Where we ate in Sarandë, Albania (2023)

As we were self-catering on our trip to Sarandë last month, we had the opportunity to try out plenty of restaurants and eateries across the town. I've included all of the restaurants in Sarandë that we visited, even the ones we didn't necessarily love, to give you an overview of where to eat in the Albanian riviera...

 

Erdano 

We ate here on our first night as it was fairly close to our hotel; it has a lovely terrace with a view across the bay, and the food was decent. I ordered grilled chicken and potato puree side dish which I thought was going to be mash but was in fact more like a soup - Kate got a seafood linguine. None of the dishes came at the same time, and we also had extra plates which makes me think they're going for a sharing type of vibe - the portions were big to be fair. All in all, a nice place to eat and not too expensive being further away from the main drag. They didn't take card, so bear this in mind.

Centrali

 

Right on the promenade, this was absolutely one of our favourite places to eat in Sarandë. We went twice, plus a third time just for some of their delicious cocktails, and it was just gorgeous. The staff were some of the friendliest people we met (no easy feat seeing as everyone we met was lovely!) and the food was lush. My first meal there was veal and truffle linguine, which was superbly cooked, and the second time I had grilled chicken with these delicious potatoes, peppercorn sauce and roasted veggies. Kate had steak the second time and she said it was absolutely to die for!! You get complimentary shots of raki after your meal, which I would advise you to consume wisely... Would SO recommend eating here if you're visiting Sarandë, and they definitely take card.

Haxhi

 

This is well located behind the promenade and upstairs; it was super busy when we went, with locals and tourists alike. It's family-run, and the waiting staff were really keen to recommend dishes for us to order. We ended up with half and half tzatziki and garlic dip with bread to share, spicy prawns (Kate), moussaka (Kate), and grilled chicken with herby chips (me). The dips were incredible, and my meal was so nicely presented and tasty. Kate's food came out cold and when she asked for it to be warmed up, we did get some funny looks - upon googling it, moussaka can actually be eaten hot or cold which we didn't know! When our bill came (cash only) it arrived with a little piece of cake and some fruit each as well as citrussy shot of some sort; definitely not raki, thank god... Lots of people we met said this was one of the best places to eat in Sarandë!

Fast Food Europa

We got pork gyros here for a mere 3 euros each and ate them walking along the promenade which was just lovely - ideal for a really budget option if you're looking for places to eat in Sarandë. If you've never had a gyros before it's essentially pitta bread with meat, chips, salad and tzatziki in... fast food kebab style, basically! A really easy and tasty choice in my opinion.

Proper Pizza

We ordered a delivery from here when we were hungover and it was raining, two absolutely huge pizzas for around 2400 lek (just over twenty euros) which were utterly delicious and came really fast. Definitely a good option if you want takeaway pizza in Sarandë - I ordered mine via Whatsapp and paid cash on delivery.

Alfa

 

Where to start with these guys! They have sunbeds here which are free to use, and they serve a variety of food and drinks. We got beds here a fair few times for our beach days, and it was perfect; I had plenty of cans of coke and Kate had loads of cold coffees, and we had vodkas and beers too, as well as pizza and salad at lunch times. The staff are lovely, it's well priced, and the toilet facilities are really clean too. It's an ideal spot just before you reach the public beach and promenade, and we loved it here. Sometimes the service was slightly slow but we didn't mind - we always paid cash, but I'm fairly sure they had a card machine too.

Argjiro

 

This was further down the main road, away from the busy part of town and near our hotel - naturally we ate here a few times! It's cheaper than other restaurants but the food is just as good if not better than some others; family run with indoor and outdoor seating, there's plenty to choose from and they do good wine too! I had spinach and truffle risotto every time because it was that good, and Kate switched between seafood risotto and seafood linguine. High praise from us and definitely recommended!! We always paid cash, and I don't *think* they take card; many places don't due to the high conversion fees.

Kristiano's

 

We ate here once on our first full day, as it's one of the first restaurants you hit as you get to the promenade from where we were staying; it has plenty of seating both indoor and out, and a good menu. I opted for a tomatoey risotto with coke and Kate got a large portion of bruschetta with a beer. It wasn't too pricey and we really enjoyed it!

Dick & Devil's American Pub

We popped in here hoping to watch the football (I am a creature of habit) and while they didn't have it on, the couple who run this place are super friendly and tried their best for us. We had a couple of drinks, and I also had what I would consider to be the best pierogi I've ever had in my entire life - and I've been to Poland 12 times. Honestly it was to die for. I think this place is one of the more pricier options, but it's a nice cosy place open year-round and serving excellent comfort food!

 

Gostivari

Located on the promenade, this is a restaurant offering plenty of variety from seafood to more traditional dishes; Kate ordered mussels which came served in a frying pan with loads of orange slices, and I got a creamy pasta dish because there wasn't much calling out to me on the menu. This wasn't our favourite restaurants in Sarandë but there was nothing particularly wrong with it, just didn't wow us! The food was nice enough and again we paid cash.

So that's a round up of the places to eat in Sarandë that we visited specifically - we didn't really have a bad meal, and everyone was so friendly towards us. Our top recommendations would be Centrali and Argjiro for sure.