STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Steaming borek bread loaves and hand-made kebabs are part of the draw to Alba Cafe and Market. Located at 1880 Hylan Blvd on Staten Island’s East Shore, Alba Market combines a butcher shop, grocery store, and restaurant under one roof to create a vibrant hub of Albanian cuisine.
This cultural destination is helmed by Artie Shiani, who immigrated from Macedonia and Albania in 2018. The former lawyer now manages multiple roles as cook, expeditor, server, and host at Alba Cafe and Restaurant.
“I finished law school in my country and came to America for a better life and more opportunities for my kids,” Shiani explains. “I love making people happy. Whatever I do in the kitchen, I do with love.”
Exploring the dairy aisle
Despite its modest size, Alba Market offers an impressive selection of imported specialties. The shelves showcase European cheeses from Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania. Customers can find homemade Bulgarian yogurt and specialty butters in the dairy section, including a margarine commonly used in traditional Balkan sweets.
At the butcher counter, in-house butcher Eddie ensures all meats are cut fresh each day. “Every day the meat here is fresh,” Shiani emphasizes. “We do the best for the customer to enjoy the food and the meat.” The selection includes steaks, organ meats like liver and kidney, and house-made sausages such as kebabs – also known regionally as qebap or ćevapi.
A highlight among the market’s offerings is ajvar, a roasted red pepper spread central to Albanian cuisine. According to a local food editor, “There’s like 20 different kinds of ajvar. Some are plain pepper, and some are mixed with eggplant.”
Other market staples include nuts for baking and cooking, imported beverages, tinned fish, frozen phyllo dough and honey with varying degrees of floral notes. Firm and crumbly halva come in assorted flavors like pistachio, chocolate and rosewater.
What distinguishes Alba, though, is its commitment to homemade food. The attached restaurant prepares everything from scratch daily, including burek (spelled borek on the menu) — a flaky pastry with meat, cheese, or spinach fillings that’s hand-rolled each morning.
Everything fresh
“It’s not like frozen phyllo,” Shiani points out, nodding toward his colleague Eddie. “That guy comes in early every morning to make the dough, stretching it like pizza.”…