The best byrek in Tirana comes from small neighborhood byrektores, not restaurants: Byrektore Çaku near Skanderbeg Square, Byrektore Paskali in Blloku, the all-day byrektore on Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta and Byrek Special “Luani” are four of our favorites. A slice costs around 50–100 lek (roughly €0.50–1), it comes hot out of the oven from early morning, and it’s the breakfast, lunch and late snack of half the city.
Albanian byrek is one of those foods you can’t leave without trying. Thin sheets of hand-rolled pastry, layered with cheese, spinach, meat or tomato and onion, baked in big round trays and cut into wedges or squares. Order a glass of dhallë (salted yogurt drink) on the side and eat it standing at the counter like a local.
Here are the 7 best byrektores in Tirana, plus what to order, what everything is called and how to eat it.
What is byrek (or burek)?
Byrek is a savory pie made from many layers of very thin dough. The name comes from the Ottoman börek, and you’ll find cousins of it all over the Balkans and Turkey. In Albania it’s spelled byrek; in Bosnia, Serbia and much of the former Yugoslavia it’s burek. Same family, different accents.
What makes Albanian byrek special is the pastry. Traditional bakers roll each sheet by hand with a long, thin rolling pin until it’s almost see-through, brush it with oil or butter and stack it in a round tray called a tepsi. The best byrek is crisp and flaky on top, soft in the middle and never soggy.
In a byrektore you’ll usually see the trays behind the glass. Point at the one you want and ask for një copë (one piece).
Types of Albanian byrek to order
- Byrek me gjizë (cheese byrek): filled with gjizë, a fresh, salty curd cheese similar to ricotta. The classic.
- Byrek me spinaq (spinach byrek): spinach, often mixed with gjizë or white cheese. The most popular choice in most shops.
- Byrek me mish (meat byrek): minced beef or veal with onion. Heavier and very filling.
- Byrek me domate (tomato byrek): tomato and onion, sometimes with peppers. Juicy, slightly sweet and a local favorite.
- Byrek me presh (leek byrek): soft leeks, often in a homestyle version.
- Byrek me kungull (pumpkin byrek): sweet-savory pumpkin, usually in autumn and winter.
- Byrek me fasule: beans. Not for everyone, but a real Tirana working-man’s breakfast.
- Byrek me qepë, me patate, me hithra or me lakra: onion, potato, nettle or cabbage, depending on the shop and the season.
Ask for byrek me kos and you’ll get a glass of yogurt or dhallë with your slice. The cold, salty yogurt cuts through the buttery pastry perfectly.
Byrek, pite and lakror: what’s the difference?
Pite is simply the Albanian word for a pie, and in many homes it’s used interchangeably with byrek. Lakror is the southern cousin, especially associated with Korça: a thicker, more rustic pie traditionally baked under a saç (an iron lid covered in hot embers), with fillings like leeks, onions, greens or meat. You’ll find lakror in traditional restaurants and some bakeries rather than in every byrektore.
The 7 best byrektores in Tirana
1. Byrektore Çaku: the classic near Skanderbeg Square
Hidden in the small alleys near the post office on Rruga Reshit Çollaku, a few minutes from Skanderbeg Square, Çaku is the byrektore we send everyone to first. Everything is baked on site, the crust is crisp, the fillings are generous and the prices are about as low as they get in the center.
What to order: byrek me spinaq, byrek me fasule and, in season, the pumpkin byrek.
Good to know: open Monday to Saturday, 7:00–16:00, closed Sundays. Popular trays can sell out by mid-afternoon, so come in the morning.
2. Byrektore Paskali: homestyle byrek in Blloku
Right in the middle of Blloku, at Rruga Perlat Rexhepi 32, Paskali is a small, friendly shop with a few seats, which makes it a nice stop before exploring the neighborhood that once belonged to the communist elite (and Enver Hoxha’s villa).
What to order: the leek byrek shtëpie (homestyle byrek), plus spinach, gjizë, meat or tomato and onion.
Good to know: open Monday to Saturday, 7:00–19:00, closed Sundays. The best trays go early.
3. The byrektore on Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta: open every day
Signed simply “Byrektore”, this shop at Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 4, near Rinia Park, is the one to remember on a Sunday, when many of the others are closed. It opens at 6:00 and keeps going until the evening, with thin, flaky layers and a long list of fillings.
