TIRANA - In Your Pocket

22 RESTAURANTS
ABA TWENTYFIRST
Aba Business Center
Rruga Papa Gjon Pali II
Tel. +355 44501717
Mob. +355 69 4037054
Food with a view
ABA Twentyfirst H-5, Rr. Papa Gjon Pali II, tel.
+355 4 450 17 17, twentyfirst@ababusinesscenter.
al. If nothing else gets to you entering this cool leather
and glass restaurant, the wrap-around view of Tirana
from the top of the city’s tallest building alone will be
worth the steep price of drinks or the tempting 6,000
lekë tasting menu designed by chef Ignazio Campanale,
which includes foie gras and red mullet. Note that taking
photos of the view is not allowed up here. QOpen
08:00 - 24:00. $$$
Ballkoni Dajtit Mount Dajti, upper cable car
station, tel. +355 67 401 10 21, marketing@
dajtiekspres.com, www.ballkonidajtit.com. A lovely
Alpine-style wooden restaurant with excellent views
over Tirana. There are several dining rooms, though it’s
worth asking for a table in the enclosed balcony room
for the views. The restaurant serves Albanian and Italian
meals such as fergesë me speca (a dish with eggs
and cheese), oven dishes, and in season also wild boar
and rabbit. Note that the cable car does not operate on
Mondays. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00. $$
Sky Club G/H-4, Rr. Dëshmorët e 4 Shkurtit N°5,
tel. +355 4 222 16 66, ext 143, skyclub@albaniaonline.net.
The spectacular view of Tirana adds sparkle
to this romantic room on top of the 17-storey Sky Tower
with its red floral chairs, elegantly set tables, and a duo
playing songs that remind you of Vienna in the 1940s.
Among the surprises in the all too familiar menu are wild
fish, baked duck, and home-made pasta. Foreigners will
find a few traditional Albanian dishes to try. Count on
superb service from the waiters. QOpen 08:00 - 24:00.
$$ PAEBS
Royal G/H-4, Blv. Dëshmorët e Kombit, Twin Towers,
tel. +355 4 228 03 28, restaurantroyal@hotmail.com.
Located on the fourth floor of the Twin Towers, this restaurant
combines fine dining with a nice view of the main boulevard
and the city skyline. Come on a warm night and dine al
fresco in the glow of the pyramid. A good selection of wines
is available to accompany a large variety of mains. QOpen
08:00 - 22:30. $$ PAES
Serendipity I-4, Rr. Dëshmorët e 4 Shkurtit, 26/1, tel.
+355 4 225 93 77/+355 69 404 45 57. The Hard Rock
Cafe décor in this popular café is as much a mish-mash as
its unfocused menu. You’ve got Marilyn, Jackie, the Beatles,
odd flags, rock album covers - the works - plastered on the
walls, and you’ve got a menu with a dizzying number of cuisines
that simply don’t fuse. Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean,
Albanian. Is the food good? Sometimes. Does it matter? Not
much. People flock to this placed for the chimichanga and
heart-shaped pizza. Ditch the spinach soup. QOpen 08:00
- 24:00. $$ PABS
Shakesbeer H-4, Rr. Brigada VIII, tel. +355 4 224
44 13/+355 69 207 64 54. Despite the corny name,
Shakesbeer is well worth a visit for its vibrant atmosphere,
spacious rooms, the garden and its multinational menu.
The cook, a returnee from London, conjurs up exotic dishes
from Mexico, Thailand, Spain (paella), Germany (bratwurst)
and even Jamaica. There’s local grilled fish and meat too
for those who want to eat closer to home. QOpen 08:00 -
03:00. $-$$ PB
Tirana In Your Pocket tirana.inyourpocket.com
€1 = 140 lek, £1 = 166 lek,
US$1 = 103 lek (Feb 5, 2011)
Steakhouse G-4, Rr. Dëshmorët e 4 Shkurtit, Rinia
Park, Taiwan, tel. +355 68 230 88 08. This sleek firstfloor
steak restaurant is decked out with light wood and
has a pleasant terrace overlooking the park. The menu
has items such as the Mosaic mixed grill and sirloin Angus
steak, but also has a range of other non-steak meals.
There’s knowledgeable service too. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00.
$$ PABW
Viking H-5, Rr. Asim Zeneli 7, tel. +355 4 227 12
98/+355 68 202 38 25. A scruffy but friendly local restaurant/bar
that’s best visited for its pleasant covered terrace.
You’ll find the usual international suspects on the menu, with
great homemade pasta and very little influence of pillaging
Scandinavians. QOpen 07:00 - 24:00. $$ PABS
Vila Ambasador Chocolat H-5, Rr. Asim Zeneli 2,
ina_chocolat@yahoo.com. The former East German
embassy is a much happier place now that it’s home to
excellent fish and meat dishes (try the three-course menu),
and is deservedly well known for the great desserts. Staff
is knowledgeable, and the cluster of orange rooms have an
intimate atmosphere. Great for a special evening out. QOpen
08:00 - 24:00. $$ PALEB
Vila Amsterdam H-5, Rr. Asim Zeneli 9, tel. +355 4
226 74 39. Logically located right opposite the Netherlands
embassy building, this pleasant restaurant has great semicovered
terrace seating where you can plot the downfall of
tirana.inyourpocket.com
RESTAURANTS
Restaurant talk
Waiter! Kamarier!
A table for two Një tavvolin për dy
Non-smoking / smoking Ndalohet duhani
/ Lejohet duhani
The menu please Menune ju lutem
I’d like to order Do doja ta bëja porosin
Do you have vegetarian food? Kni ushqim vegjetarian
Surprise me! Më befaso
The bill, please Faturën ju lutem
the Dutch government. Or perhaps just tuck into Albanian
food and pizzas. QOpen 07:00 - 23:00. $$ PVBS
Vila Metropolitan H-4, Rr. Dëshmorët e 4 Shkurtit,
tel. +355 68 33 02 07. Right beside the dictator’s old villa,
this nicely converted villa is the largest city-centre venue
with a café on the ground floor and the terrace around, and
a stylish restaurant upstairs. There’s traditional and modern
art on the walls, and a varied menu; for vegetarian viagra try
the ‘aphrodisiac salad’. Who’ll convince the UN and NGOs
hogging the other lovely villas on this street to make way for
progress? QOpen 19:00 - 24:00. $$
Xibraku Rr. e Elbasanit, tel. +355 4 245 25 42/+355
69 208 50 55, xibrakucenter@yahoo.com, xibrakucenter.tripod.com.
You might need a tour guide to navigate
this meandering, multi-level collection of bars, restaurants
and conference hall in the plush hinterland of Tirana’s famous
road to Elbasan. But if you don’t mind lots of stairs, there
is something for everyone’s taste, from country kitchen to
its ultramodern bar. Opposite the Presidential Residence.
QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. $$ PHABSW
XIBRAKU RESTAURANT
Rr. e Elbasanit, Tiranë, Phone: +355 4 24 525 42
Spring/Summer 2011
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