Melesin Distillery

Excellent food, beautiful place and great service! The traditional dishes were delicious and prepared with care. We also enjoyed the wine and gin degustation, all crafted in their own distillery, which made the experience even more unique.

The meal and wine for the evening was very good. The room was very modern and a very comfortable bed. The dogs barking late at night woke me up several times but that was the only drawback

By the time we arrived here we had been travelling around Albania for 3 weeks. We had high expectations but the reality is very different from what is promised. I fail to see how this place has been identified by Time as one of the top destinations to visit. In comparison with the quality of service, hospitality and food we received throughout our stay in Albania, Melesin Brewery ranks as the lowest - and yet, the most expensive. The only positives are the interior design and the whole concept which are great. That’s where the positives end. Very poor service - at dinner the staff were more interested in sitting together (with their friends) on the sofas reserved for hotel guests, drinking coffee etc. hardly a 4 star attitude to their jobs or their guests. The food was mediocre and choice was limited. Essentially, I ended up with chicken and chips, albeit served on a wooden platter to make it appear more special than it was. We asked for bread. It was stale. Wine is not served by the glass. As I drink white and my husband drinks red this was not helpful. My husband therefore had beer and as a non-beer drinker I opted for a bottle of white with a view to taking it away with me after dinner. Two options were presented. Surprise surprise, the one I chose (the cheapest) was not available. I declined the offer of the (expensive) alternative and stuck with water. Things went from bad to worse at breakfast. Juice (not fresh) was accompanied by bread (at least it was not stale) and donuts (quite nice) and we were asked if we wanted eggs. I declined as I don’t eat eggs. My husband said yes and had eggs and sausage and a small piece of cheese. I was not offered an alternative to eggs and sausage (unlike everywhere else we had stayed). Unbelievably however, someone in the kitchen plus the manager /waiter thought it perfectly ok to serve me a (small) piece of cheese on a plate, on its own. We were incredulous. Burst into laughter and took a photo! Attached to this review. At this point I asked if it was possible to have some yoghurt. This eventually arrived. The Melesin Brewery has great potential but it must up its game considerably when it comes to quality of service, food and professionalism. Otherwise, it will just be somewhere that looks the part but …. well, looks the part.