You may prefer to be cost-effective with your meals, or you simply ran out of cash after spending that last bit on a relatively expensive museum you found on the street. Regardless of one’s reason, it is always important to know where to eat for cheap (but good) in one’s destination. After all, travelling gets more expensive every single day, but the extra cash you spend on getting those expensive airline tickets can be somewhat mitigated by opting for cheaper meals during your travels. This article is full of recommendations to eat out without breaking the bank in Albania, with a focus on Tirana and Vlorë, the two cities that I spent the most time in.
However, beyond this lovely guide, one should keep in mind that if you really want to save some cash from your meals in the Balkans, the best option is almost always a fresh byrek. Not only do they taste good but being priced at around 60 to 80 leks they also cost next to nothing. Even if you grab two of them, it hardly makes a full USD. I will not be mentioning them repeatedly in this guide, not because I do not like them, but because they are just such a handy no-brainer pick that one must keep them in mind in their travels to the region. Almost every single byrek I had in Albania tasted quite well, and all were fresh, meaning that you likely do not need a guide to show you where to have a good one!
Vlorë
Vlorë is a beach town for sure, but it is not really the most touristic place in Albania, nor its most crowded and/or popular beach destination. Therefore, though prices in the likes of Sarandë seems to be quite high, the same cannot be said for the sleepier Vlorë. This is great news for any traveller, who can eat both the cheaper and more luxurious offerings at more reasonable prices compared to those other more “hip” resort-towns. Here are some of the best spots to eat at in Vlorë, without worrying about the bill you pay at the end.
Gyros, or sufllaqe as it is often called in Albania, is found everywhere in Vlorë. Every single street corner seems to have at least a hole-in-the-wall that sells these, and that is extremely welcome to me! It is basically a fresh pita bread with succulent meat (pork and chicken seem to be the most common options found out there) in it, combined with a mix of veggies, tzatziki, and fries, topped with ketchup and mayonnaise, with some establishments also putting some mustard on top of it all. They usually go for around 200 leks a piece with slight variations in the price. I believe the cheapest one we had was for 160 leks, whereas the most expensive one costed us 220 leks. Either way, it is around 1.5 USD and it is almost always super tasty. 3 Fiori, Angelos, and SUFLLAQE – Vëllezërit Zeneli – Skelë all make a decent sufllaqe, but our favourite was 3 Fiori for sure. It was a bit on the greasier and saltier side, but then again, those traits work so well for this cheap dish, especially since it is quite popular in drunk and hangover circles!
The number of different dishes that one can create using doner meat as its “base” is quite literally, limitless. Skepasti is an interesting concept hailing from Greece, and found pretty much anywhere in Albania. Though they are often double the price of a regular sufllaqe, do trust me when I say that it was a mistake to order one alone. These things are filled with fatty pork meat, quite a bit of cheese, and a ton of grease since that mayo-based sauce is not doing it any favours in that department. Was it tasty? Yes. Would I eat it again during summertime, or all by myself? No. It is a substantial meal, and acts like a final boss for anyone’s stomach, especially when the weather is hot and humid. I think half a portion of this for 200 leks would be for the best, instead of the whole thing being sold for around 400 leks but either way know that there is such a cheap but extremely ginormous option to eat out there as well. This too we had in 3 Fiori.
Pasta too is found all around Vlorë, which is, as far as I understood, mostly visited by Italian tourists thanks to many ferries that connect it to a plethora of different Italian ports on the other side of the Adriatic. Whenever there is a lot of something in any market, it is often cheaper. You can find such simple pasta dishes for anywhere from 200 to 400 leks in Vlorë, and the one photographed here costed us 300 leks, and complemented the creamy chicken we ordered in Taverna Te LILO quite nicely.
Aforementioned venues:
3 Fiori – https://g.page/fastfood3fiori?share
Angelos – https://goo.gl/maps/po25sYJp53BTYtJf6
SUFLLAQE – Vëllezërit Zeneli – Skelë – https://goo.gl/maps/72hHG1UJG2bajNJ48
Taverna Te LILO – https://goo.gl/maps/Ttfg8H6i8wHuFdNy9
Tirana
Tirana, being the capital and all, is not necessarily the cheapest city out there in Albania, however, it is hardly expensive as well. On average, we paid around the same amount of cash on food every day in both Vlorë and in Tirana. Though what we ate changed significantly, the average cost did not. Therefore, let me go ahead and share some of the most perfect spots around the capital for a cheap but fulfilling meal.
Where there is pasta, there is pizza. Often the latter is even easier to find wherever you go in the world. And where there is pizza, there is often cheap slices of pizza. These dollar slice pizzas from Laguna Pizza & Ice Cream, hit all the right spots, and with 120 leks a piece, it may be hard for you to stop eating them but not fund that binge eating adventure that we sure need to do every now and then. It costs 900 leks if you opt for an eight-slice full pie, which is even cheaper! They are a bit on the thicker side, meaning that one was enough to sate the appetite of my mother, whereas two did the work for me. In any case, you are looking at a fresh slice of pizza, one that tastes good and costs little, and there is nothing wrong about that!
