Mrizi i Zanave Tirane

While searching online for the best places to try authentic Albanian cuisine, I came across “Mrizi i Zanave.” We decided to give it a chance, and even though it’s located right in the city center, the moment we stepped inside, we instantly felt we were somewhere truly special. The atmosphere was warm, peaceful, and beautifully designed with traditional and historical touches. To start, we ordered the restaurant’s signature salad, the mixed traditional plate, and their special homemade sausage, paired with their house wine. Everything was incredibly delicious. The traditional plate allowed us to taste a variety of local pastries and their own cheeses, each one better than the last. Then we ordered the “Brijne viçi” beef dish, which Endri presented with a wonderful and elegant service. Since we are Turkish and love rakı, we talked about it with Endri. He kindly explained how Albanian rakija is different from our rakı, how it’s produced — and he even offered us rakija to taste. It was such a warm, generous gesture, and a great cultural exchange. If I ever return to Tirana, Mrizi i Zanave will absolutely be one of the first places I visit again. Thank you to Mrizi i Zanave for this unforgettable experience, and a special thank you to Endri, who treated us with genuine hospitality and represented his culture so beautifully.

This is a fantastic spot for traditional Albanian dining right in the heart of Tirana. I’ve known about their more famous countryside location — which also offers beautiful lodging — but this city location brings that same great quality and attention to detail into an urban setting. We visited to celebrate my wife’s birthday (she’s Albanian), so of course, the traditional dishes were a hit. Every dish we ordered was fresh, authentic, and absolutely delicious — the quality of ingredients and preparation really stands out here. One thing to note: this is a very quiet and calm restaurant. If you’re looking for lively Albanian music, dancing, or a festive night out, this is not the place. The atmosphere is refined, peaceful, and all about the food and conversation. Perfect for a relaxed, high-quality meal, but definitely not for an energetic night out. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to experience top-notch Albanian cuisine in a calm, elegant setting.

This has to be the best Albanian restaurant in Tirana!! Comfy seating with great service and gets full soon, so there maybe a certain wait time during rush hours. Coming to the food, Tave Dheu 🫡 was irresistible, I burnt my palette a couple of times finding it really hard to be patient!! and the slow cooked melt in mouth lamb chops, definitely make this place the most sought after in the city.

Everything was simply perfect! Yet the best dinner that we had in Albania! The people were so welcoming and the food was authentic. My boyfriend is Albanian and he reassured me that the food was 100% traditional recipes from all over Albania. We also tried an amazing lamb that I didn’t took photo cause we ate it within minutes 😂. We will definitely come back! Do not recommend in picky eaters only food lovers will appreciate it!

Starters where very nice, the meat platter was dry and salty, can't recommend. Friendly waiters, nice atmosphere and good location. Would only order starters next time, skip the meat platters.

Awesome place! I would like to highlight their impressive service! The waiters all spoke perfect English and were super kind. They explained to us all the dishes and gave us recommendations.

If I could give this 100 stars I would! The food was some of the best I’ve had in my entire life. The staff was the nicest and the food was immaculate. Endri was truly the best!!!! He shows us how to dance and gave us some Albanian vocab lessons. This is a must try (especially for the staff!)

Very nice North Albanian restaurant! We had their salad with blueberries and their honey which was fresh and delicious! We also loved their tave dheu, the lamb with potatoes in the oven and the purple tagliatelle! Everything was fresh, of good ingredients and delicious! Their special rakis with plums and the red forest berries were very nice also!