Where to eat in Croatia
- Lucy and the lens
- Sep 4, 2018
- 3 min read
Here is a rundown of a few of our favourite foodie spots while island hopping in Croatia!
1. Dubrovnik
I think the true proof of an incredible meal is the fact that I was too busy eating it to take photos. SO you'll just have to take my word for it that Taj Mahal (https://www.tajmahal-dubrovnik.com) should be at the top of your list when visiting Dubrovnik. Despite the name, it actually sells Bosnian food, believe it or not! One look at their website, and I was sold. One taste of their food, and I was double sold. At first glance, it looks similar to traditional Croatian food, but the amount of flavour that goes into their dishes makes me want to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina. And the baclava.....well, just order the baclava. We ordered one portion, then had to order another, it was so delicious.
This place fills up, for good reason - if we hadn't made a reservation, we wouldn't have got our table. It was buzzing all night, so book ahead!
2. Hvar
When we visited Hvar in Croatia, we were aware of its reputation for its nightlife, and were a little bit wary. 'Nightlife' for us usually means a quiet dinner, a bottle of wine and a sunset, so the prospect of expensive bars and clubs wasn't really doing it for us.
Luckily for us, our Air BnB host happened to also be a fan of a nice dinner bottle of wine and a sunset, and gave us some fantastic local knowledge that led to us having our best meal in Croatia full stop, at Black Pepper (www.facebook.com/blackpepperhvar).
This was our host's number one recommendation for dinner in Hvar, and we weren't disappointed! Like many of the restaurants in Hvar, you get to eat out on the steps that climb the very steep streets of the town, so it feels quite private - you're not directly sitting next to anybody else as they're either several feet above you or below you!
The meal started with an amuse bouche of polenta with cuttlefish ink, goats cheese and pesto. We then had an absolutely delicious tuna tartare with capers, and Patrick said his steak was one of the best he's had. He still dreams about it.
3. Split
Our favourite foodie experience in Split was at Uje Oil Bar (www.oilbar.hr/en). They specialise in making their own olive oil, and offer a range of dishes that incorporate several different kinds of it into their meals. We went for a bread, cheese and meat plate with copious amounts of olive oil for dipping, but the dessert was the standout: a moist lavender cake with their signature olive oil ice cream.
We arrived without making a reservation and had to wait for half an hour or so, but the good news is they have a wine bar just across the alley,where we were allowed to wait (and drink!) while our table was being prepared.
We also enjoyed dinner at Perivoj (www.facebook.com/perivoj.split). Its selling point is its romantic garden setting: you eat dinner next to a fountain while a pianist plays somewhere nearby. Both the meat dishes we ordered were full of flavour, and their signature chocolate dome dessert is as good as it looks.
We had a few misses in Croatia, too - the konobas (traditional inns serving mostly seafood and meat) can be a gamble. There are plenty of good ones out there, but do your research - we happened to choose the wrong one based on its pretty outside appearance and were served up a sad, frozen tuna steak and a gristly lump of beef. You have been warned!
Kommentare