What you see right here is the only meal that I had three times in Albania, and it is easy to see why, though perhaps not visually… I did have more sufllaqe in total, but never at the same spot. This was different. This is a simple piece of fresh bread, filled with as many lamb qofte as you want. A piece of bread is 15 leks, and every meatball sets you back by 35 leks. Most locals seem to get four meatballs in a sandwich, for 155 leks, but if you are like me and go for six meatballs instead, then you will be looking at a total of 225 leks. It is super cheap both ways, as you end up having pure succulent meat with some of the freshest bread for lunch or dinner. It is hard to describe just how tasty this simple sandwich is. If you only see meatballs, some salt and pepper, and a few chunks of fresh bread on a counter, and even then, when there is always a line out of the door, you know that you are waiting in the correct line! I have even seen some locals ordering up to fifty meatballs in one go, and a full basket of breads to go with it, and I can understand why. Eating at Qofte Tradita Met Kodra, truly an establishment in Tirana with decades of practice grilling meatballs and meatballs only is an experience no one should skip. I would gladly say that even for its truly cheap price point, it turned out to be one of the best, if not the most satisfactory meals I have had in Albania. Go for it, regardless of your budgetary choices or constraints.
Fish and chips in a thin loaf of bread? Try calamari and chips or even shrimps and chips instead! Fish ‘N Chips was an unexpected yet much welcome addition to the places we ended up going twice in Albania. Fried fish/calamari/chicken/shrimps (pick your poison!) in fresh bread, garnished with fries, ketchup, and mayonnaise. It is simple, but extremely fulfilling. Sandwiches range from 250 leks to 350 leks per piece. Make sure to visit this place for a two-USD sandwich full of calamari and do let me know if there is a better deal out there for such a delicious treat anywhere else in the world!
The thing with Tirana’s food culture that shocked me the most (positively) was just how almost any restaurant that one heads into would sell meatballs by piece, and not necessarily by any predefined portion. That is terrific news for many reasons, but mostly means that you can eat for cheap in some more “proper” restaurants as well. These meatballs from Restorant Tymi were 30 leks per piece, and though they were not even half as good as the ones found in Qofte Tradita Met Kodra, they too tasted just fine. Technically speaking, you should be able to get like 4 of these, and some fries to go with them, and pay around 300 leks in quite a lot of zgara spots around the capital. The same method can be used for sausages at certain places, so do keep that in mind.
Sufllaqe joints that I mentioned in Vlorë were fine and all, but the best one we had was certainly in the capital, thanks to the one and only Capitol! Anything from the freshness of their pita to the succulence of their meat, and from the crispiness of their fries to the amount of garlic their tzatziki had was simply perfect. At 220 leks, I can confidently say that this is one of the most satisfying quick bites you can have in Tirana.
Aforementioned venues:
Laguna Pizza & Ice Cream – https://g.page/Lagunapizzaicecream?share
Qofte Tradita Met Kodra – https://goo.gl/maps/Y88qv5JrJuDM1jpB6
Fish ‘N Chips – https://g.page/fishnchipsAl?share
Restorant Tymi – https://goo.gl/maps/xrJccKPyDrfefqzJ7
Capitol Meat & Chicken – https://goo.gl/maps/EWReHveYwV1v3ftU9
Tips for Berat and Krujë
I only stayed the night in Tirana and Vlorë during my time in Albania, but thanks to the daytrips I had, I think I can say a thing or two about eating cheaply in Berat and Krujë as well. It is important to note that both cities are extremely touristic, with the prices often reminding any traveller of just that. After all, Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Krujë was where Skanderbeg valiantly defeated the Ottoman armies back-to-back, elevating it to the status of one of the most if not the most important town for the creation of the modern Albanian identity, which surely lets it get its own horde of visitors daily. Regardless of these simple facts, it is perfectly possible to find decent food for more than acceptable prices in both cities, if you know where to look!
Berat is an interesting little town, with breath-taking views of its “generously windowed” houses, some of which date back to the Ottoman era. What that means is restaurants with a view are plenty, and if you happen to enjoy a meal in one such establishment (especially the ones south of the river, with a better view of the hill itself) you will be looking at a hefty bill for sure. However, there is a trick to this. If you move away from the banks of the river itself, or at the very least from its southern shore, then you come across menus that are much cheaper on average. It is also important to keep your distance from the castle itself, since though there seemed to be a few good options to eat at there, most seemed a bit pricier than usual to me. Apsus near the Gorica Bridge is a good option for a cheaper alternative in the city. It is not “cheap” per se, being much more expensive than many other recommendations found in this guide, but it is great bang for your buck with two people being able to enjoy a decent meal at around 1000 to 1500 leks in total.
Krujë is full to the brim with farm to table gourmet restaurants, and many other goodies that can truly satisfy any foodie out there. However, when you combine great food, with good views, in a touristic town no less, what you get is a menu with prices full of many zeroes. What you can and perhaps should do here is to eat well before going up to the Krujë Castle proper. Pretty much anything before going up the hill should be cheaper, but a solid example to such a decent place would be Fabiani Snack Bar & Pizzeri, where you can enjoy some superb pizzas for around 400 to 500 leks each. There are plenty of options to drink as well, with them being only around 50 leks more expensive than some of the cheapest spots I found in Albania.
Aforementioned venues:
Apsus – https://goo.gl/maps/iYDzaRHeodiyRkcr6
Fabiani Snack Bar & Pizzeri – https://goo.gl/maps/DSxmFR41cbfu6Bug7
I sincerely hope that this piece was somewhat useful to any aspiring traveller that wishes to enjoy a trip to Albania. Price-conscious people should be happy to see that the variety of food even on the cheap is quite generous in the country. However, even the richer travellers should know that none of the items recommended above are there merely for their price points, but for their more than satisfactory tastes as well. You do not have to splurge in Albania to get some good grub, but if you really do want to splurge, then let me take you to THIS piece that I wrote, just on that matter!