A Vlorë institution since 1992. Thin-crust pizza baked in a wood oven that has been running for three decades.

A guesthouse kitchen that serves the best mountain food in the valley. The trout comes from the stream outside.

Grilled meat and local cheese on a terrace facing the Accursed Mountains. Portions are generous — hikers need the calories.

Wood-fired oven, thin crust, fast service. The default dinner after a day on the Ksamil islands.

In a 400-year-old stone house in the old bazaar. The qifqi (rice balls with mint) are the best in the city.

No sign, no menu. An old woman cooks babaçe (a local pastry) in a wood oven. Arrive before noon — she sells out.

Housed in a 300-year-old building in the Mangalem quarter. The owners grow their own vegetables in the valley below.

Perched above the Osum River with a view of the white Ottoman houses. Try the stuffed peppers and the house red.

A terrace restaurant above the bay. Best at sunset — the Corfu lights come on across the strait.

The post-beach, post-bar default. Gyros wrapped in warm pita with tzatziki made fresh every morning.