Mare Nostrum Review

SarandaWeb
SarandaWeb 6 Min Read

The Mare Nostrum restaurant in Sarandë is probably the best restaurant you’ll find in town.

mare-nostrum-cusineYou’ll know it when you walk past it as it stands out from the rest of the restaurants in a classy, subtle way. With its white washed chairs and ‘surfer-esk’ style, it’s the kind of place you’d expect to see Jack Johnson taking his family to eat. The restaurant is soft, relaxing, has great service but best of all, the food is simply divine!

Cuisine

[adsense]The cuisine in the Mare Nostrum is a mix of Italian, Meditrranean, Greek, Albanian and fusion with the main focus being on seafood and locally sourced produce.

The owner of the restaurent travels all over the world to taste the flavours of different cuisines and expriments with different dishes, often offering samples to his more regular customers. If the feedback is good and the produce can be sourced fresh and preferrably local, then it makes it onto the menu. A great way to keep your menu exciting.

Reputation & Contact Info

[map lat=”39.8735563″ lng=”20.0060314″ width=”50%” zoom=”14″]The Mare Nostrum Cuisine is located on Ruga Jonianet 20, on the main boulevard in the center of Saranda and is currently rated on Trip Advisor as #2 of 56 restaurants in Saranda with its own Certificate of Excellence.

Contact Info

Telephone Number: +35585227263
Website: facebook.com/MareNostrumCuisine
Email: book.marenostrum@gmail.com
Opening Hours (High Season): 09:00 – 0:00, 7 days per week

Service

Happy Customers
Happy Customers

The service in the Mare Nostrum is first class, you’ll not find better (in Albania). Staff seem happy, speak multiple languages are efficient and very professional.

If you would like a small change to be made to your dish then they will do their best to accommodate but obvioulsy it depends what the request is and how busy the kitchen is.

A tip is recommended but optional.

Prices

The prices for their dishes are slightly more expensive than other restaurants but for the food and service you get it is FANTASTIC value for money.

Expect to pay in the region of 600 – 2300 leke per dish but prices will vary depending on what’s on the menu

** UPDATE: DOWNLOAD THE MARE NOSTRUM’S 2015 MENU HERE IN PDF **

[adsense]The menu is clear, simple and varied. All food is fresh, prepared to order, locally grown/caught and delicious.

Seafood in the region is exquisit and the seafood Mare Nostrum serves is no exception.

The octopus we had here is the best we’ve ever had, anywhere.

The menu varies weekly but a few dishes we’ve found on the menu before:

mare-nostrum-cusine-3Starters

  • Savory pancakes with tuna pate
  • Skewered shrimp
  • Olive tapanade
  • Feta with fig yam
  • Scampi
  • Salmon mousse

mare-nostrum-cusine-5Main Courses

  • Indonesian chicken curry
  • Sea bass
  • Pasta with chili sauce and pesto
  • Grilled calamari with yoghurt sauce
  • Octopus with white spinach sauce
  • Spiced grilled shrimp
  • Seafood linguini
  • Mussels in white wine sauce
  • Oysters with mustard and ginger
  • Veal steak
  • House salad
  • Egyptian salad
  • Pork steaks
  • Lavrax
  • Moussaka
  • Swordfish
  • Paella
  • Meatballs
  • Chicken breasts stuffed with herbs and honey
  • Zucchini fritters
  • Marinated lamb

fruit-saladDesserts

  • Stuffed Melon
  • Swiss roles with strawberry jam
  • (many others but I’m not much of a dessert man!)

Starters

Freshly baked bread with a selection of dips are normally served straight after you place your order for you to nibble on before your food arrives which I think is a classy touch.

I’ve also had complimentary savoury pancakes with tuna pate which was delicious

Local cheeses & olives are also available and small starter salads

Main Courses

Even when busy, food arrives hot and quick, the kitchen staff and wait staff clearly know what they are doing.

The main courses are perhaps a little small, especially for big eaters so it might be worth ordering a couple of dishes to share so that everyone has enough.

Presentation

2nd to the above, the presentation of the dishes is perhaps some of the best I’ve seen in the region as you’ll see in the photographs below.

Photos curtosy of Trip Advisor

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Wines and Drinks

There is a fantastic selection of wines and beers available at the Mare Nostrum, including their own Raki and a selection of soft drinks and juices.

Their local house wines are always of good quality and cheap. More expensive local wines and imported wines are also available, all hand selected by the owner.

If you would like to try a few before selecting, just ask, normally it’s no problem.

Additional Facilities

  • Accepts credit card (including American Express)
  • Has Free WiFi
  • Accepts reservations
  • Large groups excepted

Reviews on the Web

Have YOUR Say!

Have you ever been to Mare Nostrum? What was your experience of the place? Do you have a question for our community? Leave all your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. Thanks.

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