Look up. There’s a flag from Albania. Look left. There’s a framed photo of a very serious old man with a mustache. Is he a national hero? A grandpa? Who knows. He’s watching you eat.
There are also plastic flowers everywhere. Not cheap ones—the really optimistic kind. They seem to say, “Yes, this is a restaurant. Yes, it’s also a greenhouse of joy.”
The service is a performance.
The owner might come out. He’ll shake your hand. He might call you “brother” or “sister.” He has zero patience for people who don’t finish their food. If you leave a bite of byrek, he will side-eye you until you eat it.
He also brings free shots of raki when he feels like it. Which is often. Don’t argue. Just drink it. It’s a law in this building.
The Tirana Travel Guide, Albania | Anoushka Probyn
