The best restaurants Istria

Timetable

In Istria's small towns and villages, ports and seaside resorts, you'll always find a restaurant, a konoba or gostionica (tavern), a local fast-food restaurant, or something open in summer to eat. From one establishment to another, opening times generally vary between midday and 2 - 3pm, then between 7.30pm and 10 - 11pm. Some serve at all hours. On the other hand, the winter break can turn whole districts of seaside resorts and seaside promenades in coastal towns into veritable culinary deserts. If you're looking for a gourmet restaurant or a well-known establishment with a well-placed table with a view, it's best to make a reservation!

Budget & Tips

Since 2023, with Croatia's full entry into the euro zone, restaurant prices have soared, catching up with Slovenia's relatively high prices. This is even more marked in tourist towns, seaside resorts and islands.

Menus. Prices vary according to the standing of the establishment, from around €30 to €50-70 for a tasting menu in a gourmet restaurant. In local fast-food restaurants and snack bars, a dish or a full sandwich costs €5-10 (eat-in or take-away).

A la carte meals. Starter/dessert: €5 to €8; hot dish: €15 to €20-25 or even more for grilled red meat, fish platter and seafood.

Local wine list. From €10/l; €4-5 for wine by the glass.

What costs extra

As in France, especially in tourist areas, tipping is widespread, and is sometimes included in the price. If you are satisfied with the service, in restaurants where service is not included, you can leave 10% of the bill.

In some restaurants, where dishes are chosen à la carte, bread and cutlery are not always included. This is almost systematic in Italian Istria. They appear as extras on the bill. Printed tourist menus generally include bread, cutlery and service, but not a carafe of water; you have to order a one-liter or half-liter bottle of still or sparkling water, like any other fresh drink.

The local way

In Istria, Mediterranean fisherman's cuisine meets Italian-inspired local dishes. Restaurant menus are often very similar. Mixed salads, soups (Istarska Jota, a kind of complete soup); marinated anti-pasti, fried small fish, squid, grilled fish, seafood and shellfish. Meats are often flavored with a truffle sauce. White truffle condiments are a typical Istrian specialty. Plenty of pizzas, black risotto (with squid ink), fresh pasta, homemade gnocchi, grilled southern vegetables or that unmissable blitva, a traditional Croatian recipe based on steamed potatoes, chard or green sprouts, all tossed in award-winning extra-virgin olive oil.

The charcuterie/cheese platter is traditionally ordered as an appetizer.

If you order white wine at the table, don't be surprised if they bring two bottles, one for the wine, the other with water. Locals love the refreshing effect of sparkling water with white wine, just as they enjoy red wine from the fridge in summer!

You'll find plenty of fast-food outlets, snack bars and bakeries(pekara). Try the local specialties: the čevapi sandwich (small spicy sausages), the burek (meat or vegetable pastry), the falafel pita.

The marenda, a Croatian speciality, originated in the working world. This salty or sweet morning snack, still available in some neighborhood restaurants, is eaten between 10 and 11 a.m. and lasts until late lunch.

Unlike in France, the buffet is not a self-service cafeteria, but a popular address where simple, traditional, inexpensive food can be eaten quickly.

Seasonal rentals with gardens often have a summer kitchen area, which means you have to do your own food shopping and prepare your own meals. Sometimes, the conviviality with the hosts begins with a tasting of wine, pastries and other specialties of the house.

To be avoided

Avoid seaside restaurants or pizzerias with long menus printed in several languages. Often, the freezer for meat and fish is not far away!

In some restaurants, meat dishes (lamb, veal or pig) roasted on a spit(janjetina) are sold by the cut and by weight. Count 200 to 500 g per plate. The same ambiguity applies to fresh fish, especially on the coast. Not always easy to assess when you're shown it whole in the dish before cooking! How do you know if the weight on the order is correct? How can you be sure that the cooked fish is actually the one presented to you raw? If possible, ask the locals for advice, as they know about the dubious practices of some restaurants.

Beware, too, of the price of wine by the glass: 10 cl for a glass on average. Without telling you, you may be served a 20 cl glass, which automatically doubles the price of wine by the glass. Be sure to read the different capacities on the menu.

Kids

Children's menus are often offered in tourist restaurants. In general, a basic offer of international cuisine.

Smokers

Smoking is prohibited inside restaurants, but is tolerated on the terrace.

Tourist traps

In the backstreets of tourist areas, on busy quaysides, touts often invite you to look at the menu of their restaurant, to sit down at a table, which is generally annoying. Good addresses don't need their services. Word-of-mouth and good customer reviews on the Internet or from your landlord help to promote them. On the other hand, once you've settled in, don't hesitate to take your time and have the menu explained to you.