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When I heard there was a restaurant in Tirana serving up a 7-course tasting menu for just €30, I thought, “There’s got to be a catch.” Spoiler: there was and wasn’t. More on that soon.
Set just beside the Grand Park, Mullixhiu feels like a cozy farmhouse meets fine dining, where every detail is rooted in Albanian tradition. The chef, Bledar Kola, is kind of a big deal — he worked in world-famous restaurants but came back to Albania to put a creative, thoughtful spin on traditional dishes.
Think homemade pasta, fermented veggies, wild herbs, and fresh bread made from flour they mill themselves. So does Mullixhiu live up to its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Tiranan? Let’s take a closer look.
Article overview
Mullixhiu Restaurant
You know I love a good restaurant guide, I have created popular ones for the best restaurants in Kraków and Kuta Lombok. But this time I wanted to talk more in detail about a specific dining experience.
Mullixhiu in Tirana is the culinary vision of Chef Bledar Kola, who honed his skills at renowned restaurants like Noma and Fäviken before returning to Albania to reimagine his homeland’s cuisine.
At Mullixhiu, Kola blends traditional Albanian recipes with modern techniques, emphasizing sustainability and the use of locally sourced, organic ingredients.
The restaurant’s name, meaning “miller” in Albanian, reflects its commitment to heritage, evident in its in-house milling of grains for fresh bread and pasta.
Diners can experience this philosophy through seasonal tasting menus that offer a contemporary yet authentic taste of Albania’s rich culinary traditions.
Set on the lower level of what looks like a ’70s apartment building, there’s a huge contrast between the exterior and interior. They have done a great job of outfitting the restaurant to feel like an old, cozy cottage.
But what really surprised me about the visit was the serene location next to the entrance of Grand Park (Parku i Madh) and the Artificial Lake. It’s only a short walk from the trendy Blloku neighborhood, but feels like a quiet escape from the city noise. I’m happy we sat aside an hour before our reservation to go for a walk around the lake.
While I knew food in Albania is still very affordable, I didn’t have huge expectations for a €30 (3000 Albanian lek) tasting menu. This was also one of the first meals I ever had in Albania, so I went in with an open mind.
I prefer an early dinner, so I made a reservation for 18:00. We were greeted at the entrance and quickly shown to our table. Only two other parties were present, so the restaurant was nice and quiet.
After we put in our drink order, we were told we would find our cutlery in the drawers of the old table. Mine, however, was missing, so I had to ask the waiter.
Keep in mind that the menu changes with the seasons; this was in August and it was called metamorphoses. I also forgot to photograph the dish called Trahana, which consisted of fermented grains and mulberries. But you’ll see the six others below.
For our first course, we got a zucchini salad, which was beautifully vibrant and one of the highlights of the evening. The zucchini and plums still had a nice bite to them and the vinaigrette was tangy and sweet.
Our second dish was more hearty, a soup called Ali Pasha. It’s named after Ali Pasha of Tepelena, a historical figure who ruled over large parts of the Balkans under the Ottoman Empire.
I think the original recipe for this meatball soup, “Pasha qofte”, originated in one of my favorite Albanian cities, called Gjirokastër. When I first tasted it, I thought of a slow-cooked oatmeal. But then the savoriness of the meat came through. Not my favorite, but tasty enough.
Looking at the menu, I was a little confused about our third dish, described as globe-cooked rice. So when it hit the table, I was excited to see what I thought would be similar to Arancini (Italian rice balls).
However, the flavor disappointed. It was very one-dimensional, all I could taste was salt and sour. I wish it had some kind of garnish to at least lift the appearance a bit.
Then it was time for our fourth dish, the Fli. And wow, it was delicious. I wish I could’ve had three more servings. The flaky pastry, the super soft and tender beef cheek with a sweet honey sauce and just a bit of tang from the cheese. Yum! My mouth is watering just from writing this.
Fli (also spelled Flija) is a traditional dish common across northern Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. It is a slow-baked layered pancake cooked on coal and brushed with cream or butter between each layer.
Our fifth dish, the Trahana that I forgot to photograph, was again okay, a little one-dimensional. To be honest, I didn’t really want to finish it. But it was one of the only dishes with some color.
The main dish, a whole quail on polenta, was also just okay. Haha, I’m sorry, I’m not the best food reviewer. The meat was perfectly cooked, however, I just can’t deal with the gamey flavor. I would have liked more polenta and plum sauce, or some kind of pickled garnish to cut through.
Then, one and a half hours later, it was time for dessert. We got a slice of Qumështor, which is a milk pudding cake, topped with vanilla ice cream and some honey. It was a light and tasty finish to the meal, just the right amount of sweetness.
Overall, the speed of service and timing between the dishes were great. Our waiter explained every dish, however, they got shorter and quicker as the evening progressed. Here’s a quick reel I made from the experience.
Final thoughts
While I don’t know if Mullixhiu is one of the best restaurants in Tirana, it was honestly one of the most interesting dining experiences I’ve had in the Balkans. I love their ethos of making as much as possible in-house.
I left Mullixhiu pleasantly surprised that for just €30 I’d experienced a tasting menu that, despite a few dishes not quite hitting the mark, felt like great value.
The quiet, beautifully appointed space made the evening feel special from the moment we arrived, and while a couple of courses were more muted in flavor, the highlights—particularly a perfectly executed Fli—reminded me why traditional Albanian ingredients can be so exciting in the hands of a creative chef.
I would have loved to also try their á la carte menu, but all in all, it’s an affordable experience well worth having. But my favorite meal we had in Tirana was at Oda Garden.
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