Oda Tirana – A toast to traditions

To all foodaholics - do yourself a favor and listen carefully what I have to say: Albanian food is simply delicious, and if life hasn't brought you here yet, it must be mad at you, obviously.

Anyway, let's talk about wild thoughts now, like the existence of a restaurant in Tirana, named Oda, where one can taste traditional food and drinks from many corners of the Albanian land. If that's not a wild thought then I don't know what is. (You are supposed to laugh)

Oda is a typical old Albanian house turned into a "museum" restaurant where the whole decoration has a lot to say about Albanian customs and traditions. 'Oda' itself (as a word) used to be the biggest room of every house, equipped with a fireplace and traditional decors from the Middle Ages and earlier. In few words it was the room of the house that the owner used to "brag" about.

At Oda restaurant you can choose where to sit between two rooms: one for small groups and another one for larger groups. But don't worry, the food is the same and since I mentioned it, the good news is that there are traditional dishes suitable for vegetarians too. And that's good news because Albanians are, and have always been, "sworn" omnivores (sorry for the generalization but I had to).

Last but not least, as the tradition wants it, an Albanian meal isn't complete without raki, wine and lots of toasts, so cheers!