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10 Best Cafes in Tirana, Albania (Personally Selected)

ByBrooke

The 10 best cafes in Tirana, Albania were personally selected by me to provide the most enjoyable experience. I lived in Tirana, Albania for a little more than one year, so I got to experience their cafe culture firsthand. After visiting many, many cafes, I started to notice a few things that created a better experience overall- Outdoor seating, comfortable chairs, and a good location.

If you are visiting Tirana, Albania, make sure you check out the 23 Best Things to do in Tirana, Albania and Complete Guide to Best Vegan Food in Tirana, Albania

Table of Contents

Top things I look for when choosing a cafe:

Outdoor Patio

The mediterranean climate is prime for outdoor dining. Yes, it gets unbearably hot in the peak of summer, and gets cold and rainy in the middle of winter, but for most of the year, sitting outside while sipping a coffee is supremely pleasant. A lot of places have an enclosed patio, with either the windows or roof opening to provide fresh air and a breeze. This is fine if they are open, but if they are closed, you still feel like you are indoors. This gets extra bad if people are smoking in there- it is still legal to smoke indoors in Albania. Other places will have seating outdoor but maybe no shade, so if the sun is shining, it can get too hot.The ideal cafe would have fully outdoor seating (no ceiling, open walls) with plenty of shade.

    ✨🌿 Bonus points for a good atmosphere, lots of greenery, and a good size patio that isn’t too cramped or too commercialized.

    Comfortable chairs

    I don’t understand why a cafe, bar, or restaurant would have uncomfortable chairs since thats the main thing people do when they visit the business- sit down. I am at the point now where I will scope out the chair situation first before deciding to go there (is this an age thing? 😅).

      Good Location

      Since the city of Tirana is so walkable, a good location for visiting a cafe is determined by what the location offers. I have sat at some cafes that were on a busy corner, and the noise from the traffic was so loud- bus engines, revving motorcycles, car horns- that it was not a peaceful environment where I wanted to sit for a while and relax. Some cafes in Tirana are tucked away onto tiny streets, so the outdoor space is small and doesn’t have a view, or it’s a view of some run down building or a construction site (more noise). The ideal cafe is in a location that is easy to walk to, provides a relatively quiet/ peaceful environment, and ideally gives you something interesting to look at while you enjoy your coffee.

      Here are the 10 best cafes in Tirana that I found while living there.

      10 Best Cafes in Tirana

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      Mulliri Gourmet in Blloku, Tirana

      1. Mulliri Gourmet – Blloku

      This is my favorite cafe in Tirana, Albania. Despite being a chain, the coffee is good, fairly priced, and the atmosphere is peaceful, comfortable, and lively. A lot of the Mulliri cafes have an atmosphere of beautiful wood and real plants and this location in Blloku– the hip area of town- is no exception. Mulliri Gourmet has a fully outdoor patio with a dozen large umbrellas, providing ample shade for just about every table, without making you feel like you are still inside.

      It has all the aspects of a top tier cafe experience: first and foremost, a beautiful outdoor patio. Where this cafe pulls ahead of (too) many cafes in Tirana is with the comfortable chairs. They have big comfy cushions on both the seat and the back, making this an ideal place to hang out with friends or plan your day.

      In addition to a good breakfast/ brunch/ food menu, which includes avocado toast and Eggs Benedict among other delicious things, they have soy milk! Most of the locations in this chain offer soy milk, whereas most cafes in Tirana do not.

      The cafe gets busy in the late morning and early afternoon, making it hard to find a table. This is especially true on Sunday.

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      Ottos Restocaf̩ РDurresit in Tirana

      2. Ottos Restocaf̩ РDurresit

      Ottos Restocafé is my second favorite cafe in Tirana, Albania, located a 10 minute walk from the main square. While it doesn’t have an outdoor patio, when the roof and windows are open, it feels like you’re outside. There is plenty of comfortable seating, as well as beautiful ceramic coffee mugs. A nice mug really enhances my coffee drinking experience haha. They also have a breakfast/ food menu, with similar items as other cafes (such as avocado toast). They do not have soy milk, which is a bummer.

