Where to Eat in Shkoder: My 14 Favourite Restaurants & Cafes
I spent over 2 weeks exploring and eating my way through Shkoder. I ate at restaurants, cafes, pastry shops and one amazing gelato store. These were my favourite places to eat in Shkoder, the best of them all.
The food in northern Albania is hearty. A couple of times I was served beef goulash for breakfast! There is lots of meat (both grilled and in casseroles), but there’s also lots of vegetarian options and some really good salads.
Where to Eat in Shkoder: My 14 Favourite Restaurants & Cafes
Most of the restaurants and cafes are in the centre, but I did find a couple outside the main tourist area and noticed they were less expensive and more popular with locals.
Planning a trip to Shkoder? See my complete guide to Shkoder.
To be honest, eating out in Shkoder cost more than I thought it would. Shkoder is not a big place, and doesn’t get a ton of tourism apart from hikers. I was expecting similar prices to restaurants in Durres, but prices were on par with Tirana restaurants.
1. Puri
This one wasn’t on my list, but was so highly recommended by my friend’s Airbnb host I decided to check it out.
Every morning there are locals double parked getting take out, and there’s almost always a line up. My friend and I ended up sharing a table with a stranger who told us he told drove 20 km to eat at Puri.
The food was excellent – home style Albanian cooking. Lots of meat, hearty casseroles, salads and some vegetarian dishes.
2. Fisi Grill & Restaurant
I’m always a little skeptical of restaurants on the main strip, but this was so highly rated, and even locals recommended it, that I decided to try it.
It didn’t quite live up to the hype, but it was good. Lots of traditional Albanian foods and grilled meats, but the portions were on the small size for the price. The food was good, but I thought Puri was better.
3. Genti Breakfast & Restaurant
This is a casual place with excellent and hearty Albanian breakfasts. If you’re a big breakfast eater, this is where to come in Shkoder.
The Full Breakfast is served with rice, mashed potatoes and goulash, plus the more traditional eggs. They also serve Albanian pancakes, petulla (more like little doughnuts), grilled meats and chicken.
Service was friendly and fantastic also.
4. Pasta te Zenga
Pasta te Zenga ticked off all the boxes: great service, good food, nice ambience and budget-friendly. If you’re tired of Albanian food, come here for pasta.
The owner trained in Italy and Germany, and the pasta is made on site every afternoon. It’s very, very good. Indoor and outdoor seating.
5. Arti’Zanave
Lovely atmospheric cafe-style restaurant that supports local women who are victims of domestic or gender based abuse.
The food is very good: soups, salads, traditional casseroles, and some vegetarian options. It’s home style cooking. There’s a nice indoor and outdoor seating area (dog friendly outside).
6. Marina Seafood by 4VM
If you’re wondering where to eat really good seafood in Shkoder, this is an excellent spot. They also have fantastic salads – the best I ate in Shkoder. The kind of salads that can be a meal on their own. The broccoli soup is great too.
My friend actually came here 3 times just for the sweet and sour salad (top one in the photo). I ordered the Marina salad with apple and fennel – very tasty.
When I went they had 6 or 7 types of fish to choose from. Shkoder is close to the Adriatic Sea and gets carp from Shkodra Lake – so the fish is very fresh. Tave krapi is the house specialty (baked carp).
7. Te Nana
Te Nana is a small restaurant, away from the tourist zone. They serve pastas, traditional Albanian dishes, breakfasts and amazing lakror. This lakror was so good, I ordered a second one to take home.
And because it’s away from the historic centre, it’s budget-friendly. Two big pieces of lakror cost 200 lek ($2.45 USD).
8. Eko Club
Great place to come for a coffee, a drink or a light meal in the centre. The menu is limited to paninis, a couple of desserts and simple cheese boards, but the place is charming and eclectic.
If you’re looking for where to eat a light, but delicious and inexpensive lunch in Shkoder, this is a really good choice. My vegetable panini was large and only cost 160 lek ($2 USD).
9. Kanelle
A small and neighbourly coffee shop that sells really nice homestyle desserts and savoury pastries like byrek. It was my favourite coffee shop in Shkoder, and I went multiple times in 2 weeks.
There were lots of locals in here every time I went – always a good sign. Small seating area on the street in the front, a little terrace out back and some indoor tables too.
10. La Maison du Croissant
The owner trained in France, and the croissants are indeed very good. Crispy outside and light inside.
They sell out each day, so come in the morning. Good coffee too. I was here a couple of times, and the one time I went by at noon on a Saturday they were completely sold out.
11. La Mola
Excellent pastry shop near the Old Town with a large indoor seating area. This is where I would go when I wanted to eat something sweet in Shkoder.
La Mola sells all kinds of fancy pastries, cookies, macarons, macaroons and traditional desserts, like portokalopita (Greek orange cake) and zup, Albania’s version of trifle.
It’s right across the street from the gorgeous St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the best things to see in Shkoder.
12. Oraldi
A well known pastry and coffee shop in Shkoder. There are a couple of locations on Bulevardi Zogu I and one in the Old Town.
While I didn’t think it was quite as good as La Mola, it was still good, and it certainly was cheaper. This could be because I went to one of the locations on Bulevardi Zogu I, away from the tourist zone. It was full of locals having coffee.
13. M’Kanda Gelateria
Wonderful gelateria that also serves coffees. The gelato is made on site and the flavours change weekly. There’s a good selection of vegan gelatos too.
They’re dog friendly – the owner’s dog often hangs out in the shop.
14. YXHA Coffee
This is one of the best coffee shops in Shkoder, and there’s cookies you can buy to go with your coffee. It was on my way to the vet’s, and every time I walked past it was busy.
YXHA was recommended by a local, so I knew it would be decent. I always feel if a local likes a place it’s probably good. And the Bulevardi Zogu I location is not in the tourist zone, so that helps. The coffee is excellent, fairly priced and it’s a nice cafe.
When I was in Shkoder I bought my beans here, and they ground them for me. They had no idea how to grind for an Aeropress, but it turned out fine.
By the way, if you’re an ardent coffee lover like me, Aeropress is the best portable coffee maker for travellers (I use the original).
Last Words on Where to Eat in Shkoder: My 14 Favourite Restaurants & Cafes
Food in Shkoder is definitely more hearty than in southern Albania on the Riviera. Lots and lots of grilled meats and baked meat casseroles. If you’re trying to figure out where to eat, these were my favourites in Shkoder.
While I did find restaurant meals more expensive than expected (considering Shkoder is small and not a major tourist destination), the food was good.
