A whole fish, the grill, and the beach below the terrace.

Valentino stands on the seafront promenade at Spile, in Himarë, its name above the pergola in red letters lit white. Inside, terracotta tile and timber beams; outside, awnings, woven lanterns and the Ionian. The cooking is Albanian and it leans on the sea.

Directions See the plates

The VALENTINO sign lit above the pergola on the Himarë seafront at night, red letters with white-lit faces, set tables and rope-weave armchairs beneath

Rated 4.5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor.

What comes out

Three plates, photographed at the table.

A whole fish, crisp-skinned, with chips and lemon, close — A whole fish
Crisped through, laid on a fish-shaped plate with chips and a wedge of lemon.

Linguine with mussels, two prawns and strips of squid, close — Linguine and shellfish
Mussels in the shell, two prawns, strips of squid, green herb through the sauce.

Grilled octopus with lemon and two dark croquettes on a copper-glazed plate, close — Octopus, grilled
Curled on a copper-glazed plate with lemon and two dark croquettes.

All of them, full size

The indoor dining room, terracotta tiled floor and timber-beamed ceiling, opening through folding glass onto a lit terrace and the sea — The room, looking out to the terrace

One long room, then the terrace.

The glazed front folds back, so the tiled room and the awninged terrace become a single space running out toward the water. Rope-weave armchairs, live-edge timber tables, pines along the front, and the beach and the Ionian beyond them.

Look at the terrace

Retractable awnings and a pergola over the terrace, woven rattan lanterns hanging beneath them, pines and the Ionian behind

Finding it

Spile, Himarë

How to get here

A whole fish, the grill, and the beach below the terrace.

Three plates, photographed at the table.

A whole fish

Linguine and shellfish

Octopus, grilled

One long room, then the terrace.