Mrizi i Zanave Tirana review

During our 17 nights in the Balkans we knew we wanted to eat out in traditional places as much as possible. In Tirana we were given some recommendations from one of J’s friends who’d lived there for a few years a while ago, and he said that Mrizi i Zanave’s other restaurant, in Lehze, was the best he’d ever eaten at. Whilst he’d not visited the Tirana restaurant, we decided it was a really promising sign anyway, so we planned to eat there. I’ve written this Mrizi i Zanave Tirana review to share our experience.

We’d been having issues with paying each time we had to withdraw cash in Albania and we were trying not to need to do that anymore, so J messaged Mrizi i Zanave via Google Maps to check if they take card, and if we could book a table. They replied within an hour saying yes they did and yes we could, and so we booked for seven. We didn’t need to, as it turned out.

How was the atmosphere at Mrizi i Zanave Tirana?

The decor was really pretty and traditional and we felt really relaxed and comfortable at our table. The walls with plants bringing a bit of the outside inside was a great touch too. I really liked how they’d made the place look.

On arrival we were the only ones there, although an hour later the place started getting busier and when we left it was over half full. I think Albanians eat later than we’re used to at home, so bear this in mind if you’re wanting to go out when you’re in Tirana. The service was really fast, we were done within an hour, although we didn’t feel rushed at all.

The staff were really friendly and spoke English well-not that they need to, but it’s always great as a tourist when you can easily be understood, and our Albanian is non existent. They were happy to let me have the wifi code (my Instagram addiction and a country where my phone didn’t work properly was not fun) and when they realised we were English, they changed the music to something we’d recognise. Hilariously, this was ‘That’s Amore’ which made us smile, but it then played ten times on the trot, at which point we weren’t feeling the love…we still appreciated the gesture though.

What did we eat?

First, the lovely waiter who was looking after our table asked us if we’d tried Raki, a Turkish drink made of twice distilled grapes, popular in the Balkans as an aperitif, yet. We said no and he brought us a shot each, on the house, telling us not to smell it but just to shot it. It was very strong and when he offered us another I decided against it but J did try a different flavour, also on the house, which was really lovely of them. I think Raki is too strong for me at 40-60%, I prefer a sweeter, much less alcoholic drink, but it’s worth trying if you never have.

After the Raki I needed a good meal, and I chose the chicken with gorgonzola and walnuts. I didn’t read the menu properly-it wasn’t clear what it came with, and I didn’t ask-and as it turned out I needed to order sides separately, so I just got the chicken. It was three large pieces though so I wasn’t starving, but I should have added some potatoes and some vegetables too really. The sauce was really creamy and delicious and the walnuts worked well-I wouldn’t have thought of walnuts in a cheesy sauce but I’ll definitely order something like this again. J went for the chicken risotto which had plenty of veg-sweetcorn, spinach and beans. It was a bit salty, but he added salt before tasting so that was likely his fault. It was nice and creamy and J did enjoy it.

For dessert we chose the creme caramel and the rakava, a traditional Albanian dessert. The creme caramel was good, flatter than we expected and it came with berries and a lot of syrup. We were tempted to lick the plate! The rakava was by far the best dish of the night. It was a light cake, drenched in syrup, and it was absolutely delicious. I’m still thinking about it now.

I’d highly recommend a visit to Mrizi i Zanave Tirana when you’re in the city, it was one of the best meals we had on our whole trip.