by Jane Foster, The Telegraph, February 28, 2018
Fresh local seafood tops the menu in Dubrovnik, from octopus burgers in low-key, hole-in-the-wall eateries to slap-up sushi feasts with fresh oysters and amberjack sashimi. Other options in this city of food lovers range from hearty sandwich joints to intimate Bosnian eateries. Telegraph Travel's expert, Jane Foster, rounds up Dubrovnik's best restaurants.
Old Town
Bota Sushi & Oyster Bar
On a small raised terrace with high tables and stools shaded by big white parasols, close to the Cathedral. Bota serves fresh oysters caught on the owners farm' in the Pelješac peninsular (they can also make oyster tempura if you prefer them cooked), plus a choice of beautifully presented sushi prepared from outstanding locally-sourced fresh fish. For a celebratory feast, order the sumptuous selection of salmon maki, amberjack sashimi, tuna tartar and tiger prawn tempura, plus a bottle of champagne.
Contact: 00 385 20 324034; bota-sare.hr
Prices: £££
Opening hours: Daily, 12pm-midnight, Apr-Oct; Nov-Mar sporadic openings, sometimes weekends-only, 4pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended
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Proto
An old-fashioned and romantic establishment that dates back to 1886. The best tables are on a leafy first-floor covered terrace, plus there's a ground-floor dining room and tables on the street out front. It is widely regarded as the best fish restaurant in Dubrovnik, and specialises in classy Dalmatian seafood. You can indulge in fresh oysters from Ston, škampi na buzaru (shrimps in garlic, white wine and parsley) and whole fresh fish, served filleted. Recent illustrious customers include US film director Francis Ford Coppola and Serbian tennis player Novak Đoković.
Contact: 00 385 20 323234; esculaprestaurants.com
Prices: £££
Opening hours: Daily, 10am-11pm, Mar-Dec
Reservations: Recommended
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Azur
This restaurant on Pobijana was founded by two Dubrovnik-born brothers and serves Croatian cuisine with an Asian twist. The menu is short but innovative – most dishes are based on fresh Dalmatian seafood, with exotic flavours added by Thai spices and fragrant herbs. Think cream of pumpkin soup with croutons; stir-fried prawns with cashew nuts, lime and fresh basil; swordfish fillet in black curry sauce. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun, with tables in a whitewashed vaulted space, with stone floors, Oriental rugs, subtle lighting and mellow music.
Contact: 00 385 20 324 806; azurvision.com
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Daily, 12pm to midnight, Mar-Nov
Reservations: recommended
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Taj Mahal
This is one of the very few eateries to stay open all year in the old town, and offers a break from ubiquitous Dalmatian seafood. It's intimate: there are just five tables inside, and half-a-dozen more in the stone-paved street out front. The kitchen turns out Bosnian specialities, with an emphasis on meat. Look out for Begović čorba (creamy chicken soup with vegetables), zeljanica (spinach and cheese filo-pastry pies), charcoal grilled kebabs, and syrupy Turkish-inspired deserts such as baklava. They also serve a Bosnian breakfast, with strong gritty Turkish coffee.
Contact:00 385 20 323221; tajmahal-dubrovnik.com
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Daily, 9am-midnight, year-round
Reservations: Recommended in high season
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Kopun
On a peaceful square in front of the Jesuit Church of St Ignatius, Kopun serves traditional Croatian dishes (which combine influences from Venetian, Austrian, Hungarian and Turkish cuisine), prepared with fresh local ingredients and a modern approach. Try the rich and fruity signature dish, Kopun (castrated cockerel in honey and wild orange), the pasticada (beef stewed in wine with prunes, served with gnocchi), or the pasta with shrimps and truffle cream sauce. Everything is reasonably priced, and they serve quality Dalmatian wines, both by the glass and by the bottle.
Contact: 00 385 20 323 969; restaurantkopun.com
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Daily, 12pm-midnight, Mar-Oct; Nov-Feb sporadic openings, sometimes weekends-only
Reservations: Recommended
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Pink Shrimp Street Food
This casual-chic eatery was opened by highly regarded Dubrovnik chef Ruđer Jelavić. His signature dish – light and crispy shrimp tempura on shredded courgette with creamy soya sauce – takes pride of place, along with a limited but creative choice of shrimp-based delights, including shrimp carpaccio with honey and lemon dressing. Rather like tapas, each plate is a 'taster', so you can order several for a light supper, with a bottle of good local wine. You'll find it in a narrow alley off Stradun, with just half-a-dozen high tables with wooden stools.
