Taverna Labëria

Antonio and Maria were lovely to chat with and made some amazing food. We had the pork and lamb and the french fries and enjoyed it very much. The lamb and pork were both cooled very well and were very juicy.

I recently visited a grill restaurant where the experience went far beyond the palate – it was a feast for all senses. The succulent pork and lamb, slow-roasted to perfection on the spit, had a smoky aroma and a flavor that spoke of the grill master's skill. The meats were tender, juicy, and seasoned in a way that paid homage to traditional methods. The owner's hospitality added a special warmth to our meal, making us feel more like honored guests than customers. This restaurant is truly a hidden gem for anyone who cherishes authentic grilled cuisine and genuine welcoming service.

Last summer I scouted cities in Albania including Shkodër, Elbasan, Durres, Vlore, Saranda, and Gjirokaster, where I spent several days before bicycling on to Greece. Vlore was my favorite city with the mild coastal climate, great bike paths, and relative much flat land, so I decided to spend December and part of January there.
On December 15, 2022 I took a bus to Gjirokaster, spent a night in the Hotel Lunxheria with a view of the castle, and then biked back to Vlore, 130 km or 80 miles. It is primarily downhill and I picked a day with a good tailwind. For my layover I picked Taverna Labëria for dinner. They were welcoming and friendly and communicated well in English, especially their daughter in high school.I am a lamb lover, so I got lamb off the spit, a salad, and an Ivo lemon soda, Albanian made and my choice for a non caffeinated drink. They had the best lamb I had all year.
I tried cooking a bit of lamb for Christmas at my apartment in Vlore, but it didn't even come close.
I finally got to doing this review today as I recently bought a house in Florida and cooked my first full meal here, lamb of course. I did a good baking it in the oven, and though it is quite good, it couldn't quite match the fresh meat off the spit at Taverna Labëria. It is not luxurious, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is more interested in good food and hospitality.
As the weather in Florida has already become uncomfortable in mid-May, I having second thought about not having bought an apartment in Vlore instead.

Very friendly owner/meat chef who speak Italian. I had lamb, chips and a coke for 1000 Lek was tasty and straight of the spit roast

Stopped by for a simple lunch of grilled chicken, chips, salad and beer. It's a lovely family-run place, the owner is super chatty and knowledgeable - speaks 5 languages and knows a lot about the area. It was exactly what we wanted.

Very welcoming, great service, chat and simple yet tasty, well priced food - perfect for what we wanted

Solid owner operated restaurant in Gjirokaster. Nice family who runs the place and the young daughter spoke great English and was very friendly. Her father prepared the food and everything was flavorful and delicious, cold beer. We were happy to eat something different after a couple days of the towns traditional food with similar menus. Great sunset view and outdoor seating, a nice walk from center city. Definitely will be back if in the area. Recommend!

Very traditional place, food was great, we had grilled lamb and grilled chicken with fries and tzatziki, everything tasty and great👨🏽‍🍳

Absolutely amazing place. The owner is so friendly and speaks multiple languages, we had many good conversations. The food was made with a huge heart and homemade raki is super tasty!

Top quality grilled meat and warm and friendly service from Antonio. He's a great chef and a real gentleman. Make sure to eat here when in Gjirokastër.

We went there during our trip to Djirokastra. Good local traditional restaurant! I recommend this place. We had 2 main courses, salad, bread, 1l wine and the price was very nice. The owner is friendly person and he speaks English very well.

The owner of the restaurant was so nice and friendly. The food was very good. We took lamb, pork and chicken, as well Salad and fries. It was very yummy. The prices were absolutely ok. Go there if you want good food and a friendly environment.

A great local place. Without the 'traditional' in the name, but definitely traditional in the spirit. The owner is super friendly, welcoming, and speaks fluent English.

We had two portions of grilled lamb, which was tender and tasty. We left only empty plates, hence no pictures of food :)

Definitely worth the stroll down from the packed old town.

Beautiful place, with a very good food. Fish was the best. The owner is very polite and a good cook. I recomend this place if you want to eat fresh prepared food. Well done.

Very good mix of grilled meats and vegetables at very reasonnable price. We also loved the house red wine. We had a very nice evening to end our stay in Girokastra.

Antonio is unusual. He asked everyone their names, and when he realized my daughter's name was Susanna, not Joanna, he played the hit song " Suzanna, Suzanna, Suzanna! I'm crazy loving you!" It was very nice ;)
Meat prepared in a brilliant way, delicious. Also the grilled cheese was delicious. I highly recommend :)
And greetings to Antonio from a big family from Poland ;)

Antonio, you're probably the nicest albanian ever to be born.
We arrived at his restaurant speaking in our weird sounding language (portuguese) while desperate for shadow in a very hot summer day. Antonio got to our table with a "Ai meu deus!" and two bottles of ice cold water, ready to take our order. We had a lovely conversation in portuguese, english and even spanish: the man could do it all. And he also has mad bbq skills, too! The food was great, the glasses of beer were ice frozen, the stories were delightful. Antonio, we hope to see you again!

Antonio (the owner) and his wife were super friendly with us and their food was amazing! At first when we sat down we noticed that the menu was mostly meat and since we were a vegetarian group we explained the situation with him and he was super understanding. After we left we went around a bit and we noticed that also all the restaurants around didn’t have many vegetarian options so we came back and he arranged for us many different tasty dishes! We left the place full and happy! :)

I have been always happy with the food here! The owner is a great guy. He always tries to do his best! I do suggest to everyone visiting Gjirokastra to try the grilled lamb from this place! It Is very delicious! Thanks guys!

The food is simply amazing for the price. The owner, Antonio and his family are some beautiful people that will make you feel comfortable while you enjoy their delicious food. The place is quiet as it is not in the most touristic place of Girokastër. We got here by casualty and I can't feel more lucky to find such a good place to eat and have a good time. 100% recommended for everyone.