Shkodër has a stronger restaurant scene than its size suggests, with two distinct strands: traditional northern Albanian places along the pedestrian street, and a handful of newer Italian-influenced restaurants and wine bars opened in the past decade. Lake fish is the local speciality — carp, eel, and the freshwater bleak called gjuhëzë, all best at the lakeside restaurants in Shiroka.
The northern Albanian cuisine in general is hearty and meat-heavy: spit-roasted lamb, slow-cooked beans (fasule), polenta with mountain cheese. Locally produced raki — the clear grape spirit — is poured generously before meals. Cafés are everywhere and the espresso is consistently good (a legacy of Italian influence from across the Adriatic).