The best restaurants Croatia

Timetable

In Croatia's small towns and villages, ports and seaside resorts, you'll always find a restaurant, a konoba or gostionica (tavern), a local fast-food joint, or something open in summer. Opening hours vary from one establishment to another, generally between midday and 2pm and between 7.30pm and 10pm. On the other hand, the winter break can turn historic resort centers, seaside promenades or tourist harbors into veritable culinary deserts!

If you want to treat yourself to a meal in a gourmet restaurant or a well-known establishment with a well-placed table with a view, it's best to book in advance.

Budget & Tips

Since the beginning of 2023, with full entry into the euro zone, there has been a noticeable surge in restaurant prices. Of course, this is most noticeable in major tourist cities, seaside resorts and islands.

Starter/dessert: €5 to €10.

Hot dish: €9 to €20 and more for grilled red meat, fish and seafood.

Local wine list: from €12/l.

Menu prices vary according to the establishment's standing, from around €30 to €50 for a gastronomic table.

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 à la carte restaurants, bread and cutlery are not always included. They appear as extras on the bill. Menus generally include dishes, cutlery and service, but not a carafe of water; you should order a liter or half-liter bottle of still or sparkling water as you would any fresh drink.

The local way

In restaurants and taverns(konoba), some traditional specialties should be ordered in advance. For example, the complete meat or fish dish simmered in the peka (cast-iron bell): ≃ 35-40 € for 2 people. The menu, meat or fish, for two people, is also often à la carte. Count between €25 and €50 for a platter to share.

Typical dishes can be sampled at the restaurant. A la carte prices vary according to location: on the coast, in mainland Croatia or on the islands, where food and drink are much more expensive. Smoked ham(pršut): ≃ 10-12 € per 100 g portion. Smoked ham and AOC sheep's cheese(paški sir) starter: ≃ 10-12 €. Octopus salad with olive oil (potatoes, tomatoes, onions, capers): ≃ 10-12 €. Štrukli with cheese (a kind of lasagne, a Zagreb specialty): ≃ 8-10 €. Black risotto with squid ink(crni rižot): ≃ 11-13 €. Peppers(punjene paprike) or stuffed kale leaves(sarma) with meat: ≃ 8-11 €. Fried or grilled squid: ≃ 12-14 €.

If you order white wine at the table, don't be surprised if you're brought two bottles, one for wine, the other with sparkling water. Locals love the refreshing side of white wine, just as they order the charcuterie/cheese plate as an appetizer and appreciate red wine from the fridge!

You'll find plenty of fast-food outlets, snack bars and bakeries(pekara) that prepare pizzas, burgers, but also čevapi sandwiches (small spicy sausages) with French fries and salad, burek (meat or vegetable friands), cheese pita.

Other local idiosyncrasies include the marenda, a morning snack, savory or sweet, taken between 10 and 11 a.m. and lasting until late lunch, while the buffet, unlike in France, is not a self-service buffet, but a popular address, where you can quickly eat simple, traditional and inexpensive cuisine.

Seasonal rentals with gardens often include a summer kitchen area. It's a great way to save money by having meals directly "at home". Sometimes, it's a good idea to get together with the locals, who are happy to offer a tasting of local wine, pastries and other specialties of the house.

To be avoided

In some Croatian 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. It's not always easy to judge when you're shown it whole in the dish before cooking! How can you be sure that the weight on the order is correct? That the cooked fish is really the one presented to you raw? If possible, ask the locals for advice, as they know all about these dubious practices and the good or bad reputation of 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 restaurants in tourist areas, which usually display printed maps.

Smokers

Smoking has been banned in restaurants and cafés in Croatia since 2009, but it is not unusual for some establishments to allow smokers.

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 are enough 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.