Modern Mediterranean · Est. Tirana
Fire, Seasonality,
Mediterranean Soul.
Wood-fired cooking, market produce and coastal traditions, reimagined for the modern table.
Modern Mediterranean · Est. Tirana
Wood-fired cooking, market produce and coastal traditions, reimagined for the modern table.
Our Philosophy
EMBER & OLIVE was born from a simple idea: the Mediterranean's best cooking has always started with fire and finished with restraint. Our kitchen works from the morning market, not a fixed script — bringing in what the coast, the groves and the hills offer that week.
Every plate moves between old traditions and a modern hand: charred vegetables from the hearth, hand-pulled pastas, and olive oil pressed from groves we visit ourselves. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is decorative for its own sake.
12
Years Open
100%
Seasonal Sourcing
40+
Wines by the Glass
Chef's Story
Executive Chef & Founder
Raised between her grandmother's kitchen on the Albanian coast and the wood-fired restaurants of southern Italy, Elira trained across Mediterranean kitchens before returning home to open EMBER & OLIVE in a converted olive press.
“I don't cook nostalgia. I cook the ingredient in front of me, the way the fire wants to treat it that day. Everything else is just technique in service of that.”
Today she leads a small kitchen built around the hearth, a hand-cranked pasta table, and a cellar she curates personally with regional winemakers.
The Kitchen's Favorites
Slow-braised, finished over embers, olive ash aioli, preserved lemon.
Hand-rolled pasta, saffron cream, Adriatic prawns, bottarga.
Twelve-hour roast, olive and rosemary crust, charred greens.
The Cellar
Our cellar holds close to two hundred labels drawn from small Mediterranean producers — the Albanian Riviera, coastal Italy, Greece and southern France — chosen for character over prestige.
Ask our sommelier for a pairing built around your table's menu, or request the reserve list for something rarer from the back of the cellar.
Request the Full Wine ListThe Dining Experience
Low light, olive-green banquettes and a view straight into the open hearth kitchen.
Six seats at the hearth for a tasting menu narrated by the kitchen itself.
A closed room for up to fourteen guests, built around a custom set menu.
Guests Say
“The octopus alone is worth the reservation. Everything felt considered, from the light to the last course.”
Dritan M.
Verified Guest
“A rare kind of restaurant that trusts the ingredient. The wine pairing our sommelier built was flawless.”
Elena K.
Verified Guest
“We booked the Chef's Table for an anniversary. It was theatre, but the kind that never feels staged.”
Marco T.
Verified Guest
Gallery
Opening Hours
The Chef's Table and Private Olive Room require booking at least 48 hours in advance.
Reservations
Tables are held for fifteen minutes past booking time. For parties of eight or more, please contact us directly.
Contact & Location
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