Grilled fish a few metres from your sunbed, mussels in white wine, raki you didn't order but received anyway — lunch as the Riviera intends it.
Food · long lunches
Order lunch
As long as it takes
Livadhi or Himarë
Livadhi's tavernas are the reason 'a quick lunch' doesn't exist on this beach. Set right on the pebbles along the bay, they work to a simple formula perfected over generations: the morning's fish on the grill, mussels steamed in white wine and garlic, village salad under good local olive oil, cold Korça beer — and the afternoon dissolving pleasantly somewhere between courses.
Most pair with the sunbeds in front of them, so the commute from swim to table is barefoot and brief. Ask what's fresh rather than ordering from memory, accept the raki that arrives with the bill, and plan nothing ambitious afterwards.
The tavernas line Livadhi's beach road, five minutes' drive north of Himarë — most offer parking and sunbeds for diners.
Fish is often priced by the kilo — ask to see the day's catch and agree the price before it hits the grill. Mussels (midhje) and grilled octopus are the safe-bet classics.
Lunch from 1pm onward stretches naturally into the afternoon; sunset tables at the bay's northern end are the evening prize. Cash is still king at the smaller places.
The full Livadhi guide — sunbeds, free sections, calm water and where to stay on the bay.
Apollon's Apartments is a five-minute drive over the headland — sea-view balconies above Himarë.
The coastal stroll over the headland into Himarë town is the perfect post-lunch hour.
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