A Traditional Twist on International Tapas

One of the newest restaurants in town, Kosherja is located in one of the hotspot neighborhoods of Tirana, right behind the Pyramid and the main boulevard of the city. Kosherja translates to “beehive” and the place is as warm and welcoming as its name suggests.  An open space that can accommodate many, this is a nice choice for coffee, lunch, after work cocktails and casual dinners. Most of all, with a simple but variety-filled menu, this is the place to try out new things.

Some plates from Kosherja Restaurant, photo by IntoAlbania.

The fusion cuisine and offerings at different price points are designed with many tastes and preferences in mind. While the restaurant offers more expensive and delicious standard-sized, meat and seafood-based dishes, the tapas are the way to go here. You’ll find several pages devoted to these small and tasty offerings. At $2-4 a plate, you can mix and match to your heart’s content. These are particularly great to share in large gatherings.

What is truly nice about this place is that no other restaurants in Tirana offer such a unique take, both taste and size wise, on traditional fare. Some of our favorites tapas are suxhuk (traditional sausage) with lemon and rosemary, japrak (stuffed grape leaves) with yoghurt mousse, pllaqi (large beans) with sausage, spinach soufflé, and beef meatballs with spicy sauce. Keep in mind that, though small in size, these plates are rich in taste and truly filling so be careful to not over order.

On the seafood side, sesame fried sardines, marinated anchovies, and calamari and shrimp saganaki are wonderful options. The roasted vegetable salad combines exceptionally fresh beets, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes topped with a nice lemon dressing. The Kosherja specialties, priced at a range of $8-$28 are wonderful, as well, and include a great variety of fish and meats. Oven cooked goat meat, duck breast, wild quail, foie gras, and barbecue ribs are only some of the choices. Kosherja gathers the world’s most popular dishes under one roof and it works!

Make sure to save some room for dessert as these are very particular and worth tasting. Our favorites are Yoghurt mousse with Prunes, Ouzo Mousse with Strawberries, Mascarpone Cream with Biscuits, and Kasata (a nostalgic Albanian ice cream slice). As you may have noticed, yoghurt and mousse come up often in this menu. Well, it is precisely this overarching fresh and creamy element that makes eating here a light and pleasurable thing.

Kasata dessert at Kosherja Restaurant, photo by IntoAlbania.

Great location. Nice beer and wine selection. Indoor and outdoor seating. For more, check out their Facebook page and reviews on Tripadvisor.