Çka Ka Qëllu, a New York-based Albanian restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide for two years, has opened its fourth location in Westwood, its first in New Jersey. NJ.com’s review praised its traditional dishes and atmosphere but found portions small.
Ramiz Kukaj opened the original New York restaurant in 2017 after his son asked where he could find Albanian food. Kukaj and his family are from Kosovo. He said the menu draws on recipes collected from the 18th and 19th centuries; the New York Times has named the restaurant among the city’s 100 best for four years.
The menu includes tavë kosi, a baked lamb casserole, and mantia, veal dumplings wrapped in phyllo. The reviewer said the $28.75 mixed-grill platter had only a handful of meat pieces and few sides; trilece, an Albanian take on tres leches, was the only dessert listed.
