Tirana Restaurants

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The Opera bar & cafe is found next to the entrance of the opera at the Palace of Culture. The outside tables overlook Skanderbeg Square. It's a great place to sit with a drink both day & night & look out over the bustle of the square.

The restaurant complements a similarly names boutique hotel. There is indoor dining as well as al fresco dining. Food is italian cuisine made modern for some familair fares such as lasagna and traditional for some. Either way, food is great though portions may be much more smaller than comparably similarly priced dining places. Wait staff are attentive and ready to serve though only a few and slightly older ones can understand English

Favorite Dish: Lasagna - rolled into a tower and bathed in a savoury but light sauce
Risotto Fruta di Mer - traditional risotto with tender squid, cute juicy clams and succulent mussels, and full flavored whole shrimp

Rumors has it that expats and visitors congregates at this restaurant. On the night I dined, there was one other non albanian couple seated close to my table. The menu is in English. There are traditional italian choices including pizza and pasta as well as antipasto and side dishes. The menu also included an extensive selection of Albanian food such as qofta, griiled meat, etc. I ordered vegetable risotto and qofta korce or Meatballs cooked on embers ala Korce (Korce is a city in Albania). Both were tasty and came in generous portion. There were 2 flattened juicy meatballs lightly seasoned and sauteed in a tomato and onion combination, flavored with laurel leaves and baked prior to serving. It was filling indeed !

Unlike moot cities where chinese restaurant is a regular fixture, Tirana has almost no great Chinese Restaurant to go to when the urge for fried noodles or rice suddenly hits you. Risotto, which is available anywhere in the city, just is not a substitute! In an earlier visit, s small chinese dining place housed in a cafe/bar provided a barely passable fried noodles. Da Shanghai is far better and offers traditional chinese restaurant fare cooked by chinese chef. I had a set menu consisting of sweet and sour pork on a bed of steamed japanese rice with complimentary leek and egg drop soup for 600 Lek or less than 10 USD. Taste was passable given that there was none to compare in Tirana.

Favorite Dish: Sweet and Sour Pork on Steamed Japanese Rice - the only dish I ordered so far.

The restaurant and a bar, one floor above the restautant, is located at the top floors of the Sky Tower building. An express elevator at the lobby will take guests directly to the restaurant after hitting one of 2 buttons, number 1. The restarant has both indoor dining, out door tables under awnings and also al fresco. The view is great either in daylight or in the evening-a view of Tirana from above. Food is typically Italian cuisine , tasty and comes in generous portions. The wait staff are attentive and the older ones can speak English. Albanian house wines are available by the carafe.

Favorite Dish: Baked sea salt encrusted whole sea bass. The waiter will fillet and serve the fish right by your table. Price is reasonable and unlike other restaurants in Tirana, price of the based fish is not by weight.

Another reasonably priced great Italian cuisine place to go in Tirana. The garden table and in door dining are great places to have lunch or dinner. In spring and early summer, the wisteria vines are heavy with flowers and provides a great sight. Pizza is baked in a wood fired oven that is visible in the garden and partly the indoor dining area. Food is great Italian cooking, house wine is okay and the wait staff is attentive but may not be able to speak English.

Favorite Dish: Mussel - fresh, tender and just about rightly seasoned !

Kitchen and cooks visible from the indoor dining area with tables covered with red and white checkered linen giving it somewhat a homey feel. Veranda dining is also available giving diners a great veiw of the park during the day and large screen TV projector football action. Waiters are attentive and some speak Engish. Food is traditional italian pasta and pizza and okay.

King House's great advantage is how easy it makes life for foreign business travelers. The waiters provide excellent service and are fluent in English and Italian, the food is very good, substantial and reasonably priced. Most helpful, it was the only restaurant in the area that I found which provided the above AND free reliable wireless internet. As a result, King House became my virtual office in Tirana.

Favorite Dish: The salads are excellent and fresh. I particularly enjoyed the mixed salad, which is a hearty meal by itself