Taverna Lazaro — Restaurant in Berat Municipality

I definitely would not recommend this taverna.

Actually, it looks like more a tourist trap rather than a decent place to have your lunch or dinner. Here is a good example, when reviews on Google maps do not reflect the reality since these reviews became my criteria to choose this restaurant in Berat.

Moreover, I can barely understand what made others to provide such high ratings here.

So, I paid 1600 lek for my dinner composed of Greek salad, chips, lamb chops, small espresso and small water. The meals could be seen in my photos here. The salad was pretty average, but the lamb was awful - 4 small pieces consisted mainly of bones and fat and extremely fried. Chips with traditional herbs were nice though. It's my 4th week in Albania and perhaps I had the worst meal here, especially for that level of pricing. Also, I was disappointed with the size of meals, being still a bit hungry after such a "dinner", thus had to visit the nearby supermarket. For instance, I paid about 1200 lek for a similar dinner in Ksamil (which is one of the most expensive areas on Albanian Riviera). However, the lamb in Ksamil was awesome: reasonably sized chunks with almost no fat and bones. Again, I have already been in Korce, Pogradec, Permet, Gjirokaster, Saranda, Ksamil, Himare and in a number of smaller places, so I am pretty aware of how the meals here should look like and its adequate pricing.

In addition, I was not offered with any complimentary rakia after finishing my "awesome" dinner as it's mentioned here in reviews. I totally understand that it's not an obligation to offer free drink to the guests, yet you expect something after reading all these positive reviews.

And yes, the owner was not friendly - no smile at all. That was quite surprising, especially after visiting dozens of restaurants and cafes in different...

Disappointing Experience Due to Unexpected Charges I visited Taverna Lazaro with my group, hoping for a pleasant dining experience near the beautiful Berat Castle. Initially, the service was good, and the staff’s behavior was nice, which set a positive tone for our meal. The food, while decent, was a bit oily for my taste, but it was still acceptable overall. However, our experience took a disappointing turn when we received the bill. We had ordered two of the same dish, “Qofte,” as shown on the receipt (line 4 and line 9). The first portion was priced at 200 lek, which was fine, but the second portion of the same dish was charged at 250 lek—an extra 50 lek for no clear reason. When we asked about the discrepancy, the staff explained that the additional charge was due to “garnishing.” This explanation felt strange and unreasonable, as there was no noticeable difference between the two dishes, and such a practice wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the menu. I’ve attached the receipt as proof, where you can see the two “Qofte” entries with different prices (200 lek and 250 lek). The total came to 3,500 lek, but this unexpected charge left a sour taste. It’s not about the money—50 lek is a small amount—but the principle behind it. Adding an extra fee for something as trivial as garnishing, without transparency, felt dishonest and spoiled what could have been a nice dining experience. Overall, while the service and atmosphere were initially pleasant, this incident with the bill overshadowed everything else. I hope the management reconsiders such practices to ensure future customers don’t feel misled. Unfortunately, I left feeling disappointed and...

Dinner at Taverna Lazaro was incredible. The restaurant is very beautiful inside and out and has a very homey feel. We arrived on the later end of the evening and were greeted by a friendly man (maybe the owner) who welcomed us to choose any table that we wanted. He spoke very good English and we asked him to serve us an authentic meal from Berat. He was happy to oblige and served us an amazing meal of salad with tomato, cucumber, cheese and olives on a bed of lettuce, grilled platter of vegetables, peppers stuffed with rice, fergese, potatoes, bread and meatballs. All was delicious, fresh and filling. After dinner, he offered us his home-made Raki, which was delicious and on the house. If you want a great meal, great ambiance, excellent service and a great value, you need to eat here. You won’t be...