Sail and dine with style
Wherever you drop your anchor while sailing through the beautiful Croatian coast, you can be sure you will moor close to a traditional Croatian restaurant. Along the Adriatic coast, you will find the freshest and most delicious ingredients, local menus that are designed to blow you away. We are not talking about minimalist portions on your plate. NO WAY! We are talking about recipes that have been passed down from one generation to another.
These traditional restaurants will WOW you with exquisite fresh meat or fish, if you decide to visit the local restaurant on one of the islands. If you prefer fusion of traditional and modern dishes, then be sure to go to a larger city on the coast.
If you are vegetarian, do not worry, there are a lot of options you can choose from, but remember, Croatia is a nation of meat-lovers, but on the coast, you will find a lot of recipes with fish and seafood. If your trips take you to Istria, you will taste seafood prepared in sauces and Italian style pasta, but in Dalmatia, you will be served straight from the grill.
Since the Croatian islands and the coast are best explored by boat (yacht, catamaran, gulet or motor boat) and since many of the restaurants bellow listed have their own moorings or anchorages, you will be free to enjoy your meals in secluded bays.
Antonio’s, Marinkovac Island, Hvar
Near the island of Hvar lies Marinkovac, a small island known to sailors for its picturesque, lavender-scented scenery surrounding the restaurant and bar Antonio's. From the scattered deck chairs on terraces that are situated in the front of the restaurant, the guests can gaze out across the waters of Zdrilca Bay with their pre-dinner glass of local white or red wine. This is a perfect time to relax while your meal is being prepared. The whole experience of dining is enhanced by the surrounding pine trees and fragrant rosemary bushes.
The restaurant gets its seafood (octopus, black mussels, sea bass or red scorpion) straight from the surrounding sea, so the owners will make sure that everything you eat is perfect and fresh four your taste buds to enjoy.
House specialties are white fish gregada cooked over an open fire with potatoes and local spices, and lobster in a spicy tomato sauce locally known as Brudet. For your sweet tooth, you can try homemade regional desserts like kremsnita (a vanilla cream cake) and crepes with hot cherries with cooling ice cream.
The restaurant is perfect for extended family and informal dining with good food and good wine.
Zlatne skoljke, Skradin
Skradin is located up the Krka River estuary past the town of Sibenik and it is a charming small town with a marina and moorings in the town quay. This restaurant is the highlight of Skradin and it is family owned and managed.
The restaurant prides itself on its seafood dishes but unlike many, it also offers a wide range of meat dishes. The food reflects both local tradition and international influences since its main visitors are mainly coming from the UK, Germany, and Italy.
You can taste specialties like minced octopus patties, local Skradin risotto, and even snails. Apart from this, you can taste a variety of shellfish (e.g. Noah’s Arks) that are local to the Adriatic.
Make sure you order local wine to go with your meal, but if you prefer to taste a selection of French, Italian or other wine, you can order them too.
Zori Restaurant, Palmižana
With 60-year-old tradition in preparing local food, make sure you do not miss this restaurant on the magical island of St. Klement.
The setting of the place is marvelous, it actually overlooks the bay and its clear blue waters. The scenery of the restaurant is stylish with flower arrangements and lanterns. Like all family owned restaurants, the service and the staff is great and the food is just perfect. You can pick from a verity of seafood like octopus salad (fresh and not rubbery), grilled calamari served on a crispy salad, stuffed calamari, scampi, fig and cheese salad containing classic Dalmatian ingredients that are combined into a sweet and warm salad. Make sure you try this.
Pojoda, Island of Vis
This is the most famous restaurant on the island. It is situated in Kut (SW Part of the Vis port) and it is open the whole year round. It serves the best seafood in the all of the Adriatic. You can try up to eleven starters and the grilled fish is the main course, if you have enough room in your stomach to try it.
Pol Murvu, Island of Vis
A family owned restaurant situated in a 300 years old building in Zenja Glava. This restaurant combines both traditional fisherman and peasant culinary tradition and here you will be able to taste some of the almost forgotten seafood and meat dishes.
Kod Marka, Island of Sipan
This restaurant offers meals prepared for everyone. This means that every dish is prepared according to taste and desires of their clients that have an equal amount of the attention of the chief and the staff.
Jorja, Island of Solta
The best brudet (brodetto) at the Adriatic coast is served in this restaurant. But make sure you book your spot, because access is only possible by boat. By booking a table you make sure a berth is reserved for you since the number of the boats in Jorja is limited as is the number of guests in the restaurant.
Bora Bar, Island of Mali Lošinj
The interior of this restaurant reflects the owner’s personality and its recipies are masterpieces created by its owner and chef. The meals combine North Adriatic, Italian and Croatian culinary traditions together with the imagination of the main chef.