Seafood
Straight off the boats in the old fishing harbour — a short walk from the promenade.
Fish Filipi
€€Pick your fish straight from the counter and they'll grill it to order — a genuine local favourite, not a tourist-menu place.
Tip: Cash only — bring small Lek notes.
Open in Google Maps →Taverna Fish Land
€€Sits right on the old harbour with an upper deck looking out over the very boats that supply the kitchen.
Tip: Go early evening for the best of the day's catch.
Open in Google Maps →Taverna Kapiteni
€€The owner still goes out fishing himself — what came in on the boat that morning is what's on your plate that night.
Tip: Ask what came in that day rather than ordering off the printed menu.
Open in Google Maps →Traditional Albanian
Home-style cooking, meze and slow-grilled meat — the real Sarandë table.
Te Bequa
€A canteen-style local institution — point at what looks good, sit down, and eat exactly as a Sarandë local would.
Tip: Very affordable — a great low-key lunch stop. Two locations in town.
Open in Google Maps →Oda e Babës
€€Small and cosy, styled like a traditional Albanian home — perfect for sharing a table full of meze.
Tip: Let the staff put together a spread of meze rather than ordering a single main.
Open in Google Maps →Taverna Labëria
€€Family-run grill house with its own on-site butcher, so the meat is always fresh — a step up from a standard souvlaki stand.
Tip: Cash only.
Open in Google Maps →Breakfast & Coffee
Slow mornings with a sea view.
Vibe 360° Cocktail & Food
€€A wide terrace looking straight out over the Ionian Sea. Order the petulla (Albanian fried dough) with honey, or the pistachio brioche.
Tip: Popular — arrive before 10:00 for the best terrace seats.
Open in Google Maps →Marini
€€An easy-going, family-run spot that does a proper breakfast in the morning and moves on to fresh seafood later in the day.
Open in Google Maps →LuLu Cafe
€A relaxed neighbourhood café — good coffee and a quieter alternative to the promenade spots.
Open in Google Maps →Worth a Short Taxi Ride
A little further out, and worth the trip.
Lekuresi Castle
€€€The classic Sarandë sunset dinner — a panoramic hilltop terrace over the town, the bay and Corfu. Mediterranean menu: sea bass carpaccio, seafood linguine, grilled lamb, with live Albanian folk music on summer evenings.
Tip: Book ahead and time it for sunset. A taxi up is cheap and easy, and saves the steep 45–60 minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →The Mussel House
€€Mussels grown right there in the lagoon, farm-to-table — with a short boat tour of the mussel farm on offer if you want to see where lunch came from.
Open in Google Maps →Ftelea Fish Taverna
€€Worth combining with a beach day in Ksamil — a family-run seafood taverna known for grilled octopus, crispy calamari and whole charred sea bream.
Open in Google Maps →Good to know
Cash is king
Most places above are cash-only — bring Albanian Lek in small notes. ATMs are easy to find but charge a withdrawal fee, so it's worth taking out one larger amount rather than several small ones.
Tipping
Not obligatory, but rounding up the bill or leaving around 10% for good service is customary and appreciated.
Drinking water
Tap water isn't recommended in Sarandë — the summer crowds stretch the local system thin. Bottled water is very cheap at any supermarket — buy it there rather than at restaurants.
Seasonal hours
Sarandë is a summer town — some of the places above scale back or close outside roughly May–October. Worth checking a spot is open before you walk over off-season.