This large port city, in the southernmost point of Albania, enjoys more than 300 days of sun year-round, a climate which makes the local food grow healthy and full of taste. The Ionian coast also supplies the restaurants, lined up along the beautiful coast or scattered throughout the town, with delicious fresh fish and seafood. Though seafood is the local specialty, here you will find some of the overall best cuisines in the country, encompassing Albanian, Balkan and European flavors. Because of their wonderful food, great wine selections, and strategic locations, the restaurants below are the best complement to the famous Southern Riviera seascapes and sunsets.

Mare Nostrum

Safely occupying the first position on TripAdvisor’s list of Saranda’s best restaurants, this place is a must if you enjoy seafood delicacies. As its name in Latin suggests, the restaurant is a classic in its menu offerings and overall quality. Located along the main boulevard of the town, Mare Nostrum serves simple and elegant dishes which combine Mediterranean and Balkan cuisines. The atmosphere is casual, breezy, and modern but the very best aspect of this place is that the chef tests new menu offerings regularly, refreshing and updating the menu with experimental dishes which are always delicious.

Phone: +355 85 224 342
For directions click here.

Gërthëla

Gërthëla is the best option for healthy and delicious contemporary cuisine. Their specialties include various seafood plates, pasta with mild or hot gourmet sauces, fresh local salads, and wonderful service. If you want to find the best, most traditional taste of the town, this is exactly the place to be.

Phone: +355 69 621 5643
For directions, click here.

La Petite

Intimate and unique, this is the one for healthy food lovers! Offering more vegetarian options than any other place in town and plenty of fresh local choices, it is no wonder that it occupies second place on TripAdvisor’s list. Most plates here are delicious and low in calories, and include seafood, continental dishes, and vegan cuisine at very reasonable prices.

Phone: +355 69 533 2243
For directions click here.

Limani

For another stop along the town’s main boulevard, we suggest Limani Restaurant. This place offers a complete Mediterranean-style menu and friendly, professional staff. It is one of the most popular places in town due to its spacious veranda, family-friendly atmosphere, sheer variety of food, desserts, and ice-creams, as well as its reasonable prices. Its location in the vibrant part of town and only a few meters away from the shore makes it a local favorite.

Phone: +355 85 225 858
For directions click here.

Rustico

Fourth on TripAdvisor’s list, Rustico is an economical restaurant with very friendly service. The cuisine combines local seafood dishes with more traditional fare. Meat or fish, warm or cold appetizers, this place has so many menu choices that you will have a hard time making a decision. Their wine and beer selection is a great bonus, as well!

Phone: +355 69 528 1473
For directions click here.

Harmony

For elegant seafood fare, we definitely recommend Harmony, a restaurant located within the hotel of the same name. A range of wonderful aperitifs are the perfect start to the diverse menu offerings to come including colorful fresh salads, cold and warm seafood plates, and desserts featuring seasonal local fruits. The restaurant offers wonderful red wine pairings for their warm, meat-based dishes or rose wines for their tasty, cold seafood salads. The hotel-restaurant complex is located just outside of Sarandë, on the way to Butrint.

Phone: +355 68 900 2117
For directions click here.

Central

In Central Restaurant, located very near the port, the staff is friendly and professional, and the atmosphere and music perfectly relaxing. Wine suggestions are excellent and the fish and seafood plates are definitely their forte. The cool environment here provides a haven from the summer heat and, in the evening, the place is vibrant with the echoes of the town.

Phone: +355 69 656 5944 / +355 69 210 7421
For directions click here.

Honorable Mention:

Lëkurësi Castle

For an experience that combines history, beautiful vistas and wonderful food, you should not leave town without visiting Lëkurësi Castle, located above Sarandë. The restaurant within the castle complex serves tasty traditional and Mediterranean cuisines, which are wonderfully complemented by the panoramas of the city, sea and horizon, where your gaze reaches all the way to the neighboring Greece. Dinners are unforgettable here, as the aperitifs and cocktails are served on the spacious terrace surrounded by the castle, under the warm Ionian breeze.

Phone: +355 69 537 2300
For directions click here.

Source: albaniatours.al