Croatia

In this street, the many cafes-bars-restaurants make the walker hesitate. The Puntulina, with its three terraces, its tables on the rocks, above the sea is very pleasant to have a drink. You can enjoy a cool drink during the day, an aperitif or a last cocktail with this soothing view of the sea without any opposite. As for the cuisine, the Istrian and Mediterranean menu is well thought out, with fresh pasta, grilled fish and meat, roasted vegetables, etc. The bill is higher than elsewhere, but it's a great experience.

In Croatia, Istria has the largest number of restaurants. Competition obliges in Rovinj, one feels that here the chef seeks originality. He plays with tradition and even reveals some of his recipes to interested customers. The house celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022. His specialties: ravioli with truffle flavored sauce, spaghetti with seafood, tuna carpaccio, filet of sole in sauce. The platter with fish, octopus or whole lobster (offered by the kilo) is more expensive than the platter with fried fish (sardines, cuttlefish, anchovies, squid).

On the road up to Barban, just before Marčana, a very well-restored old farmhouse with five comfortable, rustic-style rooms (air-conditioning, TV, terrace). On a half-board basis, guests enjoy local specialties such as peka-cooked meat, spit-roasted piglet, garden vegetables and fisherman's cooking. The wine cellar also has a lot to offer: malvazija, red teran, dry rosé, muscat, etc. Things to do: horse riding (Ranč Barba Tone), tree climbing (Glavani Park), sightseeing, hiking, cycling and the sea 10 km away.

Since its beginnings in Mali Ston, this oyster family has conquered Dubrovnik, Split and even Zagreb. Next to the oyster park, the company started by opening this quiet terrace overlooking the harbor. The flat oysters made its reputation. They are served plain, with a dash of lemon or, more surprisingly, grilled. The house also prepares sushi and Mali Ston popara , a kind of bouillabaisse of rock fish cooked in a court-bouillon. Finally, you must try the amazing Ston cake with macaroni!

This small tavern (konoba), 4 km from the city centre, is worth the trip. An authentic place to eat fresh fish, finely sliced or grilled whole. It is the specialty of the house since the boss is also a fisherman. The menu therefore depends on the catch of the day. His wife, who works in the kitchen, makes ample provision for antipasti, including small fries, a plate with marinated anchovies, squid and sardines, carpaccio (tuna, place) and grilled white fish as a main course. Besides, here, desserts are not neglected. Don't forget to make a reservation.

The whole Ficović family is involved in this small restaurant opened in 2005. Katarina cooks, Jadranko and the two sons take care of the fish and oysters, while their daughter Karla manages the customer reception. The prices are very reasonable for local, quality dishes. Fresh products for a fisherman's cooking, well presented in the plates. In addition, a beautiful terrace and a small private beach with showers and toilets. Reservation recommended in summer.

You'll find Komarda just outside the city walls, about 50m past the Ploče Gate, taking a right turn just before the Eastwest Club. This restaurant has been set up in a former park with a tiered terrace. It is reached by steps down to the establishment and then onto the rocks facing the old port. So much for a superb view from most of the tables. Authentic, the Mediterranean cuisine is of high quality, the meats, whole fish and vegetables grilled just right have the taste of good home cooking. Popular with Croatians.

Taverna Otto used to be a popular restaurant in Dubrovnik with a fine cuisine. Due to the pandemic, it had closed permanently. In September 2021, the owners returned with a tighter fast food concept, in the Boninovo neighborhood, where restaurants are scarcer. On the menu, we note an assertive coup de jeune with a proposal of fast food, on the spot and especially to go. Smoked BBQ ribs, hamburgers (pork, chicken or veggie), fries, salads, cold drinks, beers: it is basic, good and honest.

If you're looking for an authentic restaurant where you can meet the locals, go to Fish Food More. The locals come here because they appreciate quality, inexpensive fisherman's cooking. It's all the more enjoyable to get a glimpse of Croatian life. The menu offers a choice of grilled fish platters, accompanied by rocket salad or mashed potatoes and green shoots(blitva), seafood, shellfish pasta and home-made marinated sardines. For a cuisine that focuses almost exclusively on the sea.

Let's call it a restaurant-pizzeria-grill rather than a simple bistro! The establishment has been run since 1994 by a family from Poreč. In the vicinity of Juraj Dobrile Park and the Euphrasian Basilica, it's well placed. It's easy to recognize the two-hundred-year-old building that houses it. Here, you can enjoy a drink and a quiet meal on the terrace. The menu features seafood, lobster and grilled fish, as well as fresh pasta with truffle sauce, risotto, pizzas, full salads and grilled meats.

A tavern popular with locals, where the owners are at the stove, which is a good sign. Here, we love local dishes, recipes prepared with fresh produce and cooked over a wood fire in the pure Mediterranean tradition. Grilled meats, but above all whole fish accompanied by homemade polenta, sautéed potatoes or mixed platters of fish and seafood in sauce, scallops in sauce, squid ink risotto, all accompanied by a white Istrian wine. High price, however.

In a pleasant setting, a family-run hotel-restaurant with eight comfortable rooms, arranged on the first floor, doubles, a triple and a suite. Some of them have a view of the sea. The restaurant is well known in Rabac. It offers fisherman's cuisine, seafood, scampi, squid and grilled fish, fresh pasta or shellfish risotto, as well as meat dishes, such as beef filet with white truffles or veal piccata with lemon.

A superb setting with a beautiful terrace facing the ramparts for this gastronomic restaurant. The menu is classic and the cuisine is meticulous. Fish, lobsters, octopus and shellfish are presented at the beginning of the meal. The fish of the day, sold by the kilo, is interesting to share in group. The cooking on the stone barbecue, on which the chef grills meat and fish, reproduces traditional methods but the accompaniment, steamed or grilled vegetables, is a little too little. A meal with a rather high price tag and a pleasant refined atmosphere.