Coffee Culture in Saranda: Why You’ll Never Want to Drink It in a Rush Again

There’s this thing that happens when people come to Saranda for the first time. 

They expect to be wowed by the sea—and they are, obviously. That turquoise shimmer of the Ionian is hard to beat. But what catches most people off guard isn’t the coastline. 

It’s the coffee. 

Not the drink itself—although Albanian espresso is strong, smooth, and oddly comforting. No, it’s the ritual around it. The way time seems to bend when someone says, “Do you want to grab a coffee?” 

Because here in Saranda, coffee doesn’t mean caffeine. It means connection. 

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Coffee Is a Lifestyle Here 

Let’s just get this out of the way: if you’re used to ordering your latte in a to-go cup while half-scrolling through your phone on the way to a meeting, you’ll need to rewire your brain a bit. 

In Saranda, you don’t rush coffee. 

You sit down. You talk. Sometimes for 10 minutes. Sometimes for two hours. I’ve seen people do business deals, catch up on family gossip, or sit in total silence watching the sea—all over a single macchiato. 

One of my favorite places is this tiny bar on Rruga Skënderbeu. It doesn’t even have a name outside, just a faded Illy logo and a few plastic chairs. But the view? Incredible. You sit above the main road, looking out over the marina. Locals swear by the place. 

And that’s the thing— coffee culture in Saranda isn’t fancy, it’s intentional. 

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Real Estate Happens Over Espresso 

I can’t tell you how many property viewings I’ve ended with, “Let’s sit and grab a quick coffee,” only for it to turn into an entire conversation about life, dreams, and which seaview apartment feels more them . 

Last week, I showed a client a beachfront duplex in Ksamil . They loved it. But they weren’t sure—too many decisions. So we sat down for a coffee near the promenade in Saranda. One espresso in, and they said, “This is it. I want a life where I get to do this every day.” 

That’s when I knew they were ready. 

(And if you’re curious which apartment it was— here’s the listing .) 

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From Gossip to Deals 

Something that surprises a lot of foreigners is how much of Albanian life happens at the café table. 

Weddings are planned. Politics are debated. Real estate is negotiated. And it’s not uncommon to sit down with a cappuccino and end up with a new business partner. 

There’s a table near Limani—the café everyone knows—that has unofficially belonged to the same five retired gentlemen for at least a decade. Rain or shine, they sit there, glasses of water and tiny espressos in front of them, discussing who bought what land, whose cousin got engaged, and whether this summer will be busier than the last. 

In many ways, they’re the real market analysts around here. 

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A Tangent on Tiny Spoons 

Okay—side note. Have you noticed how small the coffee spoons are in Albania? I mean really tiny. Like, dollhouse tiny. 

I mentioned it once to a friend from Tirana and he said, “It’s so you don’t stir too much. The coffee’s already good.” 

Can’t argue with that logic. 

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