fish, so I had a Greek salad, big plate of home cut fries, kalamari and sea bass. It was all excellent and really cheap.

9. Sibora

bowl of soup, plate of salad, plate of grilled vegetables and basket of bread on white table cloth at Sibora in Tirana — All of this plus an espresso (I drank it before eating so not pictured) cost $6.80 USD

Sibora is very close to the South North bus terminal, so perfect if you’re leaving or arriving from there. And they open early at 8:00 am.

It’s simple home cooking: omelets, soups, salads, meats, pasta, rice and home fries, etc. Nothing fancy, but good food and really budget friendly.

10. Le Bon

close up of grilled vegetable sandwich with plate of salad and bowl of soup in background at Le Bon, Tirana — This whole meal was 600 lek (less than $7.00 USD) at Le Bon

This is one of my favourite places to eat in Tirana. It’s an excellent pastry shop (the best in Tirana in my opinion), but they also sell delicious deli style sandwiches on fresh breads, and have a wonderful hot food and salad section.

There was a Le Bon just down the road from my last Airbnb, and I ended up there at least 3 times a week! Prices are reasonable, and it was always busy with locals.

11. Te Met Kodra

white bread with 3 grilled qofte inside ona brown paper bag at Te Met Kodra in Tirana — Te Met Kodra is widely accepted as the best qofte in Tirana

This is THE place to go for qofte, soft traditional meatballs. Qofte and bread are the only two things on the menu. They don’t even sell drinks.

Even in the morning there was a line up, and locals were ordering stacks of them. I felt silly asking for 3 qofte (the guy in front of me just ordered 80), but I’m not a big meat eater.

Qofte are 35 lek and bread 15. You can get a sandwich stuffed with 6 qofte for $2.60 USD. One of the best deals in town. It’s right beside Pazari i Ri market.

12. Pizzeria Saporita

large mushroom pizza with one slice missing on white plate at Saporita in Tirana — Saporita makes 150 different pizzas with an option of traditional or Neapolitan crust

Saporita is THE place for pizza in Tirana. All the locals know and love this pizzeria.

After some mediocre pizza on Rruga e Durresit, I wanted to see if Saporita was as good as everyone said. It was! And prices are great. My 18 inch Margherita with mushrooms was 600 lek ($6.80 USD).

It has the largest pizza menu I have ever seen – 150 pizzas!

13. Mulliri Gourmet

close up of eggs benedict with salmon on white plate at Mulliri Gourment in Tirana — Mulliri Gourmet in Blloku is a popular breakfast and brunch spot

Mulliri is an upscale Albanian coffee shop chain. Tirana has quite a few, and some, like Mulliri Gourmet, are restaurants as well.

I like Mulliri Gourmet in the Blloku neighbourhood because it has a really nice outdoor space with lots of greenery, and they play decent music. The food and coffee are also good!

If you miss brunch, don’t worry, they make fancy cocktails. This would be a nice spot to chill out after a day of sightseeing.

14. In’s Myslym Shyri

white plate with avocado toast with shrimp and a bowl with yogurt and fruit on wooden table, at In's Myslym Shyri in Tirana — My brunch at In’s Myslym Shyri – not pictured is the baked Alaska hot chocolate that followed

This is a really popular neighbourhood restaurant. They specialize in brunch, but there’s salads and main dishes too.

I ate breakfast there a couple of times when I was in Tirana, it was really good both times. I also like that it opens early at 8:00 am, because a lot of restaurants don’t open until noon.

The restaurant signage is jn’s – not the full name. I almost missed it the first time.

15. Falafel House

exterior view with Falafel House sign in Tirana — Falafel House doesn’t have seating, but you can eat your falafel in Rinia Park right across the street

I know falafel isn’t Albanian, but they make such delicious ones here. It definitely is one of the best vegetarian things to eat in Tirana. This is another spot I go to whenever in the city.

A half eaten falafel isn’t very photogenic, so I have a picture of the shop. Plus, it will help you find it. The shop is up a few rickety metal stairs.

It’s kind of surprising, but the best falafel wraps I’ve had outside of Tripoli, Lebanon have been in Tblisi, Georgia, Sofia, Bulgaria and this one.

16. Fabrika

close up of double scoop ice cream cone with Fabrika ice cream cart behind — That’s the vegan selection in the background – they’re made with oat, almond and coconut milks

There are lots of ice cream/gelato spots all over Tirana, but this has got to be one of the best. Fabrika is unique because they sell vegan gelato – and they have about 10 different vegan flavours on offer.

I opted for regular gelato only because I thought the vegan stuff would be more expensive, and it was really, really good. If the portions were just a little bigger it would be perfect.

Planning a longer trip to Albania? See how I fit Tirana into this two week highlights of Albania itinerary, with both car and bus versions.

Last Words on Where to Eat in Tirana

It’s funny, my dad was in Tirana around 2016 and he told me had a hard time finding somewhere to eat. That is definitely not the case now! For a small city, Tirana has lots of fantastic food, and it’s budget-friendly.