Vegan food in Albania

Traveling as a vegan can be challenging in countries where traditional dishes often include animal products. However, Albania offers a range of naturally plant-based options that can be found in almost every traditional restaurant. In this post, we’ll look at some local vegan dishes, recommend restaurants, and provide practical tips for enjoying vegan food in Albania.

Table of Contents

Local vegan dishes

Albanian cuisine is hearty, with some traditional dishes that can easily be adapted for vegans. Some naturally vegan options that we encountered in almost every traditional restaurants are:

Stuffed eggplants and/or peppers: Typically filled with a mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes nuts. They are often baked with a tomato sauce. Sometimes cheese is added on top, so be sure to specify that you’d like them without cheese when ordering.

Vegetable Soup: A hearty veggie soup is a common starter or side dish – and since it was colder than expected during our trip, it was a great way to warm up. It’s usually made with seasonal vegetables, herbs, and sometimes a dash of lemon. Sometimes the menu said “vegetable cream soup”, but when we asked if cream was involved, the answer was always no. However, since this can vary by region or restaurant, we recommend asking before you order.

Grilled Vegetables: They are typically featuring seasonal produce like peppers and zucchini and marinated with herbs and olive oil, then cooked over an open flame for a smoky, flavorful dish.

Dolma: Grape vine leaves stuffed with a mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes nuts.

Fried or Baked Potatoes: Can either be potato wedges or what we typically know as “french fries”.

Green salad: Green salad is typically made with fresh lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and sometimes olives, dressed with olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. It’s a light and refreshing choice.

Byrek: A flaky pastry typically filled with spinach or potatoes, and unfortunately, also often cheese. However, you can find versions that are entirely plant-based – for example at Pastiçeri Dolce in Sarande or Furrë Buke & Pastiçeri Kallmeti in Lezhe.

Pizza and Pasta: Italy has had a significant influence on Albanian cuisine, particularly due to geographical proximity. Italian-style pizza is common and can easily be made vegan by ordering a vegetarian pizza without cheese. Vegan pasta can include versions with tomato sauce, garlic, and fresh herbs.

Best Vegan Restaurants

Tirana

Falafel House: Fully vegan place offering delicious, fresh falafel. Take away only.

Veggies: Vegetarian restaurant with clearly labelled vegan items. Serves appetizers, salads, burgers, wraps, bowls, soups and desserts.

Shkodra

Arti’Zanave: Charming place serving traditional food, with a good choice of vegan dishes. The restaurant is part of The Women’s Project in Tirana is a unique initiative that focuses on empowering women through various trainings and assistance in social, legal, health and economic topics.

Puri: Albanian restaurant that only has one vegan option, but a super delicious one: Father’s Rice (ask for the vegan version) including rice, beans, grilled vegetables and salad. It’s super delicious and filling.

Pasta te Zenga: Italian restaurant with vegan options, such as aglio e olio. The staff is very knowledgeable about veganism, so if you ask them, they’ll prepare something fresh and flavourful off the menu. We also had a salad and pan fried mushrooms as a starter, which were both delicious.

Te Fisi: Albanian restaurant with clearly labelled vegan options. They also have a “vegan combination platter” with traditional vegan dishes, such as stuffed eggplants, peppers, potatoes, aubergine and beans.

M’kanda: Gelateria offering several, clearly labelled vegan options, such as pistachio (a must try!), dark chocolate, peach and melon.

Theth

Villa Gjeçaj: Traditional restaurant serving many vegan options, such as stuffed eggplants and peppers, jumbo beans (super tasty!), veggie soup and salad. The staff is knowledgeable about veganism and can make helpful suggestions. This place is very popular, so you should make a reservation in advance.

Fast Food Pizzeri Jezerca: Bar/restaurant offering vegetarian pizza, where you can leave off the cheese for a vegan version. The day we visited, they ran out of veggies however, so we didn’t try it.

Sarande

Green Life Market: Sadly, they were closed during the week when we visited Sarande, but since it’s a fully vegan restaurant with excellent reviews, we wanted to include it in this list. If you’re in the area, check it out and tell us about it in the comments 🙂

Tako Taco Pub: Mexican taco bar with outdoor seating that offers a vegan taco filled with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. If you feel up for it, also try one of their delicious margaritas!

Pastiçeri Dolce: A café-bakery offering traditional pastry “burek” with three vegan fillings – spinach, tomato, and tomato & onion.

Berat

Zonja Gjene: Traditional Albanian restaurant offering multiple vegan dishes such as grilled vegetables, salad, veggie soup, stuffed peppers and eggplant.

Grocery Stores and Markets

Spar: Supermarket that typically offers a variety of vegan options. You can find plant-based milk, canned beans and vegetables, vegan snacks and biscuits and of course lots of fruits and vegetables. To our surprise, we found vegan cheese (Violife) in the Spar Market in Shkodra.

Rossmann & Lala: Drug store available in several cities, such as Tirana, Shkodra and Sarande. They primarly sell cosmetics, but they also have a variety of food options, that are otherwise hard to find. The store in Shkodra for example sold tofu, meat substitutes, spreads, crackers and energy bars. We stocked up here before our hike in Valbona.

