Where to Eat in Berat – 10 Favourites
If you’re wondering where to eat in Berat, these were my favourite places I ate at. Berat has quite a few good restaurants. There were a couple more I wanted to try, but I just couldn’t fit them into my 5 day visit.
Not every place I went to made this list. I also had a meal at Bar Dona & Restaurant, and pastry and hot chocolate at Hanna Pastry, but I wasn’t impressed enough with either to recommend them on a list of where to eat in Berat.
Where to Eat in Berat
Berat is divided into quarters, and most of the restaurants and things to see in Berat are on the Mangalem side, where Berat Castle is. Mangalem is also the best place to stay in Berat.
I looked for places away from the tourist zone and found a couple, but there really wasn’t much in the more local neighbourhoods. Generally, Albanians prefer to eat at home.
There is one dish that Berat is famous for, Vienezi i Berati (or just vienez), and I saw it on multiple menus. Although I almost never eat beef, I made a point to try it a couple of times. The best one I had was at Zgara Zaloshnja.
1. Eni Traditional Food
This is my favourite Berat restaurant. Food is amazing, all prepared by the mum who is an excellent cook. It’s traditional, home style cooking.
My qofte (meat balls) in onion sauce was so good I was tempted to order a second plate. The spinach pie was not greasy at all but light and filled with spinach. The table beside me ordered moussaka and it looked incredible.
If I would have had more time in Berat and not been reviewing where to eat, I would have gone here every day. And it’s dog friendly, inside and out.
2. Zgara Zaloshnja
This small but cozy and atmospheric restaurant was recommended by several locals when I asked them where they like to eat.
It’s in a courtyard just off the main pedestrian road in the centre. Food was fabulous. I had excellent vienezi that came with mashed potatoes. The chef prepared it the traditional way with walnuts. This is another place I would have gone back to if I’d had more time.
3. Rus Restaurant
I ended up here on the day I arrived in Berat because I was starving, and it was the closest restaurant to my Airbnb with good reviews. This is another place I would happily eat at again in Berat.
They serve a mix of traditional foods, but what I really liked is that almost everything is prepared and displayed cafeteria style. So you can see what looks good and pick what you want.
Rus Restaurant served the best fergese I’ve ever eaten in Albania (I highly recommend it), and they had my favourite Albanian dessert, ekmek.
4. Traditional Food Anxhelo
I’m always looking for restaurants that locals go to, and this is exactly that. Food is simple, but good and prices are reasonable. It’s just outside the old town, in an area of Berat referred to as the ‘new’ or ‘modern’ section. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the centre.
Lots of soups, salads and meat dishes, including something called ‘hodgepodge and meat’ which I didn’t order. I did order the Berat specialty, vienezi, which is thin steak stuffed with cheese, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried, and a salad. It was all great.
5. Homemade Food Lili
This is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Berat. It’s very small with just a few tables and diners sit together. You could end up eating with strangers, but that’s part of the charm. Everything is prepared by Lili’s wife and Lili acts as the host.
I tried to eat here, but they were completely booked for my entire stay. So do eat here, but make a reservation on WhatsApp well in advance. Here’s the number: 355 069 234 9362. It’s on my list for my next Berat trip!
6. Te Nani Coffee Bar
This is why I like eating away from the tourist zone when possible. Big portions, good food and reasonable prices. Te Nani is about a 15 minute walk from the centre. It has a nice outdoor seating area and great food.
I wanted to eat here because it gave me an excuse to walk over to the communist side of Berat, and it turned out to be the best breakfast I’ve had in an Albanian restaurant in a long time. They serve lunch also, mostly traditional foods.
If you’re walking back to the centre, walk on the Gorica side. The views of the Mangalem Quarter and the river are beautiful.
7. Lundra Fast Food
This is a local favourite for gyro. They also serve sandwiches, salads and crepes. Lundra has a popular pizzeria on the same street, just a few shops down.
I had a huge chicken gyro that cost only 200 lek ($2.40 USD), and it was tasty with lots of tzatsiki!
8. Bibo Bar
Bibo is a popular Italian cafe on the edge of the Old Town. It was full of locals smoking away when I went (a peril of eating outside in Albania), but it didn’t deter me. If locals like a place, I want to try it.
They serve pizzas, pastas and a selection of Italian desserts. I tried salep for the first time, the warm milk drink thickened with orchid tuber flour.
They open early at 7:00 am and have a few breakfast items.
9. Kafes Gimi
This is the number one favourite coffee shop in Berat. Locals say they have the best coffee, but they also serve milkshakes, teas and crepes.
It was recommended by my Airbnb host and my free Berat walking tour guide. And when I went to try it out I bumped into my guide, so he goes there himself. It’s a really nice cafe with a large indoor and outdoor space right on the main pedestrian street in the centre.
There is a small coffee store called Gimi (they must be related because they use the same logo) on Rruga Antipatrea. But the popular cafe is on the main pedestrian walk, Bulevardi Republika.
10. Pasticeri Tori Berat
This little pastry shop sells gelato, pastry and my two favourite Albanian desserts, ekmek and zup (both layered desserts with cream and custard). It was a bit too cold for me eat gelato, but that is what they are more known for.
No seating area, but you can take it to go and eat it in the park beside the river.
Special Dishes to Eat in Berat
Like many regions of Albania, Berat has a few specialties.
Vienezi i Berati (aka Vienez): Thin steak rolled with cheese and walnuts, coated in bread crumbs and fried. Almost every restaurant serving traditional foods makes this.
Mont Blanc: Berat’s traditional layered dessert with cream and nuts. I only saw it on one restaurant menu, but you can get it at many pastry shops in the city.
Pumpkin Byrek: Byrek is the flaky savoury breakfast food you’ll see all over Albania. In autumn you’ll find pumpkin byrek in Berat. Try the byrek shops on Rruga Antipatrea near Bar Corner. There’s 3 popular byrek shops in a row.
Last Words on Where to Eat in Berat
For a small city Berat has quite a few restaurants where you can eat traditional food. It’s one of the things that makes Berat worth visiting.
Most of the restaurants are in the Mangalem Quarter (the historic Islamic side where the castle is), but there’s a few across the bridge in Gorica (the historic Christian side), and I found a couple of good places outside the main tourist zone in the local areas.
