Aragosta Shengjin

During our journey through Albania to Greece, Miles & Mandy stopped here for dinner and found the meal excellent value. The Spaghetti carbonara was superb, and the friendly young waiter who served us spoke English very well. Thanks for a lovely meal.

The garden seating was lovely, there was plenty of parking, and the waiters were exceptionally polite, kind, and charming. More importantly, the chef was brilliant. My chicken, or pule me Pana, was tender and came with an even better creamy sauce, while my cousin’s chicken risotto had perfectly cooked rice and wasn’t too creamy. The chef even made the risotto despite it not being on the menu. Nearby, Mrizi I zanave is famous, but its food was very average compared with what we ate here. At restaurant Aragosta, the chef is far more skilled than anyone in mrizi I zanave. This was my third or fourth time finding a master chef in Albania. I’d rate it 10/10, which is rare for me since I usually stop at 7 or 7.5.

The fresh breakfast and dinner were both very good, and the seafood was the best I’ve ever had. It was also nice seeing local people stopping in, not only tourists, which gave the place a different feel from a typical resort. Our arrival was delayed by problems at the border, but the family gave us another room and let us sleep until morning, after which everything was fine. It’s a generous, solid-looking, family-run place about 3km from other city centers, so having a car is very useful. Italian is preferred, and English can be difficult, though their granddaughter spoke it very well. We’ll definitely visit again.

This review is for Aragosta 2, across the road from the hotel and run by the same owners. The room was clean and had everything needed, while the family was VERY kind and willing to accommodate extra requests. Since it’s very cheap, it’s a good choice if you want to save money but still have a clean bed and bathroom.