Tirana has a great underground scene – and not just because there are hundreds of bunkers buried beneath the city. Albania’s capital is filled with atmospheric, under-the-radar drinking spots that largely sprung up after the country’s emancipation in the ’90s, meaning nights out here start with seeking side streets, subterranean shopfronts and secret bunkers. Here are six worth finding.
Spy Speakeasy
A rap on a red-lit door. The rasp of a shutter scraping open. A whispered secret code. Even arriving at Spy Speakeasy is a cinematic experience – and that’s before the live jazz starts. Hidden beneath a camera repair shop, Spy Speakeasy is a Prohibition-inspired den that feels at home in a city that kept its own secrets under lock and key until the ’90s. The best seats in the house are up at the bar, where you can chat to the bartenders about their house concoctions and ponder dropping €220 on a negroni made from 1940s spirits.
Bajram Curri Blvd, Tiranë 1015; spyspeakeasy.com
Nouvelle Vague
Vague is the one thing this bar isn’t. Think ’70s disco by way of Tirana: rainbow-striped walls, vintage instruments, jazz jingling through the air… The vibe is joyfully maximalist, as is the cocktail list – the result of three years’ research across Albania by brothers Sofokli and Evis Cali. Determined to spotlight Albania’s overlooked spirits and stories, they created a menu that celebrates the country’s flavours and the people who make them. Our top tipple? Black Sabah, which reimagines the traditional post-meal coffee ritual with redistilled muscat raki.
Rruga Pjetër Bogdani, Tiranë; nouvellevaguetirana.com
Radio Bar
Unsurprisingly, there are radios at Radio Bar. Retro, Soviet-era ones, stacked like a silent Tower of Babel next to the bar. But there are also black-and-white framed portraits, teapots lined end-to-end up like a herd of elephants, and a scattering of grandma-chic lamps… the word “eclectic” comes to mind. The drinks list goes from cocktail-canon staples (eg a mean margarita) to Albanian riffs on the classics. Try a Balkan Collins if you’re a French 75 fan curious about local gin, or a kaipiraki for a figgy, raki-splashed twist on Brazil’s national serve.
Rruga Ismail Qemali, Tiranë 1000; radiobar.al
Komiteti Kafe Muzeum
If you like your cocktails with a splash of social history, follow the clink of raki glasses to Blokku. Once a neighbourhood reserved for the communist elite, it’s now home to Komiteti: a curious time capsule of a place that’s part bar, part museum. It’s crammed with 17,000 curiosities from Albania’s communist past, from vintage TVs and propaganda posters to flags and military tunics. Staff, buttoned up in Party-era garb, will happily walk you through the collection while pouring rounds of homemade raki – get the tasting flight to try all the flavours.
Rruga Papa Gjon Pali II, Tiranë; @komiteti.kafemuzeum
Illyrian Saloon
Albania meets the wild west meets ancient Greece at this below-ground bar. Named after Illyria, the ancient Greek name for Albania, the bar concept draws on the theory that Albanians descend from the ancient Pelasgians (some believe traces of the Pelasgian language survives in Albanian today). That translates to a world of timber and time travel: saloon doors, shields on the walls, rock music on replay and live bands most nights. And raki, which shows up in many of the cocktails, joined by a good selection of Albanian beers.
Rruga Perlat Rexhepi, Tiranë; @illyriansaloon
The Taproom by Pan’s Microbrewery
The Taproom is serious about beer. Tucked down a tranquil residential street, it was Tirana’s first taproom when it opened last year and has around 15 Albanian-brewed beers available on any given day – some of which are brewed on site. Retro-esque signs sit above well-worn, squashy sofas and glass-topped tables filled with old lek, giving a nostalgic feel. It’s already a magnet for Albania’s bearded beer drinkers, and who could blame them: on a sunny afternoon, little beats kicking back here with a flight of beers and a pot of peanuts in easy reach.
Rruga Komuna e Parisit, Tiranë 1019; @taproombypans
Georgie Young is digital editor of Secret Trips
