Specialty coffee in Albania

Specialty coffee in Albania is emerging in Tirana, a city with one of the highest numbers of cafés per person, where dark espresso still dominates. Tirana's café culture is slow and social, shaped by Italian and Turkish influences, and older customers may follow a dark-roasted espresso with raki. Antigua, described as the city's first specialty coffee shop, closed in September 2025, but a younger generation of baristas has opened cafés focused on lighter roasts and single origins. Most pour beans from abroad: Rubi serves Coffee Collective from Copenhagen, Frut'za works with Bulgaria's Dabov, and Nöje, opened in 2025, uses a Greek roaster.

Tirana holds nearly all of the cafés listed here, with Blloku, the former restricted zone, the main specialty neighbourhood and the area around Kommuna square an up-and-coming one. Vlora on the coast has a café.

Expect espresso as the everyday order, filter at the specialty bars, and imported roasts from across Europe.