Contact: 00 38 59 92 25 56 68; facebook.com
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Daily, 10am-midnight, Mar-Nov
Reservations: Recommended
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Barba
This welcoming little hole-in-the-wall eatery specialises in 'sea food-street food' and is one of the few places in town to offer a reasonably-priced quick bite. It's an ideal spot for lunch or supper on the run, and comprises modern pinewood tables and stools seating about 10 guests, plus cushions on the stone steps out front. The daily menu is chalked-up on a blackboard, with perennial favourites being the octopus burger and the tempura prawns, plus local wine served in plastic cups. Everything is cooked-to-order, and if they run out of fresh ingredients, they close early.
Contact: 00 38 59 12 05 34 88; facebook.com
Prices: £
Opening times: 10am-9pm, Mar and Oct; 10am-midnight, Apr-Sep
Reservations: Not possible
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Buffet Škola
You'll find this tiny old-fashioned sandwich shop, renowned throughout town for its slabs of freshly-baked bread filled with local pršut (prosciutto) and sir (cheese), as well as tasty homemade apple strudel, in the same street as the gallery War Photo, which makes it a good choice for a carb fix after a morning roaming the gallery. Most people come here for takeaway, but if you eat at one of the three tables inside, you'll feel as if you're sitting in the Popović family kitchen. It's a real local hangout, and one of the few eateries to stay open all year. Cash only.
Contact:00 38 52 03 21 09 6
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 9am-10pm, May-Oct; 9am-3pm, Nov-Apr
Reservations: Not possible
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Kamenica
This informal, family-run eatery serves generous platters of girice (small fried fish, similar to whitebait), pržene lignje (fried squid) and miješena salata (mixed salad) at outdoor tables on the square overlooking the open-air market. If you want a dessert there's no choice, just one standard dish, rožata, a Dubrovnik speciality similar to crème caramel. Despite having been featured in many guide books, and therefore attracting droves of tourists, it's still frequented by locals too. They don't take reservations, so you may have to queue. It's a bit chaotic, but fun.
Contact: 00 38 52 03 23 68 2
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 8am-midnight, May-Oct; 8am-4pm, Nov-Dec and Feb-Apr
Reservations: Not possible
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Orsan
This long-standing restaurant has waterside tables overlooking the marina in the Orsan yacht club, and is shaded by pine trees along the stone quay. There's also additional seating on an upper terrace. Orsan is thoroughly unpretentious, and serves first-rate barbecued fresh fish, such as whole John Dory or sea bass (which they'll fillet at your table), along with Dalmatian favourites like octopus salad and black risotto (made from cuttlefish ink). For those who prefer meat, they do succulent fillet steak or local lamb. Breakfast is also served here through summer (8-11am).
Contact:00 38 52 04 36 82 2; restaurant-orsan-dubrovnik.com
Prices: £££
Opening times: Daily, 8am-midnight, year-round
Reservations: Recommended
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Pepper's
In a candle-lit stone courtyard, with additional tables indoors, Pepper's serves creative Mediterranean dishes, such as homemade hummus and warm pitta bread, which you might follow with sesame-crusted tuna steak with rocket salad and a delicious lime-and-ginger dressing, or a superfood summer salad (quinoa, butternut squash, sweet potato, cherry tomatoes, cashew nuts, dried cranberries and Greek feta cheese). Also be sure to try their excellent cocktails – the Pepper's frozen margaritas go down a treat. You'll find it on Lapad peninsular, close to the sailing marina.
Contact: 00 38 52 04 87 57 8; pepperseatery.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-3pm and 5.30-11pm, Apr-Oct
Reservations: Recommended
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Taverna Otto
In a renovated stone boatshed with a vaulted ceiling, and an outdoor terrace overlooking Gruž port, Otto offers a welcome escape from the crowded old town, and makes an ideal choice if you're staying on Lapad peninsular. The short menu tends towards 'creative Mediterranean', with dishes such as onion soup gratinée, oven-baked sea bass with broad beans and fennel, and braised lamb shank with couscous. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the prices are refreshingly sane. It's small and very popular, so you'd do well to book in advance.
Contact: 00 38 52 03 58 63 3; tavernaotto.com
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Wed-Mon, 12pm-4pm and 7pm-11pm, Mar-Nov; Tues closed
Reservations: Recommended in high season
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Expert guide to Dubrovnik
This article was written by Jane Foster from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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