      piazza restaurant cafe tirana albania
      Piazza Restaurant – Square in Tirana

      3. Piazza Restaurant – Square

      In terms of a good view with your outdoor seating, this cafe wins. Technically called Restaurant Piano Bar Piazza, they essentially function like a cafe because they are open early and serve the standard menu of coffee drinks. Located in a triangle of green space on the edge of the main square, the really wonderful seating by this fountain is a great place to read a book or just enjoy the view at any time of day.

      mugo tirana cafe albania
      MUGO Tirana – Blloku in Tirana

      4. MUGO Tirana – Blloku

      This cafe is located right next door to my favorite cafe, Mulliri Gourmet in the Blloku neighborhood. One of the great parts about Tirana is that the restaurants double as bars and cafes – I guess that’s a triple threat. In the morning, this is a serene cafe serving both coffee and brunch, and in the evening, they serve delicious cocktails and dinner.

      The outdoor patio is small, but they can open the windows to transform the building into one large patio. The chairs are comfortable and the lush greenery provides a really nice atmosphere to hang out in. No soy milk either, but the service is great.

      bitter bistro cafe tirana albania
      Bitter Bistro in Tirana

      5. Bitter Bistro – Zogu I Boulevard

      This cafe, which is owned by a super nice American guy, is located a few minutes walk from the main square. While they have coffee (of course), they have an excellent menu featuring breakfast/brunch, lunch, dinner, and even vegetarian and vegan food! Their outdoor patio (with a retractable roof) is a great place to hang out and enjoy the mediterranean weather.

      mulliri gourmet cafe stadium tirana albania
      Mulliri Gourmet – Stadium in Tirana

      6. Mulliri Gourmet – Stadium

      This Mulliri is located right next to the Air Albania Stadium, which is that big building with the red rectangles (you’ll know it when you see it). Entirely outdoors, you can soak in the amazing Mediterranean weather while enjoying a coffee near the center if Tirana, without all the noise. Some tables end up in full sun throughout the day, and it can get busy during peak times, so hopefully its not too busy and you can snag some of the most comfortable seats.

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      Millennium Garden in Tirana

      7. Millennium Garden – Square

      This is one of the best cafes in Tirana because of it’s large outdoor patio. It is located near the main square on the same road as the Tirana castle. The terraced outdoor patio has tons of plants and trees, and sits alongside the cobblestone road nearby several other restaurants, bars, and cafes.

      They don’t have soy milk, and the coffee is more expensive here than other places, but it’s a nice environment that’s great for people watching. They also offer a breakfast/ brunch menu which is pretty tasty.

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      Oslo in Tirana

      8. Oslo – Zogu I Boulevard

      This cafe in Tirana is located on the Boulevard, a few minutes walk from the main square. The outdoor seating is excellent for enjoying the pleasant Mediterranean climate and for people watching. The chairs are decent, and the umbrellas offer shade so you can sit here for a while enjoying being outside. The downsides are that they don’t have plant-based milks, the service is often slow, and the intersection can get noisy with traffic.

      casa mokador cafe tirana albania
      Casa Mokador in Tirana

      9. Casa Mokador – Fortuzi

      This cafe in Tirana is located on the corner of Fortuzi and the Boulevard, a few minutes walk from the main square. It is more of a place locals go, so the coffee is cheap ($1), and they certainly don’t have any plant-based milks. Their outdoor seating is under a roof, but the walls fully open up, providing an excellent place to sit and watch the city go by. However, when the walls aren’t open, there’s often a lot of trapped cigarette smoke (Albanians are heavy smokers), which really ruins the vibe (for me, at least).

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      Antigua Specialty Coffee – Blloku in Tirana

      10. Antigua Specialty Coffee – Blloku

      This cute and minimalist cafe is located in Blloku near the grand park offers specialty coffee and pastries (no breakfast food unfortunately). Not only do they have really cute ceramic mugs, but they also have several kinds of plant-based milks!

      They do not have a large outdoor patio. They only have a few tables on the sidewalk, but honestly it was really nice to sit there and watch the city go by. The quiet atmosphere makes this a good place to bring your laptop and work for a couple hours

      A visit to Albania isn’t complete without participating in their prominent coffee culture. These cafes in Tirana are places that I liked to hang out during the year that I lived there, so hopefully this list helps you experience this unique city!

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