Walking through Dubrovnik feels a little bit like stepping back in time. The buttery-coloured cobbled streets and façades of the Old Town and the sweet scent coming through the fig trees add on to the rather magical feeling of the town. It is no wonder that this is Croatia’s most visited destination with tourists flocking form all over the world. Whether you are visiting as part of a cruise experience and you only have a day to spend, or it’s a stopover destination before heading to one of Croatia’s famous islands, Dubrovnik awards all of its visitors with an abundance of culinary treats.
For breakfast: Mlinar
Pick an authentic Croatian pastry from Mlinar in the heart of Dubrovnik’s Old Town. The bakery offers both sweet and savoury treats made out of filo pastry with fillings like spinach and feta, custard and homemade strawberry jams being the most popular choice. You can enjoy a crusty strudel with a soft apple filling for those with a sweet tooth, or if you are looking to really get stuck into the local cuisine, try the swirly burek made with either beef mince filling or just cheese.
Where: Čubranovićeva ul. 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
For lunch: Proto Fish Restaurant
You will find Proto Fish Restaurant tucked away on the side of the Place, which are the main streets within the walls of Dubrovnik. With its white tablecloth and turquoise blue accents, you will instantly sense the Mediterranean spirit of this restaurant. Its menu offers a plethora of choice, mostly seafood and fish, as expected by its name. And as you know, when in doubt and in the heart of the Mediterranean, always go with seafood. It’s usually fresh, which certainly was the case here, prepared following an old family recipe and, of course, expect the food to be delicious.
With this in mind, for our starter, we picked the tuna tarter and the octopus salad. Both had a rather refreshing taste, served with crunchy toasted bread. Once the starter was devoured, we cleared our palette with icy mango and strawberry daiquiris before digging into our main course.
The lobster tail pasta was the recommended dish, which was prepared in an authentic Dalmatian red sauce and is the restaurant’s specialty. It certainly lived up to expectation though it was a tad too big for lunch. The fresh tagliatelle pasta, combined with the 40 degrees, will sent you right back to your hotel bed for a much-needed power nap. The second option for us was the grilled Mediterranean scallops served on a bed of creamy mash potatoes. The tender buttery scallops were complemented perfectly by the creaminess of the mash.
For those who choose to dine there in the evening, Proto has a lovely terrace overlooking the bustling streets in a much more secluded manner.
Where: Široka ul. 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
For afternoon treats: Dubravka
As a lot of people out there, I, too, have my love-hate relationship with dairy, which makes reviewing desserts and especially ice creams a very hard task, let’s face it, most good ice creams are often made with dairy ingredients. And, to add to this, I find most ice creams a tad too sweet. However, if I am to ever recommend an ice cream place to anyone, it would have to be Dubravka. Dubravka is a restaurant near Old Town but just on the site, they have an ice cream parlour offering creamy ice creams and abundance of flavours.
Where: Dubravka 1836 Restaurant, Brsalje 1, Pile Gate, Dubrovnik 20000, Croatia
For sundowners: Panorama Restaurant and Bar
At sunset there really is only one place to go to in Dubrovnik to really soak up the pink skies on their final touch of the Mediterranean Sea. It truly is an unmissable experience, especially with a glass of Mimosa in hand.
You need to plan your sundowners just right, because you will need to hop on the cable car first and the queues for this can be a bit long. Check when the sunset actually is and allow a good hour and a half beforehand to ensure that you don’t end up admiring the sunset from the cable car.
Once you are up there, there are many good spots to watch the sunset but if you like to have a drink in hand to celebrate nature’s beauty, then head to the Panorama Restaurant and Bar. You can opt to just have a drink in the upper area, which is an open space area surrounded by greenery with standing tables sort of giving out classy wedding vibes, offering refuge to those who are just there for a quick drink. If you want to dine, you’d have to pre-book in advance as this popular spot is a must-visit for all.
Where: Srđ ul. 3, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
For dinner: Bura Bistro and Bar
Bura Bistro and Bar is situated just a minute’s walk from renown Rector’s Palace. By dinner time you’d have walked past and taken photos in front of the Gothic-styled Palace multiple times. So, you’ll easily locate Bura Bistro and Bar, in Bunić Square, where the live music never seems to stop, and the rose sangria is pouring at every table.
The menu is small, with only few dishes, which to me is a great sign. It shows that the place only offers what they do best, and that certainly was the case. Whilst flicking through the pages I noticed that every other page tells the tale of the Bura storm, the namesake of this restaurant. At first, you wonder why anyone would name a restaurant after a strong destructive wind, as described in the menu, but then you taste the food, and you get it. It’s rich, it’s bold and sweeps you off your feet with just one bite.
For starters, we picked the Caldretti squids and shrimps served in a warm tomato-based sauce accompanied by an enormous basket of freshly baked bread and a swordfish ceviche. I am a sucker for ceviche and ever since I tried it in a restaurant which only does ceviche in its country of origin, my expectation is usually sky high. But Bura did not disappoint in its citrusy-fresh, and a tiny bit spicy, ceviche.
For the main course, we opted in for beef fillet with truffle and homemade sweet potatoes fries. The portion was more than anyone can eat, but full of flavour. The truffle sauce was the showstopper of this course with its rich creamy flavour, and it worked just perfect with the tender fillet.
After all this food you may struggle to find space for dessert, but Bura’s creamy almond semifreddo is a must-try dessert in Dubrovnik. Pair it with a glass of local vino for the perfect finish of the day.
Where: Buniceva Poljana Old Town, Dubrovnik 20000, Croatia
