Piatto D’Oro is a waterside fish restaurant on the Patok lagoon near Fushë-Kuqe, between Laç and Lezhë. Grilled fish, fried fish platters and seafood pasta are served in a timber-clad dining hall with a wine wall, or outside on a palm-lined terrace looking across the water to the mountains.
Why We Love It
The setting does a lot of the work here: palms, still lagoon water and a mountain backdrop that turns a plate of grilled fish into a proper afternoon out. The wooden hall is warm and spacious, which makes it an easy choice for big family tables on a weekend.
Sarda is a seaside restaurant at Rana e Hedhun in Shëngjin, serving Mediterranean food since 2021. Fresh Adriatic seafood, pasta and wood-fired pizza come out to a breezy covered terrace with checkerboard floors and turquoise chairs, open from breakfast until late.
Why We Love It
The blue and white terrace under the pines has the easy rhythm of a summer lunch that nobody wants to end. Grilled prawns, a plate of mussels and a cold beer, with the beach a minute away, is about as much planning as Shëngjin should ask of anyone.
Solmar is a seafood restaurant on the Wilson promenade in Shëngjin, a short walk from the beach. The menu is built around the Adriatic catch, with grilled fish, octopus, mussels, shrimp linguine and cold seafood starters alongside pizzas and steaks, served in a bright, casual room that spills onto the seafront terrace.
Why We Love It
On a summer evening the tables outside fill early and the promenade crowd queues at the door for a plate of mussels or shrimp linguine that tastes like it came off the boat that morning. Service is quick and friendly, and the sunset tables are worth asking for.
Stomi Restaurant is a lagoon-side seafood restaurant in Ishull-Shëngjin, near Lezhë, opened in 2021 and set among greenery at the water's edge. The Mediterranean menu is built around fresh fish and seafood, served in an indoor dining room, on a waterfront terrace, or in a private room for larger groups.
Why We Love It
The lagoon does half the work here: still water on every side, fishing nets on the horizon and a wooden pier that turns gold at sunset. Grilled octopus and the day's catch arrive simply plated, which is exactly what the setting calls for.
Giardino Della Pace is a pizzeria and café set in a large garden on the main road at Ishull-Lezhë, just outside Lezhë. Wood-fired pizzas are the main event, backed by coffee, croissants, desserts and a wine list, with seating spread between a glass-walled dining room and a garden terrace shaded by palms and full of flowers.
Why We Love It
The smell of the wood oven reaches you before the pizza does, and the thin, blistered crust topped with cured ham and rocket is worth pulling off the road for. Afterwards the garden, with its bright sofas and flower beds, is a pleasant place to linger over a coffee before driving on.