What to order: cheese, minced meat, spinach, beans, sausage or tomato and onion, with a dhallë.
Good to know: open daily, 6:00–21:30. Even here, the favorites can run out by late afternoon.
4. Byrek Special “Luani”: the early bird
On Rruga Bardhok Biba in central Tirana, “Luani” starts baking before most of the city is awake and is a favorite with locals grabbing a cheap, quick breakfast on the way to work. There are a few outside tables, small pies and even pizza slices if you’re traveling with picky eaters.
What to order: cheese or spinach byrek with ayran or a tea. The tomato and onion version is a good second slice.
Good to know: open Monday to Friday, 6:15–18:00 (from 6:45 on Wednesdays), Saturday 6:15–16:00, closed Sundays. Some reviewers mention they take cards, which is rare for a byrektore, but bring lek just in case.
5. Byrektore Albani: the cheapest slice in town
At Rruga Hajdar Hidi 3, Albani is a no-frills counter where a hot slice costs around 50 lek. The pastry is crispy and fresh; some customers find the filling a bit light, but at this price nobody’s complaining.
What to order: cheese, spinach or tomato byrek, with the house dhallë.
Good to know: open Monday to Friday, 8:00–17:00, closed weekends. The trays sell out fast, so by midday there’s often only cheese left. Treat it as a breakfast stop.
6. The byrektore by the New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri)
Just off Pazari i Ri on Rruga Qemal Stafa, this unassuming byrektore is easy to walk past, but the byrek is always fresh and often still warm. Slices cost around 60 lek, and by night the same counter turns into a kebab shop. Pair it with a wander through the market stalls for honey, cheese and olives.
What to order: the cheese and spinach byrek.
Good to know: open daily, 7:00–21:00 (until 17:00 on Sundays). The whole New Bazaar area is full of bakeries and stalls selling byrek from early morning, so you can turn this into a mini byrek crawl.
7. Le Bon: byrek with your coffee and cake
If you’d rather sit down with a coffee, Le Bon on Rruga Dritan Hoxha is a bakery and pastry shop that does a busy trade in savory breakfasts, including spinach byrek, alongside cakes and homemade pralines. It’s more café than counter, which makes it a good choice for a slower morning.
What to order: spinach byrek, then something sweet.
Good to know: open daily, 6:30–22:30. Expect queues, especially around lunchtime.
How to eat byrek like a local
- Go early. Most byrektores open between 6:00 and 7:00 (Albani is the late riser at 8:00), and the most popular trays can sell out by midday.
- Order with dhallë. Byrek me kos or a glass of dhallë is the standard combo.
- Bring cash. A slice costs 50–100 lek, and most shops don’t take cards.
- Eat it standing or take it away. Most byrektores have no seats, or just a couple of tables on the sidewalk. Le Bon, with its café seating, is the exception.
- Don’t expect English menus. Point at the tray and say një copë, ju lutem (one piece, please).
Want byrek for dinner?
Many byrektores close between 16:00 and 19:00, and only a few, like the shops on Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta and by the New Bazaar, stay open into the evening. But you can still have homemade byrek for dinner. The Albanian Night Dinner & Show serves homemade byrek as part of a traditional Albanian dinner, right next to Skanderbeg Square. For more classic dishes, see our guide to traditional Albanian food and our list of the best traditional restaurants in Tirana. And if you’re planning your mornings, here’s where to eat an Albanian breakfast in Tirana.
FAQ
Where can I find the best byrek in Tirana?
Byrektore Çaku near Skanderbeg Square, Byrektore Paskali in Blloku, the byrektore on Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta and Byrek Special “Luani” are four of the best. Go in the morning, when the byrek is fresh out of the oven.
How much does byrek cost in Tirana?
A slice of byrek costs around 50–100 lek (about €0.50–1) at a byrektore. Bakeries and cafés charge a little more.
What is the difference between byrek and burek?
They’re the same family of layered pastry. Byrek is the Albanian name and burek is used in Bosnia, Serbia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia. Albanian byrek is usually made with very thin, hand-rolled sheets baked in a round tray.
What do you drink with byrek?
Locals drink dhallë (a thin, salted yogurt drink) or eat their byrek with a glass of yogurt (kos). Tea and Turkish coffee are also common.
Is byrek vegetarian?
Many types are: cheese, spinach, tomato and onion, leek, pumpkin and bean byrek are all vegetarian. Byrek me mish is the meat version.