Baronesha: Supermarket offering a selection of vegan products including cheeses, plant based milks, chocolates, and ice cream. Located in Tirana.

BioJu: Supermarket offering a selection of vegan products including cheeses, plant based milks, meat substitutes and chocolates. Located in Tirana.

Additional tips

HappyCow and Google Maps: Whenever we travel to a new place, we usually check out HappyCow first to find recommended restaurants in the area. Since the reviews are written by vegans, you can be sure that you’ll get trustworthy and reliable insights. Once we’re already in a new location, we also like to use Google Maps to see what’s nearby. Simply enter “vegan” in the search bar, and it will show you available options based on the restaurant’s description or other users’ reviews.

Traditional food: It’s always useful to learn about a country’s culture before you visit, and food is no exception. Many traditional dishes are naturally plant-based. For example, while the famous “byrek” often includes cheese, the dough is typically made from just flour, water, and salt. Which means that if you come across a cheese-free version (like in Sarande for example), it should be vegan.

Cheese: Speaking of cheese, Albanian restaurants often like sprinkle it on top of dishes like stuffed eggplant or peppers. To be safe, we prefer to specify “without cheese” (“pa djathë“) when ordering.

Oil: Oil is mostly used over butter in the Albanian cuisine. Good for vegans, but sometimes not so good (aka a bit heavy) for our stomachs 🙂

Protein: We found that food options in Albania can sometimes be limited in protein, as many traditional dishes focus on vegetables, bread, and grains. While there are plant-based sources like beans and lentils, they were not always as prominently featured on restaurant menus. Additionally, tofu and other meat alternatives are not really common, making it challenging to find high-protein options. To ensure a balanced diet (especially when staying long-term), it might be necessary to be intentional about seeking out protein-rich foods (for example by visiting specialized grocery shops).

Pack snacks: Generally, we try to limit this option, as we want to pack light and experience the local cuisine as much as possible. However, we always prefer to bring a few protein bars or other “emergency food,” especially when planning hikes. We also like to bake some banana or date bread before leaving, which serves as snacks during flights and road trips, and as breakfast during the first few days of our trip.

Accommodation with a kitchen: Most of the time, we prefer to rent apartments or Airbnbs with a kitchen rather than stay in hotel rooms. This gives us the flexibility to have breakfast at home, cook our own dinner from time to time, and save money.

Learning the language: As with every country we visit, we like to learn some key phrases in the native language. The terms “vegan” or “veganism” are not widely known in Albania. However, you can use “pa produkte shtazore” (without animal products), or, to be even more specific, “pa mish” (without meat), “pa djathë” (without cheese) or “pa qumësht” (without milk).

When traveling in Albania, learning a few key phrases can be helpful. Knowing how to say “vegan” (try “pa produkte shtazore”) and “without meat” (pa mish) will make it easier to navigate menus. Most restaurant staff are friendly and willing to accommodate dietary preferences.

Animals in Albania

Albania, like many countries, has a long history of relying on animals for transportation and labor. With a predominantly rural population, many people live in areas where farming remains a traditional way of life. Indeed, we often encountered groups of pigs or goats while driving through the mountains, or passed a cow relaxing beside a house when walking through a village. Although these animals are still raised to provide for their owners, they enjoy more space and freedom than factory-farmed animals in many Western countries.

Stray dogs are everywhere, both in cities and villages – during our hike to the Blue Eye in Theth, we even had a happy, little dog accompany us during the entire trail. Overall, we found them to be healthy-looking, with shiny fur and not thin. Personally, I was terrified whenever I saw one crossing a busy street, but of course both the dogs and humans here are accustomed to it. The dogs have adapted to this life and turned out to be super street-smart.

During our hikes in the mountains, we crossed paths with multiple horses and donkeys. From Valbona to Theth, we shared part of the trail with horses and donkeys carrying large tourist luggage – and not just one luggage, but multiple. Often, the weight was unevenly balanced, with bags hanging to one side. While this is in no way a judgment of the locals seeking to earn a living, it is indeed a big judgement of the tourists who pay for such services. As travellers, we have the power to make a difference by choosing our activities carefully. For example, you can support local communities by staying in locally owned accommodations, eating at traditional restaurants, participating in activities that do not involve animal exploitation and making donations to local organizations.

A group of horses and donkeys that we encountered during the hike. And a cow that we crossed paths with while walking through a small village – even though the chain around her neck might suggest otherwise, she was not confined and totally free to walk around.

Conclusion

Travelling as a vegan in Albania is definitely possible and not too difficult. However, options can sometimes feel a bit limited. We found ourselves eating stuffed peppers and eggplant, grilled vegetables or soup almost every day – not to be complaining, as most of the time it was delicious, but it’s true that it can get monotonous for those liking variety. An aspect that helps is the Italian influence in Albania, so you will be able to order cheese-free pizzas or vegan pasta in many places. Personally, we craved some protein after a while and found it rather challenging to find tofu for example. However, beans are available everywhere, making it easy to prepare sandwiches or wraps even without a kitchen. We also like booking accommodations with kitchens from time to time so we can make our own meals.

Have you traveled to Albania or plan to? What are your experiences like? Did you visit a restaurant that isn’t listed here? We’d love to hear all about it! Feel free to share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below.

Vegan food in Albania

Local vegan dishes