Tirana Restaurants

Eating out in Tirana concentrates in two places. Blloku, the quarter closed to ordinary Albanians until 1991, now holds the densest run of restaurants in the country, with dining rooms and terraces filling the grid of streets south of the Lana river. Pazari i Ri, the rebuilt New Bazaar northeast of Skanderbeg Square, is the other pole: grill houses, byrek counters and fish restaurants sit around a working produce market.

Albanian cooking here means tave kosi, fergese, stuffed peppers and grilled qofte, usually with bread and a salad rather than a starter course. Italian influence is heavy and old, so pizzerias and pasta kitchens are everywhere and are not treated as foreign food. Prices sit well below the Adriatic coast, and the better rooms take bookings on the same evening.