Durres Restaurants

Housed inside a Venentian tower at the base of the Byzantine walls, the Bar Torra has a prime location, and the views of the sea from its open-air turret are worth a coffee. The cafe was the first private establishment in the city, but it still retains all the old communist eastern european charm. Our waiter, when he bothered to show up, was so shocked to discover we wanted to see the menu that he nearly blew the ash off the end of the cigarette stuck to his lower lip. Nobody came to give us the bill in over an hour, so we paid it downstairs. There were more looks of shock when we tipped them. Well, why not? You don't get service like that these days.

You can probably just go up the tower for free. Many people just did. I think they were under the impression it was a tourist attraction rather than a functioning cafe. The staff didn't seem to care. Coffee was ok, service was interesting, the views good, and the price very good. When you've run out of things to do in Durres, you can kick back here until the next train or bus comes.