Nightlife
Tirana street art
Despite the closure of clubs and many bars due to the pandemic, Tirana’s nightlife is back on track this summer, offering an awful lot of variety within easy walking distance. For many, the fun still starts with the lively and traditional xhiro (mass evening stroll), and ends more often than not somewhere in the bustling Blloku area in the early hours of the morning. Tirana has seen a gradual adoption of hipster culture in recent years, and their taste for quality and craft beers is a welcome addition to a scene that for long has been dominated by the botoxed-up Fashion TV crowd with their sweet pink drinks. Note that Albanians still prefer sipping coffee to serious drinking, with foreigners often being the only ones knocking back the hard stuff.
BARS CHARL’S BISTRO An eclectic and fashionable 30-something crowd populates this fantastic lounge bar specialising in Western hits from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. The somewhat oddly spelt venue has admirably been going for almost two decades, hosting live music acts as well as party events on weekend evenings, and Latin dancing on Wednesdays. The cocktail bar in the lush small garden spits out great drinks all week, plus there’s a good menu of food available to soak up the excess alcohol.QH‑4, Rr. Pjetër Bogdani 36, tel. +355 69 831 65 84, www.charlsbistro.al. Open 07:30-04:00AM; Sat 08:00-03:00. €€. NPGBE CHEERS IRISH PUB Pandering to every popular culture stereotype imaginable, this perfectly adequate place to drink and be merry features an admirable stockade of German beer behind the bar, burgers and other pub food on the menu, and is more often than not overflowing with customers during the evening. The stage at the back regularly hosts DJs and live music - on our recent visit a Pink Floyd cover band trying to remember when they were young.QH‑3, Rr. Pjetër tirana.inyourpocket.com
SYMBOL KEY P Air-conditioning
A Credit cards accepted
T Child-friendly
U Facilities for the disabled
E Live music
G Non-smoking
B Outside seating
Bogdani 39/1, tel. +355 67 203 60 11. Open 07:00-02:00. APGBE HEMINGWAY Operating along the lines of a Hemingway-Cuba theme but throwing in a lot of other cultural references along the way, find chairs and suitcases stuck to the walls and a crowd of drinkers frequenting this bar just northwest of the city centre. Friday evenings herald a weekly live music event which tends to attract big crowds. Hemingway also organises the amazing 1920s-themed Jazz train trip to Shkodra around April 30, with much dressing up and dancing.QE‑3, Rr. Kont Urani 2, tel. +355 69 208 81 21, www.hemingway.al. Open 05:00-1:00; Fri 06:00-1:00; Sat 07:00-1:00; closed Sun. GBE ILLYRIAN SALOON A favoured location for the rocker crowd in Tirana, you’ll often find live music at weekends featuring somewhat famous local acts, with no cover charge. Cheap drinks are the aim of the game here and there is a sense of camaraderie amongst patrons, as long as you fit the vibe. Set below street level, the saloon atmosphere is certainly evident from the wooden features, flowing whiskeys and of course the Wild Wild West-style doors, made for a dramatic entrance.QI‑4, Rr. Perlat Rexhepi, tel. +355 69 211 6800. Open 16:00-2:00. APBE 2022
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